Scientists Succeed Through Stem Cell Therapy In Reversing Brain Birth Defects

Source: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Date: December 28, 2008

Summary:

Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells. The work involved using mouse embryonic neural stem cells, which migrate in the brain, search for the deficiency that caused the defect, and then differentiate into becoming the cells needed to repair the damage.

In the researchers’ animal model, they were able to reverse learning deficits in the offspring of pregnant mice who were exposed to organophosphate (a pesticide) and heroin. This was done by direct neural stem cell transplantation into the brains of the offspring. The recovery was almost one hundred percent, as proved in behavioral tests in which the treated animals improved to normal behavior and learning scores after the transplantation. On the molecular level, brain chemistry of the treated animals was also restored to normal.

The researchers went one step further. Puzzled by the stem cells’ ability to work even in those cases where most of them died out in the host brain, the scientists went on to discover that the neural stem cells succeed before they die in inducing the host brain itself to produce large number of stem cells which repair the damage. This discovery, finally settling a major question in stem cell research, evoked great interest and was published earlier this year in one of the leading journals in the field, Molecular Psychiatry. The scientists are now in the midst of developing procedures for the least invasive method for administering the neural stem cells, which is probably via blood vessels, thus making the therapy practical and clinically feasible.

Recipe For Capturing Authentic Embryonic Stem Cells May Apply To Any Mammal, Study Suggests

Source: Cell Press
Date: December 26, 2008

Summary:

Researchers have what they think may be a basic recipe for capturing and maintaining indefinitely the most fundamental of embryonic stem cells from essentially any mammal, including cows, pigs and even humans. Two new studies reported in the December 26th issue of the journal Cell show that a cocktail first demonstrated to work in mice earlier this year, which includes inhibitory chemicals, also can be used to successfully isolate embryonic stem cells from rats.

Scientists reveal mechanism that triggers differentiation of embryo cells

Source: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Date: December 24, 2008

Summary:

The mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The discovery has significant consequences towards furthering research that will eventually make possible medical cell replacement therapy based on the use of embryonic cells. In a recent paper, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Professors Yehudit Bergman and Howard Cedar of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School have deciphered the mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can differentiate into specific tissues. Bergman is the Morley Goldblatt professor of Cancer Research and Experimental Medicine and Cedar is the Harry and Helen L. Brenner professor of Molecular Biology at the Medical School.

Researchers Derive First Embryonic Stem Cells From Rats

Source: University of Southern California
Date: December 24, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have, for the first time in history, derived authentic embryonic stem (ES) cells from rats. This breakthrough finding will enable scientists to create far more effective animal models for the study of a range of human diseases. The research will be published in the Dec. 26 issue of the journal Cell. The finding brings scientists much closer to creating “knockout” rats – animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes – for biomedical research. By observing what happens to animals when specific genes are removed, researchers can identify the function of the gene and whether it is linked to a specific disease.

Reprogrammed skin cells provide testing ground for new drugs

Source: Nature
Published online 22 December 2008

Summary:

Nature reports skin cells from a spinal muscular atrophy have been reprogrammed into stem cells that can be used as a model of the disease.

"Skin cells from a patient with a genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have been reprogrammed into stem cells that can be used as a model of the disease. The research marks an important milestone in creating and using stem cells to understand disease processes and screen drugs. To build an improved model, researchers first took tissue-forming fibroblast cells from the skin of a deceased SMA patient. Then they reprogrammed these cells to become so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which behave just like the embryonic stem cells that are the progenitors of all the body's different cell types. Finally, the scientists developed a new method to turn those iPS cells into large numbers of motor neurons, the cell type affected in SMA."

University of Wisconsin-Madison stem-cell team replicates disease in lab dish

Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by University of Wisconsin-Madison in which researchers successfully replicated a disease in a lab dish:

Wisconsin State Journal, December 22, 2008: "University of Wisconsin-Madison stem-cell team replicates disease in lab dish":

A year after University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist James Thomson announced a new type of human embryonic stem cells, campus researchers have realized a major promise of the new cells: replicating a disease in a lab dish. A team led by neuroscientist Clive Svendsen used the new stem cells to create a model of spinal muscular atrophy, the most common genetic cause of infant mortality. Researchers at Harvard University and elsewhere have used the cells to simulate other diseases, but Svendsen is the first to do so and show how a disease process works, said a prominent scientist in the field."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 21, 2008: "Stem cells give scientists a window on diseases":

"Using a simple skin biopsy from a young boy with a deadly genetic illness, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have provided the first demonstration that reprogramming can offer researchers an unprecedented view of human disease. The skin cells came from a boy with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, an illness that is similar to Lou Gehrig's disease, but afflicts children. The disease kills motor neurons until muscles stop working. Children become immobile, dependent on respirators and feeding tubes, and eventually die. The boy, whose biopsy the scientists used, ultimately died of SMA at age 3. The UW scientists used the reprogramming technique pioneered last year by their UW colleague James Thomson and by Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University in Japan, and sent the boy's skin cells back to the embryonic state. They then grew the reprogrammed cells into motor neurons, the type damaged by the disease."

The Capital Times, December 21, 2008: "UW researchers watch disease unfold in lab dish":

"University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have re-created the key traits of a devastating neurological disease in the lab using stem cells derived from an afflicted patient, a breakthrough that will allow scientists the opportunity to better study the ailment and develop new treatments for it. The findings, to be reported this week in the journal Nature, came out of UW-Madison stem cell biologist Clive Svendsen's lab and relate to spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. The team at UW-Madison and a group at the University of Missouri-Columbia created these disease-specific stem cells by genetically reprogramming skin cells from a patient with spinal muscular atrophy."

Patient-derived Induced Stem Cells Retain Disease Traits

Source: University of Wisconsin- Madison
Date: December 18, 2008

Summary:

When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased.The dying cells – the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy – confirmed that the University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient. By allowing scientists the unparalleled opportunity to watch the course of a disease unfold in a lab dish, the work marks an enormous step forward in being able to study and develop new therapies for genetic diseases. As reported this week in the journal Nature, Svendsen and colleagues at UW-Madison and the University of Missouri-Columbia created disease-specific stem cells by genetically reprogramming skin cells from a patient with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. In this inherited disease, the most common genetic cause of infant mortality, a mutation leads to the death of the nerves that control skeletal muscles, causing muscle weakness, paralysis, and ultimately death, usually by age two.

Scientists Develop Method For Generating Novel Types Of Stem Cells

Source: Scripps Research Institute
Date: December 18, 2008

Summary:

A team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has for the first time developed a technique for generating novel types of rat and human stem cells with characteristics similar to mouse embryonic stem cells, currently the predominant type of stem cells used for creating animal models of human diseases in research. The technique potentially provides scientists with new sources of stem cells to develop drugs and treatments for human diseases. The study, which appears in the December 18 online version of Cell Stem Cell and the January 2009 print edition of the journal, provides proof of principle that alternative sources of stem cells can be created. The team, which included scientists from Scripps Research, Peking University, and the University of California, San Diego, conducted the studies to establish novel rat induced pluripotent stem cell lines (riPSCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (hiPSCs) by using a specific cocktail of chemicals combined with genetic reprogramming, a process whereby an adult cell is returned to its early embryonic state. Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into each of the more than 200 cell types of the adult body.

Single virus used to convert adult cells to embryonic stem cell-like cells

Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Date: December 15, 2008

Summary:

Whitehead Institute researchers have greatly simplified the creation of so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, cutting the number of viruses used in the reprogramming process from four to one. Scientists hope that these embryonic stem-cell-like cells could eventually be used to treat such ailments as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. The earliest reprogramming efforts relied on four separate viruses to transfer genes into the cells’ DNA--one virus for each reprogramming gene (Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc and Klf4). Once activated, these genes convert the cells from their adult, differentiated status to an embryonic-like state.

However, this method poses significant risks for potential use in humans. The viruses used in reprogramming are associated with cancer because they may insert DNA anywhere in a cell’s genome, thereby potentially triggering the expression of cancer-causing genes, or oncogenes. For iPS cells to be employed to treat human diseases, researchers must find safe alternatives to reprogramming with such viruses. This latest technique represents a significant advance in the quest to eliminate the potentially harmful viruses.

Newly Discovered Esophagus Stem Cells Grow Into Transplantable Tissue, Penn Study Finds

Source: University of Pennsylvania
Date: December 15, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered stem cells in the esophagus of mice that were able to grow into tissue-like structures and when placed into immune-deficient mice were able to form parts of an esophagus lining. The investigators report their findings online this month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Single adult stem cell can self renew, repair tissue damage in live mammal

Source: Source: American Society for Cell Biology
Date: December 14, 2008

Summary:

The first demonstration that a single adult stem cell can self-renew in a mammal was reported at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 48th Annual Meeting, Dec. 13-17, 2008 in San Francisco. The transplanted adult stem cell and its differentiated descendants restored lost function to mice with hind limb muscle tissue damage.

Transplanted Fat Cells Restore Function After Spinal Cord Injury

Source: Cell Transplantation
December 11, 2008

Summary:

Fat cells, plentiful and easily obtained from adipose tissues without discomfort and grown under culture conditions as de-differentiated fat cells (DFAT), have been for the first time shown to successfully differentiate into neuronal cells in in vivo tests. According to the study's lead researcher, Dr. Yuki Ohta of the Institute of Medical Science, St. Mariana University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan, adipose-derived stem/stromal cells have in the past been shown to differentiate into neuronal cells in an in vitro setting. In their study, for the first time fat cells have been shown to successfully differentiate into neuronal cells in in vivo tests. The fat cells are grown under culture conditions that result in them becoming de-differentiated fat (DFAT) cells. This study was published in Cell Transplantation (Vol.17, No. 8.)

First functional stem-cell niche model created

Source: Stanford University
Date: December 10, 2008

Summary:

Like it or not, your living room probably says a lot about you. Given a few uninterrupted moments to poke around, a stranger could probably get a pretty good idea of your likes and dislikes, and maybe even your future plans. Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine employing a similar "peeping Tom" tactic to learn more about how stem cells develop have taken a significant step forward by devising a way to recreate the cells' lair — a microenvironment called a niche — in an adult animal. The research marks the first time that scientists have successfully recreated a functional stem-cell niche for further study.

Researchers Exploring Gene Therapy To Fight AIDS

Source: University of California - Davis
Date: December 5, 2008

Summary:

The apparent success of a case in which German doctors cured a man of AIDS using a bone marrow transplant comes as no surprise to Gerhard Bauer, a UC Davis stem cell researcher. Bauer has been working for more than 10 years on a similar cure for AIDS based on replacing the devastated immune system of an HIV-infected patient with stem cells that have been engineered to resist human immunodeficiency syndrome. Bauer plans to present the preliminary results of his latest research at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Hematology in San Francisco on Sunday, December 6, 2008, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Moscone Center. He and his UC Davis research team will present a poster detailing the development of a mouse model that allows pre-clinical testing of their new gene-therapy protocol, which they hope will pave the way for human clinical trials within five years.

Bone marrow-derived stem cells may offer novel therapeutic option for skin disorder

Source: American Society of Hematology
Date: December 4, 2008

Summary:

Stem cells derived from bone marrow may serve as a novel therapeutic option to treat a disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a disorder characterized by extraordinarily fragile skin, according to a study prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology. Researchers worked with a mouse model of RDEB-infused bone marrow cells to determine if they would increase production of the col7 protein and formation of anchoring fibrils, and improve survival in the mouse recipients. The research team used bone marrow cells enriched for hematopoietic (stem cells that can develop into most blood cell types) and progenitor cells to increase the concentration of cells with the capacity to produce col7. The team tested these cells against non-enriched stem cells to determine their benefit to the treated mice. Results of the study found that when injected into mice with RDEB, these specially selected marrow-derived stem cells diminished the disease process. They traveled to the diseased skin areas, increased protein and anchoring fibrils, prevented blister formation and extended survival.

Researchers provide definitive proof of where, how blood stem cells are created

Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: December 3, 2008

Summary:

Stem cell researchers at UCLA have proven definitively that blood stem cells are made during mid-gestational embryonic development by endothelial cells, the cells that line the inside of blood vessels. While the anatomic location in the embryo where blood stem cells originate has been well documented, the cell type from which they spring was less understood. The UCLA finding, published in the Dec. 4, 2008 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, puts to rest a long-standing controversy over whether blood stem cells were created, or born, in the endothelium or originated from another cell type in a nearby location.

A Novel Human Stem Cell-based Model of ALS Opens Doors for Rapid Drug Screening

Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: December 3, 2008

Summary:

Long thought of as mere bystanders, astrocytes are crucial for the survival and well-being of motor neurons, which control voluntary muscle movements. In fact, defective astrocytes can lay waste to motor neurons and are the main suspects in the muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To get to the root of this complicated relationship, researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies for the very first time established a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based system for modeling ALS. Their study confirmed that dysfunctional human astrocytes turn against their charges and kill off healthy motor neurons. But more importantly, treating the cultured cells with apocynin, a powerful anti-oxidant, staved off motor neuron death caused by malfunctioning astrocytes. Their findings, which appear in the Dec. 4 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provide new insight into the toxic pathways that contribute to the demise of motor neurons in ALS and open up new possibilities for drug-screening experiments using human ALS in vitro models, as well as clinical interventions using astrocyte-based cell therapies.

New 'control knobs' for stem cells identified

Source: Tufts University
Date: December 3, 2008

Summary:

Natural changes in voltage that occur across the membrane of adult human stem cells are a powerful controlling factor in the process by which these stem cells differentiate, according to research published by Tufts University scientists in the November 17, 2008, issue of PLoS ONE. The Tufts researchers studied the changes in membrane potential (voltage across the membrane) shown by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) obtained from donor bone marrow as the hMSCs were differentiating into fat and bone cells. They found that hyperpolarization (increased difference between the voltage in the interior and exterior of a cell) was characteristic of differentiated cells compared with undifferentiated cells and that hMSCs show different membrane potential profiles during bone vs. fat differentiation.

Scientists achieve repair of injured heart muscle in lab tests of stem cells

Source: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Date: November 25, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have been able to effectively repair damaged heart muscle in an animal model using a novel population of stem cells they discovered that is derived from human skeletal muscle tissue. The research team — led by Johnny Huard, PhD — transplanted stem cells purified from human muscle-derived blood vessels into the hearts of mice that had heart damage similar to that which would occur in people who had suffered a heart attack. The transplanted myoendothelial cells repaired the injured muscle, stimulated the growth of new blood vessels in the heart and reduced scar tissue from the injury, thereby dramatically improving the function of the injured left ventricle. Results of this study are published in the Dec. 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Pure Insulin-producing Cells Produced In Mice

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: November 21, 2008

Summary:

Researchers from the Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM ) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have scored a breakthrough in developing an unlimited number of pure insulin-producing cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs)[1]. The cells, which have the same sub-cellular structures as the insulin-producing cells naturally found in the pancreas, were highly effective in treating diabetes in the mouse model.

Sweet success for new stem cell ID trick

Source: University of Manchester
Date: 20 November 2008

Summary:

Biomaterial scientists at the University of Manchester believe they have found a new way of isolating the ‘ingredients’ needed for potential stem cell treatments for nerve damage and heart disease. And the technique could also be used in the future to improve the efficiency of bone marrow transplants. Writing in the journal Stem Cells, the Manchester scientists report how the technique allows cells to be clearly identified depending on whether the antibodies bind themselves to the cells or not.

Neurons Derived From Embryonic Stem Cells Restore Muscle Function After Injury

Source: Dalhousie University
Date: November 20, 2008

Summary:

Dalhousie Medical School researchers have discovered that embryonic stem cells may play a critical role in helping people with nerve damage and motor neuron diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), regain muscular strength. The research team used embryonic stem cells from mice to grow motor neurons in the laboratory. They then transplanted the neurons into mouse nerves that were separated from the spinal cord. After separation, it would be expected that the nerves and muscles they control die. However, the Dalhousie group was the first in the world to find that the muscles not only were preserved by the transplantation, but they could produce about half their normal force to contract.

Human Trachea Created from Adult Stem Cells

Source: University of Bristol
Date: 19 November 2008

Summary:

The first tissue-engineered trachea (windpipe), utilising the patient’s own stem cells, has been successfully transplanted into a young woman with a failing airway. The bioengineered trachea immediately provided the patient with a normally functioning airway, thereby saving her life. These remarkable results provide crucial new evidence that adult stem cells, combined with biologically compatible materials, can offer genuine solutions to other serious illnesses. In particular, the successful outcome shows it is possible to produce a tissue-engineered airway with mechanical properties that permit normal breathing and which is free from the risks of rejection seen with conventional transplanted organs. The patient has not developed antibodies to her graft, despite not taking any immunosuppressive drugs. Lung function tests performed two months after the operation were all at the better end of the normal range for a young woman. The pan-European team from the universities of Barcelona, Bristol, Padua and Milan report on this pioneering work in an article published early online and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet.

Stem cells restore hearing, vision in animals

Source: Reuters
Posted: November 19, 2008 6:59am EST

Summary:

Reuters reports researchers have found that adult stem cells can restore hearing and vision in animals:

"Stem cells from tiny embryos can be used to restore lost hearing and vision in animals, researchers said Tuesday in what they believe is a first step toward helping people. One team repaired hearing in guinea pigs using human bone marrow stem cells, while another grew functioning eyes in tadpoles using frog cells. While there are no immediate uses for humans, they said their findings help describe some of the most basic biological processes underlying the development of hearing and sight, and may help in the development of the new field of regenerative medicine."

Researchers define ideal time for stem cell collection for Parkinson's disease therapy

Source: Thomas Jefferson University
Date: November 19, 2008

Summary:

Researchers have identified a stage during dopamine neuron differentiation that may be an ideal time to collect human embryonic stem cells for transplantation to treat Parkinson's disease, according to data presented at Neuroscience 2008, the 38th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Lorraine Iacovitti, Ph.D., professor and interim director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University, and her research team found that neural progenitor cells that express the gene Lmx1a are committed to the midbrain dopamine neuron lineage, but still retain proliferative capacity. Because of these characteristics, the stage at which Lmx1a is expressed may be ideal for transplantation.

Researchers to use patient's own stem cells to treat heart failure

Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
Date: November 17, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Utah are enrolling people in a new clinical trial that uses a patient's own stem cells to treat ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure. Patients enrolled in IMPACT-DCM will have their own bone marrow cells drawn (about 3 tablespoons worth), which will then be grown in a culture to expand the number of cells that will help the heart muscle and improve blood flow. Two weeks later, the patient's stem cells will be injected directly into the left ventricle of the heart during a minimally invasive surgery developed by Amit N. Patel, M.D., national principal investigator for the IMPACT-DCM trial and director of cardiovascular regenerative medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

UCSF team moves in on mechanism in stem cell growth, possibly cancer

Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: 13 November 2008

Summary:

A class of miniscule molecules called microRNAs has become a major focus of biomedical research. Now, UCSF scientists have identified multiple members of this class that enable embryonic stem cells to divide, and thus proliferate, much more rapidly than the mature, or specialized, cells of the adult body. The finding offers insight into a critical aspect of normal embryonic development -- the capacity of the early embryo to grow rapidly from a single fertilized cell to an entire embryo. It also suggests, the researcher say, that when these microRNAs function inappropriately they likely play a role in cancer.

Intraspinal implant of mesenchymal stem cells may not heal the demyelinated spinal cord

Source: Source: Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Date: November 12, 2008

Summary:

Multiple sclerosis is a disease caused by the loss of the myelinated sheath surrounding the nerve fibers of the spinal cord. Therapeutic hope for curing multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases has included the possibility that stem cell transplants could help remyelinate the spinal cord. Accordingly, researchers from the University of Cambridge (UK) conducted experiments using animal models to see if the direct implantation of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (derived from a different rat's adult bone marrow, i.e. allogenic) into the demyelinated rat spinal cord would be therapeutic and remyelinate the damaged area.

Stem Cells with Potential to Regenerate Injured Liver Tissue Identified

Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Date: November 12, 2008

Summary:

A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy. For the first time, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine led by Linda Greenbaum, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, have demonstrated that cells expressing the marker can differentiate into both liver cells and cells that line the bile duct. In the future, this marker will allow for the isolation and expansion of these stem cells, which could then be used to help patients whose livers can no longer repair their own tissue.

Researchers find stem cells from monkey teeth can stimulate growth and generation of brain cells

Source: Emory University
Date: November 11, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. Findings from this study, available in the October issue of the journal Stem Cells, suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system.

Researchers identify key mechanism that regulates the development of stem cells into neurons

Source: University of Southern California
Date: November 10, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a novel mechanism in the regulation and differentiation of neural stem cells. Researchers found that the protein receptor Ryk has a key role in the differentiation of neural stem cells, and demonstrated a signaling mechanism that regulates neuronal differentiation as stem cells begin to grow into neurons. The study will be published in the Nov. 11 issue of the journal Developmental Cell, and is now available online. The findings could have important implications for regenerative medicine and cancer therapies, says Wange Lu, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and the principal investigator on the study.

Researchers make brain tissues from stem cells

Source: Agence France Presse (AFP)
Posted: November 06, 2008 05:20 EST

Summary:

Agence France Presse (AFP) reports Japanese researchers created functioning human brain cells from embryonic stem cells:

"Japanese researchers said Thursday they had created functioning human brain tissues from stem cells, a world first that has raised new hopes for the treatment of disease. Stem cells taken from human embryos have been used to form tissues of the cerebral cortex, the supreme control tower of the brain, according to researchers at the government-backed research institute Riken. The tissues self-organised into four distinct zones very similar to the structure seen in human foetuses, and conducted neuro-activity such as transmitting electrical signals, the institute said. Research on stem cells is seen as having the potential to save lives by helping to find cures for diseases such as cancer and diabetes or to replace damaged cells, tissues and organs."

Below is a summary of additional news coverage of this story from various sources:

Reuters, Nov 6, 2008 3:24pm EST: "Scientists coax brain cells in mice to regenerate":

"Scientists have found a way to get damaged nerve cells in the brains of mice to repair themselves, a finding that may lead to new treatments for spinal cord and brain injuries. By turning off proteins that keep nerve cell growth in check, the researchers were able to stimulate regrowth in mice with damaged optic nerves..."

HealthDay News, November 6, 2008: "New Pathways Studied to Repair Nerves":

"Nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain can't be repaired now if they are severed or damaged, but two ways to get them to grow again are being proposed by separate groups of researchers. The basic idea of both approaches is to interfere with the built-in mechanisms that prevent nerve cell regeneration. One approach attacks it from the outside of nerve cells, the other from the inside."

Scientists confirm a molecular clipping mechanism behind stem cell development

Source: Rockefeller University
Posted: November 6, 2008

Summary:

Stem cells don’t just become a part of the liver or the brain in a flash; it takes a complex molecular choreography and requires that specific genes be switched on and off at specific times. Some of these genes are regulated through a process by which proteins in the cell nucleus, called histones, are chemically modified by small “chemical marks” such as acetyl or methyl groups. New research from Rockefeller University scientists now shows that during specific stages of differentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells, crucial marks can be removed by cutting off the end of the histone’s tail. The research, reported in the October 17 issue of Cell, identifies for the first time a clipping mechanism that scientists first hypothesized nearly 30 years ago. The finding offers new clues about differentiation of embryonic stem cells and raises questions about the potential effects of a new class of cancer treatments that specifically target histones.

Research sheds light on key trigger of embryonic stem cell differentiation

Source: Stanford University
Date: November 5, 2008

Summary:

Clusters of mouse embryonic stem cells called embryoid bodies more closely approximate true embryos in organization and structure than previously thought, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Harnessing the signals that influence the cells’ fate may help researchers more accurately direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells for use in therapy. The researchers found that embryoid bodies have hallmarks of gastrulation - a remarkable developmental step that launches a hollow ball of cells toward becoming an organism with three distinct types of precursor cells. The scientists showed that this process is initiated by a single signaling pathway in embryoid bodies and in real embryos. Enhancing or blocking this signal affects what the cells become, the scientists found.

Scientists identify compounds for stem-cell production from adult cells

Source: Scripps Research Institute
Date: November 5, 2008

Summary:

Scientists screened known drugs and identified small molecules that could replace conventional reprogramming genes, which can have dangerous side effects. This new process offers a new way to generate stem cells from fibroblasts, a general cell type that is abundant and easily accessible from various tissues, including skin. The study was published in the November 6, 2008 edition (Volume 3, Issue 5) of the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Honeycomb to mend a broken heart

Source: New Scientist
Posted: 02 November 2008 18:00

Summary:

New Scientist reports researchers at Harvard and MIT have created a biodegradable patch containing stem cells that could repair damaged hearts:

"A biodegradable honeycomb laced with stem cells could help broken hearts mend themselves. The polymer patch could one day lay down a pathway in areas damaged by heart disease for cells to regenerate and regrow, while the mesh itself slowly disintegrates within the body."

New Regulatory Mechanism Discovered for Cell Identity and Behavior in Forming Organs

Source: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Date: October 31, 2008

Summary:

Two proteins interact in a previously unknown molecular mechanism that may have broad implications in future studies looking the causes of defective organs in fetuses, metastatic cancers and other diseases, according to researchers at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center. Reporting their work in the Nov. 1 Genes & Development, the researchers said the mechanism coordinates cell identity and behavior in the forming organs of embryos.

Stem cell therapies for heart disease -- one step closer

Source: University of Bristol
Date: October 30, 2008

Summary:

New research from the University of Bristol brings stem cell therapies for heart disease one step closer. The findings reveal that our bodies' ability to respond to an internal 'mayday' signal may hold the key to success for long-awaited regenerative medicine. Researchers at the Bristol Heart Institute have discovered how our bodies initiate DIY rescue and repair mechanisms when blood supply is inadequate, for example in diabetic limbs or in the heart muscle during heart attack. Their findings also provide a practical step to advance progress in stem cell therapies.

Geron Scientists and Collaborators Demonstrate Activity of Pancreatic Islet-like Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Diabetes

Source: Geron Corporation
Date: October 28, 2008

Summary:

Geron Corporation today announced the publication of data showing the successful engraftment of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic islet-like clusters (ILCs) in diabetic mice. After transplantation, the ILCs continued to express important pancreatic islet proteins, responded to high levels of glucose in the blood, and extended the survival of recipient animals. The research, conducted by Geron scientists and collaborators at the University of Alberta, has been published online in advance of print in Cell Proliferation.

Gene find sheds light on motor neuron diseases like ALS

Source: University of Rochester
Date: October 22, 2008

Summary:

Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons. The study is the result of a collaboration by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center who normally focus on the eye, working together with a developmental neuroscientist at Harvard who focuses on the cerebral cortex. The work appears in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Neuron. The work centers on corticospinal neurons, crucial nerve cells that connect the brain to the spinal cord.

Swamping Bad Cells With Good In ALS Animal Models Helps Sustain Breathing

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: October 19, 2008

Summary:

Johns Hopkins researchers report that transplanting a new line of stem cell-like cells into rat models of the disease clearly shifts key signs of neurodegenerative disease in general and ALS in particular - slowing the animals' neuron loss and extending life. The new work supports the hypothesis that artificially outnumbering unhealthy cells with healthy ones in targeted parts of the spinal cord preserves limb strength and breathing and can increase survival. An account of the work appears online in Nature Neuroscience.

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Mass-Production Of 'Embryonic' Stem Cells From A Human Hair

Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: October 17, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have successfully reprogrammed adult human cells called keratinocytes -- attached to a single hair -- into induced pluripotent stem cells, which by all appearances looked and acted like embryonic stem cells. And, the researchers have boosted reprogramming efficiency more than 100-fold, while cutting the time it takes in half. Their method, published ahead of print in the Oct. 17, 2008 online edition of Nature Biotechnology, not only provides a practical and simple alternative for the generation of patient- and disease-specific stem cells, which had been hampered by the low efficiency of the reprogramming process, but also spares patients invasive procedures to collect suitable starting material, since the process only requires a single human hair.

Researchers uncover new links between stem cells, aging and cancer

Source: University of Michigan
Date: October 16, 2008

Summary:

Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It's a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.

Pinpointing Key Biochemical Pathways Involved In Generating Large Numbers Of Heart Cells From Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc.
Date: October 15, 2008

Summary:

Researchers from VistaGen Therapeutics, together with Dr. Gordon Keller and his team of scientists from Toronto's McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have successfully identified key biochemical pathways involved in directing embryonic stem (ES) cells to become heart cells. The research was published recently in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology, in a paper entitled "Notch signaling re-specifies the hemangioblast to a cardiac fate."

Forsyth Scientists Trigger Cancer-Like Response from Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: The Forsyth Institute
Date: October 13, 2008

Summary:

Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, working with collaborators at Tufts and Tuebingen Universities, have discovered a new control over embryonic stem cells’ behavior. The researchers disrupted a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells and trigged a cancer-like response, including increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs. This research shows that electrical signals are a powerful control mechanism that can be used to modulate cell behavior.

New Properties Of Skin Stem Cells

Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: 13 October 2008

Summary:

Recent research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet reveals completely new properties of the skin's stem cells - discoveries that contradict previous findings. The studies, which are published in Nature Genetics, show amongst other things, that hair follicle stem cells can divide actively and transport themselves through the skin tissue.

Stem Cell Sentry Sounds The Alarm To Maintain Balance Between Cancer And Aging

Source: University of Michigan
Date: October 13, 2008

Summary:

Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It’s a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.

Stem cells may act as "Trojan horse" to deliver gene therapy to injured central nervous system

Source: Methodist Neurological Institute
Date: October 13, 2008

Summary:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) researchers at - The Methodist Hospital in Houston - have shown that transplanted bone marrow stem cells can attach themselves to injured areas in the brain or spinal cord, possibly providing a way to deliver future gene therapy. According to Dr. Stanley H. Appel’s study published in the Oct. 14, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, these "Trojan horse" cells may improve the ability to deliver gene therapy to the brain and spinal cord.

Landmark study unlocks stem cell, DNA secrets to speed therapies

Source: Florida State University
Date: October 10, 2008

Summary:

In a groundbreaking study led by an eminent molecular biologist at Florida State University, researchers have discovered that as embryonic stem cells turn into different cell types, there are dramatic corresponding changes to the order in which DNA is replicated and reorganized. The findings bridge a critical knowledge gap for stem cell biologists, enabling them to better understand the enormously complex process by which DNA is repackaged during differentiation -- when embryonic stem cells, jacks of all cellular trades, lose their anything-goes attitude and become masters of specialized functions. As a result, scientists now are one significant step closer to the central goal of stem cell therapy, which is to successfully convert adult tissue back to an embryo-like state so that it can be used to regenerate or replace damaged tissue. Such therapies hold out hope of treatments or cures for cancer, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and a host of other devastating disorders.

Eliminating Viral Vector In Stem Cell Reprogramming

Source: Gladstone Institutes
Date: October 9, 2008

Summary:

Scientists in the lab of Shinya Yamanaka MD, PhD, of Kyoto University and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have taken another step forward in improving the possibilities for the practical application of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. have eliminated the need for a viral vector in the stem cell reprogramming process In a report in Science, they showed the ability to reprogram adult cells into iPS cells without viral integration into the genome which lays to rest concerns that the reprogramming event might be dependent upon viral integration into specific genomic loci that could mediate the genetic switch.

A key mechanism regulating neural stem cell development is uncovered

Source: Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal
Date: October 8, 2008

Summary:

A research team at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness – Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), discovered a novel mechanism that regulates how neural stem cells of the retina generate the appropriate cell type at the right time during normal development. These findings, published today in the renowned journal Neuron, could influence the development of future cell replacement therapies for gene

Scientists pinpoint key proteins in blood stem cell replication

Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: October 8, 2008

Summary:

A family of cancer-fighting molecules helps blood stem cells in mice decide when and how to divide, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Blocking the molecules' function spurs the normally resting cells to begin proliferating strangely - making too much of one kind of cell and not enough of another. Many types of human blood cancers involve a similar disruption in the expression of that same family of molecules.

Scientists identify a molecule that coordinates the movement of cells

Source: Rockefeller University
Date: October 2, 2008

Summary:

Even cells commute. To get from their birthplace to their work site, they sequentially attach to and detach from an elaborate track of exceptionally strong proteins known as the extracellular matrix. Now, in research to appear in the October 3 issue of Cell, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University show that a molecule, called ACF7, helps regulate and power this movement from the inside - findings that could have implications for understanding how cancer cells metastasize.

The role of stem cells in renewing the cornea

Source: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Date: October 2, 2008

Summary:

A group of researchers in from EPFL and Lausanne University Hospitals (CHUV) led by professor Yann Barrandon has published a study appearing in the Oct 1 advance online edition of the Journal Nature that shows how the cornea uses stem cells to repair itself. Using mouse models they demonstrate that everyday wear and tear on the cornea is repaired from stem cells residing in the corneal epithelium, and that more serious repair jobs require the involvement of other stem cells that migrate from the limbus, a region between the cornea and the conjunctiva, the white part of the eye.

Reversible 3-D cell culture gel invented

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: September 28, 2008

Summary:

Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, has invented a unique user-friendly gel that can liquefy on demand, with the potential to revolutionize three-dimensional (3D) cell culture for medical research. As reported in Nature Nanotechnology (Y.S. Pek, A. C. A. Wan, A. Shekaran, L. Zhuo and J. Y. Ying, "A Thixotropic Nanocomposite Gel for Three-Dimensional Cell Culture"), IBN's novel gel media has the unique ability to liquefy when it is subjected to a moderate shear force and rapidly resolidifies into a gel within one minute upon removal of the force. This phenomenon of reverting between a gel and a liquid state is known as thixotropy.

Another key feature of IBN's gel is the ease with which researchers can transfer the cultured cells from the matrix by pipetting the required amount from the liquefied gel. Unlike conventional cell culture, trypsin is not required to detach the cultured cells from the solid media. As trypsin is an enzyme that is known to damage cells, especially in stem cell cultures, the long-term quality and viability of cells cultured using IBN's thixotropic gel would improve substantially without the exposure to this enzyme. Researchers are also able to control the gel's stiffness, thus facilitating the differentiation of stem cells into specific cell types.

Important new step toward producing stem cells for human treatment

Source: Harvard University
Date: September 25, 2008

Summary:

A team of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientists has taken an important step toward producing induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that are safe to transplant into patients to treat diseases. Excitement over the ability of researchers to create this form of stem cell by inserting four genes into adults cells has thus far been tempered by the fact that the genes have been inserted using retroviruses, which have the potential to turn on cancer genes and trigger tumor growth. But today Konrad Hochedlinger and HSCI colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital and Joslin Diabetes Center report having created mouse iPS cells using harmless adenoviruses that ultimately disappear from the new cells and therefore do not integrate into their DNA like the retroviruses.

Key Advance In Treating Spinal Cord Injuries Found In Manipulating Stem Cells

Source: University of Rochester Medical Center
Date: September 18, 2008

Summary:

Manipulating embryo-derived stem cells prior to transplantation may hold the key to overcoming a critical obstacle to using stem cell technology to repair spinal cord injuries, scientists have shown. Research from a team of scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center and the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, published today in the online Journal of Biology, may lead to improved spinal cord repair methods that pave the way for victims of paralysis to recover the use of their bodies without the risk of transplant-induced pain syndromes.

Different stem cell types defined by exclusive combinations of genes working together

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: September 18, 2008

Summary:

In the new issue of Cell Stem Cell, scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore report that the same transcription factor, which is crucial for the survival of different stem cell types, can behave differently. This study clearly showed for the first time that different types of stem cells are defined by exclusive combinations of genes working together, and this is under the influence of a single key stem cell factor (called Sall4).

The finding is timely since other researchers have recently revealed that specific genetic recipes can be used to turn non-stem cells into different stem cells that can be useful clinically. This finding reveals important insights about how scientists may be able to manipulate and engineer different stem cells for the treatment of human degenerative disorders. Understanding the behaviour of transcription factors, a class of gene regulators, helps pave the way for important advancements in stem cell technology and clinical research.

Scientists turn human skin cells into insulin-producing cells

Source: University of North Carolina
Date: September 17, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have transformed cells from human skin into cells that produce insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes. The breakthrough may one day lead to new treatments or even a cure for the millions of people affected by the disease, researchers say.

The approach involves reprogramming skin cells into pluripotent stem cells, or cells that can give rise to any other fetal or adult cell type, and then inducing them to differentiate, or transform, into cells that perform a particular function – in this case, secreting insulin. Several recent studies have shown that cells can be returned to pluripotent state using "defined factors" (specific proteins that control which genes are active in a cell), a technique pioneered by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, a professor at Kyoto University in Japan. However, the UNC study is the first to demonstrate that cells reprogrammed in this way can be coaxed to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells. Results of the study are published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Scientists identify genes capable of regulating stem cell function

Source: Forsyth Institute
Date: September 17, 2008

Summary:

Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, Boston, MA, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Utah School of Medicine have developed a new system in which to study known mammalian adult stem cell disorders. This research, conducted with the flatworm planaria, highlights the genetic similarity between these invertebrates and mammals in the mechanisms by which stem cell regulatory pathways are used during adult tissue maintenance and regeneration. It is expected that this work may help scientists pursue pharmacological, genetic, and physiological approaches to develop potential therapeutic targets that could repair or prevent abnormal stem cell growth which can lead to cancer.

Muscle stem cell identity confirmed by Stanford researchers

Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: September 17, 2008

Summary:

A single cell can repopulate damaged skeletal muscle in mice, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who devised a way to track the cell's fate in living animals. The research is the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells encircling muscle fibers harbor an elusive muscle stem cell. Identifying and isolating such a cell in humans would have profound therapeutic implications for disorders such as muscular dystrophy, injury and muscle wasting due to aging, disuse or disease.

Engineered stem cells carry promising ALS therapy

Source: University of Wisconsin
Date: September 16, 2008

Summary:

Using adult stem cells from bone marrow as "Trojan horses"to deliver a nurturing growth factor to atrophied muscles, Wisconsin scientists have successfully slowed the progression of ALS in rats. The work, published this week (Sept. 16) in the journal Molecular Therapy, provides a tantalizing hint that the approach may provide a new therapy for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Embryonic stem cells might help reduce transplantation rejection

Source: University of Iowa
Date: September 15, 2008

Summary:

Researchers have shown that immune-defense cells influenced by embryonic stem cell-derived cells can help prevent the rejection of hearts transplanted into mice, all without the use of immunosuppressive drugs. The University of Iowa and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center finding has implications for possible improvements in organ and bone marrow transplantation for humans. The study results appeared Friday in the online journal PLoS ONE.

DNA "Tattoos" Link Adult, Daughter Stem Cells...

Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
Date: September 11, 2008

Summary:

Unlike some parents, adult stem cells don’t seem to mind when their daughters get a tattoo. In fact, they’re willing to pass them along. Using the molecular equivalent of a tattoo on DNA that adult stem cells (ASC) pass to their “daughter” cells in combination with gene expression profiles, University of Utah. researchers have identified two early steps in adult stem cell differentiation—the process that determines whether cells will form muscle, neurons, skin, etc., in people and animals. The U of U researchers, led by Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and anatomy, identified 259 genes that help defined the earliest steps in the differentiation of adult stem cells in planarians—tiny flatworms that have the uncanny ability to regenerate cells and may have much to teach about human stem cell biology. The findings, reported in the Sept. 11 issue of Cell Stem Cell establish planarians as an excellent model for studying adult stem cells in a live animal, rather than a laboratory culture dish.

Stem cell regeneration repairs congenital heart defect

Source: Mayo Clinic
Date: September 11, 2008


Mayo Clinic investigators have demonstrated that stem cells can be used to regenerate heart tissue to treat dilated cardiomyopathy, a congenital defect. Publication of the discovery was expedited by the editors of Stem Cells and appeared online in the "express" section of the journal's Web site. The study expands on the use of embryonic stem cells to regenerate tissue and repair damage after heart attacks and demonstrates that stem cells also can repair the inherited causes of heart failure.

Scientists isolate cancer stem cells

Source: University of Oklahoma
Date: September 11, 2008

Summary:

After years of working toward this goal, scientists at the OU Cancer Institute have found a way to isolate cancer stem cells in tumors so they can target the cells and kill them, keeping cancer from returning. A research team at the University of Oklahoma led by Courtney Houchen, M.D., and Shrikant Anant, Ph.D., discovered that a particular protein only appears in stem cells. Until now, researchers knew of proteins that appeared in both regular cancer cells and stem cells, but none that just identified a stem cell. The group has already begun work to use the protein as a target for a new compound that once developed would kill the stem cells and kill the cancer. By targeting the stem cells, scientists and physicians also would be able to stop the cancer from returning.

Human embryonic stem cell secretions minimized tissue injury after heart attack

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: September 9, 2008

Summary:

A novel way to improve survival and recovery rate after a heart attack was reported in the journal Stem Cell Research by scientists at Singapore's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) and The Netherlands' University Medical Center Utrecht. This method, developed in laboratory research with pigs, is the first non-cell based therapeutic application of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). It entails using secretions from stem cells.

In their studies with pigs, the researchers found that the administration of secretion from stem cells minimized heart injury by enhancing reperfusion therapy (angioplasty and cardiac bypass surgery) and reducing tissue death by another 60%. Heart function was also markedly improved, the scientists report in the paper, published in the June 2008 issue of the journal. By demonstrating the efficacy of this secretion in an experimental pig model, currently the best approximation to a human heart attack patient undergoing reperfusion therapy, the researchers say that they have addressed the longstanding problem of reperfusion injury in the most clinically relevant experimental setting.

Hadassah Hospital Study Shows That Neural Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells Reduce Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Symptoms

Source: Hadasit
Date: September 8, 2008

Summary:

Hadassah University Hospital and Hadasit, the technology transfer company of Hadassah Medical Organization, announced today that scientists at Hadassah University Hospital have discovered a new application for human embryonic stem cells. They have demonstrated for the first time that transplanted neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells can reduce the clinical symptoms in animals with a form of multiple sclerosis.

Scientists reveal changes to embryonic stem cells caused by Down syndrome

Source: Queen Mary, University of London
Date: 4 September 2008

Summary:

Scientists investigating the mechanisms of Down Syndrome (DS) have revealed the earliest developmental changes in embryonic stem cells caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21 – the aberrant inheritance of which results in the condition. Their study is published online today (Thursday 4 September) in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Lead by Dean Nizetic, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Biology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, the team utilised embryonic stem cells from a previously genetically engineered species of mice carrying a copy of human chromosome 21. They discovered that extra chromosome 21 - a genetic state known as trisomy 21 - disturbs a key regulating gene called NRSF or REST, which in turn disturbs the cascade of other genes that control normal development at the embryonic stem cell stage. Furthermore, they identified one gene (DYRK1A) on human chromosome 21, whose overdose in trisomy (DS), is responsible for the observed effects.

Hearing Restoration May Be Possible With Cochlear Repair After Transplant Of Human Cord Blood Cells

Source: Cell Transplantation Center
Date: September 3, 2008

Summary:

Hearing loss due to cochlear damage may be repaired by transplanting human umbilical cord hematopoietic stem cells. This study, using animal models of chemical and auditory cochlear damage, found that when transplanted stem cells migrated to the damaged area, "surprisingly few" transplanted cells were necessary to help repair sensory hair cells and neurons. Researchers say transplanting umbilical cord stem cells provides hope for the repair of human hearing impairments rising from cochlear damage.

Sangamo BioSciences Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Source: Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
Date: September 3, 2008

Summary:

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced that it has opened a Phase 2 clinical trial (SB-509-801) to evaluate its drug, SB-509, in subjects with ALS, a progressive, degenerative motor-neuron disease for which there are limited treatment options and no cure. Sangamo's drug, SB-509, is an injectable formulation of a plasmid encoding a zinc finger DNA-binding protein transcription factor (ZFP TF(TM)) designed to upregulate the expression of the gene encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A). SB-509 is also in three additional Phase 2 clinical trials for diabetic neuropathy and stem cell mobilization. VEGF-A has been shown to have nerve protection properties as well as promoting nerve, blood vessel and muscle growth.

Two studies involving cardiac cell transplantation have shown an evolving role for bone marrow cells in cardiac cell therapy

Source: Cell Transplantation: The Regenerative Medicine Journal
Date: September 3, 2008

Summary:

Two studies involving cardiac cell transplantation have shown an evolving role for bone marrow cells in cardiac cell therapy. The implantation of heart muscle cells and subsequent restoration of cardiac function was enhanced when bone marrow cells were implanted along with the cardiomyocytes. Researchers also found that mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow provided an advantage over fetal amniotic fluid derived cells when differentiating into appropriate cells for cardiac cell transplantation and repair.

New stem cell tools to aid drug development

Source: Durham University
Date: September 2, 2008

Summary:

Scientists have designed, developed and tested new molecular tools for stem cell research to direct the formation of certain tissue types for use in drug development programmes. A collaborative team of scientists from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) have developed two synthetic molecules which can be used to coax stem cells to 'differentiate' - that is, transform into other forms of tissue. Their use could also help reduce the number of animals used in laboratory research. The team's results are published in the current issue of the scientific journal, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry.

Blood vessel cells are instructed to form tube-like structures

Source: Uppsala University
Date: August 29, 2008

Summary:

How do blood vessel cells understand that they should organise themselves in tubes and not in layers? A research group from Uppsala University shows for the first time that a special type of "instructor" molecule is needed to accomplish this. These findings, published in the scientific journal Blood, might be an important step towards using stem cells to build new organs.

Researchers Devise Means to Create Blood by Identifying Earliest Stem Cells

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: August 28, 2008

Summary:

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered the earliest form of human blood stem cells and deciphered the mechanism by which these embryonic stem cells replicate and grow. They also found a surprising biological marker that pinpoints these stem cells, which serve as the progenitors for red blood cells and lymphocytes.

Army researchers try to regrow fingers from 'pixie dust'

Source: United States Army
Date: August 28, 2008

Summary:

A powder that regrows limbs sounds like the stuff of fairy tales, but medical experts here are hoping they can use it to make magic happen for wounded warriors. Doctors from the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research are trying a regenerative medicine powder in hopes of stimulating tissue growth in Soldiers with missing extremities.

Coverage of Harvard Conversion of Pancreatic Cells Into Insulin-Producing Cells

Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by researchers at Harvard University in which pancreatic cells were converted Into insulin-producing cells:

Boston Globe, August 28, 2008: "New technique finds a faster way to change one cell type into another":

"Harvard researchers have transformed one type of pancreas cell in living mice into another - the insulin- producing cells that are destroyed in type 1 diabetes - potentially giving stem cell scientists a powerful new way to one day grow replacement tissues for patients. The technique, which the researchers said improved diabetic symptoms in the mice, is faster than another pioneering method, in which scientists turn mature adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells that have the capacity to become any cell in the body."

New York Times, August 28, 2008: "Researchers Report Advances in Cell Conversion Technique":

"Biologists at Harvard have converted cells from a mouse’s pancreas into the insulin-producing cells that are destroyed in diabetes, suggesting that the natural barriers between the body’s cell types may not be as immutable as supposed. This and other recent experiments raise the possibility that a patient’s healthy cells might be transformed into the type lost to a disease far more simply and cheaply than in the cumbersome proposals involving stem cells."

Financial Times, August 27 2008 20:53 | Last updated: August 27 2008 20:53: "Cell advance offers medical benefits":

"Biologists have for the first time transformed one type of adult cell directly into another, without using stem cells en route. This latest tour de force in the fastest-moving field of biology – reprogramming of living cells – was carried out by Douglas Melton and Joe Zhou of Harvard University. They made insulin-producing “beta cells” in living mice, by injecting a combination of three genes into other cells in the pancreas. ...The discovery could lead to a cure for diabetes, and it has profound implications for regenerative medicine – replacing diseased or injured tissues with new ones in good working order."

Milwaukee Journal Setinel, August 27, 2008: "'Makeover' sidesteps stem cells":

"After more than a decade of trying to harvest the promise of embryonic stem cells, scientists have hit on a fascinating new approach that sidesteps them entirely. By adding genes to targeted cells in the body, they have been able change the basic makeup of those cells, turning them into potential disease-curing cells. The feat, which was performed in mice, involved reprogramming cells in the pancreas that normally do not produce insulin so that they began producing the sugar-regulating hormone, opening the door to a potential new approach to treating diabetes."

HealthDay News, August 27, 2008: "Pancreatic Cells Turned Into Insulin-Producing Beta Cells":

"Scientists have succeeded in transforming pancreatic cells from adult mice into insulin-producing beta cells, a feat they call an 'extreme makeover.' The achievement is a step toward finding a treatment or even a cure for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, both of which involve problems with either insulin production or uptake."

Associated Press, August 27, 2008: "Cells change identity in promising breakthrough":

"...Scientists have transformed one type of cell into another in living mice, a big step toward the goal of growing replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases. The cell identity switch turned ordinary pancreas cells into the rarer type that churns out insulin, essential for preventing diabetes. But its implications go beyond diabetes to a host of possibilities, scientists said."

Technology Review, August 27, 2008: "A Stem-Cell Revolution":

"Scientists at Harvard University recently announced a much anticipated milestone in regenerative medicine: the creation of stem cells from patients with a variety of diseases. The cells, which can be encouraged to develop into cell types damaged by disease, such as the insulin-producing cells in diabetes or neurons in Parkinson's, are poised to give scientists an unprecedented view of disease."

United Press International, August 27, 2008: "Stunning regenerative medicine study cited":

"U.S. scientists, in what's called a stunning achievement, have transformed one type of adult mouse cell directly into another type inside a living animal. ...Using a technique they call 'direct reprogramming,' the team transformed mouse exocrine cells, which make up about 95 percent of the pancreas, into insulin-producing beta cells."

Reuters, August 27, 2008 256 p, EDT: "Researchers turn living cells into insulin-makers":

"Researchers have transformed ordinary cells into insulin-producing cells in a living mouse, improving symptoms of diabetes in a major step towards regenerative medicine. The technique, called direct reprogramming, bypasses the need for stem cells -- the body's master cells which, until now, have been indispensable to efforts to custom-make tissue and organ transplants."

Bloomberg News, August 27, 2008: "Harvard's Cell `Makeover' May Spur Diabetes Therapy":

"Using a kind of biological alchemy, Harvard University researchers have turned one type of cell found in the pancreas of mice into the variety that secretes the hormone insulin. If the technique can be used safely in humans, it may one day provide a treatment for diabetes, which occurs when the body either can't produce, or else makes too little of, the insulin needed to process blood sugar."

Researchers Create Insulin-Producing Cells from Adult Pancreatic Cells

Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Date: August 27, 2008

Summary:

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have converted adult pancreatic cells into insulin-producing beta cells in living mice. This is a first because the researchers directly changed the functional identity of adult cells without using embryonic stem cells or relying on techniques that reverse a cell's genetic programming to its earliest stages. The investigators repurposed the adult cells quickly by using viruses to shuttle just three regulatory genes that triggered the remarkable developmental changes. It took only a brief blip of activity by the regulatory genes to imbue the cells with their new job descriptions, which they have retained for as long as nine months. The experiments, which are reported on August 27, 2008, in an advance online publication in the journal Nature, realize a longtime goal in regenerative medicine: To produce specialized repair cells directly from a pool of adult cells that are healthy, abundant and easily obtained. Until now, repair cells have been generated from embryonic stem cells or more recently from pluripotent stem cells created by fully reprogramming adult cells.

Researchers turn one form of adult mouse cell directly into another

Source: Harvard University
Date: August 27, 2008

Summary:

In a feat of biological prestidigitation likely to turn the field of regenerative medicine on its head, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) co-director Doug Melton and post doctoral fellow Qiao "Joe" Zhou report having achieved what has long been a dream and ultimate goal of developmental biologists – directly turning one type of fully formed adult cell into another type of adult cell. The Melton team reports in today's online edition of the journal Nature that, using a technique it is calling "direct reprogramming," the team is able to turn mouse exocrine cells, which make up about 95 percent of the pancreas, into precious and rare insulin-producing beta cells. These beta cells, which comrpise about one percent of the pancreas, are the cells that die off in Type I diabetes.

Stem cells stand up for themselves

Source: Rockefeller University
Date: August 25, 2008

Summary:

Adult stem cells are not pampered pushovers. O'Reilly et al. report that certain stem cells take charge of their surroundings, molding their environment to control their division and differentiation. Some stem cells are cosseted like newborns. Neighboring cells cradle them in a structure called the niche. The niche not only nurtures its charges, it also dictates their behavior, determining whether they reproduce and specialize. The standard view is that the niche shapes stem cells, not vice versa.

O'Reilly et al. found evidence for more active stem cells while studying how the cells anchor themselves in the Drosophila ovary. Previous work indicated that ovary stem cells attach to the niche through the protein E-cadherin. O'Reilly et al. tested whether the stem cells also depend on integrins, cell surface proteins that link molecules in the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton. They found that follicle stem cells (FSC)—one type of ovary stem cell—drifted away from their niche when they carried mutant integrins.

Coverage of Advanced Cell Technology Generation of red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells

Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of an announcement by stem cell biotechnology company Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. in which red blood cells were created from human embryonic stem cells:

New Scientist19:30 19 August 2008: "First red blood cells grown in the lab":

"Blood donations may one day be a thing of the past thanks to the creation of the first functional red blood cells grown in the lab. The cells were grown from human embryonic stem cells (ESCs). ...The breakthrough raises the prospect of mass-producing supplies of the "universal donor" blood type O-negative, which is prized because it can be safely transfused into any patient, whatever their blood group. This type of blood is in short supply – around 8% of Caucasians have it, and just 0.3% of Asians. ...Making blood from a few ESC lines instead of obtaining it from countless donors may also help to stop the spread of disease, as it is easier to ensure such artficial blood is free of pathogens such as HIV and the viruses that cause hepatitis."

Boston Globe, August 20, 2008: "Stem cells may bring bottomless blood bank: ACT says it made billions of viable cells":

"Scientists at Advanced Cell Technology Inc., the Worcester stem cell company that is running out of cash, reported yesterday that they have created large numbers of red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells. ...Such a supply could be a useful solution to the nation's chronic problems with blood shortages and ease worries about contamination."

Associated Press, August 19, 2008: Stem cell advance may help transfusion supplies":

"Scientists say they've found an efficient way to make red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells, a possible step toward making transfusion supplies in the laboratory. The promise of a virtually limitless supply is tantalizing because of blood donor shortages and disappointments in creating blood substitutes. Red blood cells are a key component of blood because they carry oxygen throughout the body. Experts called the new work an advance, but cautioned that major questions had yet to be answered."

Bone marrow stem cells may help control inflammatory bowel disease

Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: August 20, 2008

Summary:

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model. In their report published in the journal Stem Cells, the team from the MGH Center for Engineering in Medicine report that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), known to control several immune system activities, allowed the regeneration of the gastrointestinal lining in mice with a genetic mutation leading to multiorgan autoimmune disease.

Stem cell indicator for bowel cancer should lead to better survival rates

Source: Durham University
Date: August 20, 2008

Summary:

Stem cell scientists have developed a more accurate way of identifying aggressive forms of bowel cancer, which should eventually lead to better treatment and survival rates. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. The UK-led team, headed by scientists from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute, (NESCI), studied tissue samples from 700 colorectal (bowel) cancer patients and tracked their progress.

They found that patients who had a stem cell marker protein called Lamin A present in their tissue were more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease. The team concluded that if the marker is detected in the early forms of colorectal cancer, these patients should be given chemotherapy in addition to the surgery normally offered to ensure a better survival predicament. The team now aims to develop a robust prognostic tool for use in the health service. The study, funded by the Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) and NHS Research and Development funds, is published in the open-access scientific journal Public Library of Science One (PLOS One).

UCR Researcher Develops Novel Method to Grow Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: University of California - Riverside
Date: August 19, 2008

Summary:

The majority of researchers working with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) – cells which produce any type of specialized adult cells in the human body – use animal-based materials for culturing the cells. But because these materials are animal-based, they could transmit viruses and other pathogens to the hESCs, making the cells unsuitable for medical use. Now, a stem-cell scientist at UC Riverside has devised a method of growing hESCs in the lab that uses no animal-derived materials – an important advance in the use of hESCs for future medical purposes.

Clinical-Scale Generation of Functional Red Blood Cells from Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Posted: August 19, 2008 3:09 pm ET

Summary:

In an official news release, Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechology company in the field of stem cell research, reports it has generated red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells:

" Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (“ACT”) (OTC: ACTC.PK) reported that it is feasible to differentiate and mature human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into functional oxygen-carrying red blood cells (RBCs) under conditions suitable for scale-up. The research, which appears online (pre-published ahead of print) in the journal Blood –the leading publication in the field—by ACTC and its collaborators at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Illinois, shows for the first time that the oxygen-carrying capacity of hESC-derived blood cells is comparable to normal transfusable RBCs, and that the cells respond to biochemical changes in a physiologically effective manner."

Universal Gene Signaling Mechanism Identified by UB Molecular Researchers

Source: University at Buffalo
Date: August 14, 2008

Summary:

A novel gene signaling mechanism that controls whether a stem cell develops into its destined tissue or fails to differentiate and becomes cancer has been identified by researchers in the multi-laboratory Molecular and Structural Neurobiology and Gene Therapy Program based at the University at Buffalo. The new pathway, identified as Integrative FGFR1 Signaling (INFS), presents a new and promising target for in vivo neural stem cell therapies and anticancer strategies.

Childhood brain tumor traced to normal stem cells gone bad

Source: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Date: August 12, 2008

Summary:

An aggressive childhood brain tumor known as medulloblastoma originates in normal brain "stem" cells that turn malignant when acted on by a known mutant, cancer-causing oncogene, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Reporting in the August 12 issue of Cancer Cell, the scientists say they have uncovered new origins for these tumors from early stem cells as well as more mature cells. Previously, scientists had assumed the tumors might only come from a single source: more mature cells which become neurons and do not have "stem" cell properties. The findings hint at potential new treatment approaches for medulloblastoma by targeting the origins of the tumors, and further suggest that not all patients tumors may be born from the same cells.

Yale Researchers Discover Tiny Cellular Antennae Trigger Neural Stem Cells

Source: Yale University
Date: August 11, 2008

Summary:

Yale University scientists today reported evidence suggesting that the tiny cilia found on brain cells of mammals, thought to be vestiges of a primeval past, actually play a critical role in relaying molecular signals that spur creation of neurons in an area of the brain involved in mood, learning and memory. The findings are published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

QLD scientists' stem cell breakthrough

Source: Brisbane Times
Posted: August 11, 2008 - 3:43PM ADT

Summary:

The Brisbane Times reports scientists created an embryonic stem cell from synthetic material:

"Queensland scientists have successfully turned synthetic material into an embryonic stem cell, in a research breakthrough that may one day quell the debate over stem cell therapies. The process, which derives embryonic stem cells from chemically-synthesised proteins, may eventually eliminate the controversial step of destroying human embryos for stem cell therapies, scientists from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) say."

Childhood brain tumor traced to normal stem cells gone bad

Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: August 11, 2008

Summary:

An aggressive childhood brain tumor known as medulloblastoma originates in normal brain “stem” cells that turn malignant when acted on by a known mutant, cancer-causing oncogene, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Reporting in the Aug. 12 issue of Cancer Cell, the scientists say they have uncovered new origins for these tumors from early stem cells as well as more mature cells. Previously, scientists had assumed the tumors might only come from a single source: more mature cells which become neurons and do not have “stem” cell properties. The findings hint at potential new treatment approaches for medulloblastoma by targeting the origins of the tumors, and further suggest that not all patients’ tumors may be born from the same cells.

Scientists identify single microRNA that controls blood vessel development

Source: Gladstone Institutes
Date: August 11, 2008

Summary:

Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and UCSF have identified a key regulatory factor that controls development of the human vascular system, the extensive network of arteries, veins, and capillaries that allow blood to reach all tissues and organs. The research, published in the latest issue of Developmental Cell, may offer clues to potential therapeutic targets for a wide variety of diseases, such as heart disease or cancer, that are impacted by or affect the vascular system.

Pluristem's PLX-MS Shows Potential Benefit in the Prevention of Multiple Sclerosis

Source: Pluristem Therapeutics Inc.
Posted: August 11, 2008 7:00 am ET

Summary:

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc., a bio-therapeutics company dedicated to the commercialization of non-personalized (allogeneic) cell therapy products for a variety of degenerative, ischemic and autoimmune indications, today announced that the Company’s PLacental eXpanded (PLX-MS) cells have demonstrated in vivo efficacy in the prevention of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). PLX cells are Pluristem’s placental-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that have been expanded in the Company’s proprietary PluriX™ 3-D bioreactor.

Scientists uncover the key to controlling how stem cells develop

Source: McMaster University
Date: August 7, 2008

Summary:

The results of a new study involving a McMaster University researcher provide insight into how scientists might control human embryonic stem cell differentiation. In collaboration with researchers from SickKids and Mount Sinai hospitals, Dr. Jon Draper, a scientist in the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute, focused on producing early endoderm cells from human embryonic stem cells. The research is published in the August issue of Cell Stem Cell, a Cell Press journal.

Scientists produce stem cells for 10 diseases

Source: Associated Press
Date: August 7, 2008

Summary:

The Associated Press reports researchers at Harvard University created stem cell lines for 10 genetic diseases:

"Harvard scientists say they have created stems cells for 10 genetic disorders, which will allow researchers to watch the diseases develop in a lab dish. This early step, using a new technique, could help speed up efforts to find treatments for some of the most confounding ailments, the scientists said."

Below is a summary of additional media coverage of this story from various news sources:

Canwest News Service, August 8, 2008: "Scientists use stem cells to help decipher diseases: Process may make it possible to find new drugs and treatments":

In what could be the first step toward recreating a disease in a Petri dish, scientists have created a new set of stem cell lines that contain the basic genetic components of 10 incurable diseases, from Down syndrome to diabetes and Parkinson's.
The newly created trove of stem cell lines will allow researchers "to watch the disease progress in a dish, to watch what goes right or wrong," says Doug Melton, co-director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

Agence France Presse (AFP), August 8, 2008 6:42 PM ET: "US team creates stem cells of 10 incurable diseases":

"US scientists have cultivated a new line of stem cells that reproduce the genetic defects responsible for 10 incurable diseases such as muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease, a study said. The team managed to convert ordinary skin and bone tissue cells from patients with these diseases into stem cells which contain the same genetic fault. This could help step up research into finding an eventual cure, the study said in the latest edition of Cell magazine.


HealthDay News, August 7, 2008: "Disease-Specific Stem Cell Lines Developed: Should advance both research and future treatments, scientists say"

"Researchers in Massachusetts have succeeded in generating several disease-specific stem cell lines which should advance both research and, one day, treatment. ...The current paper in Cell describes a similar process, taking cells from patients aged 1 month to 57 years and suffering from one of 10 conditions including Down Syndrome, Parkinson's, Huntington's disease, muscular dystrophy and type 1 diabetes, and using iPS to produce pluripotent, undifferentiated stem cells."

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, August 7, 2008: "Scientists Replicate Diseases in the Lab with New Stem Cell Lines":

A set of new stem cell lines will make it possible for researchers to explore ten different genetic disorders—including muscular dystrophy, juvenile diabetes, and Parkinson's disease—in a variety of cell and tissue types as they develop in laboratory cultures. Researchers led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator George Q. Daley have converted cells from individuals with the diseases into stem cells with the same genetic errors. These newly-created stem cells will allow researchers to reproduce human tissue formation in a Petri dish as it occurs in individuals with any of the ten diseases, a vast improvement over current technology. Like all stem cells, these disease-specific stem cells grow indefinitely, and scientists can coax them into becoming a variety of cell types."

Medical News Today, 07 August 2008 - 12:00 PDT: "Scientists Create Disease-Specific Stem Cell Lines":

"US researchers have found a way to produce immortal cell strains and tissue types from diseased patients by converting their cells into pluripotent stem cells with the same genetic errors. The new cell lines will enable scientists to investigate ten different genetic disorders like Parkinson's, muscular dystrophy, and type 1 diabetes in the test tube instead of in the patient, a huge step forward compared to current methods."

Reuters, August 7, 2008 12:00pm EDT: "Skin cells produce library of diseased stem cells":

"U.S. stem cell experts have produced a library of the powerful cells using ordinary skin and bone marrow cells from patients, and said on Thursday they would share them freely with other researchers. They used a new method to re-program ordinary cells so they look and act like embryonic stem cells -- the master cells of the body with the ability to produce any type of tissue or blood cell."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 7, 2008: "Harvard scientists create new stem cell lines: Advance could further research into 10 diseases":

"Harvard scientists have reprogrammed the cells of patients with various genetic illnesses back to an embryonic state, creating a bank of cells that researchers can use to study and fight disease. The 20 new cell lines span 10 different diseases and conditions, including Parkinson’s and Down syndrome. They will offer scientists the chance to watch diseases progress in a laboratory dish and give researchers new targets for drugs."

The Press Association, August 7, 2008: "Experts in stem cell breakthrough":

"Scientists say they have created stem cells for 10 genetic disorders, which will allow researchers to watch the diseases develop in a lab dish. This early step, using a new technique, could help speed up efforts to find treatments for some of the most confounding ailments, the Harvard scientists said."

Bloomberg News, August 7, 2008: "Harvard Team Makes 10 Disease-Bearing Stem Cell Lines":

"Harvard University scientists have made lines of stem cells, able to turn into any other cell in the body, from bits of skin or blood of 10 patients with genetic diseases including muscular dystrophy and juvenile diabetes. The findings will help researchers decipher the workings of these diseases, enabling them to study what happens as cells that carry a condition's genetic seeds develop and age. The lines will be made available for a 'nominal fee' to researchers around the world, the Harvard scientists said."

Nature, 7 August 2008: "Ten diseases in a dish: Disease-specific cell lines will help the study and treatment of medical conditions.":

"It is “the beginning of studying thousands of diseases in a Petri dish,” according to researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who have reprogrammed cells from patients with a wide range of diseases into stem cells. They promise to provide these stem-cell lines — cultures of constantly-dividing cells — “virtually free” to researchers across the world."