1. BioTime has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Cornell University for the worldwide development and commercialization of technology developed at Weill Cornell Medical College for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into vascular endothelial cells. Published last year in Nature Biotechnology, the methods provide an improved means of generating these cells on an industrial scale, and will be utilized by BioTime in diverse products including those under development at BioTime’s subsidiaries ReCyte Therapeutics, Inc. targeting age-related vascular disease, and at OncoCyte Corporation to deliver a toxic payload to cancerous tumors.
Vascular endothelial cells form the tubular structure of the very small blood vessels known as capillaries, and the innermost cells of larger arteries and veins in the body. When these cells become dysfunctional, they are believed to play a key role in numerous disease processes such as coronary heart disease and stroke. The ability to reprogram cell lifespan and manufacture young and healthy patient-specific vascular endothelial cells may prove to be critically important for the future of certain therapeutic strategies in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. One of the largest markets may be age-related vascular disease such as coronary disease and stroke. BioTime has tested the Cornell technology when combined with BioTime’s ACTCellerate™ technology and has successfully produced highly purified monoclonal embryonic vascular endothelium. This high level of purity and scalability is expected to facilitate the manufacture of clinical-grade cells that may be used for transplantation therapies.
2. Advanced Cell Technology Inc. said it has received a U.S. patent for its method of generating and expanding hemangioblast cells from human embryonic stem cells. Hemangioblasts can produce blood cells, immune cells and types of vascular cells.
3. Terrell Owens, one of the NFL’s most celebrated players, is in Korea to undergo treatment for a knee injury at a local hospital on a three-day visit from Sunday. The wide receiver, now a free agent, will also have stem cells collected as part of the treatment, Lee Jung-no, doctor and president of the Chaum Anti-Aging center.
The bulging disk in Manning’s neck has thus far defied three surgical repair attempts and months of physical therapy, and the 35-year-old QB is expected to be out of the game for two to three months, and possibly more. Manning has already missed his team’s first two games.
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Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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