Navigation Links
Seaweed and fireflies brew may guide stem cell treatment for peripheral artery disease
Date:3/10/2009

An unlikely brew of seaweed and glow-in-the-dark biochemical agents may hold the key to the safe use of transplanted stem cells to treat patients with severe peripheral arterial disease (PAD), according to a team of veterinarians, basic scientists and interventional radiologists at Johns Hopkins.

In a preliminary "proof of concept" study in rabbits, Johns Hopkins scientists safely and successfully delivered therapeutic stem cells via intramuscular injections and then monitored the stem cells' viability once they reached their targets.

A report of the study by Johns Hopkins radiologists is scheduled for presentation at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 34th annual scientific meeting March 10.

Stem cells hold promise in treating PAD by reconstituting or increasing the number of blood vessels to replace or augment those choked off by plaque buildup. A chronic condition that can lead to amputations and even death, PAD is marked by vastly reduced circulation of blood in vessels feeding the legs and other "peripheral" body parts, and affects as many as 10 million Americans. Many cases can be treated with angioplasty or stents, similar to approaches used in coronary artery disease, but for some patients with extensive disease conventional treatment is not feasible, researchers say.

Among the technical hurdles to improving blood flow in such patients, according to Dara L. Kraitchman, V.M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of radiology at Johns Hopkins, is a means of telling doctors whether injected stem cells are staying alive and reaching the right targets to grow and develop into the needed new tissue.

This is critical, Kraitchman says, because the body's own immune defenses may recognize the potentially helpful donor stem cells as foreign invaders and try to destroy them, and also because traditional radioactive labeling agents, or tracers, which are normally used to track cells, can be toxic to stem cells.

<
'/>"/>
Contact: Gary Stephenson
gstephenson@jhmi.edu
410-955-5384
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Source:Eurekalert

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2

Related medicine news :

1. Fireflies glow helps UT Southwestern researchers track cancer drugs effectiveness
2. FRC Responds to President Obamas Misguided Decision on Stem Cell Science
3. HEROES Grants, Education Guide Support Youth Leaders Addressing Childhood Obesity Epidemic
4. The REACH Institute: Best Practice Guidelines Address Mental Health Needs of Youth in Care
5. New Book Exposes Junk Science, Conflicts of Interest, Disease Guidelines Affecting Millions
6. IPRO QIO Uses Milliman Care Guidelines(R) for Medicare Reviews in New York State
7. American College of Gastroenterology Issues Updated Colorectal Cancer Guidelines
8. New CME guidelines advise paradigm shift in physician education
9. Recovery Audit Contractor HealthDataInsights Licenses Milliman Care Guidelines(R)
10. American Academy of Dermatology Issues New Guidelines For The Management of Psoriasis With Topical Therapies
11. New tool guides doctors to save cancer patients fertility
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Breaking Medicine News(10 mins):Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 2Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 3Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 4Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 5Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 6Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 7Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 8Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 9Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 10Health News:Winner Medical Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2009 Results 11Health News:Pitt study suggests craving hinders comprehension without your realizing it 2Health News:Lilly Announces the First 300-unit Vial of Insulin 2Health News:Lilly Announces the First 300-unit Vial of Insulin 3Health News:Lilly Announces the First 300-unit Vial of Insulin 4Health News:Data Published in Leading Respiratory Journal Reinforce Importance of Small Airways In Asthma Management 2Health News:Data Published in Leading Respiratory Journal Reinforce Importance of Small Airways In Asthma Management 3Health News:Data Published in Leading Respiratory Journal Reinforce Importance of Small Airways In Asthma Management 4Health News:Data Published in Leading Respiratory Journal Reinforce Importance of Small Airways In Asthma Management 5Health News:Pitt study suggests craving hinders comprehension without you realizing it 2
Other Medicine News:Health News:NutriSystem, Inc. Joins Forces with WomenHeart to Fight Heart Disease 2Health News:NutriSystem, Inc. Joins Forces with WomenHeart to Fight Heart Disease 3Health News:Researchers Zero In on GI Cancers 2Health News:Researchers Zero In on GI Cancers 3Health News:Researchers Zero In on GI Cancers 4Health News:2009: The Year of Health Care Reform? Faith-Based Investors See Doubling of Related Shareholder Resolutions, Growing Public Support From Corporate America 2Health News:2009: The Year of Health Care Reform? Faith-Based Investors See Doubling of Related Shareholder Resolutions, Growing Public Support From Corporate America 3Health News:2009: The Year of Health Care Reform? Faith-Based Investors See Doubling of Related Shareholder Resolutions, Growing Public Support From Corporate America 4Health News:2009: The Year of Health Care Reform? Faith-Based Investors See Doubling of Related Shareholder Resolutions, Growing Public Support From Corporate America 5Health News:2009: The Year of Health Care Reform? Faith-Based Investors See Doubling of Related Shareholder Resolutions, Growing Public Support From Corporate America 6Health News:FitHeads(R) Helps You Keep Your New Year's Resolution by Getting Your Body and Mind Fit 2Health News:FitHeads(R) Helps You Keep Your New Year's Resolution by Getting Your Body and Mind Fit 3Health News:American Red Cross and HOPE worldwide Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy 2Health News:American Red Cross and HOPE worldwide Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Legacy 3
Breaking Medicine Technology:Stallergenes: Oralair: Very Positive 3-Year Results of the Long-Term Study 2Stallergenes: Oralair: Very Positive 3-Year Results of the Long-Term Study 3Stallergenes: Oralair: Very Positive 3-Year Results of the Long-Term Study 4Stallergenes: Oralair: Very Positive 3-Year Results of the Long-Term Study 5Hill-Rom Announces Appointment of James R. Giertz to Board of Directors 2The Epilepsy Research Foundation and Milken Family Foundation Announce Prestigious Translational Research Grants for Two Pioneering Epilepsy Therapies 2The Epilepsy Research Foundation and Milken Family Foundation Announce Prestigious Translational Research Grants for Two Pioneering Epilepsy Therapies 3The Epilepsy Research Foundation and Milken Family Foundation Announce Prestigious Translational Research Grants for Two Pioneering Epilepsy Therapies 4The Epilepsy Research Foundation and Milken Family Foundation Announce Prestigious Translational Research Grants for Two Pioneering Epilepsy Therapies 5Leading Society Publisher American Academy of Pediatrics Chooses iPublishCentral to Launch e Book Strategy 59544 1Leading Society Publisher American Academy of Pediatrics Chooses iPublishCentral to Launch e Book Strategy 59544 2Leading Society Publisher American Academy of Pediatrics Chooses iPublishCentral to Launch e Book Strategy 59544 3ISMPP Supports Best Practices and Transparency in Medical Publications 3A Better Understanding of Terms Such as Ghostwriting Needed 14486 1ISMPP Supports Best Practices and Transparency in Medical Publications 3A Better Understanding of Terms Such as Ghostwriting Needed 14486 2ISMPP Supports Best Practices and Transparency in Medical Publications 3A Better Understanding of Terms Such as Ghostwriting Needed 14486 3American Lung Association in Colorados Faces of Influenza Initiative Rolls Up its Sleeves to Kick Off Flu Season in Denver 5514 1American Lung Association in Colorados Faces of Influenza Initiative Rolls Up its Sleeves to Kick Off Flu Season in Denver 5514 2American Lung Association in Colorados Faces of Influenza Initiative Rolls Up its Sleeves to Kick Off Flu Season in Denver 5514 3American Lung Association in Colorados Faces of Influenza Initiative Rolls Up its Sleeves to Kick Off Flu Season in Denver 5514 4