34 results about "Placental endocrine function" patented technology

The present invention provides improved compositions and methods for the collection of stem cells from an organ, e.g., placenta. The invention provides a stem cell collection composition comprising an apoptosis inhibitor and, optionally, an enzyme such as a protease or mucolytic enzyme, vasodilator, necrosis inhibitor, oxygen-carrying perfluorocarbon, or an organ preserving compound. The invention provides methods of using the stem cell collection composition to collect stem cells and to preserve populations of stem cells.

The present invention relates to ocular plugs formed from a biodegradable material. The plugs comprises a shaft and, optionally, a cap. The ocular plugs are intended to occlude, and to repair, discontinuities in the sclera, whether formed deliberately during injection or surgical foray into the eye, or accidentally. The method further provides methods of making the ocular plug. the invention also provides methods of using the ocular plugs to occlude and repair discontinuities in the sclera, or to deliver biologically active compounds to the sclera or the eye. Finally, the invention provides kits comprising one or more ocular plugs in a container.

The present invention provides a method of repairing a tympanic membrane deformity, such as a tympanic membrane perforation, commonly referred to as tympanoplasty or myringoplasty, using a collagen biofabric. The collagen biofabric is preferably laminated. The invention further provides kits comprising one or more pieces of collagen biofabric, for example laminated collagen biofabric, for the repair of a tympanic membrane.

The present invention provides methods for culturing, expanding and differentiating stem cells, particularly human embryonic stem cells. The methods comprise culturing the stem cells for a period of time on a collagen biofabric, particularly a collagen biofabric derived from the amniotic membrane, chorion, or both, from mammalian placenta.

Cells derived from postpartum placenta and methods for their isolation are provided by the invention. The invention further provides cultures and compositions of the placenta-derived cells. The placenta-derived cells of the invention have a plethora of uses, including but not limited to research, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for the production of glial cells and oligodendrocytes from placenta stem cells. The invention further provides for the use of these glia and oligodendrocytes in the treatment of, and intervention in, for example, trauma, ischemia and degenerative disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), particularly in the treatment of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

The present invention provides an improved kit for the collection of umbilical cord blood and placental blood, and collection of the placenta from which such blood is obtained. The kit improves upon existing kits in that it provides for improved user convenience, provides for the collection of the placenta itself, and better maintains the internal temperature of the container in which the collected blood and placenta are shipped to a blood bank or registry. The invention further provides a method of collecting umbilical cord and placental blood, and the placenta from which such blood is obtained, comprising using the kit described herein.

The present invention relates to a new method for repairing human or animal tissues such as cartilage, meniscus, ligament, tendon, bone, skin, cornea, periodontal tissues, abscesses, resected tumors, and ulcers. The method comprises the step of introducing into the tissue a temperature-dependent polymer gel composition such that the composition adhere to the tissue and promote support for cell proliferation for repairing the tissue. Other than a polymer, the composition preferably comprises a blood component such as whole blood, processed blood, venous blood, arterial blood, blood from bone, blood from bone-marrow, bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, placenta blood, erythrocytes, leukocytes, monocytes, platelets, fibrinogen, thrombin and platelet rich plasma. The present invention also relates to a new composition to be used with the method of the present invention.

Compositions and methods of using cells derived from postpartum tissue such as the umbilical cord and placenta, to stimulate and support angiogenesis, to improve blood flow, to regenerate, repair, and improve skeletal muscle damaged by a peripheral ischemic event, and to protect skeletal muscle from ischemic damage in peripheral vascular disease patients are disclosed.

Methods, computer systems, and computer program products for maintaining a stem cell registry comprising information about a plurality of stem cell units. A donor is enrolled in the stem cell registry. A stem cell unit from the donor is characterized. Information about the stem cell unit, obtained by the characterizing, is recorded in the stem cell registry. Computer readable media comprising a plurality of data records. One or more respective data records in the plurality of data records comprises (i) a collection identifier number that uniquely corresponds to a stem cell donation, (ii) a cord blood cell count associated with the stem cell donation, and (iii) a placenta blood cell count associated with the stem cell donation. Additional computer readable media comprising a plurality of data records. One or more respective data records in the plurality of data records comprises (i) a cord blood cell count associated with a stem cell donation, (ii) a placenta blood cell count associated with the stem cell donation, and (iii) an indication of at least two stem cell transplant units in the stem cell donation.

Cell-based compositions and methods of their use to inhibit an adverse immune response such as graft versus host disease or rejection of transplanted tissue in a transplant recipient that is histocompatibility mismatched to the transplant donor are disclosed. The compositions and methods utilize postpartum-derived cells, such as cells derived from the placenta or umbilicus.

A method of collecting embryonic-like stem cells from a placenta which has been treated to remove residual cord blood by perfusing the drained placenta with an anticoagulant solution to flush out residual cells, collecting the residual cells and perfusion liquid from the drained placenta, and separating the embryonic-like cells from the residual cells and perfusion liquid. Exogenous cells can be propagated in the placental bioreactor and bioactive molecules collected therefrom.

The present invention relates to a dermal substitute comprising the biodegradable polymer such as collagen and the biomaterial such as amnion, the preparation method and the use thereof. Specifically, the present invention provides with an amnion-collagen sponge complex structure prepared by attaching, inserting or incorporating an amnion obtained from placenta to / in collagen. Inventive dermal substitute can be applied to surgery and wound requiring skin graft, for example, severe burns such as second-degree burn, without rejection by immune system. Further, inventive dermal substitute with amnion instead of silicone membrane has several advantages, such as better biocompatibility, anti-inflammatory activity and promoting activity of wound healing and commercial utilization as basement membrane. Also, inventive complex structure can be used as the basic matrix of bio-artificial skin for culturing cells and the biodegradable basic matrix for preparing artificial organs.

The invention relates to methods of isolating differentiable fetal-derived cells from various tissues of the placenta. Specifically, some of the methods of the present invention relate to isolating differentiable amnion-derived cells, while other methods of the present invention relate to isolating differentiable chorion-derived cells. The present invention also relates to methods of inducing these isolated differentiable amnion-derived and differentiable chorion-derived cells to at least partially differentiate. The present invention also relates to methods of treating insulin deficiencies in a subject by administering these differentiable amnion-derived cells and / or differentiable chorion-derived cells to subjects in need thereof.

The present invention describes stem cells obtained from post-partum placenta and their methods of obtaining and culturing. The present invention also describes compositions comprising placental stem cells and methods of using placental stem cells.

Pregnancy-associated glycoproteins (PAGs) are structurally related to the pepsins, thought to be restricted to the hoofed (ungulate) mammals and characterized by being expressed specifically in the outer epithelial cell layer (chorion / trophectoderm) of the placenta. By cloning expressed genes from ovine and bovine placental cDNA libraries, the inventors estimate that cattle, sheep, and most probably all ruminant Artiodactyla, possess possibly 100 or more PAG genes, many of which are placentally expressed. The PAGs are highly diverse in sequence, with regions of hypervariability confined largely to surface-exposed loops. Selected PAG that are products of the i0nvasive binucleate cells, expressed highly in early pregnancy at the time of trophoblast invasion and expressed weakly, if at all, in late gestation are useful in the early diagnosis of pregnancy. In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to immunoassays for detecting these PAGs.

The present invention provides methods of cryopreserving stem and progenitor cells in a mammalian placenta; and methods of obtaining fetal stem and progenitor cells from a cryopreserved mammalian placenta. Cells obtained by carrying out the methods can be used in a variety of therapeutic applications.

The present invention provides a method, an assay and a kit for providing an indication of abnormal cell function. It was surprisingly found that the change in the serum ADAM12 concentration in individuals was useful as a prognostic tool to predict the clinical outcome, complications and mortality following an abnormal cell function. The present inventors describes ADAM12 as a overall general marker for abnormal cell function, and the present inventor for the first time demonstrate that ADAM12 is an important indicator of fetal chromosomal disease and placenta function. Specifically ADAM12 is a good marker for e.g. Downs's syndrome, trisomy 18, preeclampsia, Turner syndrome in both first and second trimester. The present inventors developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a time-resolved immunofluorometric assay for the quantification of ADAM12 in serum. The present application demonstrates in several examples the variation of the ADAM12 level in fetal abnormality and / or adverse pregnancy outcomes correlated gestational age when compared to normal controls. It is an object of the invention to provide an improvement of the existing marker tests that exhibits a decreased false positive rate.

The present invention relates to nucleic acid molecules related to the var2csa gene family as well as amino acid sequences encoded by such nucleic acid molecules with respect to their role in mediating adhesion of infected red blood cells to chondroitin sulphate A (CSA) in the placenta which is characteristic for the pathogenesis of pregnancy associated malaria (PAM). Accordingly, The invention provides the use compounds that are related to VAR2CSA polypeptides var2csa nucleic acid molecules as medicaments, as well as it provides pharmaccutical compositions, in particular immunological compositions and vaccines, hereunder nucleotide-based vaccines comprising these compounds. In addition, the invention provides the use of the compounds mentioned for the manufacture of compositions, such as immunogenic compositions. Other aspects of the invention relates to methods of treatment and prevention of pregnancy associated malaria wherein these methods are based on the nucleic acid molecules and polypeptides the invention. As these compounds can also be used as biotechnological tools the invention provides in vitro diagnostic methods and kits comprising reagents and IgGs / antibodies designated to the use in such methods. The invention also relates to methods of identifying agents capable of modulating the VAR2CSA dependent adhesion to CSA and agent capable of interacting with VAR2CSA. Finally, a method for identifying polypeptides, which will induce a specific IgG / antibody response upon administration to a subject is provided by the invention.

Provided are: a method for predicting the onset of pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) by precisely detecting abnormalities that occur before the onset of PIH (where such abnormalities have been impossible to detect by various conventional testing methods for PIH) while imposing less of a burden on a subject; a method for evaluating a fetus and placental functions in PIH; and a method for detecting PIH, which comprises measuring the level of human lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase (L-PGDS) in a body fluid sample collected from a subject.

An improved Anaheim-type chile pepper cultivar having a fruit characterized by a relatively thin skin in comparison to other Anaheim-type chile pepper cultivars, such that mechanized peeling of fruit results in an average recovery, excluding skin, seed, and placenta, that is at least 5% higher in comparison to the peeling of an existing Anaheim-type chile pepper cultivar. The improved cultivar further is characterized by a mature seed content of less than 20 pounds per 1000 pounds of fruit and by fruit that is readily de-stemmed by mechanized de-stemming.

The invention discloses an automatic placenta stem cell taking and storing device preventing the hands of people from being frozen. The automatic placenta stem cell taking and storing device comprisesa bottom plate. A supporting plate and a storing pot are arranged on the surface of the bottom plate. A sliding groove is formed in the supporting plate. A sliding block is connected into the slidinggroove in a sliding manner. The top end of the sliding block is connected with the supporting plate through a first electric telescoping rod. The sliding block is connected with a first connecting block through a second electric telescoping rod. The first connecting block is connected with a connecting plate through a third electric telescoping rod. The connecting plate is connected with an installing plate through a connecting column. According to the automatic placenta stem cell taking and storing device preventing the hands of people from being frozen, a control switch is used for controlling work of all the electric telescoping rods, thus, taking and storing work can be carried out, operation and use of users are facilitated, the users only need to open or close a sealing cover, thus,the working difficulty of the users is reduced, and the users can be effectively prevented from being frozen.

A method for treating metastatic tumor cells of a subject is disclosed. The method comprises administrating to the subject an antisense molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence which is complementary to an RNA sequence of a protease activated receptor (PAR) protein, or an antibody molecule capable of binding to a PAR protein. A method is also described for the treatment of disorders involving the implantation of a placenta in a female subject comprising administrating to the subject the antisense molecule. Also disclosed is the antisense molecule and a pharmaceutical composition comprising it.

Here we describe the molecular identification of a cDNA encoding a novel serine protease we have termed protease C-E. The deduced amino acid sequence, and it alignment with other well-characterized serine proteases indicates that it is a member of the S1 serine protease family. We have found that the protease C-E mRNA is expressed in pancreas, placenta, prostate, small intestine, stomach, spleen, fibroblasts and epidermis, as well as in certain regions of the brain i.e., cerebellum, cerebral cortex, pituitary and hippocampus. Enzymatically active protease C-E, as produced using the methodologies described herein, is amenable to further biochemical analyses for the identification of physiological substrates and specific modulators.