Info on STEM CELLS from scientific source

ref74 · 09-03-2009, 06:56 AM

First of all sorry, this post will be very long, maybe too much. Anyway it deals with scientific information on stem cells.

Since we are seeing a lot of information on stem cells from press release, web-sites, any other kind of source impossible to judge about quality and reliability, I would like to paste here some exctract of a review article published on the September 2008 (pretty recent, then) Cell and Tissue Research.

Beisel K, Hansen L, Soukup G, Fritzsch B, Cell Tissue Res. 2008, 333(3):373-9.

Regenerating cochlear hair cells: quo vadis stem cell

Abstract:
Many elderly people worldwide lose the neurosensory part of their ear and turn deaf. Cochlear implants to restore some hearing after neurosensory hearing loss are, at present, the only therapy for these people. In contrast to this therapy, replacement of hair cells via stem cell therapies holds the promise for a cure. We review here current insights into embryonic, adult, and inducible stem cells that might provide cells for seeding the cochlea with the hope of new hair cell formation. We propose a two-step approach using a first set of transcription factors to enhance the generation of inducible pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and a second set of factors to initiate the differentiation of hair cells. Recent evidence regarding ear development and stem cell research strongly suggest that microRNAs will be an important new regulatory factor in both iPS cell formation and differentiation to reprogram cells into hair cells. In addition, we highlight currently insurmountable obstacles to the successful transformation of stem cells into hair cell precursors and their injection into the cochlear canal to replace lost hair cells.

I would like to put some exctract from the text. I cannot paste the whole article, since it is under copyright. I can have access to it from the library here at work, then I am authorized to read it. I can possibly send a copy to a few interested people. Otherwise you should try to get access to a copy of the journal at some public libraries. There are other, even more recent reviews on that, one is on Nature Neuroscience, but unfortunately I cannot get access to at the moment.

It is TRUE that some successful experiments have been done on animal models:
"Attempts at seeding the ear with pluripotent stem
cells to form new hair cells or neurons are being pursued
and have been successfully implemented in animal models
for sensory neuron loss (Martinez-Monedero et al. 2006;
Senn and Heller 2008)."

Anyway, there is still a lot of work to be done, before being really able to restore a working tissue:
"With our growing knowledge of the
functional genomics of hair cell differentiation, we might
soon be able to use regulatory genes for the transdifferentiation
of supporting cells into hair cells (Raphael et al.
2007). However, the drawback to such an approach is that it
would deplete our supply of supporting cells and cause
structural disorganization within the cytoarchitecture of the
organ of Corti (Fritzsch et al. 2006)."

It is TRUE there are incouraging results on the HUMAN tissue, for regeneration of hairy cells. Many different strategies are under development and there are some incouraging results. Anyway there are still some study to do on the best source of stem cells to properly generate a correct organization of hearing tissue:
"various neural tissues
(Tamura et al. 2004; Tateya et al. 2003), or neurosensory
precursors (Hu et al. 2005) have been tested for their
capacity to develop into hair-cell-like cells and to survive
when injected into the ear, generating a substantial body of
literature indicating how best to implant cells for neuronal
(Corrales et al. 2006; Martinez-Monedero et al. 2006;
Tamura et al. 2004; Tateya et al. 2003; Ulfendahl et al.
2007) or sensory (Iguchi et al. 2004; Li et al. 2004; Naito et
al. 2004; Nakagawa and Ito 2005) replacement. Overall, the
data are encouraging as they indicate that the technical
problem of how to implant properly primed precursors into
the cochlea or modiolus for hair cell and sensory neuron
replacement is solvable. The main obstacles seem to be
the identification of a source that provides enough stem
cells to allow such therapies to have a good chance of
success."

iPS cell type are among the most promising cell lines, anyway it must be noted that who think that there are no risk associated to the stem cell therapy should have a look here. The point is, among many issues, to instruct the undifferentiated stem cells to evolve into hairy cell tissue, but also to instruct them how and when to stop. The risk is tumor formation:
"Despite this proof of principle, optimism should be
restrained. Some problems that affect other potential
therapeutic approaches with ES and AS cells similarly
apply to iPS cells, for which the efficacy of the procedure
and serious risk of tumor formation make iPS cells
currently unsuitable for human trials (Holden and Vogel
2008)."

A summary of the most important issues still to be tackled:
"Initially, it is critical
that we not only find a way to turn on proliferation, but that
we also have a means to turn it off. Without adequate cell
cycle control, any of the techniques discussed above have
the risk of forming tumors. Furthermore, the cochlea is an
enclosed space surrounded by bone, in which an inner ear
tumor would very rapidly destroy the delicate organ and the
adjacent facial nerve. This is the case for Schwannoma of
the VIIIth nerve. Another critical issue for the restoration of
hearing is the rebuilding of the appropriate cytoarchitecture
required for the organization and polarization of the hair
cells within the organ of Corti. Any perturbation in the
cytoarchitecture of the organ of Corti almost always leads
to hearing loss. In a properly functioning cochlea, the outer
and inner hair cells are organized in a three-to-one radial
configuration. Additionally, each individual hair cell has a
polarity defined by placement of the kinocilium and
stereocilia pattern on the apical surface. In order for the
hair cells to be stimulated by sound waves in the basilar
membrane, they must all align perpendicular to the long
axis of the cochlea. Although we know that genes such as
Foxg1 are involved in determining the number of rows of
hair cells and the polarity of hair cells in the organ of Corti
(Pauley et al. 2006), we do not yet have a firm grasp of the
way in which these features are defined in the normal
cochlea (Jones and Chen 2007). Likewise, the supporting
cell distribution and differentiation is critical for hearing.
[...]
Although we
have made major inroads with regards to our understanding
of the molecular basis of innervation, we do not yet know
the molecular basis for outer and inner hair-cell-specific
innervation. Clearly, the organization of cochlear hair cells,
Cell Tissue Res (2008) 333:373–379 377
supporting cells, and their innervation will be, at least in
part, governed by their surroundings. We have yet to
determine how much influence the infrastructure (such as
placement of the spiral artery) and gene expression from
non-sensory cells adjacent to the organ of Corti will have
on the developing hair cells, should attempts at regeneration
as outlined above prove successful."

Ok, one year has passed since this review has been published, but if you search the data banks, no noticeable revolutionary finding has been published. We are proceeding fast on the route, but the route still appears to be pretty long...

ref74 · 09-03-2009, 08:06 AM

This is a book those interested in going deeper into the stem cells/gene therapy for hearing restoration should consider:

Gene Therapy of Cochlear Deafness
Present Concepts and Future Aspects
Editor(s): Ryan, A.F. (La Jolla, Calif.)
VI + 120 p., 28 fig., 12 in color, 5 tab., hard cover, 2009
Karger AG, Basel, Switzerland.

It's 90€, or 129 US dollars...

Many many interesting chapters, with the most up-to-date reliable scientific information from some of the most relevant scientists of the field.

Here below an example, the abstract of a chapter, derived from a recent paper published on Advances in otorynolaryngology:

Adv Otorhinolaryngol. Basel, Karger, 2009, vol 66, pp 64–86
Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Transplantation: Strategies for Hearing Restoration
Bradley W. Kessera, Anil K. Lalwanib

Abstract
Strategies to restore sensorineural hearing loss focus on the replacement of lost hair cells, the specialized mechanoreceptors in the organ of Corti that convert the mechanical energy of sound into electrical energy. Hair cells in mammalian systems do not have the capacity to regenerate, but two exciting lines of research hold promise in restoring inner ear function. Here we review basic principles of gene therapy and discuss its application in the inner ear. We survey the various viral vectors and routes of delivery into the inner ear. Applications of gene therapy in the inner include hair cell protection in the face of chemical or noise-induced ototoxicity, spiral ganglion cell survival following hair cell death or injury, and hair cell regeneration. More recently, the viability of gene therapy in human inner ear tissue has been reported. Transplantation of progenitor cells that can differentiate into functioning hair cells with the appropriate connections to their corresponding spiral ganglion cells is yet another strategy to restore sensorineural hearing loss. Neonatal or embryonic stem cells, adult mouse inner ear stem cells, and stem cells from the central nervous system have been shown to differentiate into cells containing hair cell markers and proteins. Prospects for stem cell therapy in the inner ear, and its limitations, will also be examined.
Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

deafdude1 · 09-03-2009, 08:48 AM

Great article! Me and Phi4sius honestly think hearing restoration is less than 5 years off and may even be around the corner. It's already on the news, see link below!

Alexandria native Humphries fights through MS to compete in Deep South golf tourney | thetowntalk.com | The Town Talk

In February, Humphries underwent another experimental stem cell treatment to regrow inner ear nerve hairs. It not only improved his hearing but helped him tolerate heat, which can be a problem for people with MS.

ref74 · 09-03-2009, 09:17 AM

Yes, great, but I tend to still be skeptical.
Honestly there is no scientific evidence here. I really hope that it is true.
My question here is why there is no evidence of that extraordinary medical successes in the scientific literature? They would have all the possible benefit in publishing the results, they would increase significantly the number of patients.
You can find some links to scientific literature in their site, anyway nothing refers to human treatment. Note that human treatments are illegal in the USA, or in Europe, but can be pursued in other countries, without FDA approval!

These statements, on their website (Stem Cell Therapy Clinics, Treatment Available Now) is scaring, but absoluting true:

Because stem cell therapy is not the standard of care, the following important disclosures are made:

* The science of treatment with adult stem cells is in its infancy.

* The treatments described on cellmedicine.com are not approved by the US FDA and are not considered to be standard of care for any condition or disease.

* There could be significant and unknown risks associated with adult stem cell treatments, as long-term studies have not been performed.

* For most diseases no prospective, randomized clinical trials of adult stem cells have been performed, therefore no guarantee of safety or effectiveness is made or implied.

* Treatments by licensed doctors will only be performed after the patient understands and agrees to informed consent.

* The results of testimonials of people who appear on this website who have undergone stem cell treatment are not necessarily typical.

* If you are accepted for treatment by a doctor, the treatment will not be performed in the USA or Canada.

I said it several other times, I would like to think the same as you. But I do not think stem cells are 5 years away...

deafdude1 · 09-03-2009, 09:47 AM

That guy already got stem cells experimentally in Costa Rica. Once I learn more and see more results(such as before, after audiograms) and talk to some of those people who have their hearing loss partially improved and they experienced no major complications, I am getting it myself. I expect many pioneers to travel to Costa Rica and other countries to get it. Ill let them go first and base their results on how soon ill be ready to get it myself.

neuro · 09-03-2009, 10:22 AM

interesting work of gathering scientific articles. I know there are a lot more, and many laboratories such as (to name one) where he works Marcelo Rivolta (which was a boom media recently about the cure deafness) http://cscb.shef.ac.uk/downloads/Aud...em%20Cells.pdf

Quote:

Originally Posted by ref74

First of all sorry, this post will be very long, maybe too much. Anyway it deals with scientific information on stem cells.

Since we are seeing a lot of information on stem cells from press release, web-sites, any other kind of source impossible to judge about quality and reliability, I would like to paste here some exctract of a review article published on the September 2008 (pretty recent, then) Cell and Tissue Research.

Beisel K, Hansen L, Soukup G, Fritzsch B, Cell Tissue Res. 2008, 333(3):373-9.

Regenerating cochlear hair cells: quo vadis stem cell

Abstract:
Many elderly people worldwide lose the neurosensory part of their ear and turn deaf. Cochlear implants to restore some hearing after neurosensory hearing loss are, at present, the only therapy for these people. In contrast to this therapy, replacement of hair cells via stem cell therapies holds the promise for a cure. We review here current insights into embryonic, adult, and inducible stem cells that might provide cells for seeding the cochlea with the hope of new hair cell formation. We propose a two-step approach using a first set of transcription factors to enhance the generation of inducible pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and a second set of factors to initiate the differentiation of hair cells. Recent evidence regarding ear development and stem cell research strongly suggest that microRNAs will be an important new regulatory factor in both iPS cell formation and differentiation to reprogram cells into hair cells. In addition, we highlight currently insurmountable obstacles to the successful transformation of stem cells into hair cell precursors and their injection into the cochlear canal to replace lost hair cells.

I would like to put some exctract from the text. I cannot paste the whole article, since it is under copyright. I can have access to it from the library here at work, then I am authorized to read it. I can possibly send a copy to a few interested people. Otherwise you should try to get access to a copy of the journal at some public libraries. There are other, even more recent reviews on that, one is on Nature Neuroscience, but unfortunately I cannot get access to at the moment.

It is TRUE that some successful experiments have been done on animal models:
"Attempts at seeding the ear with pluripotent stem
cells to form new hair cells or neurons are being pursued
and have been successfully implemented in animal models
for sensory neuron loss (Martinez-Monedero et al. 2006;
Senn and Heller 2008)."

Anyway, there is still a lot of work to be done, before being really able to restore a working tissue:
"With our growing knowledge of the
functional genomics of hair cell differentiation, we might
soon be able to use regulatory genes for the transdifferentiation
of supporting cells into hair cells (Raphael et al.
2007). However, the drawback to such an approach is that it
would deplete our supply of supporting cells and cause
structural disorganization within the cytoarchitecture of the
organ of Corti (Fritzsch et al. 2006)."

It is TRUE there are incouraging results on the HUMAN tissue, for regeneration of hairy cells. Many different strategies are under development and there are some incouraging results. Anyway there are still some study to do on the best source of stem cells to properly generate a correct organization of hearing tissue:
"various neural tissues
(Tamura et al. 2004; Tateya et al. 2003), or neurosensory
precursors (Hu et al. 2005) have been tested for their
capacity to develop into hair-cell-like cells and to survive
when injected into the ear, generating a substantial body of
literature indicating how best to implant cells for neuronal
(Corrales et al. 2006; Martinez-Monedero et al. 2006;
Tamura et al. 2004; Tateya et al. 2003; Ulfendahl et al.
2007) or sensory (Iguchi et al. 2004; Li et al. 2004; Naito et
al. 2004; Nakagawa and Ito 2005) replacement. Overall, the
data are encouraging as they indicate that the technical
problem of how to implant properly primed precursors into
the cochlea or modiolus for hair cell and sensory neuron
replacement is solvable. The main obstacles seem to be
the identification of a source that provides enough stem
cells to allow such therapies to have a good chance of
success."

iPS cell type are among the most promising cell lines, anyway it must be noted that who think that there are no risk associated to the stem cell therapy should have a look here. The point is, among many issues, to instruct the undifferentiated stem cells to evolve into hairy cell tissue, but also to instruct them how and when to stop. The risk is tumor formation:
"Despite this proof of principle, optimism should be
restrained. Some problems that affect other potential
therapeutic approaches with ES and AS cells similarly
apply to iPS cells, for which the efficacy of the procedure
and serious risk of tumor formation make iPS cells
currently unsuitable for human trials (Holden and Vogel
2008)."

A summary of the most important issues still to be tackled:
"Initially, it is critical
that we not only find a way to turn on proliferation, but that
we also have a means to turn it off. Without adequate cell
cycle control, any of the techniques discussed above have
the risk of forming tumors. Furthermore, the cochlea is an
enclosed space surrounded by bone, in which an inner ear
tumor would very rapidly destroy the delicate organ and the
adjacent facial nerve. This is the case for Schwannoma of
the VIIIth nerve. Another critical issue for the restoration of
hearing is the rebuilding of the appropriate cytoarchitecture
required for the organization and polarization of the hair
cells within the organ of Corti. Any perturbation in the
cytoarchitecture of the organ of Corti almost always leads
to hearing loss. In a properly functioning cochlea, the outer
and inner hair cells are organized in a three-to-one radial
configuration. Additionally, each individual hair cell has a
polarity defined by placement of the kinocilium and
stereocilia pattern on the apical surface. In order for the
hair cells to be stimulated by sound waves in the basilar
membrane, they must all align perpendicular to the long
axis of the cochlea. Although we know that genes such as
Foxg1 are involved in determining the number of rows of
hair cells and the polarity of hair cells in the organ of Corti
(Pauley et al. 2006), we do not yet have a firm grasp of the
way in which these features are defined in the normal
cochlea (Jones and Chen 2007). Likewise, the supporting
cell distribution and differentiation is critical for hearing.
[...]
Although we
have made major inroads with regards to our understanding
of the molecular basis of innervation, we do not yet know
the molecular basis for outer and inner hair-cell-specific
innervation. Clearly, the organization of cochlear hair cells,
Cell Tissue Res (2008) 333:373–379 377
supporting cells, and their innervation will be, at least in
part, governed by their surroundings. We have yet to
determine how much influence the infrastructure (such as
placement of the spiral artery) and gene expression from
non-sensory cells adjacent to the organ of Corti will have
on the developing hair cells, should attempts at regeneration
as outlined above prove successful."

Ok, one year has passed since this review has been published, but if you search the data banks, no noticeable revolutionary finding has been published. We are proceeding fast on the route, but the route still appears to be pretty long...

ref74 · 09-03-2009, 10:47 AM

Yes Neuro, Sheffield University laboratories seem to be one of the most advanced research centers in the stem cells areas and the group of Dr. Rivolta is focused on the deafness treatment. They are mostly focused on the selection and growth of stem cell lines. They are not involved in clinical activity apparently.
As you can see from a literature search, the work seems to be pretty hard, since hardly more that one publication per year has been achievend recently...

Here's three of their most recent publications:

Stem Cells. 2009 May;27(5):1196-204.
Human fetal auditory stem cells can be expanded in vitro and differentiate into functional auditory neurons and hair cell-like cells.
Chen W, Johnson SL, Marcotti W, Andrews PW, Moore HD, Rivolta MN.

Abstract
In the quest to develop the tools necessary for a cell-based therapy for deafness, a critical step is to identify a suitable stem cell population. Moreover, the lack of a self-renovating model system for the study of cell fate determination in the human cochlea has impaired our understanding of the molecular events involved in normal human auditory development. We describe here the identification and isolation of a population of SOX2+OCT4+ human auditory stem cells from 9-week-old to 11-week-old fetal cochleae (hFASCs). These cells underwent long-term expansion in vitro and retained their capacity to differentiate into sensory hair cells and neurons, whose functional and electrophysiological properties closely resembled their in vivo counterparts during development. hFASCs, and the differentiating protocols defined here, could be used to study developing human cochlear neurons and hair cells, as models for drug screening and toxicity and may facilitate the development of cell-based therapies for deafness.

Hear Res. 2007 Nov;233(1-2):23-9.
The human fetal cochlea can be a source for auditory progenitors/stem cells isolation.
Chen W, Cacciabue-Rivolta DI, Moore HD, Rivolta MN.

Abstract
The development of new stem cell-based technologies is creating new hopes in regenerative medicine. Hearing-impaired individuals should benefit greatly from the development of a cell-based regenerative strategy to treat deafness. An important achievement would be to develop a human-based system that could bring the advances made in animal models closer to clinical application. In this work, we have explored the suitability of the developing fetal cochlea to be used as a source for the extraction of auditory progenitor/stem cells. We have established cultures that express critical markers such as NESTIN, SOX2, GATA3 and PAX2. These cultures can be expanded in vitro for several months and differentiating markers such as ATOH1/HATH1 and POU4F3/BRN3C can be induced by manipulating the culture conditions using specific growth factors such as bFGF, EGF and retinoic acid.

Eur J Neurosci. 2007 Feb;25(4):957-73.
A model for mammalian cochlear hair cell differentiation in vitro: effects of retinoic acid on cytoskeletal proteins and potassium conductances.
Helyer R, Cacciabue-Rivolta D, Davies D, Rivolta MN, Kros CJ, Holley MC.

Abstract
We have established a model for the in-vitro differentiation of mouse cochlear hair cells and have used it to explore the influence of retinoic acid on proliferation, cytoskeletal proteins and voltage-gated potassium conductances. The model is based on the conditionally immortal cell line University of Sheffield/ventral otocyst-epithelial cell line clone 36 (US/VOT-E36), derived from ventral otic epithelial cells of the mouse at embryonic day 10.5 and transfected with a reporter for myosin VIIa. Retinoic acid did not increase cell proliferation but led to up-regulation of myosin VIIa and formation of prominent actin rings that gave rise to numerous large, linear actin bundles. Cells expressing myosin VIIa had larger potassium conductances and did not express the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(kip1). US/VOT-E36 endogenously expressed the voltage-gated potassium channel alpha-subunits Kv1.3 and Kv2.1, which we subsequently identified in embryonic and neonatal hair cells in both auditory and vestibular sensory epithelia in vivo. These subunits could underlie the embryonic and neonatal delayed-rectifiers recorded in nascent hair cells in vivo. Kv2.1 was particularly prominent on the basolateral membrane of cochlear inner hair cells. Kv1.3 was distributed throughout all hair cells but tended to be localized to the cuticular plates. US/VOT-E36 recapitulates a coherent pattern of cell differentiation under the influence of retinoic acid and will provide a convenient model for screening the effects of other extrinsic factors on the differentiation of cochlear epithelial cell types in vitro.

neuro · 09-03-2009, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ref74

Yes, great, but I tend to still be skeptical.
Honestly there is no scientific evidence here. I really hope that it is true.
My question here is why there is no evidence of that extraordinary medical successes in the scientific literature? They would have all the possible benefit in publishing the results, they would increase significantly the number of patients.
You can find some links to scientific literature in their site, anyway nothing refers to human treatment. Note that human treatments are illegal in the USA, or in Europe, but can be pursued in other countries, without FDA approval!

These statements, on their website (Stem Cell Therapy Clinics, Treatment Available Now) is scaring, but absoluting true:

Because stem cell therapy is not the standard of care, the following important disclosures are made:

* The science of treatment with adult stem cells is in its infancy.

* The treatments described on cellmedicine.com are not approved by the US FDA and are not considered to be standard of care for any condition or disease.

* There could be significant and unknown risks associated with adult stem cell treatments, as long-term studies have not been performed.

* For most diseases no prospective, randomized clinical trials of adult stem cells have been performed, therefore no guarantee of safety or effectiveness is made or implied.

* Treatments by licensed doctors will only be performed after the patient understands and agrees to informed consent.

* The results of testimonials of people who appear on this website who have undergone stem cell treatment are not necessarily typical.

* If you are accepted for treatment by a doctor, the treatment will not be performed in the USA or Canada.

I said it several other times, I would like to think the same as you. But I do not think stem cells are 5 years away...

"The company is moving to establish a research collaboration that will include long-term
toxicity studies, and develop a prototype system that would be evaluated in a clinical model.
It is estimated that 3 – 5 years of development and clinical effort will be required to move this
technology through FDA requirements to the commercialization pathway"
source: http://www.nanobmi.com/images/OAD_Te..._June_2009.pdf

ref74 · 09-03-2009, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neuro

"The company is moving to establish a research collaboration that will include long-term
toxicity studies, and develop a prototype system that would be evaluated in a clinical model.
It is estimated that 3 – 5 years of development and clinical effort will be required to move this
technology through FDA requirements to the commercialization pathway"
source: http://www.nanobmi.com/images/OAD_Te..._June_2009.pdf

Just to explain that, this is not stem cells therapy, the company is trying to put on the market a non invasive delivery method to transport chemicals into the inner ear. It is based on nanoparticles and magnetic fields.
Though this kind of systems are usually applied to transport drugs to specific sites in the organism, they claim as a potential application the possibility to deliver "genetic material". Nothing is said about which kind of genetic material and how the hell a "genetic material" (in principle this would be nucleic acid derivatives) should act in the cochlea. Actually the are looking for collaboration about that, basically offering a technology for delivery. It is difficult to believe such a system could be used to deliver cellular material, since the size of a cell is more on the micro-scale than on the nano-scale...

What can be submitted to FDA approval is not the stem cell treatment, but this delivery method!!!

neuro · 09-03-2009, 11:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ref74

Yes, great, but I tend to still be skeptical.
Honestly there is no scientific evidence here. I really hope that it is true.
My question here is why there is no evidence of that extraordinary medical successes in the scientific literature? They would have all the possible benefit in publishing the results, they would increase significantly the number of patients.
You can find some links to scientific literature in their site, anyway nothing refers to human treatment. Note that human treatments are illegal in the USA, or in Europe, but can be pursued in other countries, without FDA approval!

These statements, on their website (Stem Cell Therapy Clinics, Treatment Available Now) is scaring, but absoluting true:

Because stem cell therapy is not the standard of care, the following important disclosures are made:

* The science of treatment with adult stem cells is in its infancy.

* The treatments described on cellmedicine.com are not approved by the US FDA and are not considered to be standard of care for any condition or disease.

* There could be significant and unknown risks associated with adult stem cell treatments, as long-term studies have not been performed.

* For most diseases no prospective, randomized clinical trials of adult stem cells have been performed, therefore no guarantee of safety or effectiveness is made or implied.

* Treatments by licensed doctors will only be performed after the patient understands and agrees to informed consent.

* The results of testimonials of people who appear on this website who have undergone stem cell treatment are not necessarily typical.

* If you are accepted for treatment by a doctor, the treatment will not be performed in the USA or Canada.

I said it several other times, I would like to think the same as you. But I do not think stem cells are 5 years away...

the point is that if you receive information from individuals (say, more and more cases) means that stem cells may be amenable to hearing loss. Not that I have clinical utility, but is real and achievable. That is the question we now ask whether these reports are true or not.

deafdude1 · 09-03-2009, 11:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neuro

the point is that if you receive information from individuals (say, more and more cases) means that stem cells may be amenable to hearing loss. Not that I have clinical utility, but is real and achievable. That is the question we now ask whether these reports are true or not.

It's already on the news:

AllDeaf.com - View Single Post - Info on STEM CELLS from scientific source

neuro · 09-03-2009, 11:28 AM

the same information on another page
Web My MS Pain is GONE! The Stem Cell Blog

Quote:

Originally Posted by deafdude1

Great article! Me and Phi4sius honestly think hearing restoration is less than 5 years off and may even be around the corner. It's already on the news, see link below!

Alexandria native Humphries fights through MS to compete in Deep South golf tourney | thetowntalk.com | The Town Talk

In February, Humphries underwent another experimental stem cell treatment to regrow inner ear nerve hairs. It not only improved his hearing but helped him tolerate heat, which can be a problem for people with MS.

neuro · 09-03-2009, 11:31 AM

that's what I mean. The stem cells are applied, now what we need to discuss what they earn, such as protocols, if the reports are true or not, etc.. This is not to question, to debate whether stem cells have no therapeutic uses in humans until past decades, but it is a fact that is happening and we must now discuss and debate whether or not the falsity of the information, on whether improvements are therapeutic or not. It's what I believe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deafdude1

It's already on the news:

AllDeaf.com - View Single Post - Info on STEM CELLS from scientific source

stemcellblogger · 09-03-2009, 11:49 AM

I am not up on all the research but if you have a few years, here's a fair amount of it. There's more out there but this is a decent start on it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Let me know your conclusions.

20,600 scholarly papaers/studies on "deaf+stem+cell":
deaf stem cell - Google Scholar

A supplementary clinical trial:
Phase II Study of the Multichannel Auditory Brain Stem Implant for Deafness Following Surgery for Neurofibromatosis 2
Phase II Study of the Multichannel Auditory Brain Stem Implant for Deafness Following Surgery for Neurofibromatosis 2 - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

An article - India - fetal stem cells - deafness:
Adult stem cell therapy may treat deafness – Health – Wellness – Lifestyle – The Times of India The Stem Cell Blog

Automated threshold detection for auditory brainstem responses: comparison with visual estimation in a stem cell transplantation study
Automated threshold detection for auditory brainstem responses: comparison with visual estimation in a stem cell transplantation study - 7thSpace Interactive

neuro · 09-03-2009, 12:10 PM

welcome to the forum!

Quote:

Originally Posted by stemcellblogger

I am not up on all the research but if you have a few years, here's a fair amount of it. There's more out there but this is a decent start on it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Let me know your conclusions.

20,600 scholarly papaers/studies on "deaf+stem+cell":
deaf stem cell - Google Scholar

A supplementary clinical trial:
Phase II Study of the Multichannel Auditory Brain Stem Implant for Deafness Following Surgery for Neurofibromatosis 2
Phase II Study of the Multichannel Auditory Brain Stem Implant for Deafness Following Surgery for Neurofibromatosis 2 - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

An article - India - fetal stem cells - deafness:
Adult stem cell therapy may treat deafness – Health – Wellness – Lifestyle – The Times of India The Stem Cell Blog

Automated threshold detection for auditory brainstem responses: comparison with visual estimation in a stem cell transplantation study
Automated threshold detection for auditory brainstem responses: comparison with visual estimation in a stem cell transplantation study - 7thSpace Interactive

jillio · 09-03-2009, 12:43 PM

Thank you, ref, for finally posting valid and reliable information. As your article points out, while promising results are being seen, much of the process in still in theory only, and there are many, many questions to be answered and problems to be solved before stem cell therapy will be available as a routine medical procedure. We are talking years. The easiest questions are the ones that have been answered. The ones that remain are the ones that are difficult, and will require much more research, including that of a longitudinal nature.

neuro · 09-03-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jillio

Thank you, ref, for finally posting valid and reliable information. As your article points out, while promising results are being seen, much of the process in still in theory only, and there are many, many questions to be answered and problems to be solved before stem cell therapy will be available as a routine medical procedure. We are talking years. The easiest questions are the ones that have been answered. The ones that remain are the ones that are difficult, and will require much more research, including that of a longitudinal nature.

I think the question remains to be isolated cases of deafness treatments with stem cells, and is not to discuss when it will occur but is occurring and what we should discuss whether true or not what is occurring eg updated info in Costa Rica ... Alexandria native Humphries fights through MS to compete in Deep South golf tourney | thetowntalk.com | The Town Talk

C-NICE · 09-03-2009, 02:39 PM

I am also a Type one diabetic saw this article onnline today about this stem cell discover so I e-mailed my doctor(this was his responce).

Nothing yet. This is at least 10-15 years from practical use.

Mario Skugor, M.D. FACE
Endocrine & Metabolic Institute
Associate Professor of Medicine CCLCM of CWRU
Associate Director - Endocrinoogy, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship Program
Cleveland Clinic
9500 Euclid Avenue (A53)
Cleveland, OH 44195
Tel - 216 445 0739
Fax - 216 445 1656
e-mail - skugorm@ccf.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Curtis, Charles [mailto:CCurtis@OrlandoBaking.com]
Sent: Thu 9/3/2009 11:54 AM
To: Skugor, Mario
Subject: What does this article really mean for diabetics like myself?

Dr. Skugor: What does this article really mean for diabetics like myself?

A Stem-Cell Discovery Could Help Diabetics - TIME

jillio · 09-03-2009, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neuro

I think the question remains to be isolated cases of deafness treatments with stem cells, and is not to discuss when it will occur but is occurring and what we should discuss whether true or not what is occurring eg updated info in Costa Rica ... Alexandria native Humphries fights through MS to compete in Deep South golf tourney | thetowntalk.com | The Town Talk

How exactly does another copy of the same press release posted prior apply to my post?

jillio · 09-03-2009, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by C-NICE

I am also a Type one diabetic saw this article onnline today about this stem cell discover so I e-mailed my doctor(this was his responce).

Nothing yet. This is at least 10-15 years from practical use.

Mario Skugor, M.D. FACE
Endocrine & Metabolic Institute
Associate Professor of Medicine CCLCM of CWRU
Associate Director - Endocrinoogy, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship Program
Cleveland Clinic
9500 Euclid Avenue (A53)
Cleveland, OH 44195
Tel - 216 445 0739
Fax - 216 445 1656
e-mail - skugorm@ccf.org

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Curtis, Charles [mailto:CCurtis@OrlandoBaking.com]
Sent: Thu 9/3/2009 11:54 AM
To: Skugor, Mario
Subject: What does this article really mean for diabetics like myself?

Dr. Skugor: What does this article really mean for diabetics like myself?

A Stem-Cell Discovery Could Help Diabetics - TIME

There you go! Don't throw out your insulin anytime soon.

kokonut · 09-03-2009, 04:55 PM

Pretty much a fact that in the field of stem cells clinical research for hearing loss continues to grow every year as key questions get answered and get closer to a true application model on treating hearing loss.

jillio · 09-03-2009, 06:35 PM

At least 15-20 years, folks.

kokonut · 09-03-2009, 07:31 PM

I'd say 5 to 10 years away but then again the stem cells research is moving quite rapidly it'd be tricky to even try and predict at this time. A breakthrough could happen well before the 5 year mark in another country we're not aware of. Who knows? Already getting ready for a phase II trial to apply stem cells to damaged and failing hearts when previous trials showed a 30% improvement....a life saver...enough to get off the heart transplant list. And that's only one example out of the many stem cells successes and gains in stem cells knowledge.

deafdyke · 09-03-2009, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Many elderly people worldwide lose the neurosensory part of their ear and turn deaf.

Actually I can't believe I'm the first person to point this out, but the first article is about ELDERLY/ late deafened folks.
The population is different from early/ congentially deafened folks.
Elderly people would be the ones to benifit right off the bat.

***candybrowneyes*** · 09-03-2009, 09:12 PM

This is the HA and CI forum, please post in the correct forums! Im leaving this one here so you guys will understand that STEM CELL news needs to be posted in The Deaf News Forum, PLEASE and THANK YOU ahead of time.

CBE

Bottesini · 09-03-2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by candybrowneyes

This is the HA and CI forum, please post in the correct forums! Im leaving this one here so you guys will understand that STEM CELL news needs to be posted in The Deaf News Forum, PLEASE and THANK YOU ahead of time.

CBE

Shouldn't it really go in Health,Lifestyle,Fitness, or a Science forum if we had one.

Stem cells are far from only being deaf news. Cancer, blindness, and other uses are hoped for stem cells.

souggy · 09-03-2009, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bottesini

Shouldn't it really go in Health,Lifestyle,Fitness, or a Science forum if we had one.

Stem cells are far from only being deaf news. Cancer, blindness, and other uses are hoped for stem cells.

Ding-ding! We got someone who is being logical!

Bottesini · 09-03-2009, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by souggy

Ding-ding! We got someone who is being logical!

Bowing modestly.

kokonut · 09-03-2009, 10:03 PM

Ok. Why is it ok for a cure for blindness but not for deafness? Sounds very elitist and selfish to me.

souggy · 09-03-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kokonut

Ok. Why is it ok for a cure for blindness but not for deafness? Sounds very elitist and selfish to me.

Where did it say it's not okay as a treatment for deafness? The problem is that this is not specific to deafness, but rather a broad overview for every medical purposes out there.

For future reference, use "treatment," not "cure." That way you won't fall flat on your face if it doesn't pan out to be complete restoration.

09-03-2009, 06:56 AM	#1 (permalink)
ref74 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Trieste, Italy Posts: 90	Info on STEM CELLS from scientific source First of all sorry, this post will be very long, maybe too much. Anyway it deals with scientific information on stem cells. Since we are seeing a lot of information on stem cells from press release, web-sites, any other kind of source impossible to judge about quality and reliability, I would like to paste here some exctract of a review article published on the September 2008 (pretty recent, then) Cell and Tissue Research. Beisel K, Hansen L, Soukup G, Fritzsch B, Cell Tissue Res. 2008, 333(3):373-9. Regenerating cochlear hair cells: quo vadis stem cell Abstract: Many elderly people worldwide lose the neurosensory part of their ear and turn deaf. Cochlear implants to restore some hearing after neurosensory hearing loss are, at present, the only therapy for these people. In contrast to this therapy, replacement of hair cells via stem cell therapies holds the promise for a cure. We review here current insights into embryonic, adult, and inducible stem cells that might provide cells for seeding the cochlea with the hope of new hair cell formation. We propose a two-step approach using a first set of transcription factors to enhance the generation of inducible pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and a second set of factors to initiate the differentiation of hair cells. Recent evidence regarding ear development and stem cell research strongly suggest that microRNAs will be an important new regulatory factor in both iPS cell formation and differentiation to reprogram cells into hair cells. In addition, we highlight currently insurmountable obstacles to the successful transformation of stem cells into hair cell precursors and their injection into the cochlear canal to replace lost hair cells. I would like to put some exctract from the text. I cannot paste the whole article, since it is under copyright. I can have access to it from the library here at work, then I am authorized to read it. I can possibly send a copy to a few interested people. Otherwise you should try to get access to a copy of the journal at some public libraries. There are other, even more recent reviews on that, one is on Nature Neuroscience, but unfortunately I cannot get access to at the moment. It is TRUE that some successful experiments have been done on animal models: "Attempts at seeding the ear with pluripotent stem cells to form new hair cells or neurons are being pursued and have been successfully implemented in animal models for sensory neuron loss (Martinez-Monedero et al. 2006; Senn and Heller 2008)." Anyway, there is still a lot of work to be done, before being really able to restore a working tissue: "With our growing knowledge of the functional genomics of hair cell differentiation, we might soon be able to use regulatory genes for the transdifferentiation of supporting cells into hair cells (Raphael et al. 2007). However, the drawback to such an approach is that it would deplete our supply of supporting cells and cause structural disorganization within the cytoarchitecture of the organ of Corti (Fritzsch et al. 2006)." It is TRUE there are incouraging results on the HUMAN tissue, for regeneration of hairy cells. Many different strategies are under development and there are some incouraging results. Anyway there are still some study to do on the best source of stem cells to properly generate a correct organization of hearing tissue: "various neural tissues (Tamura et al. 2004; Tateya et al. 2003), or neurosensory precursors (Hu et al. 2005) have been tested for their capacity to develop into hair-cell-like cells and to survive when injected into the ear, generating a substantial body of literature indicating how best to implant cells for neuronal (Corrales et al. 2006; Martinez-Monedero et al. 2006; Tamura et al. 2004; Tateya et al. 2003; Ulfendahl et al. 2007) or sensory (Iguchi et al. 2004; Li et al. 2004; Naito et al. 2004; Nakagawa and Ito 2005) replacement. Overall, the data are encouraging as they indicate that the technical problem of how to implant properly primed precursors into the cochlea or modiolus for hair cell and sensory neuron replacement is solvable. The main obstacles seem to be the identification of a source that provides enough stem cells to allow such therapies to have a good chance of success." iPS cell type are among the most promising cell lines, anyway it must be noted that who think that there are no risk associated to the stem cell therapy should have a look here. The point is, among many issues, to instruct the undifferentiated stem cells to evolve into hairy cell tissue, but also to instruct them how and when to stop. The risk is tumor formation: "Despite this proof of principle, optimism should be restrained. Some problems that affect other potential therapeutic approaches with ES and AS cells similarly apply to iPS cells, for which the efficacy of the procedure and serious risk of tumor formation make iPS cells currently unsuitable for human trials (Holden and Vogel 2008)." A summary of the most important issues still to be tackled: "Initially, it is critical that we not only find a way to turn on proliferation, but that we also have a means to turn it off. Without adequate cell cycle control, any of the techniques discussed above have the risk of forming tumors. Furthermore, the cochlea is an enclosed space surrounded by bone, in which an inner ear tumor would very rapidly destroy the delicate organ and the adjacent facial nerve. This is the case for Schwannoma of the VIIIth nerve. Another critical issue for the restoration of hearing is the rebuilding of the appropriate cytoarchitecture required for the organization and polarization of the hair cells within the organ of Corti. Any perturbation in the cytoarchitecture of the organ of Corti almost always leads to hearing loss. In a properly functioning cochlea, the outer and inner hair cells are organized in a three-to-one radial configuration. Additionally, each individual hair cell has a polarity defined by placement of the kinocilium and stereocilia pattern on the apical surface. In order for the hair cells to be stimulated by sound waves in the basilar membrane, they must all align perpendicular to the long axis of the cochlea. Although we know that genes such as Foxg1 are involved in determining the number of rows of hair cells and the polarity of hair cells in the organ of Corti (Pauley et al. 2006), we do not yet have a firm grasp of the way in which these features are defined in the normal cochlea (Jones and Chen 2007). Likewise, the supporting cell distribution and differentiation is critical for hearing. [...] Although we have made major inroads with regards to our understanding of the molecular basis of innervation, we do not yet know the molecular basis for outer and inner hair-cell-specific innervation. Clearly, the organization of cochlear hair cells, Cell Tissue Res (2008) 333:373–379 377 supporting cells, and their innervation will be, at least in part, governed by their surroundings. We have yet to determine how much influence the infrastructure (such as placement of the spiral artery) and gene expression from non-sensory cells adjacent to the organ of Corti will have on the developing hair cells, should attempts at regeneration as outlined above prove successful." Ok, one year has passed since this review has been published, but if you search the data banks, no noticeable revolutionary finding has been published. We are proceeding fast on the route, but the route still appears to be pretty long...

09-03-2009, 08:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
deafdude1 Getting stem cells ~2011! Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,051 Blog Entries: 1	Great article! Me and Phi4sius honestly think hearing restoration is less than 5 years off and may even be around the corner. It's already on the news, see link below! Alexandria native Humphries fights through MS to compete in Deep South golf tourney \| thetowntalk.com \| The Town Talk In February, Humphries underwent another experimental stem cell treatment to regrow inner ear nerve hairs. It not only improved his hearing but helped him tolerate heat, which can be a problem for people with MS. __________________

09-03-2009, 09:47 AM	#5 (permalink)
deafdude1 Getting stem cells ~2011! Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 1,051 Blog Entries: 1	That guy already got stem cells experimentally in Costa Rica. Once I learn more and see more results(such as before, after audiograms) and talk to some of those people who have their hearing loss partially improved and they experienced no major complications, I am getting it myself. I expect many pioneers to travel to Costa Rica and other countries to get it. Ill let them go first and base their results on how soon ill be ready to get it myself. __________________

09-03-2009, 11:49 AM	#14 (permalink)
stemcellblogger Registered User Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 2	Stem Cells for deafness? I am not up on all the research but if you have a few years, here's a fair amount of it. There's more out there but this is a decent start on it. Don't say I didn't warn you. Let me know your conclusions. 20,600 scholarly papaers/studies on "deaf+stem+cell": deaf stem cell - Google Scholar A supplementary clinical trial: Phase II Study of the Multichannel Auditory Brain Stem Implant for Deafness Following Surgery for Neurofibromatosis 2 Phase II Study of the Multichannel Auditory Brain Stem Implant for Deafness Following Surgery for Neurofibromatosis 2 - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov An article - India - fetal stem cells - deafness: Adult stem cell therapy may treat deafness – Health – Wellness – Lifestyle – The Times of India The Stem Cell Blog Automated threshold detection for auditory brainstem responses: comparison with visual estimation in a stem cell transplantation study Automated threshold detection for auditory brainstem responses: comparison with visual estimation in a stem cell transplantation study - 7thSpace Interactive

09-03-2009, 02:39 PM	#18 (permalink)
C-NICE Registered User Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 316	Time Line info(Slightly of subject) I am also a Type one diabetic saw this article onnline today about this stem cell discover so I e-mailed my doctor(this was his responce). Nothing yet. This is at least 10-15 years from practical use. Mario Skugor, M.D. FACE Endocrine & Metabolic Institute Associate Professor of Medicine CCLCM of CWRU Associate Director - Endocrinoogy, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship Program Cleveland Clinic 9500 Euclid Avenue (A53) Cleveland, OH 44195 Tel - 216 445 0739 Fax - 216 445 1656 e-mail - skugorm@ccf.org -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Curtis, Charles [mailto:CCurtis@OrlandoBaking.com] Sent: Thu 9/3/2009 11:54 AM To: Skugor, Mario Subject: What does this article really mean for diabetics like myself? Dr. Skugor: What does this article really mean for diabetics like myself? A Stem-Cell Discovery Could Help Diabetics - TIME

Today
Deafness	Sponsored Links __________________ This advertising will not be shown in this way to registered members. Register your free account today and become a member on AllDeaf.com

09-03-2009, 08:06 AM	#2 (permalink)
ref74 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Trieste, Italy Posts: 90	This is a book those interested in going deeper into the stem cells/gene therapy for hearing restoration should consider: Gene Therapy of Cochlear Deafness Present Concepts and Future Aspects Editor(s): Ryan, A.F. (La Jolla, Calif.) VI + 120 p., 28 fig., 12 in color, 5 tab., hard cover, 2009 Karger AG, Basel, Switzerland. It's 90€, or 129 US dollars... Many many interesting chapters, with the most up-to-date reliable scientific information from some of the most relevant scientists of the field. Here below an example, the abstract of a chapter, derived from a recent paper published on Advances in otorynolaryngology: Adv Otorhinolaryngol. Basel, Karger, 2009, vol 66, pp 64–86 Gene Therapy and Stem Cell Transplantation: Strategies for Hearing Restoration Bradley W. Kessera, Anil K. Lalwanib Abstract Strategies to restore sensorineural hearing loss focus on the replacement of lost hair cells, the specialized mechanoreceptors in the organ of Corti that convert the mechanical energy of sound into electrical energy. Hair cells in mammalian systems do not have the capacity to regenerate, but two exciting lines of research hold promise in restoring inner ear function. Here we review basic principles of gene therapy and discuss its application in the inner ear. We survey the various viral vectors and routes of delivery into the inner ear. Applications of gene therapy in the inner include hair cell protection in the face of chemical or noise-induced ototoxicity, spiral ganglion cell survival following hair cell death or injury, and hair cell regeneration. More recently, the viability of gene therapy in human inner ear tissue has been reported. Transplantation of progenitor cells that can differentiate into functioning hair cells with the appropriate connections to their corresponding spiral ganglion cells is yet another strategy to restore sensorineural hearing loss. Neonatal or embryonic stem cells, adult mouse inner ear stem cells, and stem cells from the central nervous system have been shown to differentiate into cells containing hair cell markers and proteins. Prospects for stem cell therapy in the inner ear, and its limitations, will also be examined. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

09-03-2009, 09:17 AM	#4 (permalink)
ref74 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Trieste, Italy Posts: 90	Yes, great, but I tend to still be skeptical. Honestly there is no scientific evidence here. I really hope that it is true. My question here is why there is no evidence of that extraordinary medical successes in the scientific literature? They would have all the possible benefit in publishing the results, they would increase significantly the number of patients. You can find some links to scientific literature in their site, anyway nothing refers to human treatment. Note that human treatments are illegal in the USA, or in Europe, but can be pursued in other countries, without FDA approval! These statements, on their website (Stem Cell Therapy Clinics, Treatment Available Now) is scaring, but absoluting true: Because stem cell therapy is not the standard of care, the following important disclosures are made: * The science of treatment with adult stem cells is in its infancy. * The treatments described on cellmedicine.com are not approved by the US FDA and are not considered to be standard of care for any condition or disease. * There could be significant and unknown risks associated with adult stem cell treatments, as long-term studies have not been performed. * For most diseases no prospective, randomized clinical trials of adult stem cells have been performed, therefore no guarantee of safety or effectiveness is made or implied. * Treatments by licensed doctors will only be performed after the patient understands and agrees to informed consent. * The results of testimonials of people who appear on this website who have undergone stem cell treatment are not necessarily typical. * If you are accepted for treatment by a doctor, the treatment will not be performed in the USA or Canada. I said it several other times, I would like to think the same as you. But I do not think stem cells are 5 years away...

09-03-2009, 10:47 AM	#7 (permalink)
ref74 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Trieste, Italy Posts: 90	Yes Neuro, Sheffield University laboratories seem to be one of the most advanced research centers in the stem cells areas and the group of Dr. Rivolta is focused on the deafness treatment. They are mostly focused on the selection and growth of stem cell lines. They are not involved in clinical activity apparently. As you can see from a literature search, the work seems to be pretty hard, since hardly more that one publication per year has been achievend recently... Here's three of their most recent publications: Stem Cells. 2009 May;27(5):1196-204. Human fetal auditory stem cells can be expanded in vitro and differentiate into functional auditory neurons and hair cell-like cells. Chen W, Johnson SL, Marcotti W, Andrews PW, Moore HD, Rivolta MN. Abstract In the quest to develop the tools necessary for a cell-based therapy for deafness, a critical step is to identify a suitable stem cell population. Moreover, the lack of a self-renovating model system for the study of cell fate determination in the human cochlea has impaired our understanding of the molecular events involved in normal human auditory development. We describe here the identification and isolation of a population of SOX2+OCT4+ human auditory stem cells from 9-week-old to 11-week-old fetal cochleae (hFASCs). These cells underwent long-term expansion in vitro and retained their capacity to differentiate into sensory hair cells and neurons, whose functional and electrophysiological properties closely resembled their in vivo counterparts during development. hFASCs, and the differentiating protocols defined here, could be used to study developing human cochlear neurons and hair cells, as models for drug screening and toxicity and may facilitate the development of cell-based therapies for deafness. Hear Res. 2007 Nov;233(1-2):23-9. The human fetal cochlea can be a source for auditory progenitors/stem cells isolation. Chen W, Cacciabue-Rivolta DI, Moore HD, Rivolta MN. Abstract The development of new stem cell-based technologies is creating new hopes in regenerative medicine. Hearing-impaired individuals should benefit greatly from the development of a cell-based regenerative strategy to treat deafness. An important achievement would be to develop a human-based system that could bring the advances made in animal models closer to clinical application. In this work, we have explored the suitability of the developing fetal cochlea to be used as a source for the extraction of auditory progenitor/stem cells. We have established cultures that express critical markers such as NESTIN, SOX2, GATA3 and PAX2. These cultures can be expanded in vitro for several months and differentiating markers such as ATOH1/HATH1 and POU4F3/BRN3C can be induced by manipulating the culture conditions using specific growth factors such as bFGF, EGF and retinoic acid. Eur J Neurosci. 2007 Feb;25(4):957-73. A model for mammalian cochlear hair cell differentiation in vitro: effects of retinoic acid on cytoskeletal proteins and potassium conductances. Helyer R, Cacciabue-Rivolta D, Davies D, Rivolta MN, Kros CJ, Holley MC. Abstract We have established a model for the in-vitro differentiation of mouse cochlear hair cells and have used it to explore the influence of retinoic acid on proliferation, cytoskeletal proteins and voltage-gated potassium conductances. The model is based on the conditionally immortal cell line University of Sheffield/ventral otocyst-epithelial cell line clone 36 (US/VOT-E36), derived from ventral otic epithelial cells of the mouse at embryonic day 10.5 and transfected with a reporter for myosin VIIa. Retinoic acid did not increase cell proliferation but led to up-regulation of myosin VIIa and formation of prominent actin rings that gave rise to numerous large, linear actin bundles. Cells expressing myosin VIIa had larger potassium conductances and did not express the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(kip1). US/VOT-E36 endogenously expressed the voltage-gated potassium channel alpha-subunits Kv1.3 and Kv2.1, which we subsequently identified in embryonic and neonatal hair cells in both auditory and vestibular sensory epithelia in vivo. These subunits could underlie the embryonic and neonatal delayed-rectifiers recorded in nascent hair cells in vivo. Kv2.1 was particularly prominent on the basolateral membrane of cochlear inner hair cells. Kv1.3 was distributed throughout all hair cells but tended to be localized to the cuticular plates. US/VOT-E36 recapitulates a coherent pattern of cell differentiation under the influence of retinoic acid and will provide a convenient model for screening the effects of other extrinsic factors on the differentiation of cochlear epithelial cell types in vitro.

09-03-2009, 12:43 PM	#16 (permalink)
jillio Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 32,396	Thank you, ref, for finally posting valid and reliable information. As your article points out, while promising results are being seen, much of the process in still in theory only, and there are many, many questions to be answered and problems to be solved before stem cell therapy will be available as a routine medical procedure. We are talking years. The easiest questions are the ones that have been answered. The ones that remain are the ones that are difficult, and will require much more research, including that of a longitudinal nature.

09-03-2009, 04:55 PM	#21 (permalink)
kokonut Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,621	Pretty much a fact that in the field of stem cells clinical research for hearing loss continues to grow every year as key questions get answered and get closer to a true application model on treating hearing loss.

09-03-2009, 06:35 PM	#22 (permalink)
jillio Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 32,396	At least 15-20 years, folks.

09-03-2009, 07:31 PM	#23 (permalink)
kokonut Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,621	I'd say 5 to 10 years away but then again the stem cells research is moving quite rapidly it'd be tricky to even try and predict at this time. A breakthrough could happen well before the 5 year mark in another country we're not aware of. Who knows? Already getting ready for a phase II trial to apply stem cells to damaged and failing hearts when previous trials showed a 30% improvement....a life saver...enough to get off the heart transplant list. And that's only one example out of the many stem cells successes and gains in stem cells knowledge.

09-03-2009, 09:12 PM	#25 (permalink)
*candybrowneyes* Tangled in the InterWebz Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Iowa Posts: 583 Blog Entries: 1	This is the HA and CI forum, please post in the correct forums! Im leaving this one here so you guys will understand that STEM CELL news needs to be posted in The Deaf News Forum, PLEASE and THANK YOU ahead of time. CBE __________________ Love is the force that transforms and improves the soul of the world...

09-03-2009, 10:03 PM	#29 (permalink)
kokonut Registered User Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 3,621	Ok. Why is it ok for a cure for blindness but not for deafness? Sounds very elitist and selfish to me.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode