Report on remission in patients with MS 3 years after stem cell transplant

Three years after a small number of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were treated with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) and then transplanted with their own hematopoietic stem cells, most of the patients sustained remission of active relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and had improvements in neurological function, according to a study published online by JAMA Neurology.

MS is a degenerative disease and most patients with RRMS who received disease-modifying therapies experience breakthrough disease. Autologous (using a patient’s …

What is bone marrow? What does bone marrow do?

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of the bones in the body, including the hip and thigh bones. Bone marrow contains immature cells, called stem cells.

Numerous people with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other life-threatening diseases, rely on bone marrow or cord blood transplants to save their life.

Healthy bone marrow and blood cells are needed in order to live. When disease affects bone marrow so that …

What you need to know about 3D-printed organs

Sure, 3D printers that can spit out chocolates, create shoes, handcraft cars and help astronauts sound fun and magical, but a lot of scientists are working to make models that aren’t just fun. They’re developing 3D printers that can also save and change lives by printing out functional human organs. Think about it: If we can make organs on demand, patients don’t have to wait as long for transplanted organs. In the United States alone, …

NuVascular Technologies and Worcester Polytechnic Institute commercializing stem cell treatment to repair heart damage

NuVascular Technologies, Inc. has recently obtained exclusive licensing rights to commercialize a breakthrough medical device that will provide a minimally invasive treatment for heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in the United States accounting for one in every four deaths.

The BioGenerator stem cell device allows the heart to repair itself and could improve heart function in as little as two to four weeks. NuVascular Technologies is teaming up with researchers at both …