W2W - Boston

[void]

You're right. Perhaps it wouldn't work in Sweden, but here in the USA these folks are anything BUT armchair quarterbacks. They come from all over the world to learn about chronic spinal cord injury research and talk to the people that can help and ask the tough questions...

Sounds great! As long as that music is not played during the meeting
To continue compare Sweden and US, I think the meeting is great. This would never occur in Sweden since it implies a life in a chair is not as good, and such claims are of course not acceptable here.

[GRAMMY]

As long as that music is not played during the meeting

No, this is a working symposium for researchers, biotechs, advocates and everyone interested in a cure for spinal cord injury, so there's just no free time to listen to music during the presentations. Here's what Working 2 Walk is.

[crabbyshark]

Someone should ask Jerry about this at W2W. Seems extremely inconsistent with past statements. He's the contact person for the paper.

1. J Neurosci. 2011 Jan 19;31(3):944-53. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3566-10.2011. Multipotent adult progenitor cells prevent macrophage-mediated axonal dieback and promote regrowth after spinal cord injury. Busch SA, Hamilton JA, Horn KP, Cuascut FX, Cutrone R, Lehman N, Deans RJ, Ting AE, Mays RW, Silver J. Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA. Macrophage-mediated axonal dieback presents an additional challenge to regenerating axons after spinal cord injury. Adult adherent stem cells are known to have immunomodulatory capabilities, but their potential to ameliorate this detrimental inflammation-related process has not been investigated. Using an in vitro model of axonal dieback as well as an adult rat dorsal column crush model of spinal cord injury, we found that multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPCs) can affect both macrophages and dystrophic neurons simultaneously. MAPCs significantly decrease MMP-9 (matrix metalloproteinase-9) release from macrophages, effectively preventing induction of axonal dieback. MAPCs also induce a shift in macrophages from an M1, or "classically activated" proinflammatory state, to an M2, or "alternatively activated" antiinflammatory state. In addition to these effects on macrophages, MAPCs promote sensory neurite outgrowth, induce sprouting, and further enable axons to overcome the negative effects of macrophages as well as inhibitory proteoglycans in their environment by increasing their intrinsic growth capacity. Our results demonstrate that MAPCs have therapeutic benefits after spinal cord injury and provide specific evidence that adult stem cells exert positive immunomodulatory and neurotrophic influences.

Although significant work remains before these results can be translated to human therapy, it is exciting that several well characterized mechanistic pathways that mediate regeneration failure after spinal cord injury can be modified by a stem cell population.

If I were some of y'all I might be pissed. Good thing someone's been doing the work.

[GRAMMY]

Good thing someone's been doing the work.

Yes it is! Sarah has been working with the Multistem cells for Athersys and does a super fantastic job in Jerry's lab for them and she is the lead author working on spinal cord injury. She's a brilliant hard working lady indeed!



I believe Gil was at a W2W recently... as you can see by the pipeline, SCI is still in early development stage and not ready for prime time. The cells are proprietary and belong to Athersys. Gil Van Bokkelen, PhD is the Chairman and CEO.



As far as "some of ya'all being pissed" comment, I have no idea what you want everyone mad about, nor does it matter. Athersys doesn't have the cells through basic research testing or ready for sci...

[c473s]

No, this is a working symposium for researchers, biotechs, advocates and everyone interested in a cure for spinal cord injury, so there's just no free time to listen to music during the presentations. Here's what Working 2 Walk is.

Well if there is no music I am staying home for work on my eyes. I am counting on hearing from those attending and one of the presentors if he can behave.

[GRAMMY]

Well if there is no music I am staying home for work on my eyes. I am counting on hearing from those attending and one of the presentors if he can behave.

We'll try to keep the wild meetings to a minimum.

[Leif]

Why not support clinical trials on SCI? Why not be willing to explore factual processes by taking such further? Why not dive into clinical trials ideas, and push more and more trials on SCI! What is the hurdle? A simple laminectomy or a lamiplastomy for some growth factor injections shouldn’t be too risky. Seams to me that ppl like Paolo has become a too good friend with his wheelchair and not wanting SCI cures enough. The same with most. Hot air and no action.

[Leif]

I was told $75,000 - $100,000 for a rodent for chronic 6-8 weeks. London Ontario last month.

Hey, imagine a Canadian Moose study. Big spinal cord, lot's of testing, and a big BBQ after. Good plan!

[Leif]

A very large number of advocates grilled Invivo's John Slotkin at W2W 2011 in Washington in a breakout session.

Slotkin was asked why they have decided to tackle acute injuries when the chronic market is a much larger and stable market. It was very clear from his answers at that conference that Invivo are unlikely to focus on the chronic injury but they are open to collaborators who would want to use their technology in a chronic setting. I don't see why that would change 2 years on. They may have some collaborators in mind. They may not. Even if they do, unless it's an academic institution they're unlikely to talk about it due to NDAs.

I wonder what happened to this collaboration? Did anything come of it?

http://www.invivotherapeutics.com/pd...%20Release.pdf


As an aside, don't underestimate the tough questions that attendees ask researchers at W2W in the breakout sessions. If you're a researcher, W2W is not a conference you can rock up to, say your piece, eat the free food and then leave. There are some fairly hot debates taking place in the breakout sessions.

InVivo has a picture out there on any dimension for any, more like catheterization- tubes, in plastic, -how plastic

[NowhereMan]

Why not support clinical trials on SCI? Why not be willing to explore factual processes by taking such further? Why not dive into clinical trials ideas, and push more and more trials on SCI!

Show me robust success in a relevant chronic & complete animal study and I will support it.

[Leif]

Show me robust success in a relevant chronic & complete animal study and I will support it.

Why wait and show you and you guys any? Why should I and others work for showing you any? Please tell me why? Do you mean I and others shall do the work, and some of you sit on the sideline like demanding? What do you demand?

[Leif]

NowherwMan - are you just another lazy butt.

[Leif]

Show me robust success in a relevant chronic & complete animal study and I will support it.

So you just sit and wait for others doing the job, ok. Perhaps you should join up with Paolo.

[Leif]

Show me robust success in a relevant chronic & complete animal study and I will support it.

How about a robust chronic nay-sayer attitude?

[NowhereMan]

Do you mean I and others shall do the work, and some of you sit on the sideline like demanding? What do you demand?

To quote myself from earlier:


"I'm more talking about the researchers at w2w.

a) they should be doing their work in chronic & complete models. (in addition to what they are currently using).

b) we should not be obsessed with when they are going to start clinical trials until they can prove efficacy in chronic & complete animal models."


You can waste your own damn time trying to get more UCB trials going.