Gene therapy with stem cells may cure two blood diseases

Date December. 27, 2005
Source: Newsday

Summary:

Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan have developed a stem cell-based gene therapy that targets stem cells and restores effective oxygen delivery, which may cure two pervasive blood disorders. The first round of human trials is expected to begin within six months. Gene therapy is the technique in which a healthy new gene is incorporated into patients' cells to correct a debilitating defect. Scientists report that they have developed a form of gene therapy that targets stem cells and restores effective oxygen delivery.

MIT Researcher Finds Neuron Growth In Adult Brain

Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: December 27, 2005

Summary:

A researcher at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory reports that structural remodeling of neurons does in fact occur in mature brains. This finding means that it may one day be possible to grow new cells to replace ones damaged by disease or spinal cord injury.

New Neurons Take Baby Steps In The Adult Brain

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: December 23, 2005

Summary:

In experiments with mice, scientists from Johns Hopkins' Institute for Cell Engineering have discovered the steps required to integrate new neurons into the brain's existing operations. In the first study to show how these "baby" neurons are integrated into the brain's existing networks, the Johns Hopkins researchers show that a brain chemical called GABA readies baby neurons to make connections to old ones.

A Little Telomerase Isn't Enough: Study Links Length Of Chromosome Ends To A Rare Disease Of Stem Cells

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Posted: December 22, 2005

Summary:

A Johns Hopkins geneticist and her team have discovered a critical link between the health of stem cells and the length of the chromosome ends within them.

Clinical Trial To Test Stem Cell Approach For Children With Brain Injury

Source: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Date: December 22, 2005

Summary:

A unique clinical trial will gauge the safety and potential of treating children suffering traumatic brain injury with stem cells derived from their own bone marrow. The clinical trial is the first to apply stem cells to treat traumatic brain injury. It does not involve embryonic stem cells. As a Phase I clinical trial, the project's first emphasis is to establish the safety of the procedure, with a secondary goal of observing possible therapeutic effects.

Stem Cells from Hair Follicles Rival Embryonic Stem Cells in Their Potential for Regenerative Medicine

Source: AntiCancer, Inc.
Posted: December 19, 2005 6:00 am ET

Summary:

Researchers led by a team at AntiCancer, Inc., in San Diego have found that stem cells from hair follicles of mice can be used to rejoin severed nerves in mouse models. Easily accessible hair follicle stem cells, which normally function to form the hair follicle which in turn form the growing hair in all mammals including man, have been shown to have great potential to produce nerve cells and many other types of cells.

New hope for arthritis sufferers

Source: BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/12/18 19:56:44 GMT

Summary:

BBC News reports on an advancement in growing cartilage from adult bone marrow stem cells to attempt to treat arthritis:

"Scientists say they have made a significant step towards finding a new treatment for osteoarthritis. Researchers at Bristol University successfully grew new cartilage from a patient's own stem cells. Experts from Bristol University grew a piece of cartilage using stem cells from the bone marrow of people undergoing hip replacement operations because of the disease. The new technique is expected to overcome problems of transplant rejection because the patient's own cells are used to create the cartilage. Ethical concerns over using human embryos in stem cell research can also be avoided. They hope the technique will allow them to carry out transplants in the future."

Stem cell breakthrough promises arthritis 'cure'

Source: Daily Telegraph
(Filed: 18/12/2005)

Summary:

Scientists are predicting a "cure" for arthritis within the next decade after they successfully grew human cartilage from a patients' own stem cells for the first time. The cells were taken from the bone marrow of pensioners undergoing National Health Service replacement surgery due to the disease. Crucially, the new technique is expected to overcome problems of transplant rejection because the patient's own cells would be used to create the cartilage.

Stem-cell therapies make a comeback

Source: New Scientist
16 December 2005

Summary:

Stem cells that migrate from bone marrow and fuse with cells in other tissues could one day be used to repair cells in people with genetic diseases.

USC Researchers Track Down The Stem Cells That Create Feathers

Source: University Of Southern California
Date: December 15, 2005

Summary:

The stem cells that produce bird feathers have been visualized and analyzed for the first time, signifying the initial step in a scientific journey that may ultimately shed light on human organ regeneration. Feather stem cells are of interest to scientists because of their profound regenerative abilities.

Engineered Stem Cells Show Promise For Sneaking Drugs Into The Brain

Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Date: December 15, 2005

Summary:

Scientists have found a new way to sneak drugs past the blood-brain barrier by engineering and implanting progenitor brain cells derived from stem cells to produce and deliver a critical growth factor that has already shown clinical promise for treating Parkinson's disease. In the journal Gene Therapy, scientists describe experiments that demonstrate that engineered human brain progenitor cells, transplanted into the brains of rats and monkeys, can effectively integrate into the brain and deliver medicine where it is needed.

Adult stem cells 'fusion hope'

Source: BBC News
Published: 2005/12/15 01:11:54 GMT

Summary:

BBC News reports on news findings by US researchers that point to the potentially increase flexibility of adult stem cells:

"US researchers said evidence had shown adult cells could be effectively fused with other cells to work elsewhere. US researchers said evidence had shown adult cells could be effectively fused with other cells to work elsewhere, New Scientist magazine reported."

'Engineered' Stem Cells May Help Treat Parkinson's: They are able to penetrate the brain's blood barrier, researchers report

Source: HealthDay News
Date: December 15, 2005

Summary:

Engineered human progenitor brain stem cells are able to produce and deliver into the brain a growth factor that shows promise in treating Parkinson's disease, say researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

OHSU Discovery Sheds Light Into How Stem Cells Become Brain Cells

Source: Oregon Health & Science University
Posted: December 14, 2005

Summary:

Researchers have discovered one key gene that appears to control how stem cells become various kinds of brain cells. The finding has significant implications for the study of Parkinson's disease, brain and spinal cord injury, and other conditions or diseases that might be combated by replacing lost or damaged brain cells.

Ataxia sufferer's stem cell hope

Source: BBC News
Published: 2005/12/14 12:49:09 GMT

Summary:

A woman thought to be the first person in the world to be undergoing stem cell treatment for a rare neurological condition is travelling to the Netherlands to combat Friedreich's Ataxia. The condition is caused by a faulty gene which affects her balance, co-ordination and speech.

Researchers Discover A Protein Responsible For Shaping The Nervous System

Source: University of Toronto
Date: December 13, 2005

Summary:

A team of researchers have discovered a protein that is responsible for shaping the nervous system. The protein guides the nervous system in disposing of the ineffective nerve cells. The protein is from a family of tumour suppressor proteins that is mutated in many human cancers. While the protein is involved in determining which nerve cells die, the research team also suspects that it determines whether nerve cells die when injured or in neurological and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Key Gene In Development Of Connections Between Brain And Spinal Cord Identified

Source: Medical News Today
Posted: 13 December 2005 - 19:00pm (UK)

Summary:

A new study has identified a specific gene that is necessary for the development of connections between the brain and the spinal cord. This research could be critical for future understanding of the development of the human brain and possibly the treatment of spinal cord injuries.

U of L achieves 'amazing' find with stem cells: Treatments for diseases could result from work

Source: Courier-Journal
Date: December 13, 2005

Summary:

University of Louisville researchers have coaxed stem cells from adult mice to change into brain, nerve, heart and pancreatic cells — a discovery that could lead to treatments for a host of human diseases and possibly end the national debate over the use of embryonic stem cells.

In the brains of mice grow the cells of man: Embryonic implants mature into neurons to help fight diseases

Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Date: December 13, 2005

Summary:

Researchers in San Diego have designed mice containing fully functional human nerve cells as a novel way to study and potentially treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The neurons were formed in the brains of mice that had been injected with human embryonic stem cells as 2-week-old embryos.

Human Brain Cells Are Grown In Mice: Success Is Encouraging For Stem Cell Therapies

Source: Washington Post
Date: December 13, 2005

Summary:

By injecting human embryonic stem cells into the brains of fetal mice inside the womb, scientists have created living mice with working human brain cells inside their skulls. The research offers the first proof that human embryonic stem cells can become functional human brain cells inside a living animal.

Mice grow human brain cells after stem cell injections

Source: Associated Press
Date: December 12, 2005

Summary:

Scientists announced Monday that they had created mice with small amounts of human brain cells in an effort to make realistic models of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Exciting Strides Being Made in Stem Cell Research

Source: American Society of Hematology
December 12, 2005

Summary:

Four studies highlight new information about the potential of stem cells, from determining the type and location of stem cells in bone marrow to controlling the differentiation of cells into desired cell types and determining how well stem cell transplants actually work in treating cancers. Researchers have found for the first time that adult bone marrow contains a distinct population of stem cells that are uniquely responsible for the development of nerve tissue. The findings will help researchers refine their thinking about how the body repairs nerve and brain tissue throughout the life cycle.

How The Neuron Sprouts Its Branches

Source: Duke University Medical Center
Posted: December 9, 2005

Summary:

Neurobiologists have gained new insights into how neurons control growth of the intricate tracery of branches called dendrites that enable them to connect with their neighbors. It will also help researchers better understand brain development in children, as well as aid efforts to restore neuronal connections lost to injury, stroke or neurodegenerative disease, said the researchers.

UCSF Study Finds Nerve Regeneration Is Possible In Spinal Cord Injuries

Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: December 7, 2005

Summary:

A team of scientists at UCSF has made a critical discovery that may help in the development of techniques to promote functional recovery after a spinal cord injury. By stimulating nerve cells in laboratory rats at the time of the injury and then again one week later, the scientists were able to increase the growth capacity of nerve cells and to sustain that capacity. Both factors are critical for nerve regeneration.

Stem cell find may lead to prostate cancer cure

Source: Daily Telegraph
Date: 6 December 2005

Summary:

The Daily Telegraph reports on the discovery of a new method of inhibiting prostate cancer stem cells:

"A new way of inhibiting prostate cancer cells has been found that could prevent the disease returning after treatment. The research could also have implications for the treatment of other cancers. The research could also have implications for the treatment of other cancers. Tumour stem cells also occur in breast and colon cancers, as well as in brain tumours."

Hair Follicle Stem Cells Contribute To Wound Healing

Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Date: December 1, 2005

Summary:

Hair follicle stem cells are important contributors to the wound-healing process, according to new research by investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Using an animal model, the researchers discovered that stem cells in the hair follicle are enlisted to help heal wounds in the skin. This finding, published online in Nature Medicine last week, may suggest a therapeutic target for the development of drugs to encourage and promote wound healing.

Cord Blood Stem Cells Key To Saving Lives: Doctors Hope To Increase Cord Blood Stem Cell Donors

Source: WRC-TV4, Washington, D.C.
POSTED: 6:18 pm EST November 30, 2005
UPDATED: 6:24 am EST December 1, 2005

Summary:

WRC-TV4, Washington, D.C. reports on new cord blood stem cell research and emphasize the importance of saving umbilical cords and the need for cord blood donors:

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Doctors hope to increase the number of donations of cord blood stem cells. The cells are a proven lifesaver that get thrown away in hospitals everyday. Cord blood stem cells are different than the controversial embryonic stem cells. They come from the umbilical cords of newborn babies -- a material that's usually discarded even though they're already proven lifesavers.

The nose cells that may help the paralysed walk again: Surgeons in London to try revolutionary stem cell technique on crash victims

Source: Guardian Unlimited - UK
Date: November 30, 2005

Summary:

Surgeons will attempt early next year to mend the severed nerves of young people who have suffered motorbike accidents in the first trial of a simple but potentially revolutionary technology that could one day allow the paralysed to walk again.

New Cell Transplantation Technique Restores Insulin Production in Diabetics

Source: Radiological Society of North America
Date: November 29, 2005

Summary:

Researchers are using a new cell transplantation technique to restore the cells that produce insulin in patients with type 1 diabetes. The method involves injecting donor islet cells into diabetic patients so that the new, healthy islet cells can restore
insulin production, essentially stopping the progression of the disease. It is minimally invasive, with few complications.

Islet Cell Advances May Fight Diabetes: New Technique in Islet Cell Transplantation Uses Ultrasound Technology

Source: WebMD Medical News
Posted: November 29, 2005

Summary:

Researchers have developed a method of transplanting insulin-producing cells, called beta cells, using ultrasound technology. Although still experimental, islet-cell transplantation offers the promise of helping large numbers of people with type 1 diabetes lead more normal lives.

Future Medical Technologies May Identify the Early Onset of Alzheimer's and Enable Stem Cell Therapy

Source: Siemens
Date: November 29, 2005

Summary:

Siemens announced a new strategy to treat diseases by tracking cellular events that could impact the effectiveness of stem cell treatments:

"Siemens Medical Solutions today revealed its vision for a new world of medicine where doctors can predict and prevent disease before symptoms appear. By identifying and tracking disease-related events in the body’s cells, Siemens envisions that, among other applications, molecular medicine will have a tremendous impact on the detection of Alzheimer’s disease, and the effectiveness of stem cell therapy."

Regenerating worms help elucidate stem cell biology

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Date: November 25, 2005

Summary:

Using a tiny flatworm best known for its extraordinary ability to regenerate lost tissue, researchers have identified a gene that controls the ability of stem cells to differentiate into specialized cells. The gene encodes a protein that is most similar to the protein PIWI, an important regulator of stem cells in organisms ranging from plants to humans.

Scientists identify gene that regulates stem cell differentiation

Source: Pharmaceutical Business Review
Date: 25th November 2005

Summary:

In a breakthrough that may inform future human stem cell research, scientists have identified a gene in freshwater flatworms that controls the ability of stem cells to differentiate into specialized cells.

Stem Cell Microenvironment Reverses Malignant Melanoma

Source: Northwestern University
Date: November 17, 2005

Summary:

Northwestern University researchers have demonstrated how the microenvironments of two human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines (federally approved) induced metastatic melanoma cells to revert to a normal, skin cell-like type with the ability to form colonies similar to hESCs. The researchers also showed that these melanoma cells were less invasive following culture on the microenvironments of hESCs.

Scientists Use Stem Cells To Grow Cartilage

Source: Imperial College London
Posted: November 16, 2005

Summary:

Scientists from Imperial College London have successfully converted human embryonic stem cells into cartilage cells, offering encouragement that replacement cartilage could one day be grown for transplantation.

Stem cell therapy helps MS woman

Source: BBC NEWS
Published: 2005/11/16 15:34:48 GMT

Summary:

A young Inverness woman with multiple sclerosis has said she is able to walk for the first time in years only days after revolutionary stem cell therapy using newborn babies' umbilical cords.

Flatworms Demonstrate How Cells Communicate And Grow New Tissues

Source: Forsyth Institute
Posted: November 15, 2005

Summary:

Forsyth Institute research with the flatworm, planaria, offers new clues for understanding restoration of body structures. Researchers at The Forsyth Institute have discovered how the worm's cells communicate to correctly repair and regenerate tissue.

Cord Blood Cells May Widen Treatment Window For Stroke

Source: University of South Florida Health
Date: November 15, 2005

Summary:

An experimental treatment that spares disability from acute stroke may be delivered much later than the current three-hour treatment standard -- a potential advance needed to benefit more stroke victims. Researchers at the University of South Florida found that human umbilical cord blood cells administered to rats two days following a stroke greatly curbed the brain's inflammatory response, reducing the size of the stroke and resulting in greatly improved recovery.

From One Cell, Many Possible Cures: Device Provides A Major Boost To Adult Stem Cell Research

Source: Florida State University
Posted: November 11, 2005

Summary:

A single cell with the potential to repair damaged heart muscle tissue . . . regenerate injured bone . . . create new cartilage or skin . . . even reverse nerve damage. A Florida State University research team in Tallahassee, Fla. has designed a biomedical device that will allow stem cells derived from adult bone marrow to be grown in sufficient quantities to permit far more research -- and allow faster growth of tissues that can be transplanted into patients.

Repairing spinal cord injuries: Geron wants to test stem-cell injections

Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers
Posted: November 7, 2005

Summary:

Knight Ridder Newspaper reports on plans by Geron Corporation to begin a human trial of a stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury:

"Scientists have made stunning progress helping paralyzed rats and mice walk again by injecting them with stem cells. Now researchers at Geron of Menlo Park, Calif., want to take the next step - in people. The procedure - which Geron intends to do next year - would be the first human tests of a treatment derived from human embryonic stem cells, the highly versatile body cells that can be coaxed into becoming almost any tissue in the body."

Scientists tout stem cells' use to battle HIV

Source: Contra Costa Times
Posted: November 3, 2005

Summary:

The Contra Costa Times reports on new research into stem cells' potential to treat HIV and AIDS:

"Nearly 10 years after the development of anti-viral drugs to treat HIV and AIDS, scientists are poised to attack the deadly virus with a new weapon: stem cells. Researchers at UCLA are working on ways to arm blood stem cells in the bone marrow against HIV. Although the strategy does not amount to a cure, it may be more effective than current anti-viral treatments and some day might have the potential to immunize people against the virus."

UCSF Scientists Develop New Strategy for Nerve Repair

Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: October 31, 2005

Summary:

Using the latest advances in microtechnology, a team of UCSF scientists has developed a novel strategy for repairing the nerve damage that occurs in injuries to the nervous system.

Scientists discover stem cell trigger

Source: The Times
Date: October 30, 2005

Summary:

The Times reports on the discovery of a chemical trigger that coaxes embryonic stem cells to develop into organs:

"Scientists have made a breakthrough in cell research that they believe brings the prospect of drastic improvements in the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. They have discovered the chemical trigger that causes stem cells from embryos to start developing into organs, raising the possibility of parts of the body being able to repair their own damage."

Stem cells turned into organ precursors

Source: Source: United Press International
Date: October 28, 2005

Summary:

Scientists said they have for the first time turned embryonic stem cells in the lab into a type of cell that can give rise to several internal organs, including the pancreas, liver and lungs. The advance is seen as a breakthrough that will enable scientists eventually to use the stem cells to repair diseased or damaged tissue. It likely also will facilitate the use of the cells for studying how diseases originate, which could lead to insights about cures and treatments.

Study Sheds Light On Signaling Mechanism In Stem Cells, Cancer

Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: October 24, 2005

Summary:

UCSF scientists have illuminated a key step in a signaling pathway that helps orchestrate embryonic development. The finding, they say, could lead to insights into the development of stem cells, as well as birth defects and cancers, and thus fuel therapeutic strategies.

Medical Hope in Umbilical Cord Blood; Researchers Find its Healing Powers May Provide Cures for Many Deadly Maladies

Source; Chicago Tribune
Date: October 23, 2005

Summary:

Early research in animals suggests that cord blood may provide a new bounty of cures and treatments for many other medical conditions, including heart attack, Parkinson's disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease, muscular dystrophy, diabetes, spinal cord injury and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Stem Cells' Electric Abilities Might Help Their Safe Clinical Use

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Posted: October 20, 2005

Summary:

Researchers from Johns Hopkins have discovered the presence of functional ion channels in human embryonic stem cells (ESCs). These ion channels act like electrical wires and permit ESCs, versatile cells that possess the unique ability to become all cell types of the body, to conduct and pass along electric currents. If researchers could selectively block some of these channels in implanted cells, derived from stem cells, they may be able to prevent potential tumor development.

New approach reported in stem cell creation: Gains seen without destroying embryos

Source: Bostone Giobe
Date: October 17, 2005

Summary:

Two teams of Massachusetts researchers announced yesterday that they have made progress creating embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos, suggesting that scientists might someday find a technical solution to one of the nation's most highly charged ethical debates.

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Researchers Offer Proof-of-concept For Altered Nuclear Transfer

Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Posted: October 17, 2005

Summary:

Scientists at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have successfully demonstrated that a theoretical--and controversial--technique for generating embryonic stem cells is indeed possible, at least in mice. The theory, called altered nuclear transfer (ANT), proposes that researchers first create genetically altered embryos that are unable to implant in a uterus, and then extract stem cells from these embryos. Because the embryos cannot implant, they are by definition not "potential" human lives.

Neural Stem Cells Are Long-lived

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Date: October 6, 2005

Summary

New studies in mice have shown that immature stem cells that proliferate to form brain tissues can function for at least a year -- most of the life span of a mouse -- and give rise to multiple types of neural cells, not just neurons. The discovery may bode well for the use of these neural stem cells to regenerate brain tissue lost to injury or disease.

Stem cell hope for liver patients

Source: The Scotsman
Date: 6 October 2005

Summary:

PATIENTS with liver failure have been successfully treated using their own bone marrow stem cells. Doctors extracted the stem cells from the patients' blood. They were then injected back into blood vessels connected to the liver. The stem cells appear to home in on damaged areas of the liver and make repairs, although the process involved is not yet fully understood.

Stem Cell Subtype Aids Lung Patients: The greater the number, the higher the survival rate, study finds

Source: HealthDay News
Date: October 5, 2005

Summary:

High levels of a stem cell subtype called endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in the blood may improve the survival rate of people with acute lung injury, a deadly form of lung failure. The findings appear in the October issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Hair-raising Stem Cells Identified: Swiss Study Shows That Hair Follicles Contain Bonafide Multipotent Stem Cells

Source: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Posted: October 4, 2005

Summary:

October 3, 2005 -- Using an animal model, a research team led by Yann Barrandon at the EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne) and the CHUV (Lausanne University Hospital) has discovered that certain cells inside the hair follicle are true multipotent stem cells, capable of developing into the many different cell types needed for hair growth and follicle replacement.

Adult stem cells aid recovery in animal model of cerebral palsy

Source: Medical College of Georgia
 Date: September 29, 2005
 
Summary:

Adult stem cell therapy quickly and significantly improves recovery of motor function in an animal model for the ischemic brain injury that occurs in about 10 percent of babies with cerebral palsy, researchers report. Within two weeks, treated animals were about 20 percent less likely to favor the unaffected side of their bodies and experienced about a 25 percent improvement in balance, compared to untreated controls, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

Mighty Mice Regrow Organs

Source: Wired
Posted: September 29, 2005

Summary:

Wired reports on a new discovery of the abilities of mice to regenerate and possibly re-grow vital organs:

"Mice discovered accidentally at the Wistar Institute in Pennsylvania have the seemingly miraculous ability to regenerate like a salamander, and even regrow vital organs. Researchers systematically amputated digits and damaged various organs of the mice, including the heart, liver and brain, most of which grew back. The results stunned scientists because if such regeneration is possible in this mammal, it might also be possible in humans."

Potential New Treatment For Insulin-dependent Diabetes

Source: Journal of Experimental Medicine
Date: Sptember 28, 2005

Summary:

Scientists in Japan have found a way to improve on a promising diabetes treatment. In the October 3 issue of The Journal of Experimental Medicine, Masaru Taniguchi and colleagues report that transplanted insulin-producing cells survive better when the activation of a specific type of immune cell is blocked.

Stem Cell Injections Repair Spinal Cord Injuries in Mice: Scientists Say Approach Is Not Ready for Testing in Humans

Source: Washington Post
Date: September 20, 2005

Summary:

The Washington Post reports on the results of a new experiment using human fetal stem cells to treat spinal cord injuries in mice:

"Mice with severe spinal cord injuries regained much of their ability to walk normally after getting injections of stem cells taken from the brains of human fetuses. The Research tracked mice injected with a kind of human stem cells called neurospheres. They are the laboratory-grown progeny of human cells retrieved from the brains of 16- to 18-week aborted fetuses."

Study: Stem Cells May Repair Cord Damage

Source: Associated Press
Posted: September 19, 2005 19:26 PDT

Summary:

The Associated Press reports on new research using stem cells to attempt to treat spinal cord injury:

"Injections of human stem cells seem to directly repair some of the damage caused by spinal cord injury, according to research that helped partially paralyzed mice walk again. The expirment suggested the connections that the stem cells form to help bridge the damaged spinal cord are key to recovery. The connections didn't just form new nerve cells. They also formed cells that create the biological insulation that nerve fibers need to communicate."

Adult Human Neural Stem Cell Therapy Successful In Treating Spinal Cord Injury

Source: University of California - Irvine
Date: September 19, 2005

Summary:

Irvine, Calif. -- Researchers at the UC Irvine Reeve-Irvine Research Center have used adult human neural stem cells to successfully regenerate damaged spinal cord tissue and improve mobility in mice. The findings point to the promise of using this type of cells for possible therapies to help humans who have spinal cord injuries. Study results appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition.

Analyzing the Circuitry of Stem Cells

Source: New York Times
Date: September 13, 2005

Summary:

Scientists at the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Mass., have developed a technique for uncovering the interactions of transcription factors. These are the agents that switch genes on or off in the cell. By figuring out these interactions on a genomewide scale, they have reconstructed the top level of the controls that govern a human embryonic stem cell.

Gladstone Researchers Hone In On Differentiation Of Heart Stem Cells

Source: Gladstone Institutes
Date: September 12, 2005

Summary:

A team of scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) has identified a key factor in heart development that could help advance gene therapy for treating cardiac disorders. The findings could help cardiac stem cell researchers one day develop strategies for gene and cell- mediated cardiac therapies.

Researchers Discover Key To Human Embryonic Stem-cell Potential

Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Posted: September 11, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research working with human embryonic stem cells have uncovered the process responsible for their ability to become just about any type of cell in the body, a trait known as pluripotency.

Scientists create hybrid cell

Source: Knight Ridder Newspapers
Posted: August 27, 2005 07:50 PM

Summary:

A team of scientists at Harvard have fused skin cells with embryonic stem cells to create a hybrid cell. The new cell can be "reprogrammed" to become a different kind of cell. The new technology may lead to new ways to produce insulin, which could benefit diabetics, regenerate nerves, which could help paralyzed people walk again, and could be used to stave off degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.

Researchers Fuse Skin and Stem Cells

Source: Associated Press
Date: Tuesday, August 23, 2005 18:03 PDT

Summary:

Harvard scientists announced they've discovered a way to fuse adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells, a promising and dramatic breakthrough that could lead to the creation of useful stem cells without first having to create and destroy human embryos.

Step towards making human lungs

Source: BBC NEWS:
Posted: 23 August 2005 10:37:10 GMT

Summary:

Scientists say they have made a significant step towards making human lungs for transplantation. The UK team at Imperial College London took human embryonic stem cells and encouraged them to grow into cells found in adult lungs. In addition to eventually being used to help make whole lungs for transplantation, the cells could also be used to repair parts of damaged lungs.

Microgravity tech could sway stem cell debate

Source: CNET News.com
Posted: August 22, 2005:6:36:51 PDT

Summary:

Microgravity technology developed by NASA can multiply stem cells from a newborn's blood in large enough quantities to be used to regenerate human tissue, London scientists have found. Researchers at U.K.-based Kingston University have discovered in the umbilical cord blood of infants primitive stem cells that are similar to those from human embryos and that can develop into any tissue in the body.

Scientists Find Mechanism for Neural Stem Cell Death

Source: Korea Times
Date: August 22, 2005

Summary:

A team of South Korean scientists has uncovered the mechanism of neural stem cell death, a discovery expected to help treat such degenerative diseases as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Scientists Explore New Route for Creating Stem Cells: If successful, the technique could sidestep controversy over embryonic stem cell research

Source: HealthDay News
Date: August 22, 2005

Summary:

Harvard researchers say they've discovered a way to combine embryonic stem cells with human skin cells, which were then reprogrammed to become embryonic cells, hoping that turning adult cells back to their embryonic state would offer new therapeutic possibilities while sidestepping the political concerns of using embryonic stem cells.

Harvard scientists advance cell work: Technique doesn't destroy embryos

Source: Boston Globe
Date: August 22, 2005

Summary:

The Boston Globe reports on a new advance by researchers at Harvard University where human skin cells, when fused with embryonic stem cells, can take on the properties of embryonic stem cells, potentially diffusing the ethical controversy surrounding embryonic stem cell research:

"Harvard scientists have created cells similar to human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos, a major step toward someday possibly defusing the central objection to stem cell research. The team showed that when a human skin cell was fused with an embryonic stem cell, the resulting hybrid looked and acted like the stem cell. The implications: It may eventually be possible to fashion tailor-made, genetically matched stem cells for patients using such a cell fusion technique, rather than by creating and then destroying a cloned embryo. That use of early embryos is the main sticking point for opponents of stem cell research."

Fusion process advances research on stem cells

Source: USA Today
Posted: August 22, 2005 7:59 AM EDT

Summary:

USA Today reports on the creation of a hybrid stem cell by researchers at Harvard University, an advancement that could diffuse the ethical controversy surrounding embryonic stem cell research:

"Scientists at Harvard Medical School announced that they have created a new kind of hybrid stem cell by fusing skin cells with embryonic stem cells. The advance opens an avenue to creating stem cells without destroying cloned, early-stage embryos or excess embryos from fertility clinics. Because embryonic stem cells are master cells that give rise to all kinds of tissue, scientists see them as a way to cure many diseases. Some social conservatives decry the destruction of human embryos to harvest the cells."

Skin Cells Converted to Stem Cells: Scientists' Work Could Clear Moral Hurdle to Embryonic Research

Source: Washington Post
Date: August 22, 2005

Summary:

The Washington Post reports on the announcement by Harvard University researchers that skin cells have been transformed into cells that appear to have the properties of embryonic stem cells:

"Scientists for the first time have turned ordinary skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells -- without having to use human eggs or make new human embryos a Harvard research team announced yesterday. The technique uses laboratory-grown human embryonic stem cells -- such as the ones that President Bush has already approved for use by federally funded researchers -- to "reprogram" the genes in a person's skin cell, turning that skin cell into an embryonic stem cell itself."

Hybrid hope in stem cell research

Source: BBC News
Posted: 22 August 2005, 16:56 GMT 17:56 UK

Summary:

BBC News reports on a the creation of a hybrid stem cell by Harvard researchers by fusing lab-grown embryonic stem cells with adult cells

"US scientists believe they have found a less controversial way of creating embryonic stem cells by using skin cells to create a 'hybrid" version. The Harvard University team fused lab-grown embryonic stem cells with the adult cells to create the new stem cell, Science will report this week. Researchers believe these hybrid embryonic stem cells could help disease research without using human embryos."

Adult Cells Transformed Into Stem Cells

Source: Harvard University
Posted: August 22, 2005

Summary:

A new type of hybrid cell created at Harvard University could eventually solve the mystery of how embryonic stem cells develop into specialized adult cells, and provide genetically tailored treatments for many human diseases. The technique holds out the possibility of doing this without creating or destroying human embryos. The researchers fused adult skin cells with embryonic stem cells in such a way that the genes of the embryonic cells reset the genetic clock of the adult cells, turning them back to their embryonic form.

Baby comes with brain repair kit for mum

Source: New Scientist Print Edition
Date: 20 August 2005

Summary:

New Scientist reports on new findings that fetal brain cells may be able to repair brain injury:

"EVERYONE knows that kids get their brains, or lack of them, from their parents. But it now seems that the reverse is also true. Stray stem cells from a growing fetus can colonise the brains of mothers during pregnancy, at least in mice. If the finding is repeated in humans, the medical implications could be profound. Initial results suggest that the fetal cells are summoned to repair damage to the mother's brain. If this is confirmed, it could open up new, safer avenues of treatment for brain damage caused by strokes and Alzheimer's disease."

Growing hope over umbilical-cord stem cells: A promising find could quiet the debate about the cutting-edge field

Source: Houston Chronicle
Posted: August 19, 2005, 12:27 AM

Summary:

The Houston Chronicle reports on new research in which stem cells from umbilical-cord blood might be capable of possess traits of embryonic stem cells:

"A team of Texas and British researchers have produced embryonic-like stem cells from umbilical-cord blood, a breakthrough that could overcome the controversy holding back the cutting-edge field. The researchers reported Thursday that they've grown mass amounts of cord-blood stem cells that have the same ability to turn into any kind of tissue as stem cells taken from human embryos. That ability is considered a key to the future of medicine."

Shaggy-haired mice aid cell-aging research

Source: San Francisco Chronicle
Date: August 18, 2005

Summary:

Stanford University biologists have created a strain of long-haired laboratory mice that suggest a surprising new role for an enzyme already linked to aging and cancer.

Researchers make 'embryonic-like' stem cells from umbilical cord blood

Source: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Date: 18 August 2005

Summary:

A breakthrough in human stem cell research, producing embryonic-like cells from umbilical cord blood may substantially speed up the development of treatments for life-threatening illnesses, injuries and disabilities, and provides medical researchers and physicians with an ethical and reliable source of human stem cells for the first time.

Umbilical cord 'stem cell' hope

Source: BBC NEWS:
Posted: 2005/08/18 11:57:46 GMT

Summary:

BBC News reports on a new method of obtaining stem cells from umbilical cord blood using micro-gravity techniques:

"Scientists believe they have found a way to get plentiful stem cells from umbilical cord blood to treat people with diseases.
Stem cells have the potential to turn into many different types of tissue, but using embryonic stem cells is controversial. UK and US team believe they have found a way round this using cord blood and space technology borrowed from NASA. Their microgravity method is described in the journal Cell Proliferation."

Cord blood yields 'ethical' embryonic stem cells

Source: New Scientist
Posted: 18 August 2005 00:01

Summary:

New Scientist reports on the discovery of umbilical cord blood stem cells that may have the therapeutic potential of embryonic stem cells:

"Hopes for treating disease with stem cells from umbilical cord blood has received a major boost, following the discovery of primitive cells with clinical potential matching that of the far more controversial embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The latter are originally derived from human fetuses, which are then destroyed, and have become a major ethical issue, especially in the US."

Alternative to embryo research found

Source: Scotsman.com
Date: Thu 18 August 2005

Summary:

SCIENTISTS have found a way of deriving stem cells from umbilical cords which may end the need to clone human embryos in an attempt to cure diseases.

Embryonic-Like Stem Cells Found in Umbilical Cord Blood: If confirmed, the cells could offer way around current ethical issues

Source: University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Date: August 17, 2005

Summary:

A breakthrough in human stem cell research, producing embryonic-like cells from umbilical cord blood may substantially speed up the development of treatments for life-threatening illnesses, injuries and disabilities. The discovery made during a project undertaken with experts from the University of Texas Medical Branch and the Synthecon Corporation in the United States provides medical researchers and physicians with an ethical and reliable source of human stem cells for the first time.

Stem cells open the door to greater understanding of neurological diseases

Source: Institute for Stem Cell Research
Date: August 16, 2005

Summary:

Scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Milan have developed a new technique to grow pure brain stem cells, which may be used to model diseases of the nervous system and develop new drugs to treat these diseases. The researchers also feel that their work may be a step in the right direction for using stem cells to replace damaged tissue.

Scientists make nerve stem cells

Source: BBC NEWS
Published: 2005/08/16 07:15:23 GMT

Summary:

BBC News reports scientists, for the first time, have created pure nerve cells:

"The world's first pure nerve stem cells made from human embryonic stem cells has been created by scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Milan. It is hoped the newly-created cells will eventually help scientists find new treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's."

A novel method to propagate stem cells

Source: PLoS Biology
Date: 15 August 2005

Summary:

Scientists have developed a method to propagate mouse brain stem cells derived from ES cells, allowing researchers to culture colonies of mouse brain stem cells that can either propagate without differentiating or become normal brain cells at the flip of a genetic switch.

Gene Controls Stem Cell Differentiation 8/15/05

Source: Bioscience Technology
Date: August 15, 2005

Summary:

A protein known as "TAZ" plays an important role in determining whether adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) found in bone marrow differentiate into bone or fat cells, researchers report. The discovery, they say, may hold promise for treating human diseases ranging from cancer to osteoporosis to childhood obesity.

Gradient Guides Nerve Growth Down Spinal Cord

Source: University of Chicago Medical Center
Date: August 15, 2005

Summary:

The same family of chemical signals that attracts developing sensory nerves up the spinal cord toward the brain serves to repel motor nerves, sending them in the opposite direction, down the cord and away from the brain. The finding may help restore function to people with paralyzing spinal cord injuries.

Compound Can Hasten Harvest of Stem Cells: Mouse study finds chemical speeds movement of cells from bone marrow to bloodstream

Source: HealthDay News
Date: August 8, 2005

Summary:

New insight into how blood-regenerating stem cells travel from bone marrow to the bloodstream is outlined in a study by scientists at the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Option to stem cells found: Pitt experts say placental cells offer palatable alternative

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Date: August 5, 2005

Summary:

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports on a discovery by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh of a type of cell found in the human placenta that may have characteristics similar to embryonic stem cells:

"University of Pittsburgh researchers have discovered that one type of cell in the human placenta has characteristics that are strikingly similar to embryonic stem cells in their ability to regenerate a wide variety of tissues. The cells, called amniotic epithelial cells, potentially could be used to produce new liver cells to treat liver failure, or new pancreatic islet cells to cure diabetes or new neurons to treat Parkinson's disease."

Discarded Placentas Deliver Researchers Promising Cells Similar To Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Date: August 5, 2005

Summary:

A University of Pittsburgh study to be published in the journal Stem Cells suggests placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells with the same potential to treat diseases and regenerate tissues as their more controversial counterparts, embryonic stem cells.

Stem Cell Transplant Bests Chemo for Common Childhood Leukemia: Five-year survival rates were better than with high-dose chemotherapy, study says

Source: HealthDayNews
Date: Augutst 4, 2005

Summary:

The worst cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common leukemia in children, respond better to a stem cell transplant than to chemotherapy, a new study finds.

Stem Cell Therapy for Skin Developed

Source: Korea Times
Date: August 2, 2005

Summary:

Skin cells enriched from stem cells are being sprayed on damaged skin to restore the epidermis. A team of Korean scientists has developed a breakthrough technology to heal skin damage, such as burn injuries, by transplanting skin cells enriched from stem cells.

Key to Stem Cell Holy Grail Found

Source: Korea Times
Date: August 2, 2005

Summary:

A Korean husband-and-wife scientist team has made headway in adult stem cell research by discovering a gene in charge of differentiating the parent cells in human bodies.

Experimental therapy could offer new way to treat spine damage

Source: University of Louisville
Date: August 1, 2005

Summary:

An experimental therapy that combines stem cells and gene therapy to repair spinal cord injuries in rats may lead to a new way to treat the same injury in humans. The therapy shows significant potential for repairing the spinal cord by regenerating a protective coating on the nervous system.

Body's own cells may mend muscles

Source: BBC NEWS
Posted: 30 July 2005, 00:12 GMT 01:12 UK

Summary:

A type of cell found naturally in the body holds hope of treatments for muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy, say UK scientists. It has long been suspected but never proved that satellite cells which coat muscles can make new muscle. The Medical Research Council and experts at University College London have now shown this is the case, at least in mice.

New Finding May Aid Adult Stem Cell Collection

Source: University of Cincinnati
Posted: July 27, 2005

Summary:

Scientists have discovered how blood-regenerating stem cells move from bone marrow into the blood stream. The finding has led to the development of a new chemical compound that can accelerate this process (called stem cell mobilization) in mice--which could eventually lead to more efficient stem cell harvesting for human use.

Well-known Protein Helps Stem Cells Become Secretory Cells

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: July 26, 2005

Summary:

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a single protein regulates secretion levels in the fruit fly’s salivary gland and its skin-like outer layer. Described in the May 15 issue of Development, the finding improves understanding of how cells become specialized for secretion, which is a critical ability of certain glands and cell types in organisms from insects to humans.

Stem cells key to development of neck

Source: Guardian Unlimited - UK
Date: July 21, 2005

Summary:

British scientists have identified the cell machinery that gave animals a head start - by evolving a neck to go on their shoulders.
They have discovered that two kinds of embryo stem cell begin the process of fitting a neck to the shoulders, while attaching the appropriate muscles to the right bones. In effect, muscle and bone are not separate components but composite ones.

Stem cell clue to birth defects

Source: BBC News
Date: July 20, 2005

Summary:

BBC News reports on a new finding about the role stem cells play in human development that could lead to treatments for babies with birth defects:

"A discovery of how stem cells form the neck and shoulders could help babies born with birth defects. Scientists had thought muscle and bone tissue in the neck and shoulders was made from entirely distinct and separate types of stem cells. Dr Georgy Koentges and colleagues were able to show this was not the case. By following the development of animal embryos they found one stem cell group made not only muscles in the neck and shoulder, but also the skeletal structures where these muscles attached. They believe the findings will shed light on diseases where things go wrong with the development of such structures."

Functioning Neural Network Grown from Stem Cells

Source: Neurosurgery via Medical News Today
Date: July 18, 2005

Summary:

Physicians have successfully produced functioning neurons from adult stem cells harvested from the ventricle area of a donor's brain. The neurons were proven capable of communicating through synapses and holds promise that patients suffering from degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and Huntington's chorea may one day be treated by growing enough neurons to replace cells destroyed by the disorders. The physicians believe this study presents direct evidence of synaptic transmission between neurons grown from stem cells.

Neural Cell Transplants Fight Immune Attack In Mice With Multiple Sclerosis

Source: National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Posted: July 17, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at the San Raffaele Hospital (Milan, Italy) published unexpected results of studies in which immature nerve cells (adult mouse neural stem cells) injected into the blood of mice with MS-like disease were able to suppress the immune attacks that damage the brain and spinal cord tissues.

New Approach Works Against Leukemia, Lymphoma: Using stem cells from two umbilical cords a breakthrough for adult patients

Source: HealthDay News
Date: July 8, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston say they have successfully treated adult blood cancer patients using stem cells extracted from two separate cords.

Bone Marrow Cells Transformed Into Muscle Cells: Could lead to treatments for diseases like muscular dystrophy, researchers say

Source: HealthDay News
Date: July 7, 2005

Summary:

Japanese researchers have transformed an ordinary kind of bone marrow cells into muscle cells, a first step toward the treatment of degenerative conditions such as muscular dystrophy.

Researchers Identify Genes Involved With Blood Stem Cell Development

Source: University of Minnesota
Date: July 5, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified for the first time a group of genes that impact the development and function of blood stem cells, a discovery that brings researchers a step closer to harnessing the power of stem cells for disease treatments. This research provides insight into understanding how to stimulate blood stem cells to multiply so that scientists could generate enough cells from a single umbilical cord to treat more patients.

Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Gives Old Animals Youthful Immune Cells: Cloned Stem Cells Show Important Advantage Over Adult Stem Cells

Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Date: June 29, 2005

Summary:

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. and its collaborators reported the long-term transplantation of clone-derived stem cells in an animal model of aging. In this study, the cloned-derived stem cells showed an exponential (tenfold) competitive advantage over adult stem cells.

Rebooted cells tackle ethical concerns: Fusion technique resets adult skin cells to embryonic state

Source: Nature
Date: 27 June 2005

Summary:

A new study published in the journal Nature describes an experiment attempting to give adult stem cells the properties of embryonic stem cells by fusing adult skin cells and embryonic stem cells:

"Scientists who want to study the special properties of stem cells may be able to use a new technique to avoid some of the practical and ethical pitfalls of stem-cell research. Scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have fused a human embryonic stem cell to an adult skin cell. They showed that the embryonic stem cell 'reprogrammed' the skin cell's nucleus, causing the skin cell to start behaving like a youthful, embryonic stem cell."

A Step Forward In Stem Cell Research

Source: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Posted: June 27, 2005

Summary:

Investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have used new techniques in the laboratory that allowed them for the first time to derive unlimited numbers of purified mesenchymal precursor cells from human embryonic stem cells (HESCs). Mesenchymal precursor cells are capable of giving rise to fat, cartilage, bone, and skeletal muscle cells, and may potentially be used for regenerative stem cell therapy in bone, cartilage, or muscle replacement.

Neuroglial activation in Niemann–Pick Type C mice is suppressed by intracerebral transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Source: Neuroscience Letters
Volume 381, Issue 3, 24 June 2005, Pages 234-236

Abstract:

Glial activation is thought to play a key role in pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Here we show that direct transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) results in alleviation of inflammatory responses associated with the cerebellum of Niemann–Pick disease Type C (NP-C) model mice. Immunohistochemical examinations using glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and F4/80 antibodies revealed that BM-MSC transplantation reduced significantly both of astocytic and microglial activations in the cerebellum of NP-C mice. Expression of macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF), a microglial activator, was also considerably down-regulated by the BM-MSC transplantation. These findings suggest that BM-MSC transplantation may have potential for a therapeutic role in the treatment of NP-C and other neurodegenerative brain disorders.

Study: Adult stem cells promising

Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Date: June 24, 2005

Summary:

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh researchers announced they have discovered a population of stem cells isolated from mouse muscle with the same ability to multiply as stem cells harvested from human embryos.

Breakthrough Study at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Finds Adult Stem Cells Show Same Ability to Self-Renew as Embryonic

Source: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Date: June 23, 2005

Summary:

In a ground-breaking study, scientists at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh have discovered that adult, or post- natal, stem cells have the same ability as embryonic stem cells to multiply, a previously unknown characteristic indicating that post-natal stem cells may play an important therapeutic role. Researchers were able to expand post-natal stem cells to a population level comparable to that reached by researchers using embryonic stem cells.

Wake Forest research shows stem cells can be gleaned from skin

Source: The Business Journal
Date: June 23, 2005

Summary:

In what could be a major scientific leap, Dr. Anthony Atala revealed Thursday that his Wake Forest University Institute for Regenerative Medicine laboratory in Winston-Salem has successfully taken stem cells from skin and grown them into new tissues.

Researchers Grow Stem Cells From Human Skin

Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Posted: June 23, 2005

Summary:

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have successfully isolated stem cells from human skin, expanded them in the laboratory and coaxed them into becoming fat, muscle and bone cells. The study, one of the first studies to show the ability of a single adult stem cell to become multiple tissue types, is reported this week in Stem Cells and Development.

Breakthrough Isolating Embryo-quality Stem Cells From Blood

Source: Institute of Physics
Posted: June 19, 2005

Summary:

A major breakthrough in stem cell research – a new tool that could allow scientists to harvest stem cells ethically - was announced recently at the Institute of Physics’ conference Physics 2005. Professors from the University of Leipzig have developed a procedure that can extract and isolate embryo-quality stem cells from adult blood for the first time. This new technique could unlock the stem cell revolution and stimulate a boom in medical research using stem cells.

Breakthrough Isolating Embryo-quality Stem Cells From Blood

Source: Institute of Physics
Date: June 19, 2005

Summary:

A major breakthrough in stem cell research – a new tool that could allow scientists to harvest stem cells ethically - was announced at the Institute of Physics’ conference Physics 2005. Professor Josef Käs and Dr Jochen Guck from the University of Leipzig have developed a procedure that can extract and isolate embryo-quality stem cells from adult blood for the first time. This new technique could unlock the stem cell revolution and stimulate a boom in medical research using stem cells.

Scientists grow large batches of brain stem cells: Discovery could lead to new treatments for neurological diseases

Source: Reuters
Posted: June 13, 2005 5:06 p.m. ET

Summary:

WASHINGTON - Scientists working in mice said they had found a way to identify master cells in the brain and grow them in large batches — a potential way of helping patients grow their own brain tissue transplants. The scientists said they had found a process to make the cells multiply, which would be crucial in fighting degenerative brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s.

Scientists find key to stem cell immortality: MicroRNAs short-circuit

Source: MSNBC News
Posted: June 8, 2005 9:26 p.m. ET

Summary:

MSNBC News reports on a new finding about the role of microRNA's in the regulation of both normal and cancer stem cells:

"Researchers report in the journal Nature that microRNAs — tiny snippets of genetic material that have now been linked to growth regulation in normal cells as well as cancer growth in abnormal cells — appear to shut off the "stop signals" or brakes that would normally tell cells to stop dividing."

Czech Scientist Sustain Human Stem Cells in Original 'Blank' State

Source: CzechInvest
Date: June 8, 2005

Summary:

CzechInvest announce the discovery of a way to maintain human embryonic stem cells in their original, undifferentiated state:

"CzechInvest, the Investment and Business Development Agency of the Czech Republic, today announced Czech scientists have recently made significant new breakthroughs in stem cell research. Dr. Petr Dvorak, scientist with the Institute of Experimental Medicine at the Czech Academy of Sciences, will detail the discovery of a potential mechanism that would sustain human stem cells in their original "blank" state. The leading international scientific journal, Stem Cells, is slated to publish these findings in an upcoming issue later this year."

Team IDs Mechanism For Multiplying Adult Stem Cells

Source: Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
Date: June 8, 2005

Summary:

Researchers have discovered a mechanism that might enable scientists to multiply adult stem cells quickly and efficiently. One of the main obstacles with adult stem cell research is that, in order for these cells to be therapeutically useful, researchers need to multiply them in the lab. But when adult stem cells are isolated, they immediately start growing into their designated tissue type, which limits their replication. If scientists could take a liver adult stem cell and multiply it in a dish, without having it form mature liver tissue, more tissue could be made.

Doctors fight liver disease with body's own stem cells

Source: The Telegraph
Date: May 29, 2005

Summary:

British doctors have made a "significant" breakthrough using patients' own stem cells to regrow their livers, raising the possibility of it replacing organ transplants in future. Specialists have perfected a technique that could cure people with liver disease. Importantly it used the patients' own stem cells, rather than the controversial practice of cells harvested from aborted embryos. Stem cells were extracted from the blood of the first five human volunteers, and injected into their livers. Early results show that inside the patients' livers, the cells have already started to grow.

Researchers Look at Stem Cells to Repair Damage Caused by Multiple Sclerosis: Canada-U.S. collaboration aims to reduce disability

Source: Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
Date: May 26, 2005

Summary:

CALGARY, May 26 /CNW/ - Three North American research centres are examining the body's own stem cells in hopes that they may hold the key to repairing damage caused by multiple sclerosis. If successful, people with MS may be able to regain losses of physical ability caused by the often-debilitating disease. With the new funding, scientists will investigate whether adult human stem cells can be stimulated to create myelin. In essence, they will determine if there is an "on" switch that can kick-start the remyelination process for people who have MS.

Protein Helps Regulate The Genes Of Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Posted: May 25, 2005

Summary:

New research from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows how a protein may be crucial to the regulation of genes in embryonic stem cells. The protein, called "eed," is needed for an essential chemical modification of many genes. Embryos cannot survive without the modification. The findings appear in the May 24 issue of the journal Current Biology..

Liver cells 'could beat diabetes'

Source: BBC News
Posted: 21 May, 2005, 23:01 GMT 00:01 UK

Summary:

BBC News reports on a new experiment using adult liver cells to attempt to treat diabetes:

"Scientists have turned adult liver cells into insulin-producing cells able to treat diabetes when transplanted into mice. It is hoped the work will one day allow the use of a diabetes patient's own liver cells to treat their condition."

Stem Cell Treatment Improves Mobility After Spinal Cord Injury

Source: University of California - Irvine
Posted: May 10, 2005

Summary:

A treatment derived from human embryonic stem cells improves mobility in rats with spinal cord injuries, providing the first physical evidence that the therapeutic use of these cells can help restore motor skills lost from acute spinal cord tissue damage. Researchers in the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at UC Irvine have found that a human embryonic stem cell-derived treatment they developed was successful in restoring the insulation tissue for neurons in rats treated seven days after the initial injury, which led to a recovery of motor skills. But the same treatment did not work on rats that had been injured for 10 months. The findings point to the potential of using stem cell-derived therapies for treatment of spinal cord damage in humans during the very early stages of the injury.

Brain Power Creates Insulin

Source: Wired
Date: April 26, 2005

Summary:

Wired magazine reports on research by scientists at Stanford University to turn neurons from fetal brains in to insulin-producing cells:

"Scientists at Stanford have coaxed neurons from fetal brains to become cells that produce insulin. The cells aren't ready for human transplantation yet, but the advance brings researchers one step closer to a diabetes cure. The researchers created the cells in a dish by mixing up a recipe of chemicals that changed neurons into beta cells, also known as islet cells. When they injected the cells into normal mice, the cells responded to increased glucose levels by pumping out insulin. The next step will be for the researchers to inject the cells into diabetic mice to see if they can reverse the disease."

STEM CELLS FROM BRAIN TRANSFORMED TO PRODUCE INSULIN AT STANFORD

Source: Stanford University School of Medicine
Date: Aprll 25, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at Stanford University have coaxed stem cells from the brain to form insulin-producing cells that mimic those missing in people with diabetes. Although the work is not yet ready for human patients, the lead author and assistant professor of developmental biology at the Stanford University School of Medicine, said it could lead to new ways of transplanting insulin-producing cells into people with diabetes, eventually providing a cure for the disease.

Brain stem cells to cure diabetes

Source: BBC News
Posted: 25 April, 2005, 23:14 GMT 00:14 UK

Summary:

Scientists believe they could use brain stem cells to cure diabetes. Although the work is not yet ready to be tested on human patients, results in animals have been promising, say the Stanford University researchers. They were able to coax the immature brain cells to develop into the insulin-producing islet cells that are lacking in diabetes. Eventually, these could be used for curative transplants.

Researcher Takes Stem Cell Research Another Step

Source: New Jersey Institute Of Technology
Posted: April 11, 2005

Summary:

Treena Arinzeh, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at NJIT, is researching the use of stem cells to induce bone repair. Her research will help diabetics whose impaired bones will not properly heal. She is using adult stem cells, in combination with allografts – donated bone tissue - to regenerate and repair the patients’ damaged bones. She is performing tests on diabetic animals, after which she’ll test patients at the clinical level.

Growing Your Own Replacement Teeth? Not Science Fiction!

Source: International & American Association For Dental Research
Posted: April 4, 2005

Summary:

Researchers from the Forsyth Institute (Boston, MA) and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will describe successful experiments in bioengineering mineralized tissues, including periodontal tissues and replacement tooth phenotypes. This research is supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, one of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD).

Human blood cells coaxed to produce insulin

Source: New Scientist
Date: 04 April 2005

Summary:

New Scientist reports on new experiments which have shown that human blood stem cells can be made to produce insulin:

"Experiments that seem to have made human blood cells start producing insulin have raised the prospect of a new treatment for diabetes. Although the treatment has only been tried in mice so far, it might mean people can be cured with implants of their own cells."

Researchers Closer To Helping Hearing-Impaired Using Stem Cells

Source: Indiana University School Of Medicine
Posted: March 28, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine are several steps closer to the day when a profoundly deaf patient's own bone marrow cells could be used to let him or her hear the world. They were able able to transform, in the laboratory, stem cells taken from adult bone marrow into cells with many of the characteristics of sensory nerve cells -- neurons -- found in the ear. The results suggest that these adult stem cells could be used to treat deaf patients in the future.

Placenta Is A Rich Source Of Blood Stem Cells

Source: Children's Hospital Boston
Date: March 25, 2005

Summary:

Meticulous experiments in mice revealed that the placenta harbors a large supply of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells. These cells, which appear very early in development, are able to generate more blood stem cells and can give rise to a complete blood system when transplanted into an adult. Unlike other sites where blood stem cells are found during embryonic development, such as the liver, the stem cells in the placenta can increase in number without giving rise to mature, specialized cells.

Adult Stem Cells Can Produce Brain Cells: In chick embryos, specific chemical environment brings results

Source: HealthDay News
Date: March 21, 2005

Summary:

Experiments involving chicken eggs may have hatched a major advance in stem cell research, as investigators watched adult human stem cells develop into functioning brain cells. Experts hope that, someday, adult stem cells from a patient's own bone marrow might be used to regrow and replace brain or spinal cord cells lost to injury or disease.

Researchers Devise Way To Mass-produce Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: Ohio State University
Date: March 15, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a method for mass-producing embryonic stem cells. That's important because traditional laboratory methods used to grow these cells are costly and don't produce cells fast enough to respond to increasing demands for human embryonic stem cells. Mass-producing cells like this could reduce stem cell production costs by at least 80 percent, as it requires less equipment and monitoring.

Scientists Identify Stem Cell On/Off Switch

Source: HealthDay News
Date: February 23, 2005

Summary:

In experiments with mice, scientists believe they've discovered a new class of gene signals that either prevent or permit stem cells to develop into specific cell types. This is an important advance because to keep stem cells useful therapeutically, doctors will have to preserve them as undifferentiated stem cells for as long as possible.

Newly-discovered Class Of Genes Determines -- And Restricts -- Stem Cell Fate

Source: University Of Pennsylvania Medical Center
Date: February 23, 2005

Summary:

Research on adult stem cells found in the skin hints at a new class of genes, according to a study from investigators at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. These genes dubbed pangenes can both govern a stem cell's fate and put a hold on future differentiation until the time is right. Understanding the molecular control of these genes has implications for therapies that involve tissue regeneration.

Stem Cell Therapy For Spinal Injury

Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: February 23, 2005

Summary:

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown how the transplantation of stem cells improves recovery from spinal injury. However, a painful condition can also develop, which can be prevented if the stem cells are supplemented with a certain gene that controls their maturing process. The results are important for planning of stem cell therapy trials on patients with spinal injury.

Research May Hold Promise For Treating Alzheimer's

Source: University Of Central Florida
Date: February 10, 2005

Summary:

A compound similar to the components of DNA may improve the chances that stem cells transplanted from a patient's bone marrow to the brain will take over the functions of damaged cells and help treat Alzheimer's disease and other neurological illnesses. A research team at the University of Central Florida found that treating bone marrow cells in laboratory cultures with bromodeoxyuridine, a compound that becomes part of DNA, made adult human stem cells more likely to develop as brain cells after they were implanted in adult rat brains.

Human Stem Cells Become Nerve Cells in Study

Source: Reuters
Date: Sun Jan 30, 2005 02:07 PM ET

Summary:

Stem cells taken from human embryos were coaxed into becoming motor neurons in an experiment that might one day help scientists repair damaged nervous systems

Spleen May Be Source Of Versatile Stem Cells

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: January 19, 2005

Summary:

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report that potential adult stem cells derived from the human spleen produce a protein previously believed to be present only during the embryonic development of mammals. The finding both supports the existence of these splenic stem cells and also suggests they may be able to produce an even greater variety of tissues.

A Stroke Treatment from Stem Cells?

Source: Stanford Magazine
Date: January / February 2005

Summary:

Stanford Magazine reports on a possible stroke treatment using human fetal stem cells:

"'STROKE, the leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, “is a disease where we do not have good treatments,” says neurosurgeon Gary Steinberg. Americans spend $30 billion a year on stroke recovery and rehabilitation, but doctors have no way to repair the damaged brain tissue. That may soon change. Researchers in Steinberg’s lab have demonstrated that human fetal stem cells, when transplanted into the brains of laboratory rats with induced strokes, can migrate toward the damaged location and turn into neurons and support cells.'"