9th Annual Conference on ^{Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine} Sep 25-26, 2017 Berlin, Germany

Biography:

Richard George Pestell completed his MBBS and subsequently PhD, MD (Melbourne University) FRACP, FACP, MBA (NYU) with Post Doctoral studies at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital. He was Director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center (2002-2005), the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (2005-2015) and most recently Executive Vice President of Thomas Jefferson University. He is the author of over 620 published works and 36 books and chapters, with over 50,000 citations, H index 121. He served and or serves on 14 scientific journal editorial boards, external advisory boards of 7 NCI cancer centers, several international research institutes, and review boards for research funding agencies of USA, Italy, UK, Switzerland, Ireland, France, Israel, Australia, and Czech. He is the Founder of two biotechnology companies, and has multiple issued patents.

Abstract:

Recent studies have demonstrated a propensity of tumor initiating cells with stem cell-like features to contribute to metastasis and therapy resistance. The mechanisms by which cancer stem cells survive chemotherapy- and radiotherapy is not well understood. We herein describe the novel finding that the immune chemokine receptor CCR5 is selectively expressed on transformed breast epithelial cells, promoting breast cancer stem cell expansion and DNA damage repair. Reintroduction of CCR5 into CCR5-negative cells promoted breast tumor stem cell expansion, metastases, and the induction of DNA repair gene expression. CCR5 was shown to enhance the repair of Double Stranded DNA Breaks (DSBS) by inducing HDR and SSA-based DNA repair. Single cell sequencing documented activation of gene expression pathways mediating ribosomal biogenesis and cell survival in CCR5⁺ cells. In a broad array of BRCA1mutant breast cancer cell lines DNA damaging chemotherapeutic agent-mediated cell killing was dramatically enhanced by CCR5 antagonists. Because CCR5 is expressed only on the breast cancer epithelial cells the current findings illustrate CCR5 inhibitors enhance the tumor specific activities of DDR-based treatments.

Biography:

Roohi completed her basic medical and Master’s degrees in Orthopaedic Surgery from National University of Malaysia and is presently holding a tenured post in Universiti Putra Malaysia. She has more than 2 decades of surgical experience and practising rights in four countries. She has published more than 40 papers in reputed journals and is presently working on stem cell applications in bones and soft tissues.

Abstract:

ReGeneraTing Agents (RGTAs) are a family of polymers bioengineered to stabilise heparin-binding growth factors by mimicking Heparan Sulphate (HS) thereby protecting them and promoting tissue repair and regeneration. In inflammation, destruction of HS exposes the ExtraCellularMatrix – ECM (structural & cellular proteins within) to the actions of proteases and glycanases which break them down and also act on cytokines and growth factors to prevent adequate repair. In injured tissue, RGTAs would replace destroyed HS by binding to the structural proteins and reconstruct the ECM scaffold. Growth factors will also bind to RGTA and resume position and organization resembling that of non-injured tissue. Hence RGTAs showed they induce a regeneration process by restoring the proper cellular micro-environment. More recently a RGTA named CACIPLIQ20 was adapted to skin lesions and has shown efficacy in various trials of non-healing leg ulcers.

 

We extrapolated this action to human tissue (of poor vascularity) and applied the same RGTA with meticulous wound care techniques on 15 patients with wounds of varying sizes and depths in the upper limb. We observed that the wounds healed or granulation tissue grew again where there was dead skin and no visible underlying blood supply which in usual circumstances would have resulted in loss of limb length, dry gangrene or at best healing by severe scarring. Exposed tendons were also covered with granulation tissue, and resulted in a fair range of motion. Full thickness palmar and dorsal wounds also healed beautifully reproducing a flexible movable dorsal surface not seen in granulating, scarred healing.