Human clinical trials for stem-cell research on cards- Biotech-Healthcare / Biotech-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times - Sent using Google Toolbar

Human clinical trials for stem-cell research on cards- Biotech-Healthcare / Biotech-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times

AHMEDABAD: In what is seen as a boost to the stem cell research in the country, India would soon get to host human clinical trials for therapies using umbilical blood cord (UBC) stem cell. Chennai-based Apollo Hospital, America’s largest stem cell company StemCyte and Dr Wise Young, a leading expert on spinal cord injury, are in talks for conducting clinical trials in India using stem cell derived from UBC. The companies may ink an agreement by the end of this year. Image via Wikipedia On Thursday, StemCyte announced setting up of StemCyte India Therapeutics (SCITPL), a joint venture with Ahmedabad-based pharma major Cadila Pharmaceuticals and Apollo Hospital. SCITPL will have its headquarters in Ahmedabad and the facility will be functional by the year-end. Clinical trials using UBC stemcell therapy would be carried out in three areas — thalessemia, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injuries. Initially, the phase III trials would start for therapies to treat spinal cord injuries. The phase I & II trials have already been conducted in the US and China. While Bangalore-based Stempeutics Research recently got the clearance from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct trials for developing drugs using stem cells derived from the bone marrow of healthy donor, the latest move by StemCyte involves the use of UBC stem cell. Talking to ET, Dr Wise Young who is professor in Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, said: “We had initial talks to conduct clinical trials using stem-cells derived from UBC in India. Hopefully, by the end of next year, we should begin our clinical trials here.” According to StemCyte India Therapeutics president Tushar Dalal, the three parties met in New Delhi on Wednesday and had a video conference with Apollo chairman Pratap Reddy. “Dr Reddy has expressed his willingness and would come forward to undertake this project. StemCyte would provide UBC stem cells and its technology, while Apollo Hospital would provide its infrastructure and manpower for the trials,” Mr Dalal said. A tripartite agreement is likely by this year-end, he said. Dr Young would head the trials. StemCyte has patented the plasma depletion technology that helps in collecting higher volume of stem cells and better cell counts, resulting in successful therapeutic applications for over 70 diseases. The location of the trials is significant, as India has a huge number of thalessemia patients. According to Dr Young, about 35% of the Indian population carries thalessemia genes and there is possibility of one-fourth of the children being born with the disease.

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Zemanta helped me add links & pictures to this email. It can do it for you too.

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Crunchpad: Photos of TechCrunch's Delicious Web Tablet

By Jason Chen, 7:57 PM on Thu Apr 9 2009, 23,604 views (Edit, to draft, Slurp)

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The web tablet TechCrunch is working on is apparently still alive, seeing as it just showed up in Michael Arrington's posterous. UPDATED

This looks like just the right addon for my wheelchair, don't you think so?

Disabled workers rate highly

Disabled workers rate highly: "Research has shown workers with disabilities to be reliable, hard working and loyal, yet many employers in the Limestone Coast still file their job applications in the ‘too-hard basket’.

The unemployment rate of people with disabilities in the Limestone Coast in 2006 was 11.3pc; well above the general unemployment rate of 4.9pc for the region.

Resources for education are readily available and so are services for job placements; adaptive technology has improved and government incentives are in place.

Why then are disabled workers still struggling to find work?

“Public perception is the biggest barrier,” said employment access provider Uniting Care Wesley coordinator Penny Richardson.

“There is a stigma about disabilities in Mount Gambier in particular and a misunderstanding of the conditions of disabled people."

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Home-based rehab for spinal cord injury patients - News

Home-based rehab for spinal cord injury patients - News: "An Australian first study will test live online rehabilitation with video gaming to give spinal cord injury patients the hope of regaining the movement of their hands.

The ReJoyce workstation is being used for the first time in Australia in tele-rehabilitation which allows patients to get real time specialist physiotherapy over the internet.

The patient wears a glove that enables electrical impulses to stimulate the muscles in the hand to grasp and release, in the hope of sprouting new connections in the spinal cord and re-establishing hand function."...

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Healing Ride

This post covers one of my favorite topics, therapeutic riding. Because of some surgery riding was impossible. I have received comments from others about how therapeutic riding program has been very effective. If you are involved in his type therapy please let me hear from you.


Healing Ride | clarionledger.com | The Clarion-Ledger: "DREW IS KNOWN AS 'PRETTY BOY' — A 12-year-old palomino who used to perform in western pleasure shows.

Now, the gentle horse is helping people improve their health.

He is one of three horses used at RideAbility Therapeutic Riding Center, a nonprofit organization in Florence that helps people with disabilities through supervised horseback riding.

'We work with those who are battling a lot of different things - from autism to cerebral palsy to multiple sclerosis,' says Christy Henderson, executive director and certified instructor at RideAbility. 'Part of our motto is body, mind and spirit, and we truly believe that therapeutic riding helps in all those areas."

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Altoids Tin Travel Games - Pocket Size Fun

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Altoids Tin Travel Games - Pocket Size Fun: "Altoids tins are amazing things and here is yet another fun use for them. While this instructable includes a checker/chess board, tic-tac-toe, and backgammon the possibilities are really endless so feel free to add your own ideas."

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