New York University

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

Stemcyte, Inc.

Wise Young

Dongming Sun

Robert Fleischaker

Kam Sze Kent Tsang

Kaoru Sakatani

Kam Sze Tsang

The present invention provides methods for expanding human umbilical cord blood stem cells and methods for stimulating growth factor production by cord blood stem cells using an in vitro cell culture system comprising a lithium salt. The present invention also provides in vivo methods for enhancing the survival and growth of transplanted cord blood stem cells by treating the cells with a lithium salt prior to transplantation. In vivo methods for reducing rejection of transplanted cord blood stem cells by administering a lithium salt after transplantation are also provided.

Lithium stimulation of cord blood stem cell proliferation and growth factor production

This invention concerns methods of packaging and shipping stem cells. Also disclosed are related package products.

Stem cell packaging and shipping

Tissue damage may be quantified, tissue type identified, neural activity monitored or blood hematocrit determined by measuring the difference between the total tissue sodium and potassium concentrations in the area in question. Comparison of these measurements with standard values permit evaluation of the amount of tissue damage in cells of the same type or the tissue type in non-necrotic cells. Evaluation over time of normal brain cells permit monitoring of neural activity. By directly and simultaneously measuring sodium and potassium ion concentrations, for example, a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer can image areas of different tissue type in differing colors. In this manner tumors and lesions can be clearly delineated. Measurement of total potassium concentration of a blood sample and the potassium concentration of the cell-free plasma will permit determination of cellular volume fraction (hematocrit).

Methods and apparatus for quantifying tissue damage, determining tissue

The behavioral tendencies of a system in which responses evoked by stimuli are measurable are determined by means of a method and apparatus for applying a train of paired stimuli to the system and measuring and analyzing the response. The first of each pair of stimuli (conditioning stimulus) is applied at randomly varying intensities and at a constant interval. The second of each pair of stimuli (test stimulus) is applied at a constant intensity and a randomly varying interval from its associated test stimulus. By appropriate analysis of the amplitude and latency of the evoked responses, important information about fatigue, refractory period, supernormal period, threshold and dynamical fluctuation can be determined.

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New Brunswick, NJ, United States of America

Wise Young