Bone Marrow Transplant News and Research

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UCLA researchers receive grant to develop medical products against radiation exposure

Researchers in the Radiation Oncology Department at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have received a $14 million grant to develop countermeasures that will help treat damage caused by radiological or nuclear threats such as a dirty bomb attack.

25 Oct 2010

Mesoblast broadens cancer indications for bone marrow transplant product

Australian regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Limited (ASX: MSB, USOTC: MBLTY) today announced that it is broadening the oncology applications of its "off-the-shelf" cell product for expansion of haematopoietic stem cells in patients with blood cancers. Building on the recent clinical success of Mesoblast’s proprietary cell product for expansion of cord blood, the Company will now address new markets where expansion of haematopoietic stem cells can make a meaningful impact on clinical outcomes, including diseases such as multiple myeloma.

13 Oct 2010

University of Colorado receives $6.3 million for umbilical cord blood bank

The University of Colorado Cord Blood Bank, a component of ClinImmune Labs and the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has been awarded $6.3 million to collect and bank umbilical cord blood, with an emphasis on donors from minority groups.

8 Oct 2010

Calif. Governor signs law for oversight of CT scans; Ariz. man's transplant on hold because of Medicaid cuts; Texas pharmacies sue CVS Caremark

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed tough new legislation tightening oversight of diagnostic CT scans, largely in response to the overdosing of hundreds of patients who underwent brain scans for stroke in 2008 and 2009.

5 Oct 2010

Patients' right to be involved in own medical care

Twelve years ago, then 28-year-old graduate student Brian Zikmund-Fisher was forced into the toughest choice of his life: Die from a blood disorder within a few years or endure a bone marrow transplant that could cure him or kill him in weeks.

29 Sep 2010

Signaling pathway inhibition enhances autologous bone marrow transplant: Research

Identification of a molecular communications pathway that influences the mobilization of hematopoietic (blood) stem cells could lead to targeted therapies for improving bone marrow transplant success rates.

27 Sep 2010

G-CSF compound may activate virus, increases risk of infection: Research

Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University's Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute may spur debate about the risks associated with administering a specific compound in some forms of bone-marrow transplantation. The research is published in the current edition of Cell Host and Microbe.

22 Sep 2010

FDA grants orphan drug designation for MultiStem stem cell therapy

Athersys, Inc. announced today that MultiStem, Athersys' multipotent adult progenitor stem cell therapy, has been granted orphan drug designation by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of graft vs. host disease (GvHD).

21 Sep 2010

Chimerix presents promising clinical data for CMX001 in late-breaker poster session at 50th ICAAC

Chimerix, Inc., a pharmaceutical company developing orally-available antiviral therapeutics, today presented promising clinical data for CMX001 in a late-breaker poster session at the 50th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

16 Sep 2010

Leukemia survivor to meet donor of bone marrow transplant

Ann Marie Del Fiacco, a 38-year-old Berwyn mother of two, owes her life to a stranger who volunteered to be a donor for her life-saving bone marrow transplant.

13 Sep 2010

Cancer Institute of New Jersey expands 'Quality and Outcomes in Cancer Care Research Program'

Looking to gain further understanding about the impact of cancer on patients and families, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) is expanding its Quality and Outcomes in Cancer Care (QOCC) Research Program by welcoming nationally-recognized population science researcher Sharon Manne, PhD. Dr. Manne, who is the recipient of major grant awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for her work in behavioral science, was most recently at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. CINJ is a Center of Excellence of UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

17 Aug 2010

New T cell engineering approach can improve success rate of immune-cell therapies

Clinical trials using patients' own immune cells to target tumors have yielded promising results. However, this approach usually works only if the patients also receive large doses of drugs designed to help immune cells multiply rapidly, and those drugs have life-threatening side effects. Now a team of MIT engineers has devised a way to deliver the necessary drugs by smuggling them on the backs of the cells sent in to fight the tumor. That way, the drugs reach only their intended targets, greatly reducing the risk to the patient.

16 Aug 2010

Einstein College receives grant to develop stem cell-based therapies

Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have received a five-year, $10.8 million grant to develop stem cell-based therapies that could be used to mitigate radiation-induced gastrointestinal syndrome - part of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) - for military personnel, first responders and the general public. The Einstein research, funded by the federal Centers for Medical Countermeasures Against Radiation, is part of a program coordinated by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

12 Aug 2010

Cytrx’s tamibarotene achieves molecular complete remission in advanced acute promyelocytic leukemia

CytRx Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company specializing in oncology, today announced that a 44-year-old female patient with advanced acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) achieved molecular complete remission with no evidence of disease in the blood cells and/or bone marrow following treatment with CytRx's oncology drug candidate tamibarotene.

23 Jul 2010

Mesoblast schedules formal meeting with FDA to discuss proposed Phase 3 clinical trial program

Australian regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that based on positive results from its bone marrow transplant clinical trial conducted at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, a formal meeting has been scheduled with the United States Food and Drug Administration to discuss a proposed Phase 3 clinical trial program.

12 Jul 2010

Musashi 2 protein predicts progression of AML and CML, identify researchers

Researchers at Whitehead Institute and Children's Hospital Boston have identified a protein, called Musashi 2, that is predictive of prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

9 Jul 2010

Preclinical efficacy data of Sangamo's ZFN based human stem cell therapy for HIV published

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced the publication of data demonstrating the preclinical efficacy of a human stem cell therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) based on its proprietary zinc finger DNA-binding protein nuclease (ZFN) technology.

6 Jul 2010

Gamida Cell-Teva Joint Venture's StemEx program receives FDA Fast Track Designation

Gamida Cell announced today that the Gamida Cell-Teva Joint Venture has received an FDA Fast Track Designation for StemEx, in development as an alternative to a bone marrow transplant for patients with blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma.

21 Jun 2010

Bone marrow transplant cures excessive pathological grooming behavior in mice

Scientists earlier found that mice missing one of a group of core developmental genes known as the Hox genes developed an odd and rather unexpected pathology: the mutant animals groomed themselves compulsively to the point that they were removing their own hair and leaving self-inflicted open sores on their skin. Now, they've found a surprising connection between the Hoxb8 gene and the behavior that looks an awful lot like that of people with an obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder (OCD).

28 May 2010

SCID added to the core panel of 29 genetic disorders

On May 21, 2010, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services announced the addition of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency -- commonly known as bubble boy disease -- to the core panel of 29 genetic disorders -- as part of her recommendation to adopt the national Recommended Uniform Screening Panel.

26 May 2010