Extending Human Life

Human organ and tissue engineering in three-dimension involves adding liquid, gelling it, printing more cells, and building layers. The end result: One day we may be able to fully create organs, bones and complex tissues.

But scientists now are limited to a maximum of about 2 inches of tissue thickness. Exceeding that threshold is one of the technology’s major limitations. The kidney prototype was the first organ researched in this manner.

“When you print something very thick, the cells on the inside will die,” says Dr. Thomas Boland from the University of El Paso. “There’s no nutrients getting in there – so we need to print channels there and hope they become blood vessels.”

Any human organ requires blood vessels to keep it alive and working properly. Without these blood vessels, the organ will die. This is the major challenge facing researchers for human application.

The question is: How do you get a printed organ to grow and thrive with blood vessels?

No More Rejections

Although there are several hypotheses surrounding this challenge, most scientists believe hard work, ingenuity, money, and even a little luck will one day place printed organs into live humans.

“In the future – maybe 50 years from now – we will be able to make very complex organs, even bones, and very complex tissues,” Dr. Boland says.

When this is accomplished, researchers won’t have to worry about rejection because the replacement part will be customized to the individual receiving it.



“With the printers, we have the ability to tailor the material very well depending on how much crosslinker and so on,” Boland says, “so we can actually match the properties of the heart cell (for example) with the properties of the tissue.”

Rapid prototyping is nothing more than layer-by-layer deposition of any materials.

“What is new is that instead of ceramic, instead of polymer, instead of some other inorganic stuff, we use living tissue and living cells,” says Dr. Vladimir Mironov from the Medical University of South Carolina.

Rapid prototyping is the process of quickly turning product designs into actual samples. Using a computer and a rapid prototype machine, one can build almost any object – limited only by size, complexity and material.

Mending Damaged Organs

Though we may be half-a-century away from being able to fabricate entire organs, scientists think they’re likely much closer to applications that will affect everyone’s life.

Boland is working with colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina to build tissue to repair a heart that’s been damaged.

“The problem with heart tissue is that you can’t generate your own heart cells,” Boland says. “You’re born with a number of heart cells – maybe a billion or so – then, that’s it.”


Mironov says researchers were using two-dimension bio-printed materials for work with drugs and toxicity. Imagine living patches of skin that could be used to test medicines of even cosmetics?

Indeed, as scientists and researchers work to make organ printing a reality, Mironov sees major implications for mankind.

“This could have the same impact as Gutenberg’s press,” he says, referring to mechanical systems first assembled in the Holy Roman Empire by the German Johannes Gutenberg around 1440.

Gutenberg, a goldsmith by profession, developed a complete printing system, which perfected the printing process through all its stages by adapting existing technologies to printing purposes, as well as making groundbreaking inventions of his own.

Prolonging Our Lives

WMB believes rapid prototyping is quite viable, especially as scientists start to understand the mechanics of cell replication, genetics, stem-cell chemistry, and the like.

Further, WMB believes that as researchers start to unravel the mysteries and mechanics underlying cancer and cell malfunction, there will be engineering breakthroughs in organ bio-fabrication.

As researchers expand their knowledge, WMB believes we may much closer than we think in terms of implementing this technology for humans.

The end result, within a generation or so, could lead to reliable methods for prolonging life.

TechMan

Take Heart With Stem Cells

The possibility of using stem cells to rebuild tissue of patients with heart attacks and heart failure has revived hopes. But clinical trials have produced only modest results – and not in the way clinicians expected.

Now the early results are pointing researchers toward other types of stem cells that may be better suited to repair cardiac muscle.

With over 5 million Americans now suffering from heart failure, the number is sure to rise as 76 million Baby Boomers grow older. Cardiologists, however, are expecting breakthroughs in stem cell therapy.

“We’re trying to tear pages out of nature’s playbook,” says Dr. Douglas Losordo, director of the Program in Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Initially, stem cells found in bone marrow were particularly tantalizing for heart repair.

These stem cells were successfully used to rebuild the immune systems of cancer patients, and scientists discovered the cells have the capacity to grow into heart muscle, blood vessels, and other tissues.

In just a few minutes, a heart blockage can kill at least a billion cells because of a lack of oxygen. These cells don’t grow back, scar tissue remains, and a weakened circulatory system results.

Patients experiencing heart failure have an average life expectancy of less than five years, according to Dr. Chuck Murry, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Biology at the University of Washington in Seattle.

“It’s deadlier than breast cancer,” Dr. Murry says.

New Study Paths

From 2002 to 2006, there were at least 18 randomized controlled studies involving nearly 1,000 patients.

“Everyone started putting bone marrow into the heart,” according to Dr. Christine Mummery, a researcher at Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. She is responsible for studying how to turn stem cells into heart muscle cells known as cardiomyocytes.

The therapy produced only marginal results, according to Dr. Mummery. But researchers found stem cells which don’t grow into new heart cells seem to help patients in other ways, and that’s what they’re analyzing.

“It’s a little bit mysterious,” says Dr. Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedar-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles.

Dr. Marban believes transplanted cells secrete chemicals which boost heart function, not because of new tissue growth. The “stem cells are raising an alarm to resident cardiac stem cells. They seem to work indirectly,” he says.

Consequently, Dr. Marban started to study stem cells from the heart instead of bone marrow.

Unfortunately, the so-called cardiac progenitor cells naturally repair heart muscle but far too slowly to cope with catastrophic injury. These cells are rare and account for about one in 40,000 working heart cells.

But generated in larger concentrations researchers think cardiac progenitor cells might promote healing and reverse heart scarring.

“Let’s just say we’re extremely encouraged,” Dr. Marban says.

Multipurpose Helpers

In other labs, researchers are focused on more powerful, pluripotent stem cells which have the potential to grow into any type of tissue in the body.

Some labs are using embryonic stem cells, and others are studying induced pluripotent stem cells derived from adult tissues and rewound to an embryonic state.

At the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Dr. Kenneth Chien has grown mouse embryonic stem cells into a strip of mature cardiac tissue. According to the journal Science, the patch was only six or seven cell layers thick, similar to a heart “Band-Aid.”

Further, embryonic stem cells run the risk of rejection and are still a long way from being tested in humans. These cells also can form into tumors and not beat in sync with surrounding heart tissue.

Some of the most promising work with pluripotent stem cells is about ramping up the heart’s own healing abilities.

WMB believes stem cell research holds promise for improving life expectancy, especially for those with severe heart problems. More and varied research in stem cell uses should be encouraged.

TechMan

Stem Cell Research Breakthrough

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent approval of the first human clinical stem cell research trial represents a milestone of unlimited potential, especially in the treatment of cancer and spinal cord injuries.

The trial will be designed around embryonic human stem cells; this is considered a major breakthrough in the scientific community since the results are directly related to human beings.

Diseases from cancer to diabetes will be relevant and highly protractible. Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, CA, will conduct the first trials.

Geron is developing first-in-class biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer and chronic degenerative diseases, including spinal cord injury, heart failure, and diabetes, according to the corporation’s website.

The company is advancing an anti-cancer drug and a cancer vaccine which target the enzyme telomerase through a multitude of clinical trials in different cancers.

President Obama in March 2009 signed an executive order that brought about major change in stem cell research. Obama lifted restrictions (imposed in 2001 by former President George W. Bush) on federal funding to help promote state-of-the art embryonic stem cell research.

“We will aim for America to lead the world in discoveries it may one day yield,’’ Obama said at that time.

Embryonic stem cells were first isolated and grown in a lab dish in 1998. That breakthrough stirred debate over ethics, morality and religious implications versus scientific and health benefits for mankind.

Proponents over the past decade have included former first lady Nancy Reagan and actors Michael J. Fox and the late Christopher Reeve, according to the Associated Press. Opponents object that human embryos have to be destroyed to harvest the cells.

Researchers remain intrigued and are still learning how the body uses stem cells to restore and regenerate human tissue. Doctors hope to restore and harness the power of these cells in efforts to have a human “repair kit.”

To that end, testing use of adult stem cells (typically taken from bone marrow and blood) is far ahead of embryonic, the AP's Malcolm Ritter reports.

Adult stem cells are being studied in people who suffer from multiple sclerosis, heart attacks and diabetes. Some early results suggest stem cells can help some patients avoid leg amputation. Recently, researchers reported that they restored vision to patients whose eyes were damaged by chemicals.

Transplants of adult stem cells have become a standard lifesaving therapy for perhaps hundreds of thousands of people with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood diseases, according to Ritter.

"That's really one of the great success stories of stem cell biology that gives us all hope," says Dr. David Scadden of Harvard, who notes stem cells are also used to grow skin grafts. "If we can recreate that success in other tissues, what can we possibly imagine for other people?"


The FDA originally approved the Geron study of embryonic human stem cells in January 2009 and it was scheduled to begin last summer. Plans for the trial came to an abrupt halt, however, when Geron scientists discovered animals in a preclinical study had developed a higher frequency (than normal) of cysts than had been observed in other studies, according to company officials.

Accordingly, the FDA put a hold on the trial. Since then, Geron claims to have developed new markers and assays for the therapy, and conducted another preclinical animal study.

Company officials, in a recent press release, say the purpose of the first phase of research in humans is to test the safety of the therapy in patients with spinal cord injuries. Candidates for the research study are those patients with the most severe cases.

Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of Geron Corp., told CNN that company scientists will be looking for any signs of recovery, in addition to verifying safety issues, in the Phase 1 trial.

If successful, Geron’s therapy – known as GRNOPC1 – also may have applications for Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and a fatal neurological disorder called Canavan disease.

Company officials say they cannot speculate on when the trial will begin, but they are optimistic that research work will launch this year, according to Geron spokeswoman Anna Krassowska.

The field of embryonic stem cells has been highly controversial for many years because the biomedical research process involves destroying the embryo which is four or five days old after removing the stem cells. At this point, the cells have a blank genetic predisposition and become any cell in the body by feeding it with genetic code.

We at WMB believe this research is monumental in understanding how genetics and genetic coding can influence cellular malfunction.

This work can be significant in our understanding of how to cure many diseases, especially as they relate to cancer, a leading cause of death.

This post is by TechMan, WMB co-author who blogs about trends, issues and ideas affecting business, industry, technology and consumers.

Battling Breast Cancer Now

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, but there is reason for hope with an estimated 2.5 million breast cancer survivors today in the United States. This May marks the 25th consecutive year for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

An estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among women in this country in 2010, according to the American Cancer Society. About 5 percent of all breast cancer patients die each year. Breast cancer is second only to lung cancer in mortality for women.

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that grows in one or both breasts. The cancer usually develops in the ducts or lobules which are also known as the milk-producing areas of the breast, according to Wikipedia. African-American women have a slightly lower incidence of breast cancer after age 40; Caucasian women have a slightly higher incidence rate of breast cancer before age 40. But African-American women are more likely to die from breast cancer independent of age.

Breast cancer is much less common in males. The disease is about 100 times more common among women. ACS reports about 1,910 new cases of invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in the United States last year.

There are two main categories of breast cancer – noninvasive cancers (“carcinoma in situ”) and invasive cancers. Noninvasive breast cancers are confined in the ducts or lobules and they do not spread to surrounding tissues. There are two types of noninvasive breast cancers: ductal carcinoma in situ (referred to as DCIS) and lobular carcinoma in situ (referred to as LCIS).

Hormones found in a woman’s body, such as estrogen and progesterone, generally play a role in the development of breast cancer. In breast cancer, estrogen results in a doubling of cancer cells every 36 hours. This growing tumor needs to increase its blood supply in order to receive more food and oxygen. Progesterone appears to cause stromal cells (i.e. the women’s own cells send out signals for more blood to supply the oxygen and nutrients), Dr. V. Craig Jordan, vice president and scientific director for the medical science division at Fox Chase Center in Philadelphia, told The New York Times in 2006.

Invasive or infiltrating breast cancers penetrate through normal breast tissue and invade surrounding areas. They are more serious than noninvasive cancers because they can spread to other parts of the body such as the bones, liver, lungs and brain.

There are several kinds of invasive breast cancers. The most common type is invasive ductal carcinoma, which appears in the ducts and accounts for about 80 percent of all breast cancer cases. There are differences in the various types of invasive breast cancer, but the treatments are similar for all types.

Five Types of Standard Treatment

The following standard treatments are recommended by the ACS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Cancer Institute.

Surgery

Most patients with breast cancer have surgery to remove the cancer from the breast. Some of the lymph nodes under the arm are usually taken out via a biopsy and examined under the microscope to determine if they are cancerous. The types of surgery are classified into lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, total mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy, and radical mastectomy.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy X-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to prevent the growth of cancer cells. This is accomplished either by killing them or from preventing them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach the cancer cells throughout the body.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing. Hormones are substances produced by glands in the body and circulated into the bloodstream. Some hormones can cause certain cancers to grow.

Targeted Therapy

Specific cancer cells are destroyed without harming normal cells. Monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors are two types of therapies currently under study.

CLINICAL TRIALS and NEW TREATMENTS

Information about clinical trials is available from the National Cancer Institute.

Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Followed by Surgery

Sentinel lymph node biopsy is the removal of the sentinel lymph node during surgery. The sentinel lymph node is the first node to receive lymphatic drainage from a tumor. It is the first lymph node the cancer is likely to spread to from the tumor.
A radioactive substance or blue dye is injected near the tumor. The substance or dye flows through the lymph ducts to the lymph nodes. The first lymph node to receive the substance or dye is removed.

High-Dose Chemotherapy and Stem Cell Transplant

High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant is a way of giving high doses of chemotherapy and replacing blood-forming cells destroyed by the cancer treatment. Stem cells (immature blood cells) are removed from the blood or bone marrow from the patient or a donor and are frozen and stored.

After chemotherapy is completed, the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the patient by infusion. These reinfused stem cells grow into and restore the body’s blood cells. For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be their best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of cancer research process and are conducted to find out if the cancer treatments are safe and effective compared to standard treatment.

Many of today’s standard treatments are based on earlier clinical trials. As such, patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to try a new treatment.

Of course, patients who take part in clinical trials help pave the way for new patients. Even when clinical trials don’t solve existing questions, they often can lead to new discoveries and help move research forward.

This post is courtesy of TechMan who writes about trends, ideas and issues affecting business, industry and technology.

Stem Cell R&D Draws Debate

Stem cell research is one of today’s most controversial and interesting areas of biomedical research. It offers huge potential for improving our quality of life but raises ethical and moral questions.

Researchers and practitioners are intrigued and still learning how the body uses these cells to restore and regenerate human tissue. Doctors hope to restore and harness the power of stem cells in efforts to have a human “repair kit.”


However, there is still a deep divide over how safe and ethical this practice is. It’s true that stem cells could revolutionize medicine, but the subject also raises profound ethical and moral issues about how far we should take this research and development to save lives and extend life.

Stem cells are found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms, according to Wikipedia. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic (mitosis) cell division and differentiate into a diverse range of specialized cell types.

Research in the stem cell field grew out of findings by Canadians Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 1960s.
The two types of mammalian stem cells are embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocycts, and adult stem cells found in adult tissues.

In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintaining the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.

Adult stem cells are unspecialized, undifferentiated cells which exist in very small numbers among specialized cells in an adult organ or tissue. Their main function is to maintain and periodically repair tissues in which they are found.

Stem cells can now be grown and transformed into specialized cells with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues, such as muscles or nerves through cell culture. Highly plastic adult stem cells from a variety of sources, including the umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, are used in medical therapies.

Embryonic stem cells generated through therapeutic cloning also have been proposed as promising candidates for future therapies.

The Controversy: When Does Human Life Begin?

The isolation of stem cells took place initially in 1998 and thrust the subject into debate related to the battle over abortion. Isolating embryonic stem cells and destroying an embryo in the process have been raising ethical issues. Most of the debate centers over when life begins.

For instance, is an embryo a person? Should scientists forgo embryonic stem cell research to protect the embryo? Is it ethical to jeopardize a potential life in the name of science? Or should researchers investigate adult stem cell technology only; thereby avoiding the “right-to-life” issues altogether?

The Case For Using Embryonic Stem Cells

Scientists think human embryonic stem cells can provide the most immediate opportunity for curing human disease.

“Embryonic stem cells could serve as replacement cells for those that have been lost or destroyed because of disease,” according to Dr. Robert Goldstein, chief scientific officer of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Adult stem cells are difficult to isolate, and they do not propagate well in culture media. There’s little proof, researchers contend, of a wide array of human adult stem cells which can differentiate into multiple tissue types. However, despite the questions, there is little doubt that most scientists want to research adult and embryonic stem cell research on parallel tracks.

President Obama last March signed an executive order that brought about major change in stem cell research. Obama lifted the ban (imposed by former President George W. Bush) on federal funding to help promote state-of-the art embryonic stem cell research. “We will aim for America to lead the world in discoveries it may one day yield,’’ Obama said.

We support this policy change and believe it may create new employment opportunities within the health care system. With the historic overhaul of America’s health care system just approved, it remains to be seen if funds will be available to support stem cell research.

We applaud this new initiative and hope this progressive thinking will carry forward to other new potential industries.

Still, the question remains: Does and can the United States provide the brain trust and creativity to solve complex answers to fundamental needs and demands? The success of this model represents our ability to grow and prosper as a nation, and ultimately create jobs.

This post is courtesy of TechMan, a contributor who writes about science, health, education and other areas affecting industry, business and technology.