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Health Sciences: Regenerative Medicine

Cell Reprogramming, Stem cells, and Regenerative Medicine: Interrelated Disciplines That Will Revolutionize Medicine

Task Forces

  • Arshak R Alexanian, VMD, PhD,

Professor, Founder, Chief Scientific Officer

at Cell Reprogramming & Therapeutics LLC

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  • Apkar Apkarian, PhD,

Professor, Northwestern University,

Chicago, IL

  • Jerry Manoukyan, MD

Practicing physician

San Francisco, California

  • Arthur Melkonyan, MD

Managing Director at Promtest

Yerevan, Armenia

  • Alexander Bazarchyan, MD

Director of the National Istitute of Health

Yerevan Armenia

Advisors

  • Ruben Alexanian, MD,

Interventional Cardiologist,

Assistant Professor

Madison, Wisconsin

  • Karina Galoyan, PhD

Associated Professor, Maimi University,

Maimi, Florida

Potential Scholars

  • Andranik Andrew Aprikyan, PhD

Co-Founder of Stemgenics Corporation,

Seattle, Washington

  • Anush Oganesian, PhD, the Founder of Tateva

Therapeutics Inc.

Seattle, Washington

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Health Sciences: Regenerative Medicine

Cell Reprogramming, Stem cells, and Regenerative Medicine: Interrelated Disciplines That Will Revolutionize Medicine

Arshak R Alexanian, VMD, PhD

Cell Reprogramming & Therapeutics LLC

Technology Innovation Center

10437 Innovation Drive, Wauwatosa, WI 53226

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Outline

  • Short overview about three interwind disciplines such as Cell reprogramming, Stem Cells, and Regenerative Medicine that hold immense promise for the future of healthcare and biotechnology and About the rationale for why this is needed for Armenia.

  • Proposed program that aimed to establish Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center for teaching, training and initiating research projects in these above-mentioned fields.

  • Hosting location, governance structure, outreach elements, a tentative budget, a roadmap for gradual expansion over several years, the number of international scholars it aims to attract, and a 10-year outlook for expanding research directions.

The Why, What and How

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Stem cells, generated from adult somatic cells through cell reprogramming or harvested from various tissues, have already been utilized in several fields of regenerative medicine and for the treatment of a variety of disorders, and multiple clinical trials are currently underway.

According to the official database of the US National Institutes of Health, more than 1200 MSC-based clinical trials have been reported, most were performed to evaluate the biomedical potential of MSCs in treating hematological diseases, GVHD, diabetes, inflammatory diseases, and diseases in the liver, kidneys, and lungs, as well as cardiovascular, bone and cartilage, neurological, and autoimmune diseases (Fig.A,B).

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The number of clinical trials using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC)—both embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (hESC/iPSC)— has expanded in the last several years beyond expectations. By the end of 2021, a total of 90 trials had been registered in 13 countries with more than 3000 participants. However, only US, Japan, China, and the UK are conducting both hESC- and hiPSC-based trials. Together US, Japan, and China have registered 78% (70 out of 90) of all trials worldwide

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At Cell Reprogramming & Therapeutics LLC (CR&T), we are actively involved in stem cell and regenerative medicine research and commercialization. Our focus is on the development of innovative technologies for generating various specialized neural cells.

We have successfully developed these technologies and conducted extensive testing to evaluate their therapeutic effects in neurological disorders, including spinal cord and brain injuries, Parkinson's disease, and brain cancers. These studies supported by multiple NIH and NSF Awards and Private funding.

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We are now advancing to Phase II studies, which entail preclinical research. Our ultimate objective is to develop a cellular imaging tool and therapeutics for glioblastomas (brain cancers), as well as cellular therapeutics for brain and spinal cord injuries and Parkinson's disease.

Diagnostic Tool for Brain Cancer Imaging

Cellular Therapeutics for Brain Cancers

Cellular Therapeutics for Parkinson’s

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In summary, advancements in stem cell technologies and regenerative medicine hold the potential to revolutionize the field of medicine and transform healthcare.

The global market for cell reprogramming, stem cells, and regenerative medicine was valued at USD 68.05 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 180 billion by 2030

Armenia, like many other developing countries, has a pool of talented scientists, researchers, and healthcare professionals who possess intellectual power and the capacity to contribute to advancements in Stem cell technologies and regenerative medicine. These professionals can engage in research, development, and innovation, leveraging their expertise to address healthcare challenges and improve medical treatments.

Moreover, the potential impact of biotechnologies and regenerative medicine extends beyond healthcare. These fields have the ability to stimulate economic growth by creating new industries, generating employment opportunities, attracting investments, and fostering innovation ecosystems.

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The How

The goal of the project is to establish the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center, which will provide advanced education, training, and research opportunities.

To establish a stem cell and regenerative medicine center, several key steps are required for short-term planning, covering a period of 1-2 years.

 

  1. Establish state-of-the-art laboratory facilities equipped with the necessary tools for cell culture and Molecular biology and office spaces for graduate students, postdocs and scholars.
  2. Develop a business plan to outline funding sources and operational costs.
  3. Assemble a multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians, and administrators.
  4. Recruit and retain talented scholars, researchers and clinicians.
  5. Adhere to ethical guidelines and obtain necessary regulatory approvals.

For the first year we estimated the cost of these activities to be $1miilion

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The How

On the second or third year, in addition to recruiting and retaining fellows, the center will establish an animal facility equipped with surgery, behavioral, and histology study rooms. We estimate the cost of these activities to be $1 million.

These facilities, in conjunction with cell culture, molecular biology labs will enable the center to conduct preclinical studies.

It is important to note that these preclinical studies will not be limited to the technologies developed within the Center, but will also extend to collaborations with external institutions. As a result, the center can function as a contract research organization, offering preclinical study services to other entities.

In terms of long-term planning (5-10 Yerars), the Center will focus on recruiting and retaining Scholars (10-15) and researchers, and conducting research, while actively seeking funding opportunities from both governmental and private organizations to support its research endeavors. We estimated the cost to be 500,000 per year.

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The How

The Center for Cell Reprogramming, Stem Cells, and Regenerative Medicine will be established at the National Institute of Armenia, or alternatively at the Institute of Molecular Biology or Physiology, based on discussions with the directors of these institutions.

Governance structure: independent from any public or private university or academic institution, led by a board of international scholars.

A Center of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine will employ various outreach elements such as educational workshops, public lectures, community events, collaborations with schools and universities, science communication materials, social media presence, partnerships with healthcare institutions, and research collaborations.

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Health Sciences: Regenerative Medicine

Cell Reprogramming, Stem cells, and Regenerative Medicine: Interrelated Disciplines That Will Revolutionize Medicine

Thank you

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