Data showed that an absence of SIRPa signaling allowed mice to clear human leukemia stem cells, a subpopulation of tumor cells that are resistant to chemotherapy and are thought to be responsible for disease relapse

The latest patient, diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, developed pancytopenia with associated complications after receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantations

Sebelius, it expects the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to approve funding of a number of its human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines in the coming months

Arteriocyte Inc., of Cleveland, received another grant from the National Institutes of Health for the use of its Nanex platform in hematopoietic reconstitution using umbilical cord blood stem cells...The funding will enable development of the Nanex platform for use in stem cell transplants, a procedure most often performed for leukemia or multiple myeloma patients

ReNeuron plc, of Guildford, UK, gave an update on progress of the PISCES clinical trial of its ReN001 stem cell therapy for disabled stroke patients, and said the independent data safety monitoring board recommended the trial advance to the evaluation of a higher dose of ReN001 in the third of four dose cohorts to be treated in the study...In June, interim data from the first five patients treated were presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Yokohama, Japan, showing

Biokine Therapeutics Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, has received orphan drug designation from the FDA for the mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow into peripheral blood for collection and subsequent transplantation in patients with hematological cancers...Biokine previously received FDA approval to conduct a Phase II study for stem cell mobilization in multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients using BKT140

Cleveland BioLabs Inc., of Buffalo, N.Y., said, through a wholly owned Russian subsidiary, it signed a contract valued at 139 million rubles, or about $4 million, with the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation for development of CBLB612, a drug in development for stimulation of hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and mobilization

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved an award of $20 million to StemCells Inc., of Newark, Calif., for preclinical development of HuCNS-SC (purified human neural stem cells) as a therapy for spinal cord injury

Horizon Discovery Ltd., of Cambridge, UK, reported that it signed an agreement, under its Centers of Excellence (CoE) program, with the National Institutes of Health Center for Regenerative Medicine that will enable the center to use the company's Genesis genome editing technology to create isogenic disease models in stem cells...Those models, with induced mutations and/or lineage markers, will allow researchers to study the effects of specific genes and mutations on stem cells as they

Biokine Therapeutics Ltd., of Rehovot, Israel, has received orphan drug designation from the FDA for the mobilization of hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow into peripheral blood for collection and subsequent transplantation in patients with hematological cancers...Biokine previously received FDA approval to conduct a Phase II study for stem cell mobilization in multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients using BKT140

Seattle Genetics Inc., of Bothell, Wash., and Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Co., of Cambridge, Mass., said they received a positive recommendation from the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for antibody-drug conjugate Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) for two indications: the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory CD30-positive Hodgkin lymphoma following autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) or following at least two prior therapies with ASCT or when multi

StemCells Inc., of Newark, Calif., reported preclinical data showing that its human neural stem cells restored memory and enhanced synaptic function in two animal models

Verastem's VS-507, a formulation of salinomycin, will be the starting point for the development of analogues in the Eisai collaboration, and resulting compounds will be tested in Verastem's Wnt signaling and cancer stem cell assays to evaluate their selective activity

Capricor Inc., of Los Angeles, said the FDA approved the initiation of its investigational new drug application for the ALLSTAR study, which will use allogeneic cardiac-derived stem cells to treat patients following large myocardial infarction

In a genetically engineered mouse model carrying the IDH1 mutation, researchers found that high levels of oncometabolite 2HG reprogrammed the blood system to increase the stem cell pool, impaired the normal bone marrow environment and led to the epigenetic changes commonly seen in AML

Celgene International Sarl, of Boudry, Switzerland, a subsidiary of Celgene Corp., said it withdrew its marketing submission in Europe to expand the use of Revlimid (lenalidomide) as a maintenance therapy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who have not progressed following initial treatment with melphalan, prednisone and Revlimid, or as maintenance therapy following autologous stem cell transplantation...Gentium SpA, of Villa Guardia, Italy, said it submitted its responses to the Day 180

NeoStem Inc., of New York, was awarded a $595,252, two-year grant, from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to support studies to investigate the potential of very small embryonic-like stem cells as a countermeasure to radiological and nuclear threats...An autologous stem cell therapy product candidate will be developed to rescue patients who have been exposed to radiation due to nuclear accident or terrorist threat and to treat cancer patients who have undergone radiation

Celgene International Sarl, of Boudry, Switzerland, a subsidiary of Celgene Corp., said it withdrew its marketing submission in Europe to expand the use of Revlimid (lenalidomide) as a maintenance therapy in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who have not progressed following initial treatment with melphalan, prednisone and Revlimid, or as maintenance therapy following autologous stem cell transplantation...Gentium SpA, of Villa Guardia, Italy, said it submitted its responses to the Day 180

The total yearly grant is worth $1.1 million, and has been awarded to BrainStorm's research and development program for development of NurOwn therapy for ALS using autologous adult stem cells