2 x $50,000 prizes for rising stars in stem cell research

Do you know any up-and-coming stem cell researchers who deserve recognition?
 
Welcome to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s bulletin on stem cell medicine and research in Australia.
 
I’m pleased to announce that the 2019 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research are now open. We're inviting mid-career stem cell scientists to apply. Two prizes, worth $50,000 each, will be awarded to one male and one female mid-career researcher.
 
Applications close 11.59pm on Monday 29 July 2019.
 
Last year’s winners were Heather Lee and Enzo Porrello. Heather is analysing individual cancer cells to understand how some survive therapy, while Enzo is exploring newborn heart development to develop heart attack drugs and engineer ‘artificial pumps’ from patient stem cells. We encourage people who applied last year to do so again.  Read on for more details.
 
The promise of stem cell science is getting closer. Kaylene Young will start a clinical trial of a treatment for multiple sclerosis next month. She received a Metcalf Prize back in 2014. More below.
 
However unproven treatments are still being marketed to patients, despite the efforts of regulators around the world. Our round up of stem cell news includes recent stories including an ABC Media Watch story about an unproven treatment for osteoarthritis.
 
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we’re able to support researchers like Kaylene and the other Metcalf Prize winners as they unravel the science of stem cells and their potential to address conditions from cancers to heart attacks to brain diseases.
 
You can help us continue to support stem cell scientists by making a tax-deductible donation online at our website.
 
Kind regards,
 
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• Do you know a rising star in stem cell research?
• MS clinical trial set to kick-start brain repair with magnets
• Stem cell news from around the world

Do you know a rising star in stem cell research?

Applications for $50,000 prizes for stem cell research now open

Two up-and-coming leaders in stem cell science will be awarded $50,000 each to boost their career to the next level. If you know a promising stem cell researcher, encourage them to apply.
 
The 2019 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research are open to mid-career researchers who are five to 10 years past their PhD or MD (research-based) and working in stem cell research in Australia. They could be working in medicine or agriculture, government or academia, and have a primary focus on stem cells.
 
The winners will be chosen for their scientific excellence, proven leadership ability and the potential to have a continuing influence on stem cell research in Australia.

Past Metcalf Prize winners include:

• Newcastle leukaemia researcher Heather Lee,
• Melbourne heart development researcher Enzo Porrello,
• Melbourne haematologist Mark Dawson,
• Brisbane computational biologist Jessica Mar,
• Sydney heart clinician and researcher James Chong,
• Melbourne immunologist Tracy Heng,
• bioinformatician Christine Wells, who is now Deputy Program Leader of Stem Cells Australia,
• Perth geneticist Ryan Lister,
• Tasmanian neural stem cell researcher Kaylene Young (read more about her below), and
• Monash University reprogramming legend Jose Polo.

 
The Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research recognise and honour the exceptional contribution made to stem cell research by the late Professor Donald Metcalf. Over his 50-year career, Don helped transform cancer treatment and transplantation medicine, and paved the way for potential stem cell therapy in the treatment of many other conditions.
 
The Metcalf Prizes support the Foundation’s mission to promote the study and use of stem cells in the prevention or control of disease in human beings and to enhance stem cell public education.
 
Applications close Monday 29 July. We encourage last year’s unsuccessful applicants to apply again this year if they are still eligible.
 
To apply online, and for a full list of criteria and conditions, go to the Foundation’s website: www.stemcellfoundation.net.au/metcalf_prizes.
 
If you have any questions about eligibility or the application process, please contact Tanya Ha at Science in Public, who are administering the awards for the Foundation: [email protected].

MS clinical trial set to kick-start brain repair with magnets 

Inaugural Metcalf Prize winner Kaylene Young’s stem cell research leads to potential new non-invasive treatment

A new pain-free treatment for multiple sclerosis using magnetism to stimulate brain repair is about to begin trials with patients in Hobart.
 
In multiple sclerosis, a person’s immune system attacks the insulation around their nerve cells. Without this insulation, nerves can’t reliably transmit signals to where they’re needed, leading to a range of often-debilitating symptoms.
 
Associate Professor Kaylene Young has been studying the insulating cells (called oliogdendrocytes) and the stem cells in the brain that make them (oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, or OPCs).
 
“We know OPCs make new oligodendrocytes throughout your life,” explains Kaylene.
 
“In conditions like multiple sclerosis, you can lose a lot of insulating oligodendrocytes in one area and that forms a lesion. We’re looking at the ability of those OPCs to come in and try to repair that lesion and replace those lost cells.”
 
Kaylene’s lab at the University of Tasmania is the only MS research group in the world exploring the insulation repair potential of transcranial magnetic stimulation, a non-invasive form of magnetic brain stimulation that has been used in the treatment of depression and other mental health conditions.
 
Kaylene has teamed up with neurologist Professor Bruce Taylor, head of the MS clinic at the Royal Hobart Hospital, to bring the treatment to clinical trials.
 
“You put a circular magnet about the size of a saucer over the person’s head and turn it on for three minutes,” says Kaylene.
 
“It’s a very low level of stimulation; the person won’t feel anything. But it’s enough to stimulate electrical activity in the brain. The OPCs respond to that by making more new insulating cells.”
 
The initial clinical trial, with 30 people with MS, will start in July 2019 and aims to establish the safety of the procedure. The team will also measure the effect of the treatment by taking MRI scans before and after treatment to look for changes in the size of brain lesions. Assuming all goes well, larger trials will follow.

Read the full story online.

Stem cell news from around the world

Between newsletters, we share stem cell news on social media:

• friend us on Facebook
• follow us on Twitter

Here are a few stories we’ve shared recently:
 
ABC The Science Show: Magnetic brain stimulation trials for multiple sclerosis
 
ABC Media Watch: Stem cell “miracle”
 
Wired: YouTube testimonials lure patients to shady stem-cell clinics

San Francisco Chronicle: Some stem cell experts want out of documentary after funding source revealed
 
University of Melbourne: Improving gut function in Hirschsprung Disease by adding new neurons
 
Drug Target Review: First blood-brain barrier chip using stem cells developed
 
STAT: Stem cell clinics co-opt [US] clinical-trials registry to market unproven therapies, critics say
 
Massive Science: Testing drugs on stem cells in petri dishes may revolutionize our understanding of difficult-to-study diseases
 
New Atlas: Harvard breakthrough shows stem cells can be genetically edited in the body
 
Science Daily: Killing the unkillable cancer cells
 
The Washington Post: FDA wins groundbreaking case against for-profit stem cell company
 
British Heart Foundation: Heart patches set for human trials
 
The Conversation: Misreporting the science of lab-made organs is unethical, even dangerous
 
Nine News: Promising gene therapy trial for haemophilia
 
Sydney Morning Herald: Would you eat lab-created fish? This startup is carving new path in 'alt-meat' industry
 
Australian Academy of Science: Exploring how blood cells are produced: Prof Warren Alexander one of 22 scientists elected new Fellows
 
Asian Scientist: A light to guide stem cells to sites of injury

Eyes, heart, kidney, brain & ageing: how is Australian stem cell science shaping tomorrow’s treatments?

Welcome to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s bulletin on stem cell medicine and research in Australia.

Have you wondered about how stem cell science is delivering on its early promise? You can bring your questions to a public forum in Melbourne next week, where scientists from Stem Cells Australia will share their stories and take questions from the audience. Read on for details.

We’re delighted to see this week’s Australian Government announcement of funding for a new program that will focus on translating Australia’s excellent fundamental stem cell research into clinical applications. Congratulations to Melissa Little, Mark Kendall and the rest of the team involved. More below.

Another major international stem cell science conference is coming to Melbourne, and cord blood guru and one of our board members Ngaire Elwood is co-chair of the organising committee. Read on for a taste of what is on the program for ISCT 2019.

The Foundation marked the sixth anniversary of our official launch earlier this year. In our years of operation, we’ve seen Metcalf Prize winners involved in improving leukaemia treatments, unravelling the intricacies of how cell reprogramming works, and major discoveries about heart regeneration.

We look forward to opening applications for the 2019 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research in late winter.

Kind regards,

Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia 

In this bulletin:

• Ask your questions at a free public forum
• Government announced new $150 million stem cell therapies initiative
• Conference: what is the global state of play for cell and gene therapy?
• Stem cell news from around the world

Heart regeneration, restoring eyesight, improving kidney function, and understanding the ageing brain: ask your questions at a free public forum

How are Australian stem cell scientists shaping tomorrow’s medicine?

Melbourne event: At the Frontier of Tomorrow’s Medicine
When: 5:30 pm – 7:00pm, Tuesday 19 March
Where: Village Roadshow Theatrette, State Library of Victoria Conference Centre, 179 La Trobe Street, Melbourne
 
Can stem cells treat corneal disease and other forms of blindness? Could they heal damaged hearts, or create heart muscle patches to help pump blood? How can big biological data be used to create new types of cells? What will regenerative medicine deliver in the next few years? And what are the ethics we need to consider?
 
Our friends at Stem Cells Australia are holding a public event to allow the community a way to tap into the knowledge and expertise gained through the eight years of this Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative.
 
This is a unique opportunity to have your questions about stem cell science answered by the experts and to learn more about what the future may hold as these discoveries move towards clinical translation.
 
Speakers:

• Professor Melissa Little (Program Leader, Stem Cells Australia), who has led the Initiative’s shift from investigating fundamental knowledge of stem cells towards harnessing this knowledge for clinical applications.
• Associate Professor Megan Munsie (University of Melbourne), an internationally-recognised leader in public education and community engagement in stem cell science. She made major contributions to Australian guidelines on the ethical use of stem cells.
• Associate Professor Enzo Porrello (Murdoch Children’s Research Institute), a developmental biologist who won a 2018 Metcalf Prize for his research using stem cells to develop new ways to regenerate heart tissue following injury.
• Professor Stephanie Watson (University of Sydney), a researcher and clinician who has led clinical trials that have already restored the eyesight of patients with a form of blindness caused by limbal stem cell deficiency.
• Professor Christine Wells (University of Melbourne), a data scientist who studies the behaviour of stem cells, and a 2015 Metcalf Prize winner. By understanding the genes that control stem cells, her research is developing design strategies to create new types of cells, with new functions.
• Professor Ernst Wolvetang (University of Queensland), who uses stem cells to model brain and ageing diseases in a dish. These models are used to determine the causes of disease, develop diagnostic tools and to test potential treatments.
• Moderator: Professor Trevor Kilpatrick (Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health and University of Melbourne), an internationally recognised neuroscience researcher who is interested the neurobiology of Multiple Sclerosis.

Doors open from 4:30pm. People can come early, explore a stem cell photography exhibition and meet the researchers.
 
For more information and to register, visit the forum’s Eventbrite page.

Government announced new $150 million stem cell therapies initiative

This week, Health Minister Greg Hunt announced a new Australian Government medical research program to turn Australia’s leading regenerative medicine and stem cell research into clinical trials.
 
The Australian Stem Cell Therapies Mission will support stem cell research targeting a range of conditions including heart disease, spinal cord injuries, strokes, kidney disease, and neurological conditions including dementia and Parkinson’s disease. It is supported with a funding commitment of $150 million over 10 years.
 
The two inaugural co-chairs of the new initiative reflect the diversity of skills, knowledge and expertise needed to address our major medical challenges:

• Professor Melissa Little's pioneering work growing kidney ‘organoids’ from stem cells targets chronic kidney disease, a condition that affects an estimated one in 10 Australians, is one of our biggest killers, and costs the economy $4.1 billion each year.
• Professor Mark Kendall is a rocket scientist turned medical technology inventor. His new ‘nanopatch’ vaccine delivery technology could replace the needle and syringe method we've been using for 160 years. Its use of dry vaccines eliminates the need for refrigeration, making it more practical for the developing world.

 
Read The Herald Sun story about the announcement.

What is the global state of play for cell and gene therapy?

If the last medical revolution was pharmacological (with chemical therapies from aspirin to ZzzQuil, a sleep aid), the next medical revolution will be biological, driven by advances in cell and gene therapies.

More than 1000 delegates from 50 countries are heading to Melbourne this May for ISCT 2019, the annual conference of the International Society for Cellular Therapy.

Delegates will hear the latest research in tissue engineering, new types of immunotherapy, cell processing, cord blood-derived treatments, gene editing, and the quality control processes needed with cell therapies.
 
The Presidential Plenary focuses on CAR T cell therapy, a new type of immunotherapy that uses specially altered T cells to precisely target cancer cells. It features experts from the United States, China, and Italy working on CAR T cell treatment avenues for the blood cancer acute myeloid leukemia, neuroblastoma (the most common solid tumour in children under five years old), and other types of solid tumour.
 
ISCT 2019 follows last year’s huge 2018 International Society for Stem Cell Research annual meeting, which was also held in Melbourne. These two international scientific events are helping cement Melbourne and Australia as centres of excellence for research in regenerative medicine and clinical trials.
 
ISCT 2019 will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 29 May to 1 June, and is a great opportunity for Australian scientists in these and related fields to hear from and network with the world leaders in gene and cell therapies. More information: www.isct2019.com.

Stem cell news from around the world

 
Between newsletters, we share stem cell news on social media:

• friend us on Facebook
• follow us on Twitter

Here are a few stories we’ve shared recently:
 
ABC News: AIDS cure hope emerges following stem cell procedure with HIV patient
 
EurekAlert: Scientists rejuvenate stem cells in the aging brain of mice. Paper.
 
ABC News: 3D printed ears could help children with ear deformities avoid complex surgery
 
Washington Post: ‘Miraculous’ stem cell therapy has sickened people in five states
 
The Niche: Nature yanks article that was actually advertisement on controversial stem cells
 
Health (journal): The politics of evidence in online illness narratives: An analysis of crowdfunding for purported stem cell treatments
 
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News: CRISPR drapes invisibility cloak over stem cells
 
Medical News Today: New stem cells could be 'universally transplanted'. Paper.
 
LA Times: A warning from the Reeve Foundation about unproven stem-cell therapies
 
Stem Cell Reports (Journal): Women in Stem Cell Science: Part II
 
ScienceDaily: In vitro grafts increase blood flow in infarcted rat hearts. Paper.
 
The Conversation (USA): Stem cell treatments for arthritic knees are unproven, expensive and potentially dangerous
 
LA Times: A stem cell clinic touts its links with leading scientists. Some say they have no such connections
 
The Conversation (UK): Cancer growth in the body could originate from a single cell – target it to revolutionise treatment

The journalist, his brother, and the man who helped 20 million cancer patients: stem cell summer reading

Welcome to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s bulletin on stem cell medicine and research in Australia.
 
More than 2,800 scientists from around the world converging in Melbourne in June, keeping stem cell science in the Australian media in 2018. Talks ranged from saving lives by growing new skin, new ways to restore vision, growing mini-organs from stem cells and more.
 
Hosting the 2018 annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research has cemented Melbourne’s reputation for stem cell science and given the Australian public access to some of the field’s leading scientists. We are sharing highlights from the conference through our social media channels over summer.
 
News from China of gene-edited babies brought the year to a close on a controversial note. In this newsletter, we’ve included a story that explains the science and ethics in question. Read on for details.
 
Recently, Professor Richard Larkins AO presented our newest Metcalf Prize winners Dr Heather Lee and Associate Professor Enzo Porrello with their awards at a special ceremony in Melbourne. Photographs from the event are on our website.
 
The Prizes are named in honour of the late Professor Don Metcalf whose discoveries revolutionised cancer treatment. In this newsletter, we hear more about his research and the difference it made to journalist Chris Kimball. He shares his lymphoma treatment and bone marrow transplant story below.
 
The end of this bulletin includes our regular roundup of links to stories we’ve recently shared via social media.
 
Over the holiday period, are sharing more of the year’s top stories of stem cell science on Twitter using the hashtag #StemCellsIn2018.
 
We look forward to sharing more news and stories of stem cell science, scientists and discoveries changing lives throughout 2019.

Kind regards,
 
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• The journalist, his brother, and the man who helped 20 million cancer patients
• How a scientist says he made a gene-edited baby—and what health worries may ensue
• Stem cell stories, guides for patients, teachers’ resources, videos, galleries and more
• Stem cell news from around the world

The journalist, his brother, and the man who helped 20 million cancer patients

In 2011, journalist Chris Kimball noticed he was losing weight, along with other odd symptoms. The 35-year-old father of two young children found out he had an unusual and aggressive form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. And it was severe. It had spread to multiple lymph node sites, other organs and his bone marrow.

Within a week, Kimball had started treatment. He would need an intensive, brutal regime of chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant to rebuild his immune system from scratch using donor stem cells from his brother.

Kimball’s road to recovery involved pain, fear, uncertainty, and several weeks in an isolation ward to protect him from infections.

“I don’t think you can under-estimate how full-on that process is,” he says. 
“When you spike a fever and you have no immune system, it’s scary. It is the worst moment of your life and you’re completely isolated, waiting for that moment when you can start having some protection.”

Gruelling as Kimball’s treatment was, it would have been even tougher without a glycoprotein called granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF). G-CSF stimulates the bone marrow to produce stem cells, white blood cells and other blood cells, and releases them into the bloodstream.

Colony stimulating factors—there are four different types—were discovered in the early 1980s by the pioneering Australian stem cell scientist Professor Donald (‘Don’) Metcalf, who pursued cancer research at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) in Melbourne. The Foundation’s Metcalf Prize for Stem Cell Research is named in his honour.

Read full story.

How a scientist says he made a gene-edited baby—and what health worries may ensue

George Seidel, Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, writing for The Conversation
 
On 28 November 2018, He Jiankui claimed to a packed conference room at the Second International Summit on Human Genome Editing in Hong Kong to have edited the genomes of two twin girls, Lulu and Nana, who were born in China.
 
Scientists at Southern University of Science and Technology in Guangdong, China, condemned He’s research asserting he “has seriously violated academic ethics and codes of conduct,” and philosophers and bioethicists were quick to dive into the morass of editing human genomes. So I’m not going to cover that territory. What I want to address is what we learned: how He made these babies.
 
I am theoretically a retired professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. For more than 50 years, I have researched numerous aspects of assisted reproductive technology including cloning and making genetic changes to mammalian embryos, so I am interested in most any research concerning “designer babies” and the health problems they may suffer.
 
Read full story.

Stem cell stories, guides for patients, teachers’ resources, videos, galleries and more

Do you want to know more about stem cell science? Are you considering stem cell therapies and seeking guidance? Do you want to see opportunities for researchers in the field? Or resources for teaching students about this field of science?
 
These are some of the features of our new look website. You can also find out more about our past Metcalf Prize winners, watch videos, and catch up on our past newsletters.
 
Visit: www.stemcellfoundation.net.au.

Newborn babies offer clues to healing hearts, and why do some cancer cells get away? – Metcalf Prize winners announced

I’m delighted to announce that two brilliant young researchers are the winners of this year’s Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research.

Heather Lee is analysing individual cancer cells to understand how some survive therapy. Her research ultimately aims to prevent relapse and lift survival rates for leukemia.

Enzo Porrello is exploring newborn heart development to develop heart attack drugs and engineer ‘artificial pumps’ from patient stem cells.

Dr Heather Lee of the University of Newcastle and Associate Professor Enzo Porrello of the University of Melbourne will formally receive their Prizes, presented to them by Professor Richard Larkins AO, at a special ceremony in Melbourne later this month.

Heather and Enzo were selected from an outstanding group of applicants, reflecting Australia’s continuing strength in stem cell research.

Read on to find out more about their research and achievements.

We’ve been able to award these two $50,000 prizes thanks to the generosity of our supporters. In this bulletin, we share two stories of very different donors. Read on for more.

Kind regards,
 
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• Leukaemia: studying the cancer cells that get away
• Newborn babies offer clues for healing hearts
• From junior footy teams to families: heart-felt thank you to our donors
• Stem cell news from around the world

Leukaemia: studying the cancer cells that get away 

Dr Heather Lee is analysing individual cancer cells to understand how some survive therapy. Her research ultimately aims to prevent relapse and lift survival rates for leukemia.
 
Heather invented a way to study the genetics of individual cells more closely that will help her find out why some cancer cells are treatable, and others go rogue. With her new technique, she can see the chemical ‘flags’ that tell the cell how to interpret its genetic code. At the same time, she can watch how those instructions are—or aren’t—carried out.
 
Heather and other scientists use the technique to study what makes rogue cancer cells different at a genetic level.
 
Heather is now studying cells from patients with acute myeloid leukaemia to see how just a few cells can resist treatment and go on to cause a fatal relapse. She hopes this will lead to new, more effective drug treatments for this devastating disease.
 
Dr Heather Lee is a Cancer Institute NSW Fellow at Hunter Medical Research Institute and the University of Newcastle.
 
In recognition of her leadership in stem cell research, Heather Lee has received one of two $50,000 Metcalf Prizes from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia.
 
Read Heather’s full profile online.
 
Cancer researcher Dr Heather Lee awarded Metcalf Prize for stem-cell science: read Newcastle Herald’s story about Heather’s research.

Newborn babies offer clues for healing hearts

For a few short days after birth, the heart can regenerate damaged tissue. Associate Professor Enzo Porrello wants to understand why this ability turns off, so that he and colleagues can switch it back on to heal broken hearts.
 
Understanding regeneration could lead to new treatments for different types of heart disease, the world’s biggest killer, from birth defects to heart attacks late in life.
 
“I recently showed that the hearts of newborn mice can regenerate after a heart attack,” Enzo says. “But this self-healing ability rapidly diminishes in the days after birth.”
 
Enzo thinks there is a similar capacity in humans. He is using stem cells to recreate the development of the heart in the lab to study the processes and the genes involved in turning self-healing on and off.
 
He wants to develop drugs that can stimulate heart muscle cells to rebuild after a heart attack.
 
He is also part of a new consortium that aims to engineer new working heart tissue to treat children with heart disease, made from their own stem cells.
 
Associate Professor Enzo Porrello is Group Leader of Cardiac Regeneration at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne.
 
In recognition of his leadership in stem cell research, Enzo Porrello has received one of two $50,000 Metcalf Prizes from the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia.
 
Read Enzo’s full profile online.
 
Scientists hope to use newborns’ stem cells to mend broken hearts: read The Herald Sun’s story about Enzo’s work.
 
The Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research are named for the late Professor Donald Metcalf, AC. Over his 50-year career, Don helped transform cancer treatment and transplantation medicine, and paved the way for potential stem cell therapy in the treatment of many other conditions.

From junior footy teams to families: heart-felt thank you to our donors

When the Manor Lakes ‘Storm’ Football Club under 12s and their families aren’t kicking goals and supporting each other on the field, they’re applying their team spirit to craft, cake-making and fundraising.
 
When Jai, the younger brother of team player Callum, was diagnosed with a heart condition, the club asked the family what they could do to offer support. The boys’ mother Kim suggested they raise funds for stem cell research. She chose the Foundation to receive the benefits of their efforts.
 
They held a cake and craft stall and a raffle, raising $334.15 for stem cell science. This will help our ongoing work, such as awarding the Metcalf Prizes. We will take great pleasure in being able to tell the family about newly minted Metcalf Prize winner Enzo Porrello whose research is specifically targeting congenital heart disease as well as other heart conditions.

A legacy that lives on
 

I was deeply moved to meet Mrs Gwendoline Johns recently. She is the sister of the late Gordon Lapham (pictured), who died a few years ago after a serious illness.
 
During his illness, Gordon researched treatments that are currently unavailable or that may have great potential in the future. He became interested in stem cell science and came across our Foundation through his own research.
 
In his will, he left significant bequests to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia as well as the Heart Foundation. I told Mrs Johns about our grants program that brings student and early career researchers to major scientific conferences, and our hope that this investment in the next generation of Australian stem cell scientists will bring the discoveries Gordon hoped for. The Lapham Estate will support this investment in future years.
 
Thank you to the family of Gordon Lapham and the Manor Lakes ‘Storm’ champions.
 
People who want to donate to our ongoing work can do so securely online at our website.

Stem cell news from around the world

Between newsletters, we share stem cell news on social media:

• friend us on Facebook
• follow us on Twitter

Here are a few stories we’ve shared recently:
 
Washington Post: Lab-grown brain bits open windows to the mind—and a maze of ethical dilemmas
 
The Niche: Placebo effect & “the fade” after stem cell clinic shots
 
Sci News: Scientists reverse congenital blindness in mice. Paper.
 
Eureka Alert: New method grows brain cells from stem cells quickly and efficiently. Paper.
 
The Niche: Arthritis patient with pain’s email on stem cell clinic & my answer
 
John Hopkins University: Bioengineers borrow from electronics industry to get stem cells to shape up. Paper.
 
Eureka Alert: This matrix delivers healing stem cells to injured elderly muscles. Paper.
 
Biopharma Reporter: Japanese scientists conduct first clinical trial for Parkinson’s using iPS cells
 
ABC Radio National ‘The Health Report’: Stem cell treatment for premature babies shown to be safe
 
The Conversation: Stem cell transplants to be used in treating Crohn’s disease

Last call for applications for the 2018 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research.

Welcome to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s bulletin on stem cell medicine and research in Australia.
 
We're inviting mid-career stem cell scientists to apply. Two prizes, worth $50,000 each, will be awarded to one male and one female mid-career researcher.
 
We’ve extended the applications deadline by a few days. They will now close 11.59pm on Thursday 9 August 2018. Do encourage your colleagues to enter. Read on for more details.
 
Find out how the Prize has helped 2017 winner Jessica Mar. She says that the media coverage and peer acknowledgement helped her re-establish herself in Australia’s scene after spending several years overseas. More below.
 
The buzz from Melbourne’s recent International Society for Stem Cell Research 2018 Annual Meeting is continuing. Stories from the Meeting are still emerging in the media—see our regular round-up of stories below—and the full video recording of our public forum is now online. Read on for details.
 
Kind regards,
 
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• Metcalf Prizes: what it’s like to win and how to apply
• Eyes, heart, skin, kidneys & blood: what’s the state of play with stem cell research?
• Top award for the stem cell scientist who pioneered mini-kidneys
• Stem cell news from around the world

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Metcalf Prizes: what it’s like to win and how to apply

Catching up with 2017 winner Jessica Mar 
 
2017 Metcalf Prize winning computational biologist Jessica Mar is analysing stem cells to discover the changes that influence ageing. Who will win the 2018 Prizes?
 
Jessica says the Prize was a well-timed opportunity for her as she returned from New York to Australia to take up a Future Fellowship, based at The University of Queensland.
 
“All the attention, recognition and media interviews I had as part of winning a Metcalf Prize made me feel like I was returning to Australia with a bang!” she says.
 
“It’s really helped me to link in with my old networks, form new relationships and collaborations, and kick-start this new phase of my career back home.”
 
Jessica is particularly excited about bringing together her past and current research institutes—the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Brisbane—for future collaborative work on drugs for ageing.
 
2018 Metcalf Prizes: one week left to apply
 
Two up-and-coming leaders in stem cell science will be awarded $50,000 each to boost their career to the next level. If you know a promising stem cell researcher, encourage them to apply.
 
The 2018 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research are open to mid-career researchers who are five to 10 years past their PhD or MD (research-based) and working in stem cell research in Australia. They could be working in medicine or agriculture, government or academia.
 
The Metcalf Prizes support the Foundation’s mission to promote the study and use of stem cells in the prevention or control of disease in human beings and to enhance stem cell public education.
 
Applications close Thursday 9 August. We encourage last year’s unsuccessful applicants to apply again this year if they are still eligible.
 
To apply online, and for a full list of criteria and conditions, head to the Foundation’s website: www.stemcellfoundation.net.au/metcalf_prizes
 
If you have any questions about eligibility or the application process, please contact Tanya Ha at Science in Public, who are administering the awards for the Foundation: [email protected].

Eyes, heart, skin, kidneys & blood: what’s the state of play with stem cell research?

Highlights from the Stem Cell Research - Now and in the Future public forum

• Your bone marrow makes one million new mature blood cells every second. Your life depends on it!
  • You can take one bone marrow stem cell and regenerate the entire blood system in the lab.
• Your skin is a vital barrier. Without it, you’re vulnerable to dehydration and infections from bacteria, fungi and other pathogens.
  • Skin grafts for treating burns and other skin conditions can restore a protective barrier and can be made from stem cells found in the epidermis.
  • Stem cell researchers now want to produce skin tissue that has hair follicles and sweat glands, that comfortably stretches, cools itself down and has the sense of touch.
• Cardiac disease affects at least 1.4 million Australians and almost 350,000 will have a heart attack at some point in their life. One in every two people with severe heart failure will die within one year of diagnosis. Stem cells may have the potential to treat heart failure.
• Kidneys are complex organs with two million little tubules called nephrons. The stem cells that form nephrons are gone by the time you’re born.
• Beware, some of the clinics offering experimental treatments for conditions like multiple sclerosis may have no experience treating that condition at all.

These are just some of the things a live audience learnt from six Australian stem cell scientists at the ‘Stem Cell Research—Now and in the Future’ forum—the public event held in the lead up to the ISSCR 2018 Annual Meeting in Melbourne.
 
The Foundation sponsored the event to give people an opportunity to hear from the top scientists and clinicians in town for ISSCR 2018.
 
The audience heard about the current state of play with research and treatments for eye, skin, heart, kidney and blood disorders. They also had the opportunity to ask the panel their own questions; from what inspired the panellists to become stem cell scientists (with one freaky sci-fi related answer), to the treatment options here and overseas for MS.
 
You can now watch the full event video recording on our website in the video gallery.
 
As host and organiser Megan Munsie says in the introduction, “We hope that after tonight’s presentations and the opportunity for you to ask questions, you’ll know a little bit more about what stem cell research is, what stem cells do in the body and possible the applications of stem cell science for the future.”
 
Watch out for:

• Susie Nilsson’s simple schematic of how the different blood cell types are formed
• Metcalf Prize winning cardiologist James Chong’s video of stem cell-derived heart muscle cells beating under a microscope
• the moving personal story of Daniel Feller whose son Harry has Usher Syndrome, which causes deafness from birth and blindness in adolescence.

A big “thank you” to the panellists, the event partners, the student ambassadors, and especially Megan Munsie who hosted and organised the event.

Top award for the stem cell scientist who pioneered mini-kidneys

In the past year Melissa Little has:

• Grown mini-kidneys using stem cells derived from adult skin cells
• Shown these mini-kidneys can mature in a mouse and filter blood
• Started using these mini-kidneys to model kidney disease, screen for drugs and explore therapies
• Led the team that attracted 2,800 stem cell researchers to Melbourne last month
• Served as President of the Australian Society of Stem Cell Research
• Taken up leadership of Stem Cells Australia.

Her vision is that she will be able to use stem cells to treat kidney disease affecting nearly one in ten Australians. It won’t be easy and it will take years, but she believes she can make it happen during her career.

On Wednesday 26 June, Melissa received the National Health and Medical Research Council Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship – Biomedical. The Fellowship is named after 2009 Nobel Laureate Elizabeth Blackburn who discovered how chromosomes are protected by telomeres. Melissa was one of 20 of Australia’s finest health and medical researchers honoured at the NHMRC’s annual Research Excellence Awards in Canberra.

Melissa is an internationally-respected leader in the development of ‘mini-organoids’ from stem cells. She leads cell biology and kidney research at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne.

Congratulations Melissa!
 
Read more on our website.

Stem cell news from around the world

Between newsletters, we share stem cell news on social media:

• friend us on Facebook
• follow us on Twitter

Here are a few stories we’ve shared recently:
 
9News: Stem cell research given $3 million funding boost
 
ABC Science: These mice have brains that are part human. So are they mice, or men?
 
LA times: Angels pitcher Garrett Richards' stem cell treatment failed. That should help dispel the stem cell hype
 
The Conversation: CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing scissors are less accurate than we thought, but there are fixes
 
Eureka Alert: NYSCF researchers develop novel bioengineering technique for personalized bone grafts
 
MD Magazine: Characterizing dangerous, unregulated stem cell therapy for ocular disease
 
Eureka Alert: What's in an egg? Oocyte factors that can reprogram adult cells
 
The Guardian: Seven ways IVF changed the world – from Louise Brown to stem-cell research
 
ABC Radio National Science Friction: Elixir for everything? Private stem cell clinics, hope, hype, and horror
 
Johns Hopkins Medicine: Scientists create nano-size packets of genetic code aimed at brain cancer ‘seed’ cells

2 x $50,000 prizes for rising stars in stem cell research

Do you know any up-and-coming stem cell researchers who deserve recognition?

Welcome to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s bulletin on stem cell medicine and research in Australia.

I’m pleased to announce that the 2018 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research are now open. We're inviting mid-career stem cell scientists to apply. Two prizes, worth $50,000 each, will be awarded to one male and one female mid-career researcher.

Applications close 11.59pm on Monday 6 August 2018.

Last year’s winners Mark Dawson and Jessica Mar were chosen from a strong field of candidates, highlighting the quality of stem cell research in our country. We encourage people who applied last year to do so again. Read on for more details.

The Metcalf Prizes are part of our mission to support stem cell research in Australia. It’s been a delight to see the careers of scientists we’ve funded in the past go from strength to strength.

Kind regards,
 
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• Do you know a rising star in stem cell research?
• Building a blood cancer treatment; how we and our stem cells age—meet last year’s Metcalf Prize winners
• Stem cell news from around the world

Do you know a rising star in stem cell research?

Applications for $50,000 prizes for stem cell research now open

Two up-and-coming leaders in stem cell science will be awarded $50,000 each to boost their career to the next level. If you know a promising stem cell researcher, encourage them to apply.

The 2018 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research are open to mid-career researchers who are five to 10 years past their PhD or MD (research-based) and working in stem cell research in Australia. They could be working in medicine or agriculture, government or academia.

The winners will be chosen for their scientific excellence, proven leadership ability and the potential to have a continuing influence on stem cell research in Australia.

Past Metcalf Prize winners include:

Melbourne haematologist Mark Dawson,

Brisbane computational biologist Jessica Mar,

Sydney heart clinician and researcher James Chong (pictured), who shared his insights as a cardiologist and scientist with the audience at our recent public forum,

• Melbourne immunologist Tracy Heng,
• bioinformatician Christine Wells, who has moved from Brisbane to the university of Melbourne to establish the Centre for Stem Cell Systems,
• Perth geneticist Ryan Lister,
• Tasmanian neural stem cell researcher Kaylene Young, and
• Monash University reprogramming legend Jose Polo, who presented at last month’s global stem cell science meeting in Melbourne.

The Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Research recognise and honour the exceptional contribution made to stem cell research by the late Professor Donald Metcalf. Over his 50-year career, Don helped transform cancer treatment and transplantation medicine, and paved the way for potential stem cell therapy in the treatment of many other conditions.
 
The Metcalf Prizes support the Foundation’s mission to promote the study and use of stem cells in the prevention or control of disease in human beings and to enhance stem cell public education.
 
Applications close Monday 6 August. We encourage last year’s unsuccessful applicants to apply again this year if they are still eligible.
 
To apply online, and for a full list of criteria and conditions, head to the Foundation’s website: www.stemcellfoundation.net.au/metcalf_prizes
 
If you have any questions about eligibility or the application process, please contact Tanya Ha at Science in Public, who are administering the awards for the Foundation: [email protected].

Building a blood cancer treatment; how we and our stem cells age—meet last year’s Metcalf Prize winners

Melbourne clinician-scientist takes leukaemia discoveries from bench to bedside  

Photo credit: Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Mark Dawson has helped to build a new drug to fight an aggressive form of blood cancer. He discovered the basic science of gene expression in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), helped develop a drug to block that action and is leading an international clinical trial to test it.

Mark first explored how genes function in leukaemia, then identified molecules that interrupt the key genetic instructions that perpetuate cancer cells. The drug subsequently developed to treat AML is now the subject of more than 50 clinical trials around the world.

“Each year, more than 1,000 Australians are diagnosed with AML, and more than 70 per cent of these people will die within five years,” says Mark.

“By studying the differences and commonalities between healthy blood stem cells and leukaemia stem cells, I hope to help develop less toxic, more targeted drug treatments that will see more of my patients live longer and healthier lives.”

Professor Mark Dawson is a clinician-scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. He is the program head of the Translational Haematology Program, Group leader of the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory and Consultant Haematologist in the Department of Haematology.

Read Mark’s full profile online

Brisbane researcher reveals how some stem cells get forgetful while others get set in their ways

Jessica Mar (Photo credit: AIBN at UQ)

Jessica Mar is analysing stem cells to discover the changes that influence ageing.

We all started life as a stem cell. Throughout our lives, stem cells repair and replace our tissues, but as we age they stop working as well. Understanding how this decline occurs is fundamental to understanding—and influencing—how we age.

Jessica is studying ageing stem cell models with collaborators around Australia to answer these questions. She is also collaborating on longevity research internationally, and will work with two study populations, ‘super-centenarians’ in Japan who live to 110 years or more, and a group of Ashkenazi Jews who are aged 95 years and older.

“There are two schools of thought,” she says. “Some researchers believe that errors creep into the translation of our genes into proteins causing genetic noise and disease. Others are adamant that the noise decreases and that the stem cells become less able to adapt to circumstance. My research has shown that it’s actually a bit of both.”

In 2011, Jessica demonstrated for the first time that both can be true. Working with 2017 Australian of the Year Alan Mackay-Sim and his collection of nasal stem cells from patients, she showed increased genetic noise is linked with Parkinson’s disease. Then she showed the opposite in schizophrenia.

Jessica will use her Metcalf Prize to expand her research and introduce the next generation of stem cell researchers to the power of ‘centenarian studies’. It’s all based on big data, and powerful computer analysis of the genomes of millions of individual cells from hundreds of people.

Associate Professor Jessica Mar is a Principal Research Fellow at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at the University of Queensland.

Read Jessica’s full profile online

Stem cell news from around the world

Between newsletters, we share stem cell news on social media:

• friend us on Facebook
• follow us on Twitter

Here are a few stories we’ve shared recently:
 
Particle: Could this creature hold the future of regenerative medicine? (featuring Metcalf Prize winner Ryan Lister)
 
Knoepfler Lab Blog: Too much carrot and not enough stick on stem cell oversight
 
Wisconsin State Journal: Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics says it will make brain cells that can boost research on Alzheimer's
 
USC News: Perfectly punctual or fashionably late, it takes all kinds of cells to build a kidney. Paper.
 
Therapeutics Education Collaboration: Talking about stem cell therapies with Tim Caulfield (podcast)
 
Cosmos magazine: Artists join the ARMI
 
News Medical: Study shows blood stem cells compensate for immune cell deficiencies
 
Futurism: We can now treat sick babies with stem cells before they’re even born
 
CBS News: Woman says experimental stem cell procedure for eye disease was “too good to be true”
 
Eureka Alert: First 3D-printed human corneas

Gene and stem cell therapies restoring eyesight, saving skin, and more

• Two people who had vision loss can now read again, thanks to a stem cell ‘eye patch’ treatment trial.
• A Syrian refugee boy’s life was saved when Italian researchers grew new GM skin from stem cells to replace his fragile ‘butterfly skin’.
• A gene therapy that cures an inherited form of blindness has been approved by the FDA.
• A therapy for haemophilia A and B is showing long-term protection and a dramatic drop in bleeds in clinical trials.
• A commercial factory-made stem cell treatment for a life-threatening complication of bone marrow transplants has dramatically improved children’s survival rates in a US-based trial.

After years of promise, stem cell treatments are now starting to move out of the lab and changing lives.

This was one of the take-home messages from last week’s gathering of leading gene therapy and stem cell scientists and physicians from around the world. They were in Melbourne for the International Society for Stem Cell Research 2018 Annual Meeting.

We’ve included highlights from Australian and visiting speakers below.

Delegates also heard about CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing from its co-inventor Jennifer Doudna, the huge progress in developing mini-organs from stem cells, and the potential to use stem cells for drug screening to help with personalised medicine.

And they discussed the challenges of unproven treatments and the moves by Australian and US regulators to tighten the rules.

We sponsored a public forum in the lead up to the meeting so that patients could bring their questions directly to the experts. We will share highlights and a link to a video recording of the event in a future bulletin.

Melissa Little, chair of the meetings scientific program committee and a stem cell researcher at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, shares her insights from the event in this newsletter.

Next week the 2018 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Science will open for applications, offering two $50,000 prizes for Australia’s emerging leaders in stem cell research. Think about the rising stem cell scientists you know, and encourage them to enter.

Kind regards,
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• What we learnt when 2,800+ stem cell scientists invaded Melbourne
• Saving skin, restoring eyesight, treating diabetes, and taking treatments to the clinic
• Stem cell news from around the world

What we learnt when 2,800+ stem cell scientists invaded Melbourne

An overview of ISSCR 2018 from Melissa Little 

2,832 delegates from 53 countries heard from 150+ speakers at last week’s International Society for Stem Cell Research Annual Meeting, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Professor Melissa Little

Melissa Little, who led the development of the scientific program, says there were moving stories of successful treatments, unusually strong involvement from the business and industry sector, and scientific presentations showing awe-inspiring progress.

Roger Barker, chair of the ISSCR’s Clinical Translation Committee gave a great overview of the progress of treatments to the clinic, telling delegates what we’ve tried, where we’ve failed and why; what we’ve learnt and where we’re going. Steven Goldman showed you can repopulate the brain from stem cells,” says Melissa, a mini-kidney ‘organoid’ pioneer based at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

“And the patient address from Daniel Fuller, the father of seven-year-old Harry who has a genetic deaf-blindness condition, was very moving.

“The science presented showed we’ve moved so far towards translation in the last decade. The promise is getting closer. Three years ago, at the Stockholm meeting, there was one presentation on using iPS cells in clinical trials. This year there were several. It’s no longer if, but when we will try treatments with this relatively new source of stem cell.”

Melissa, who is also President of Meeting co-host, the Australasian Society for Stem cell Research, was particularly proud of the contribution from Australian plenary and keynote speakers.

“Jane Visvader’s [Walter and Eliza Hall Institute] presentation was a tour-de-force, not only detailing where all breast cells come from but how they can develop into cancers,” says Melissa.

“Patrick Tam’s [Children's Medical Research Institute] lecture elegantly described how his lab created the raw data for a whole genome ‘satellite navigation’ map of early mouse development, showing Australia is still leading in fundamental research. And Clare Parish’s work developing cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease is truly world-leading.”

See social media highlights from the meeting via the hashtag #ISSCR2018, and look out for Australian content via #GDayStemCells.

Saving skin, restoring eyesight, treating diabetes, and taking treatments to the clinic

Our round-up of the life-changing scientific highlights from ISSCR 2018.

How new skin from genetically-modified stem cells saved a refugee boy’s life

Michele De Luca and Graziella Pellegrini (Italy) led the team that developed genetically-engineered stem cells to produce sheets of disease-free skin cells to save the life of a seven-year-old Syrian refugee. The patient suffered from ‘butterfly skin’, the genetic disease Epidermolysis Bullosa that made his skin as fragile as a butterfly’s wings. Now living with his family in Germany, Hassan is able to attend school, play soccer and live a full life.

Fighting type one diabetes with stem cells

Doug Melton (USA) reported on a way to use stem cells to produce the massive quantities of insulin-producing beta cells needed to treat people with diabetes, including life-threatening type 1 diabetes, which his two children have. Doug shared his lab’s work towards providing human islet cells for diabetics which have found ways to thwart immune rejection so that patients no longer require blood checks and insulin injections.

Michele De Luca and Doug Melton joined Foundation director and Hudson Institute stem cell scientist Caroline Gargett in a special episode of The Conversation Hour, talking about stem cell science with Jon Faine and science communicator Tanya Ha on ABC Radio Melbourne. Listen online.

(Left to right) Michele De Luca, Doug Melton, Caroline Gargett, Tanya Ha and Jon Faine at ABC Studios Southbank.

Stem cell eye patch cures blindness in two trial patients

Two patients with a common type of blindness are recovering their vision, thanks to a new stem cell ‘eye patch’ treatment.

The two patients, both with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), were the first to have diseased eye cells replaced with stem cell-derived retinal eye patches, which restored vision to both patients. They’re both now able to read again.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. Peter Coffey, who led the trial, hopes it will lead to an affordable ‘off-the-shelf’ therapy that could be made available to patients within the next five years.

This is in stark contrast with the cases of three US women with AMD whose eyesight worsened after paying for experimental and unproven stem cell treatment.

New cell therapy a life-saving peacemaker between warring patient and donor cells

A new factory-made stem cell product has been shown to dramatically increase the 100-day survival rates of children with an often-fatal complication of bone marrow transplants—acute graft versus host disease (GVHD).

Australian stem cell scientist and Mesoblast CEO Silviu Itescu announced the results of a Phase 3 clinical trial treating 55 children suffering from the most severe form of GVHD, a condition in which the patient’s white blood cells attack the transplanted donor cells.

The treatment involves mesenchymal stem cells, which have an anti-inflammatory and immune system-calming effect. 75 per cent of patients had survived 100 days after treatment, compared with a survival rate as low as 30 per cent in patients who fail to respond to the standard initial steroid therapy.

Mesoblast, an Australian biotech company, expects this will lead to the treatment becoming the first FDA approved ‘off the shelf’ commercially-manufactured stem cell product.

Treating haemophilia and eye disease with gene therapy

Katherine High (USA) reported on an FDA approved gene therapy for a form of blindness, and on a clinical trial in people with haemophilia.

She’s the head of research and development for Spark Therapeutics, a spin-out from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Last year, the US FDA announced the approval of the first directly administered gene therapy targeting a rare inherited form of blindness caused by mutations in a specific gene. The therapy uses a modified virus to deliver a normal copy of a defective gene directly into retinal cells in the eye. The corrected code makes the eyes’ cells function normally, producing the proteins they need to restore vision.

In May, Spark Therapeutics also announced progress in clinical trials of gene therapies for bleeding disorders haemophilia B and A.

Stem cell news from around the world

Between newsletters, we share stem cell news on social media:

• friend us on Facebook
• follow us on Twitter

Here are a few media stories we’ve shared recently from the meeting:

Herald Sun: (Subscriber only) Two patients cured of blindness with new stem cell treatment

ABC Radio National: The hope (and hype) of stem cells

ABC TV 7.30: 'Buying hope': Unproven stem cell treatments facing tighter regulation

ABC Radio Melbourne: The Conversation Hour: Stem cell pioneers Doug Melton, Michele De Luca, and Caroline Gargett

The Age: Watch this fish regrow its spinal cord—in real-time

Eyes, heart, skin, kidneys & blood: what’s the state of play with stem cell research?

World leaders in stem cell research will be in Melbourne later this month for the international stem cell conference. We’ll be there tweeting highlights, and also supporting a public forum separating stem cell facts from fiction.

Welcome to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s bulletin on stem cell medicine and research in Australia.

Nearly 3,000 delegates are headed to Australia for the International Society for Stem Cell Research 2018 Annual Meeting (ISSCR 2018), in Melbourne from 20 to 23 June. 

They will share the latest science, present fundamental stem cell and disease research, provide updates on the progress of new treatments towards the clinic, and discuss the challenges of managing patients’ hopes and unethical treatment marketing. 

ISSCR 2018 comes at a time when governments around the world are cracking down on rogue clinics, and Australia is bringing in new regulations to protect patients.

We want to help people sort the facts from the fiction. We’re supporting a free public forum in the lead up to ISSCR 2018 to bring the scientists to the people. Come to the event and bring your questions. More below.

Congratulations to the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research, the Melbourne Convention Bureau and a coalition of medical research organisations on the success of their campaign over the past six years to win this influential event for Melbourne and Australia.  

We will be tweeting highlights from ISSCR 2018. You can follow us on Twitter at @AusStemCell and the meeting organiser at @ISSCR. Follow the conversation through the hashtag #ISSCR2018. 

If you’re presenting some exciting science at ISSCR 2018, let us know—email [email protected].

Our next bulletin will be a special edition at the end of the month, sharing some of the highlights from ISSCR 2018. Then, in early July, the 2018 Metcalf Prizes for Stem Cell Science will open for applications, offering two $50,000 prizes for Australia’s emerging leaders in stem cell research.

The Metcalf Prizes, our travel grants for young researchers attending conferences, and our public education events are all made possible thanks to the generosity of our donors. With the end of financial year around the corner, we invite you to make a tax-deductible donation to help us continue this work. Visit our website to donate securely online.

Kind regards,

Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• Ask your questions at a free public forum
• A life in science: student Q&A with 2017 Australian of the Year Alan Mackay-Sim
• Stem cell news from around the world

What will stem cell research offer for treating eye, heart, skin, kidney and blood disorders?

Ask your questions at a free public forum

Melbourne event: Stem Cell Research - Now and in the Future
When: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, Monday 18 June
Where: Deakin Edge at Federation Square, Swanston Street, Melbourne

Can stem cells cure blindness? Could they heal broken hearts after heart attacks? Why do clinical trials matter? What treatments can we have confidence in and which are over-hyped? And what will regenerative medicine deliver in the next few years?
 
The Foundation is supporting a free public forum in conjunction with ISSCR 2018 so that people can have their stem cell medicine questions answered by qualified experts.
 
“This is an opportunity for people to ask the those working at the coalface of stem cell research what they do and why,” says forum organiser and moderator Megan Munsie, a stem cell researcher at the University of Melbourne and head of the Education, Ethics, Law and Community Awareness Unit at Stem Cells Australia
 
Cardiologist and researcher James Chong, who was one of our 2016 Metcalf Prize winners, is one of the forum’s speakers. As a physician, he is very familiar with the hopes, fears and questions his patients often have. He’s looking forward to sharing his passion for stem cell science at the forum.
 
“I hope to inform people about this wonderful technology. I want to help them understand how it may benefit patients with heart disease and the hope this brings, but also that there are many steps we need to take to bring about a realistic, safe and enduring treatment,” says James.
 
The panellists cover five areas of the human body where stem cells have great potential to help researchers or treat diseases—blood and bone marrow, skin, eyes, heart and kidney:

• Susie Nilsson (CSIRO and the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Monash University) will discuss how blood stem cells are already saving lives, and where improvements are being made.
• Pritinder Kaur (Curtin University) will explore skin stem cells, optimising their use in wound healing and how they are used to study skin conditions.
• Michael O'Connor (Western Sydney University) will talk about eye diseases and the potential for stem cell therapies for cataracts, damaged corneas and macular degeneration.
• James Chong (The Westmead Institute and University of Sydney) will talk about how stem cells become medicine and his work exploring the potential to regrow cardiac cells after a heart attack.
• Melissa Little (Murdoch Children's Research Institute and University of Melbourne) will talk about growing kidney tissue in the lab to study kidney conditions and improve diagnosis and treatments.

Doors open from 4:00pm. People can come early and explore the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research Stem Cell Stories photography exhibition and meet the researchers.
 
For more information and to register, visit the forum’s Eventbrite page.

A life in science: student Q&A with 2017 Australian of the Year Alan Mackay-Sim 

Science legend meets the toughest audience—kids and teenagers—at the World Science Festival Brisbane

Alan Mackay-Sim answers questions

Award winning stem cell scientist Alan Mackay-Sim has had a life filled with curiosity, science, a variety of hobbies, and occasional swearing!
 
In March this year, Alan talked with students at the World Science Festival Brisbane. Here are some of the highlights.
 
Sanchit (Year 8) How was your school and university life? What were your aspirations and interests as a student?
 
Alan: I love to learn. From a very early age I wondered how the body works, and how the brain controls the hands to do this, that and the other, and so on. That’s what I did on the academic side. Outside that, I played football, sang in the choir, acted in plays, ran in the athletics carnivals and lapped it all up.
 
When I got to university I still studied hard, but also danced a lot and listened to a lot of music and enjoyed university life.
 
Host: If we could interview 5-year-old Alan and ask what he wanted to be when he grew up, what would he have said?

Alan Mackay-Sim with students at the 2018 World Science Festival Brisbane

Alan: A fireman. It was when I was 8 or ten that I got interested in the body.

Towards the end of school, I was heavily interested in the brain and I wanted to contribute to people’s health. So, I chose science as a career.

Host: Tell us about the nose cells you’re interested in.

Alan: In the nose we have stem cells. As we breath in, we’re breathing in nasty chemicals, viruses and bacteria. The sensory cells die, partly as a response to protect ourselves, because we have a direct line from the nose to the brain. So, the cells die, and the stem cells are there to replace them.

Olfactory ensheathing cells are made from the stem cells in the nose, and they are the support cells for the nerves. Someone had the idea that maybe those cells could help the nerve cells regrow after being cut in the spinal cord. This turned out to be true.

Read the full story with more student questions and answers online.

Stem cells addressing silent epidemics; top scientists head to Melbourne

Welcome to the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia’s bulletin on stem cell medicine and research in Australia.

This year, about 3,500 delegates from the global stem cell field will head to Melbourne for the International Society for Stem Cell Research 2018 Annual Meeting.

Hosting an international conference lifts the local profile of a scientific field. ISSCR 2018 will help to shine the spotlight on stem cell science in Australia—important at a time when new treatments are being tested and nearing the clinic and unproven treatments are being unethically marketed.

This is a rare opportunity for Australian doctors, patient advocacy groups, politicians and policy makers, and the broader public to hear sound science directly from leading stem cell scientists.

More than 180 speakers are on the program, discussing the field’s emerging science and hot topics, from stem cells in salamanders to gene editing to therapeutic eye patches. In this newsletter, we’ve included a preview of the conference program.

Each year, we provide grants for student and early-career researchers to attend Australia’s regional conference. With this year’s event doubling as the international scientific meeting, the 68 young grant recipients will get to hear from, and network with, the world’s best and brightest stem cell scientists. Read on for details.

One potential new therapy that’s been in the media this year is a stem cell treatment for pelvic organ prolapse, which affects an estimated one-in-four women, and around half of all women over 50 who have had children. This research is led by one of our board members Professor Caroline Gargett.

Professor Melissa Little and her colleagues have also been in the news, demonstrating in a pre-clinical trial that transplanted ‘mini-kidneys’ grown from stem cells can mature and filter blood. This work may lead to new treatment options for chronic kidney disease. Read on for more about Caroline and Melissa’s discoveries.

And Megan Munsie has won an international award for her work on public education and advocacy for better regulation of regenerative medicine. More below.

Work like that mentioned above, along with that of other stem cell pioneers such as Alan Trounson and the late Don Metcalf, demonstrate Melbourne’s leadership in stem cell science and why it’s a great city to host the international conference.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Kind regards,
Dr Graeme L Blackman AO
Chairman, National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia

In this bulletin:

• Melbourne stem cell science versus silent epidemics
• Local junior researchers and global stem cell experts converge in Melbourne
• Australian stem cell researcher wins international public service award
• Stem cell news from around the world

Melbourne stem cell science versus silent epidemics: pelvic organ prolapse, endometriosis, and kidney disease

Could stem cells plus ‘nanobiomaterials’ replace risky vaginal mesh implants?
 

Stem cells—combined with a biomaterial growing environment they need—may offer an alternative treatment for the one-in-four women affected by pelvic organ prolapse.

Pelvic organ prolapse is a lifelong and potentially debilitating ‘silent epidemic’, mainly caused by the tissue damage experienced by mothers during childbirth and worsened by ageing. It was previously treated using transvaginal mesh implants, which were banned last year because of the risks to patients.

Caroline Gargett and her colleagues at Hudson Institute of Medical Research hope that stem cells from a woman’s own uterus combined with nanobiomaterials (biodegradable materials engineered on the nanoscale) will provide a safer, more effective treatment for pelvic organ prolapse as well as a non-surgical therapy soon after childbirth to prevent future prolapse.

The new approach is currently being trialled in animals. The research team hopes to start clinical trials in three to five years.

Read more:

• Hudson Institute of Medical Research: Bioengineering: the new approach for treating pelvic organ prolapse
• ABC News: Researchers trial new pelvic prolapse treatment using stem cells, bioengineering

Unlocking the secrets of endometriosis

Caroline and her team have also had success researching another ‘silent epidemic’ affecting girls and women—endometriosis. This common and painful condition occurs when the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere on the ovaries, fallopian tubes or bowel, causing them stick to each other forming adhesions, causing severe pelvic pain, difficult periods, and infertility.

The researchers have found a unique marker that identifies the adult stem cells involved in the condition. Now they can find them, they can isolate them and study them further, which will help improve understanding of the disease and hopefully lead to better treatments.

The research was published in the journal, Human Reproduction.

Mini-kidneys for chronic kidney disease research

A team of Australian and Dutch researchers have successfully built a mini-kidney from stem cells and transplanted it into a mouse where it has matured into tissue with blood vessels, which is capable of filtering blood.

The findings—recently published in the journal Stem Cell Reports—represent a step further on the long road towards making functioning tissue for the treatment of  chronic kidney disease.

“The fact that we can make kidney tissue from human stem cells and have this develop into mature kidney tissue after transplantation is a very promising step towards developing this further for treatment,” says Melissa Little from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.

Untreated, chronic kidney disease leads to kidney failure, and is often called a ‘silent killer’. One in 10 Australians are expected to show signs of the condition by 2020, but only 25 per cent of patients will receive a kidney transplant.

Melissa and her colleagues have pioneered kidney ‘organoid’ research. Not only have they developed ways to coax stem cells into developing into the different types of kidney cells, they’ve also succeeded in getting the cells to self-organise into the structures and systems needed to function.

These functioning mini-kidneys are useful in the lab for studying kidney function, kidney diseases, and testing therapies.

It’s important research, given that chronic kidney disease cases are rising in number by six per cent per annum, and the treatment options—dialysis and/or a kidney transplant—are a heavy burden.
 
Read more:

• SBS News: Stem cell kidney gives hope to sufferers
• Herald Sun: Lab-grown kidneys a step closer after Melbourne-Dutch researchers’ breakthrough [subscriber only]

Local junior researchers and global stem cell experts converge in Melbourne

Stem cells in plants, the axolotl genome, disease research, and therapeutic eye patches are on the agenda when the ISSCR 2018 Annual Meeting heads to Australia

Rebecca Lee is a young researcherexploring how the build-up of sugar affects stem cell development in the brain in people with the debilitating Sanfilippo syndrome—a genetic disorder that causes progressive mental and physical deterioration in children.

The PhD candidate from the University of Adelaide will be joined by international experts in gene editing, skin regeneration, the axolotl genome, and more when the annual scientific meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is held in Melbourne this June.

“I work with multiple cell types, so an international conference is a really good opportunity to talk to a wide range of researchers,” says Rebecca.

Liver stem cell researcher Ken Woo is looking forward to hearing from American biochemist Jennifer Doudna who was a major player in developing the CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing tool, which has revolutionised and simplified gene editing.

Rebecca and Ken are two of 68 students and early-career researchers from around Australia who have received travel grants to attend the ISSCR conference through the Foundation’s Young Investigator Awards program, run in partnership with the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research. The Foundation provides funds to contribute to flights and registration costs. Many of the grant recipients would not be able to attend the conference without this support.

Junior and senior researchers alike will share the latest stem cell science, with conference sessions on tissue engineering, organ regeneration, gene regulation, brain development and neurological diseases, epigenetics, ageing, and more.

Ken, who is based at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, says that grants to attend this and past conferences have helped overcome the challenge of Perth’s distance from Australia’s other research centres.

“The awards have enabled me to get a good overview of the different stem cell research that is happening in the country and network with the researchers attending,” he says.

Rebecca is particularly excited to attend the conference, as she’s in the final year of her PhD.

“I’m thinking about the next stage of my career, so the opportunity to talk to a wide range of researchers and make connections is hugely important.”

International guest speakers include:

• Jennifer Doudna from the University of California, Berkeley, speaking about her research on gene regulation and editing.
• Elly Tanaka of the Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna, who will talk about her work decoding and analysing the complete axolotl genome, helping to identify stem cells for limb and spinal cord regeneration.
• Peter Coffey from University College London, who will share how his lab engineered retinal cells and created an eye patch for transplantation to treat age-related macular degeneration, a common form of vision loss.

ISSCR 2018 also includes a special session at Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for doctors and other health professionals, discussing current therapies and those moving toward the clinic.

Visit the ISSCR 2018 conference website.

Australian stem cell researcher Megan Munsie wins 2018 Public Service Award from ISSCR

Recognition for public education, policy and advocacy work

Megan Munsie at Science meets Parliament 2018. Photo by Mark Graham, courtesy of Science & Technology Australia.

Associate Professor Megan Munsie has been recognised for her work promoting public understanding of stem cell science and regenerative medicine and advocating for better public policy and regulation of its use.

Megan, a researcher at the University of Melbourne and Stem Cells Australia, will formally receive her award at the ISSCR 2018 Annual Meeting.

Late last year, Megan was among 20 people nominated for the Knoepfler Lab 2017 Stem Cell Person of the Year, in part for her advocacy for the responsible use of stem cells and regenerative medicine technologies. She was voted by stem cell science enthusiasts into the top ten.

In February, she was a panellist at Science meets Parliament in Canberra, where she shared her experiences of talking to the media and policy makers with 240 fellow scientists.

Megan is a frequent media commentator on stem cell issues. For example, she was interviewed on Life Matters on ABC Radio National about the lure and pitfalls of stem cell tourism, and talked about stem cell therapies on the ‘GP Show’ podcast to help educate doctors and other health professionals on regenerative medicine’s current state-of-play.

Congratulations Megan on this well-deserved recognition. Read the ISSCR’s media release online.

Stem cell news from around the world 

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Here are a few of the stories we’ve shared recently:
 
Brisbane Times: Professor's work in repairing spinal cord injuries nothing to sniff at.

Scroll.in: Lab notes: How stem cells in the gums accelerate healing. Paper.

The Guardian: Doctors hope for blindness cure after restoring patients' sight. Paper.

CBC: ‘Science-ploitation’: stem cells being used to market dubious therapies, prof says.

Forbes: ‘I work with stem cells. Here's why I won't be injecting them into myself.’

Herald Sun: Stroke victims may be given stem cell infusion to help heal brain. Paper.

Science Daily: Adult endothelial stem cells can make fully functional blood vessels. Paper.

Futurism: “Intestine-Chip” could help patients with diseases like Crohn’s. Paper.

Cosmos magazine: Stem cancer vax offers strong promise.

The Guardian: Breakthrough as scientists grow sheep embryos containing human cells.

Futurism: We can now use stem cells to grow functioning kidney tissue. Paper.

The Boar: Is alcohol causing cancer?

Scientific American: Instead of filling cavities, dentists may soon regenerate teeth.

ABC The Science Show: Why stem cells decline as we age.

NPR: (USA) Will state voters continue to pour money into stem cell research?

New Scientist: How ‘stem cell’ clinics became a Wild West for dodgy treatments.

Vancouver Sun: Stem-cell-based treatment aims to reverse Type 1 diabetes.

The Conversation (USA): How rejuvenation of stem cells could lead to healthier aging.

Mehr News Agency: Iranian researchers make eye drop to improve corneal stem cell growth.

New Atlas: Working human muscle tissue grown from skin-derived stem cells.