Source: Daily Mail
Posted: Last updated at 09:29am on 31st January 2008
Summary:
The Daily Mail reports scientists have discovered how to reverse memory loss by using electrical stimulation on the human brain:
"Scientists have accidentally discovered how to reverse memory loss by stimulating a specific part of the hypothalamus.
They were experimenting with deep-brain stimulation in an attempt to curb the appetite of a 30st patient who suffered from a lifelong obesity problem. Electrodes were pushed into his brain and stimulated with an electric current. The treatment did not cure his eating problem - but he experienced vivid memories of an event that occurred 30 years earlier."
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Is Old Age Memory Decline Reversible?
Source: Scientific American
Date: January 31, 2008
Summary:
Scientific American reports researchers made a discovery about what triggers age-related memory loss:
"Scientists have found that a lessened supply of new nerve cells in the adult brain apparently triggers short-term memory loss typically associated with aging, setting the stage for one day developing therapies designed to maintain a steady supply of fresh neurons to keep the mind sharp."
Date: January 31, 2008
Summary:
Scientific American reports researchers made a discovery about what triggers age-related memory loss:
"Scientists have found that a lessened supply of new nerve cells in the adult brain apparently triggers short-term memory loss typically associated with aging, setting the stage for one day developing therapies designed to maintain a steady supply of fresh neurons to keep the mind sharp."
Monash pioneers nano scaffold to rebuild nerve damage
Source: Monash University
Date: 31 January 2008
Summary:
A Monash University PhD student has developed a new technique that could revolutionise stem cell treatment for Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. David Nisbet from Monash University's Department of Materials Engineering has used existing polymer-based biodegradable fibres, 100 times smaller than a human hair, and re-engineered them to create a unique 3-D scaffold that could potentially allow stem cells to repair damaged nerves in the human body more quickly and effectively.
Date: 31 January 2008
Summary:
A Monash University PhD student has developed a new technique that could revolutionise stem cell treatment for Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. David Nisbet from Monash University's Department of Materials Engineering has used existing polymer-based biodegradable fibres, 100 times smaller than a human hair, and re-engineered them to create a unique 3-D scaffold that could potentially allow stem cells to repair damaged nerves in the human body more quickly and effectively.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
First Patients Treated in Cytori's Stem & Regenerative Cell Heart Attack Study
Source: Cytori Therapeutics
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
In an official company news release, Cytori Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in the field of adult stem cell research, announced the the treatment of the first patients participating in its clinical trial using Adult adipose (fat) stem and regenerative cells to treat heart attacks:
" Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CYTX) enrolled the first two patients in a clinical trial using adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells in the treatment of heart attack. In this trial, patients' cells are made available using Cytori's Celution™ System, a real-time cell processing device. One patient has been enrolled in each trial center, Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, Spain, and Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands."
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
In an official company news release, Cytori Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in the field of adult stem cell research, announced the the treatment of the first patients participating in its clinical trial using Adult adipose (fat) stem and regenerative cells to treat heart attacks:
" Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CYTX) enrolled the first two patients in a clinical trial using adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells in the treatment of heart attack. In this trial, patients' cells are made available using Cytori's Celution™ System, a real-time cell processing device. One patient has been enrolled in each trial center, Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, Spain, and Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands."
Newborn brain cells modulate learning and memory
Source: Salk Institute
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
Boosted by physical and mental exercise, neural stem cells continue to sprout new neurons throughout life, but the exact function of these newcomers has been the topic of much debate. Removing a genetic master switch that maintains neural stem cells in their proliferative state finally gave researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies some definitive answers. Without adult neurogenesis — literally the “birth of neurons” —genetically engineered mice turned into “slow learners” that had trouble navigating a water maze and remembering the location of a submerged platform, the Salk investigators report in the Jan. 30 Advance Online Edition of Nature. The findings suggest that, one day, researchers might be able to stimulate neurogenesis with orally active drugs to influence memory function, the researchers say.
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
Boosted by physical and mental exercise, neural stem cells continue to sprout new neurons throughout life, but the exact function of these newcomers has been the topic of much debate. Removing a genetic master switch that maintains neural stem cells in their proliferative state finally gave researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies some definitive answers. Without adult neurogenesis — literally the “birth of neurons” —genetically engineered mice turned into “slow learners” that had trouble navigating a water maze and remembering the location of a submerged platform, the Salk investigators report in the Jan. 30 Advance Online Edition of Nature. The findings suggest that, one day, researchers might be able to stimulate neurogenesis with orally active drugs to influence memory function, the researchers say.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Stem cell therapy studies for stroke, cerebral palsy prepare for clinical trials
Source: Medical College of Georgia
Date: January 29, 2008
Summary:
Finding answers about optimal dosage and timing for stem cell therapy in adults with strokes and newborns with ischemic injuries is a goal of two new federally funded studies. The answers are critical before clinical trials can begin, says Dr. Cesario V. Borlongan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia and Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is principal investigator on the National Institutes of Health grants totaling $6 million that also will explore long-term benefits of cell therapy. If these additional laboratory studies replicate the promising results of the pilot studies, which indicate about a 25 percent improvement in recovery over controls, MCG and VA researchers hope to begin clinical trials in new ischemic injuries in adults and children within two years.
Date: January 29, 2008
Summary:
Finding answers about optimal dosage and timing for stem cell therapy in adults with strokes and newborns with ischemic injuries is a goal of two new federally funded studies. The answers are critical before clinical trials can begin, says Dr. Cesario V. Borlongan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia and Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is principal investigator on the National Institutes of Health grants totaling $6 million that also will explore long-term benefits of cell therapy. If these additional laboratory studies replicate the promising results of the pilot studies, which indicate about a 25 percent improvement in recovery over controls, MCG and VA researchers hope to begin clinical trials in new ischemic injuries in adults and children within two years.
Stem cells treatment for brittle bones in the womb
Source: The University of Queensland
Date: 29 January 2008
Summary:
The extraordinary results of an in utero stem cell treatment could lead to a new treatment for babies with brittle bones, as well as a range of other disabling conditions, according to a maternal-fetal medicine researcher, now based at The University of Queensland (UQ). Action Medical Research has announced the outcomes of an Imperial College London study, conducted by a team led by Professor Nicholas Fisk, that could lead to a stem cell treatment for babies with brittle bones - before they are even born.
Date: 29 January 2008
Summary:
The extraordinary results of an in utero stem cell treatment could lead to a new treatment for babies with brittle bones, as well as a range of other disabling conditions, according to a maternal-fetal medicine researcher, now based at The University of Queensland (UQ). Action Medical Research has announced the outcomes of an Imperial College London study, conducted by a team led by Professor Nicholas Fisk, that could lead to a stem cell treatment for babies with brittle bones - before they are even born.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Researchers map signaling networks that control neuron function
Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
In the first large-scale proteomics study of its kind, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have mapped thousands of neuronal proteins to discover how they connect into complex signaling networks that guide neuron function. Their research – using quantitative mass spectrometry, computational software and bioinformatics to match the proteins to their cellular functions – may lead to a better understanding of brain development, neurodegenerative diseases, and spinal cord regeneration.
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
In the first large-scale proteomics study of its kind, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have mapped thousands of neuronal proteins to discover how they connect into complex signaling networks that guide neuron function. Their research – using quantitative mass spectrometry, computational software and bioinformatics to match the proteins to their cellular functions – may lead to a better understanding of brain development, neurodegenerative diseases, and spinal cord regeneration.
Cancer drug activates adult stem cells
Source: Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug used in cancer treatment activates stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers– found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug used in cancer treatment activates stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers– found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Adult Stem Cell Application Effective In Treatment Of Peripheric Vascular Disease
Source: Basque Research
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
Multipotent adult progenitor stem cells extracted from bone marrow, and known as MAPCs, have proved to be effective in the regeneration of blood vessel tissue and also in muscle tissue when treating peripheric vascular disease. The most important finding from the research was that adult MAPC stem cells are more effective when injected without pre-differentiation, not only because they contribute in increasing the quantity of arteries and veins generated in the new area, but also because they manage to enhance muscle regeneration.
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
Multipotent adult progenitor stem cells extracted from bone marrow, and known as MAPCs, have proved to be effective in the regeneration of blood vessel tissue and also in muscle tissue when treating peripheric vascular disease. The most important finding from the research was that adult MAPC stem cells are more effective when injected without pre-differentiation, not only because they contribute in increasing the quantity of arteries and veins generated in the new area, but also because they manage to enhance muscle regeneration.
Researchers create stem cell lines from poor quality embryos discarded from fertility clinics
Source: Children's Hospital Boston
Date: January 27, 2008
Summary:
Human embryos that are discarded every day as medical waste from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics could be an important source of stem cells for research, according to a team of researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Some of the embryos created during IVF are deemed "clinically useless" because of imperfections, but a paper published in the January 27 online edition of Nature Biotechnology shows that it is possible to derive stem cell lines from these poor-quality embryos.
Date: January 27, 2008
Summary:
Human embryos that are discarded every day as medical waste from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics could be an important source of stem cells for research, according to a team of researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Some of the embryos created during IVF are deemed "clinically useless" because of imperfections, but a paper published in the January 27 online edition of Nature Biotechnology shows that it is possible to derive stem cell lines from these poor-quality embryos.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Elusive Pancreatic Progenitor Cells Found in Mice
Source: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
Researchers in Belgium have significantly advanced the discovery of a pancreatic progenitor cell with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells may represent "an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes," the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of the research journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press. In people with type 1 diabetes, blood sugar rises due to a loss of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy.
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
Researchers in Belgium have significantly advanced the discovery of a pancreatic progenitor cell with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells may represent "an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes," the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of the research journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press. In people with type 1 diabetes, blood sugar rises due to a loss of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy.
Turning on adult stem cells may help repair bone
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug to activate stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) – found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug to activate stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) – found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Pancreatic stem cell breakthrough could offer treatment for Type 1 diabetes
Source: Agence France Presse
Posted: January 25, 2008 2:48 AM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse reports researchers have isolated adult pancreatic stem cells in mice:
"An international team of scientists has isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice, a breakthrough that could lead to treatment for juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, researchers said in a study published Thursday. Scientists have for some time been searching for stem cells in the pancreas, which have the potential of restoring the organ's insulin-making capacity so crucial in maintaining adequate blood sugar levels in the body. The researchers hope to program the mice pancreatic stemcells to generate new insulin-producing beta cells."
Posted: January 25, 2008 2:48 AM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse reports researchers have isolated adult pancreatic stem cells in mice:
"An international team of scientists has isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice, a breakthrough that could lead to treatment for juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, researchers said in a study published Thursday. Scientists have for some time been searching for stem cells in the pancreas, which have the potential of restoring the organ's insulin-making capacity so crucial in maintaining adequate blood sugar levels in the body. The researchers hope to program the mice pancreatic stemcells to generate new insulin-producing beta cells."
Genes Linked to Parkinson’s Protection Identified by UA Researchers
Source: University of Alabama
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
University of Alabama researchers have identified five genes within animal models displaying protective capabilities against a hallmark trait of Parkinson’s disease. The research, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ Early Edition, is a possible step toward identifying both new targets for drug treatment development and genetic factors that make some people more susceptible to the disease, the researchers said.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
University of Alabama researchers have identified five genes within animal models displaying protective capabilities against a hallmark trait of Parkinson’s disease. The research, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ Early Edition, is a possible step toward identifying both new targets for drug treatment development and genetic factors that make some people more susceptible to the disease, the researchers said.
Stem Cells Finally Found in Pancreas
Source: HealthDay News
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have discovered stem cells in the pancreas of mice:
"An international team of researchers has finally managed to locate stem cells in the pancreas -- in mice, at least. If the findings are confirmed in humans, they could pave the way for dramatic new therapies for diabetes, namely the regeneration of beta cells so the body could once again produce its own insulin."
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have discovered stem cells in the pancreas of mice:
"An international team of researchers has finally managed to locate stem cells in the pancreas -- in mice, at least. If the findings are confirmed in humans, they could pave the way for dramatic new therapies for diabetes, namely the regeneration of beta cells so the body could once again produce its own insulin."
Protein that controls hair growth also keeps stem cells slumbering
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Like fine china and crystal, which tend to be used sparingly, stem cells divide infrequently. It was thought they did so to protect themselves from unnecessary wear and tear. But now new research has unveiled the protein that puts the brakes on stem cell division and shows that stem cells may not need such guarded protection to maintain their potency. A protein involved in hair growth also keeps the skin's stem cells from proliferating. This research raises questions about what stem cells need in order to maintain their ability to regenerate tissues -- questions that may be key in developing treatments for patients with thinning hair.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Like fine china and crystal, which tend to be used sparingly, stem cells divide infrequently. It was thought they did so to protect themselves from unnecessary wear and tear. But now new research has unveiled the protein that puts the brakes on stem cell division and shows that stem cells may not need such guarded protection to maintain their potency. A protein involved in hair growth also keeps the skin's stem cells from proliferating. This research raises questions about what stem cells need in order to maintain their ability to regenerate tissues -- questions that may be key in developing treatments for patients with thinning hair.
Elusive pancreatic stem cells found in adult mice
Source: Cell Press
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Just as many scientists had given up the search, researchers have discovered that the pancreas does indeed harbor stem cells with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in adult mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells will represent “an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes,” the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of Cell, a publication of Cell Press.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Just as many scientists had given up the search, researchers have discovered that the pancreas does indeed harbor stem cells with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in adult mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells will represent “an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes,” the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of Cell, a publication of Cell Press.
Engineers Use Blood's Hydrodynamics to Manipulate Stem, Cancer Cells
Source: University of Rochester
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
A tiny, implantable device has pulled adult stem cells out of a living rat with a far greater purity than any present technique. The test of the device designed by Michael R. King, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester, will be reported in the March 3 issue of the British Journal of Haematology.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
A tiny, implantable device has pulled adult stem cells out of a living rat with a far greater purity than any present technique. The test of the device designed by Michael R. King, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester, will be reported in the March 3 issue of the British Journal of Haematology.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Stem Cells May Gradually Replace Antirejection Drugs For Kidney Transplant Patients
Source: Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Date: January 23, 2008
Summary:
After transplant surgery, antirejection drugs for the organ recipient are a must. But prolonged use can have serious side effects, including infections, heart disease and even cancer. A new study seeks to eliminate the need for antirejection drugs by transplanting stem cells from a kidney donor's bone marrow into the organ recipient. Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine are working with Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s department of organ transplantation to enroll qualifying subjects in a new research study that seeks to transplants stem cells from a kidney donor’s bone marrow into the recipient, with the hope of gradually eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. If research proves successful, it would mean a dramatic change in the post-transplant quality of life for the transplant recipient.
Date: January 23, 2008
Summary:
After transplant surgery, antirejection drugs for the organ recipient are a must. But prolonged use can have serious side effects, including infections, heart disease and even cancer. A new study seeks to eliminate the need for antirejection drugs by transplanting stem cells from a kidney donor's bone marrow into the organ recipient. Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine are working with Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s department of organ transplantation to enroll qualifying subjects in a new research study that seeks to transplants stem cells from a kidney donor’s bone marrow into the recipient, with the hope of gradually eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. If research proves successful, it would mean a dramatic change in the post-transplant quality of life for the transplant recipient.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Key Bone Building Pathway Identified in Mice
Source: University of California, San Francisco
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, and Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have uncovered a biochemical signaling pathway that leads to the formation of abnormally large bones in mice. For humans, the discovery may provide clues to both childhood bone formation and osteoporosis –– the loss of bone in old age –– as well as a path to improved osteoporosis treatments. The research is detailed in a paper in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, and Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have uncovered a biochemical signaling pathway that leads to the formation of abnormally large bones in mice. For humans, the discovery may provide clues to both childhood bone formation and osteoporosis –– the loss of bone in old age –– as well as a path to improved osteoporosis treatments. The research is detailed in a paper in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Coverage of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment of Muscular Dystrophy
Below is a summary of additional media coverage from various news sources of the recent announcement by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center that researchers successfully treated mice with muscular dystrophy using muscle stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells:
Technology Review, January 22, 2008:
"Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) have used embryonic stem cells from mice to grow muscle cells. These same cells, injected into mice with a mild form of muscular dystrophy, formed healthy, functional muscle fibers at the site of deteriorating tissue. Scientists say that the research, while still in its early stages, could eventually lead to a cell-based therapy for patients with muscular dystrophy and other muscle-related diseases. The research was recently published in the online edition of Nature Medicine."
The Times, January 21, 2008:
"Scientists in the US have successfully coaxed mouse embryonic stem cells to develop into muscle tissue and then transplanted those cells into animals bred with the genetic mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy. When the cells were injected into the bloodstream of the mice they migrated to the muscles to replenish them with healthy tissue and improved their function."
Dallas Business Journal, January 21, 2008 - 10:27 AM CST:
"Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have used embryonic cells to grow functioning muscle cells in mice that have a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This is the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy, according to a news release. The study, led by Dr. Rita Perlingeiro, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the hospital said."
BBC News, 21 January 2008, 00:04 GMT
"A new way to manipulate human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) offers hope of a treatment for muscular dystrophies.
The muscle-wasting conditions are caused by genetic mutations which block production of a key protein in cells. In theory, ESCs could be used to replace defective cells - but getting them to form muscle cells in sufficient quantity has proved difficult. Nature Medicine details US work using genetic manipulation to overcome the problem, with positive results in mice."
Technology Review, January 22, 2008:
"Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) have used embryonic stem cells from mice to grow muscle cells. These same cells, injected into mice with a mild form of muscular dystrophy, formed healthy, functional muscle fibers at the site of deteriorating tissue. Scientists say that the research, while still in its early stages, could eventually lead to a cell-based therapy for patients with muscular dystrophy and other muscle-related diseases. The research was recently published in the online edition of Nature Medicine."
The Times, January 21, 2008:
"Scientists in the US have successfully coaxed mouse embryonic stem cells to develop into muscle tissue and then transplanted those cells into animals bred with the genetic mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy. When the cells were injected into the bloodstream of the mice they migrated to the muscles to replenish them with healthy tissue and improved their function."
Dallas Business Journal, January 21, 2008 - 10:27 AM CST:
"Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have used embryonic cells to grow functioning muscle cells in mice that have a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This is the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy, according to a news release. The study, led by Dr. Rita Perlingeiro, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the hospital said."
BBC News, 21 January 2008, 00:04 GMT
"A new way to manipulate human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) offers hope of a treatment for muscular dystrophies.
The muscle-wasting conditions are caused by genetic mutations which block production of a key protein in cells. In theory, ESCs could be used to replace defective cells - but getting them to form muscle cells in sufficient quantity has proved difficult. Nature Medicine details US work using genetic manipulation to overcome the problem, with positive results in mice."
First U.S. Trial Transplants Stem Cells to Investigate Prevention of Leg Amputations
Source: Northwestern University
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
A Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researcher has launched the first U.S. trial in which a purified form of subjects' own adult stem cells was transplanted into their leg muscles with severely blocked arteries to try to grow new small blood vessels and restore circulation in their legs.
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
A Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researcher has launched the first U.S. trial in which a purified form of subjects' own adult stem cells was transplanted into their leg muscles with severely blocked arteries to try to grow new small blood vessels and restore circulation in their legs.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Study: Stem cells may prevent amputations
Source: United Press International
Posted: January 21, 2008 1:06 PM EST
Summary:
Northwestern University researchers have launched the first U.S. trial in which stem cells are used to grow new blood vessels to prevent leg amputations.
Posted: January 21, 2008 1:06 PM EST
Summary:
Northwestern University researchers have launched the first U.S. trial in which stem cells are used to grow new blood vessels to prevent leg amputations.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Stem cell therapy eases muscular dystrophy: study
Source: Agence France Presse (AFP)
Posted: January 20, 2008 7:54 PM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports researchers improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy using embryonic stem cells:
"A treatment for muscular dystrophy may be within view after US scientists reported Sunday they used stem cell transplants to improve muscle function in mice afflicted with the disease."
The report explains how the treatment works:
"In the study, researchers report on a new technique which allowed them to coax embryonic mouse cells into becoming muscle cells that were injected directly into rodents with the Duchenne form of the disease...In order to do this the researchers manipulated a gene called Pax3 that is active in the earliest stages of stem cell development -- before the cells become, in other words, blood, bone, muscle or other specialised tissue in the body."
The results of the study, while only in mice, showed potential for the development of a human treatment for muscular dystrophy:
"In tests measuring muscle development, the muscles contracted with three times as much force as control mice who had the disease but had not been given the treatment. The results were in fact closer to normal mice, the study reported. And even after three months, there were no tumours."
Posted: January 20, 2008 7:54 PM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports researchers improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy using embryonic stem cells:
"A treatment for muscular dystrophy may be within view after US scientists reported Sunday they used stem cell transplants to improve muscle function in mice afflicted with the disease."
The report explains how the treatment works:
"In the study, researchers report on a new technique which allowed them to coax embryonic mouse cells into becoming muscle cells that were injected directly into rodents with the Duchenne form of the disease...In order to do this the researchers manipulated a gene called Pax3 that is active in the earliest stages of stem cell development -- before the cells become, in other words, blood, bone, muscle or other specialised tissue in the body."
The results of the study, while only in mice, showed potential for the development of a human treatment for muscular dystrophy:
"In tests measuring muscle development, the muscles contracted with three times as much force as control mice who had the disease but had not been given the treatment. The results were in fact closer to normal mice, the study reported. And even after three months, there were no tumours."
Embryonic Stem Cells Create Healthy Muscle in Mice
Source: HealthDay News
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into muscle tissue, whihc may lead to new treatments for muscular dystrophy:
"Researchers have coaxed embryonic mouse stem cells to grow into healthy muscle tissue, in a feat that creates new possibilities for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD is the most common of nine types of muscular dystrophy, which is characterized by a lack of the protein dystrophin in voluntary muscles, such as those in the arms and legs. Dystrophin plays a key role in building and repairing muscle; without it, muscles deteriorate and lose function."
Another version of this story can be found here.
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into muscle tissue, whihc may lead to new treatments for muscular dystrophy:
"Researchers have coaxed embryonic mouse stem cells to grow into healthy muscle tissue, in a feat that creates new possibilities for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD is the most common of nine types of muscular dystrophy, which is characterized by a lack of the protein dystrophin in voluntary muscles, such as those in the arms and legs. Dystrophin plays a key role in building and repairing muscle; without it, muscles deteriorate and lose function."
Another version of this story can be found here.
Stem cells help mice with muscular dystrophy: study
Source: Reuters
Posted: January 20, 2008 1:23pm ET
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers found that an embryonic stem cell therapy improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy:
" A therapy using embryonic stem cells helped restore muscle function in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of muscular dystrophy in children, U.S. researchers said on Sunday."
The researchers also point out the significance of this study:
"They said the study is the first to show that transplanted embryonic stem cells can restore muscle in genetically engineered mice with the disease."
Posted: January 20, 2008 1:23pm ET
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers found that an embryonic stem cell therapy improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy:
" A therapy using embryonic stem cells helped restore muscle function in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of muscular dystrophy in children, U.S. researchers said on Sunday."
The researchers also point out the significance of this study:
"They said the study is the first to show that transplanted embryonic stem cells can restore muscle in genetically engineered mice with the disease."
Stem-cell transplantation improves muscles in animal model of muscular dystrophy, researchers report
Source: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
Using embryonic stem cells from mice, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy – and more importantly, functioning – muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study represents the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy. The researchers' newly developed technique, which involves stringent sorting to preserve all stem cells destined to become muscle, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving the overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the researchers found.
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
Using embryonic stem cells from mice, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy – and more importantly, functioning – muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study represents the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy. The researchers' newly developed technique, which involves stringent sorting to preserve all stem cells destined to become muscle, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving the overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the researchers found.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Embryos are cloned using skin cells DNA and egg together reached a stage that could produce stem cells.
Source: Bloomberg News
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Bloomberg News reports researchers successfully cloned human embryos using DNA from adult skin cells:
"Five human embryos were cloned using donated DNA from skin cells, a technique that may lead to treatments based on patients' own stem cells. Researchers said the DNA came from the skin of two men, while three women donated eggs. The research, led by Andrew French, the chief science officer of the closely held biotechnology company Stemagen Corp., is detailed in a report published today by the journal Stem Cells."
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Bloomberg News reports researchers successfully cloned human embryos using DNA from adult skin cells:
"Five human embryos were cloned using donated DNA from skin cells, a technique that may lead to treatments based on patients' own stem cells. Researchers said the DNA came from the skin of two men, while three women donated eggs. The research, led by Andrew French, the chief science officer of the closely held biotechnology company Stemagen Corp., is detailed in a report published today by the journal Stem Cells."
Leukemia-causing Cells Found
Source: University of Oxford
Date: 18 January 2008
Summary:
Scientists have discovered the cancer ‘stem cells’ that cause acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. A report of the research, which was led by Oxford University scientists, has been published in the journal Science. The breakthrough came through studying four-year-old identical twins Olivia, who has leukaemia, and Isabella, who is healthy. They found that both twins had abnormal ‘pre-leukaemia’ stem cells in their blood that can either lie dormant in the bone marrow or develop into full-blown leukaemia stem cells. The results were then confirmed with experiments using human cord blood cells.
Date: 18 January 2008
Summary:
Scientists have discovered the cancer ‘stem cells’ that cause acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. A report of the research, which was led by Oxford University scientists, has been published in the journal Science. The breakthrough came through studying four-year-old identical twins Olivia, who has leukaemia, and Isabella, who is healthy. They found that both twins had abnormal ‘pre-leukaemia’ stem cells in their blood that can either lie dormant in the bone marrow or develop into full-blown leukaemia stem cells. The results were then confirmed with experiments using human cord blood cells.
Stem cell research aims to tackle Parkinson’s disease
Source: European Science Foundation
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Scientists in Sweden are developing new ways to grow brain cells in the laboratory that could one day be used to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease, an international conference of biologists organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) was told.
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Scientists in Sweden are developing new ways to grow brain cells in the laboratory that could one day be used to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease, an international conference of biologists organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) was told.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
TV News Coverage of Stemagen Human Embryo Cloning Announcement
Below are links to videos of TV news coverage of the announcement by biotechnology company Stemagen, Inc. that it cloned a human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT):
"SoCal Lab Says It Cloned Human Embryos: Stemagen Says Technology Will Be Used To Create Stem Cells"
Source: NBC 11 Bay Area San Jose, CA
POSTED: 11:44 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:03 pm PST January 17, 2008
"Local Company Successfully Clones Human Embryos"
Source: 10News San Diego, CA
POSTED: 8:02 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:04 pm PST January 17, 2008
"SoCal Lab Says It Cloned Human Embryos: Stemagen Says Technology Will Be Used To Create Stem Cells"
Source: NBC 11 Bay Area San Jose, CA
POSTED: 11:44 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:03 pm PST January 17, 2008
"Local Company Successfully Clones Human Embryos"
Source: 10News San Diego, CA
POSTED: 8:02 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:04 pm PST January 17, 2008
Discovery of 'creator' gene for cerebral cortex points to potential stem cell treatments
Source: University of California, Irvine
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a gene that is specifically responsible for generating the cerebral cortex, a finding that could lead to stem cell therapies to treat brain injuries and diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Edwin Monuki, doctoral student Karla Hirokawa and their colleagues in the departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Developmental & Cell Biology found that a gene called Lhx2 serves as the long-sought cortical "creator" gene that instructs stem cells in the developing brain to form the cerebral cortex.
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a gene that is specifically responsible for generating the cerebral cortex, a finding that could lead to stem cell therapies to treat brain injuries and diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Edwin Monuki, doctoral student Karla Hirokawa and their colleagues in the departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Developmental & Cell Biology found that a gene called Lhx2 serves as the long-sought cortical "creator" gene that instructs stem cells in the developing brain to form the cerebral cortex.
Researchers Determine Structure of Protein Involved in Spastic Paraplegia
Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Date; January 17, 2008
Summary:
By piecing together the detailed structure of a molecule-munching enzyme, researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have revealed how it helps maintains cells' internal highways. The finding could one day lead to new treatments for a neurological disorder caused when the enzyme, known as spastin, malfunctions.
Date; January 17, 2008
Summary:
By piecing together the detailed structure of a molecule-munching enzyme, researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have revealed how it helps maintains cells' internal highways. The finding could one day lead to new treatments for a neurological disorder caused when the enzyme, known as spastin, malfunctions.
Scientists uncover role of cancer stem cell marker: controlling gene expression
Source: Thomas Jefferson University
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have made an extraordinary advance in the understanding of the function of a gene previously shown to be part of an 11-gene “signature” that can predict which tumors will be aggressive and likely to spread. The gene, USP22, encodes an enzyme that appears to be crucial for controlling large scale changes in gene expression, one of the hallmarks of cancer cells.
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have made an extraordinary advance in the understanding of the function of a gene previously shown to be part of an 11-gene “signature” that can predict which tumors will be aggressive and likely to spread. The gene, USP22, encodes an enzyme that appears to be crucial for controlling large scale changes in gene expression, one of the hallmarks of cancer cells.
Stemagen First to Create Cloned Human Embryos From Adult Cells
Source: Stemagen Inc.
Posted: January 17, 2008 9:01 am ET
Summary:
Stemagen, a privately held embryonic stem cell research company, announced today it has become the first in the world to create, and meticulously document, a cloned human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Stemagen CEO Samuel H. Wood, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the publication and a donor of the cells from which the embryos were cloned, terms this achievement "a critical milestone in the development of patient-specific embryonic stem cells for human therapeutic use, potentially including developing treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases." Stemagen's research is exhaustively detailed in a paper published in today's issue of the highly regarded peer-reviewed scientific journal Stem Cells.
Posted: January 17, 2008 9:01 am ET
Summary:
Stemagen, a privately held embryonic stem cell research company, announced today it has become the first in the world to create, and meticulously document, a cloned human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Stemagen CEO Samuel H. Wood, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the publication and a donor of the cells from which the embryos were cloned, terms this achievement "a critical milestone in the development of patient-specific embryonic stem cells for human therapeutic use, potentially including developing treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases." Stemagen's research is exhaustively detailed in a paper published in today's issue of the highly regarded peer-reviewed scientific journal Stem Cells.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Researchers identify mechanism that controls activation of stem cells during hair regeneration
Source: University of Southern California
Date: January 16, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Southern California have identified a novel cyclic signaling in the dermis that coordinates stem cell activity and regulates regeneration in large populations of hairs in animal models. The signaling switch involves bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) pathway, according to the study that will be published in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Nature.
Date: January 16, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Southern California have identified a novel cyclic signaling in the dermis that coordinates stem cell activity and regulates regeneration in large populations of hairs in animal models. The signaling switch involves bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) pathway, according to the study that will be published in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Nature.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Coverage of University of Minnesota Creation of Rat Heart
Below is a summary of media coverage of the creation of a rat heart by University of Minnesota researchers using adult heart cels:
Canadian Press January 13, 2008: "Scientists create beating animal heart in lab; could help organ shortage"
"Researchers have brought a dead animal heart back to life in the lab by repopulating it with healthy cells, a feat they believe may someday allow them to grow new hearts and other organs for people desperate for transplants."
Reuters, January 13, 2008 2:41pm "Scientists create beating hearts in lab":
"U.S. researchers say they have coaxed hearts from dead rats to beat again in the laboratory and said the discovery may one day lead to customized organ transplants for people. ...Her study, which appeared on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, offers a way to fulfill the promise of using stem cells -- the body's master cells -- to grow tailor-made organs for transplant."
BBC News, 13 January 2008, 18:01 GMT: "'Spare part heart' beats in lab":
"The stripped-out shell of a heart has been made to work again - using brand new cells planted inside it.
Scientists removed all the muscle cells in a rat heart, leaving just a "scaffold" of other tissues such as blood vessels and valves. When the University of Minnesota team added heart cells, they quickly grew and produced a pumping action. It is hoped the Nature Medicine study will ultimately mean human or animal hearts can be crafted for transplant."
HealthDay News January 13, 2008: "Biotechnology Builds a New Heart":
"An organ-building biotechnology that could create transplantable hearts using stem cells from the recipients themselves has passed important laboratory tests, researchers report. The technique, called whole organ decellularization, has been used to create functioning heart tissue, according to a report in the Jan. 13 issue of Nature Medicine by a team at the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair."
New York Times, January 13, 2008: Researchers Create New Rat Heart in Lab:
"Medicine’s dream of growing new human hearts and other organs to repair or replace damaged ones received a significant boost on Sunday when University of Minnesota researchers reported success in creating a beating rat heart in a laboratory. Experts not involved in the Minnesota work called it “a landmark achievement” and “a stunning” advance. But they and the Minnesota researchers cautioned that the dream, if it is ever realized, is still at least 10 years away. ...The researchers removed all the cells from a dead rat heart, leaving the valves and outer structure as scaffolding for new heart cells injected from newborn rats. Within two weeks, the new cells formed a new beating heart that conducted electrical impulses and pumped a small amount of blood."
Canadian Press January 13, 2008: "Scientists create beating animal heart in lab; could help organ shortage"
"Researchers have brought a dead animal heart back to life in the lab by repopulating it with healthy cells, a feat they believe may someday allow them to grow new hearts and other organs for people desperate for transplants."
Reuters, January 13, 2008 2:41pm "Scientists create beating hearts in lab":
"U.S. researchers say they have coaxed hearts from dead rats to beat again in the laboratory and said the discovery may one day lead to customized organ transplants for people. ...Her study, which appeared on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, offers a way to fulfill the promise of using stem cells -- the body's master cells -- to grow tailor-made organs for transplant."
BBC News, 13 January 2008, 18:01 GMT: "'Spare part heart' beats in lab":
"The stripped-out shell of a heart has been made to work again - using brand new cells planted inside it.
Scientists removed all the muscle cells in a rat heart, leaving just a "scaffold" of other tissues such as blood vessels and valves. When the University of Minnesota team added heart cells, they quickly grew and produced a pumping action. It is hoped the Nature Medicine study will ultimately mean human or animal hearts can be crafted for transplant."
HealthDay News January 13, 2008: "Biotechnology Builds a New Heart":
"An organ-building biotechnology that could create transplantable hearts using stem cells from the recipients themselves has passed important laboratory tests, researchers report. The technique, called whole organ decellularization, has been used to create functioning heart tissue, according to a report in the Jan. 13 issue of Nature Medicine by a team at the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair."
New York Times, January 13, 2008: Researchers Create New Rat Heart in Lab:
"Medicine’s dream of growing new human hearts and other organs to repair or replace damaged ones received a significant boost on Sunday when University of Minnesota researchers reported success in creating a beating rat heart in a laboratory. Experts not involved in the Minnesota work called it “a landmark achievement” and “a stunning” advance. But they and the Minnesota researchers cautioned that the dream, if it is ever realized, is still at least 10 years away. ...The researchers removed all the cells from a dead rat heart, leaving the valves and outer structure as scaffolding for new heart cells injected from newborn rats. Within two weeks, the new cells formed a new beating heart that conducted electrical impulses and pumped a small amount of blood."
Identification of a novel neural stem cell type
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
As published in the upcoming issue of G&D, sesearchers from the Sloan-Kettering Institute, led by Dr. Lorenz Studer, have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. Scientists have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. In culture, neural stem cells (NSCs) can readily differentiate into neuronal and glial subtypes, but their ability to differentiate into region-specific neuronal cell types is limited. Dr. Studer and colleagues isolated and cloned a population of neural rosette cells (R-NSCs), which have an expanded neuronal subtype differentiation potential.
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
As published in the upcoming issue of G&D, sesearchers from the Sloan-Kettering Institute, led by Dr. Lorenz Studer, have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. Scientists have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. In culture, neural stem cells (NSCs) can readily differentiate into neuronal and glial subtypes, but their ability to differentiate into region-specific neuronal cell types is limited. Dr. Studer and colleagues isolated and cloned a population of neural rosette cells (R-NSCs), which have an expanded neuronal subtype differentiation potential.
By modifying a stem cell’s surface, researchers can steer cells where needed
Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
Now it appears that even stem cells can come with GPS. In a groundbreaking study, Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD, and colleagues in the Department of Dermatology at the Biomedical Research Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) harmlessly modified the surface of human mesenchymal stem cells (a type of adult stem cell that is the precursor of bone forming cells called osteoblasts), which directed the cells through the bloodstream into bone, where they matured into new bone cells. These findings will appear in the February print issue of Nature Medicine and on the journal’s website January 13.
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
Now it appears that even stem cells can come with GPS. In a groundbreaking study, Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD, and colleagues in the Department of Dermatology at the Biomedical Research Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) harmlessly modified the surface of human mesenchymal stem cells (a type of adult stem cell that is the precursor of bone forming cells called osteoblasts), which directed the cells through the bloodstream into bone, where they matured into new bone cells. These findings will appear in the February print issue of Nature Medicine and on the journal’s website January 13.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Researchers Restart Rat Heart
Source: Associated Press
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
Researchers seeking new treatments for heart disease managed to grow a rat heart in the lab and start it beating. They took the hearts from eight newborn rats and removed all the cells. Left behind was a gelatin-like matrix shaped like a heart and containing conduits where the blood vessels had been. Scientists then injected cells back into this scaffold — muscle cells and endothelial cells, which line blood vessels.
Dr. Doris Taylor, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota, explains the result of the procedure:
"The muscle cells covered the matrix walls and lined up together, while the endothelial cells found their way inside to coat the blood vessels," she said.
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
Researchers seeking new treatments for heart disease managed to grow a rat heart in the lab and start it beating. They took the hearts from eight newborn rats and removed all the cells. Left behind was a gelatin-like matrix shaped like a heart and containing conduits where the blood vessels had been. Scientists then injected cells back into this scaffold — muscle cells and endothelial cells, which line blood vessels.
Dr. Doris Taylor, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota, explains the result of the procedure:
"The muscle cells covered the matrix walls and lined up together, while the endothelial cells found their way inside to coat the blood vessels," she said.
U researchers grow a beating heart in a jar
Minneapolis Star Tribune
January 13, 2008 - 12:05 PM CST
Summary:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports researchers at the University of Minnesota have successfully grown a beating rat heart from adult heart stem cells:
"Researchers at the University of Minnesota have grown a beating heart in a jar. They used detergents to strip a rat heart of its own cells, leaving behind a white, three-dimensional scaffolding of connective tissue. They then infused it with living cardiac cells from newborn rats, which multiplied and grew into a fully functional heart -- a first in the field of tissue engineering." The researchers believe the first human application of this finding might be to treat heart defects in infants.
January 13, 2008 - 12:05 PM CST
Summary:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports researchers at the University of Minnesota have successfully grown a beating rat heart from adult heart stem cells:
"Researchers at the University of Minnesota have grown a beating heart in a jar. They used detergents to strip a rat heart of its own cells, leaving behind a white, three-dimensional scaffolding of connective tissue. They then infused it with living cardiac cells from newborn rats, which multiplied and grew into a fully functional heart -- a first in the field of tissue engineering." The researchers believe the first human application of this finding might be to treat heart defects in infants.
U of M researchers create beating heart in laboratory
Source: University of Minnesota
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
University of Minnesota researchers have created a beating heart in the laboratory. By using a process called whole organ decellularization, scientists from the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair grew functioning heart tissue by taking dead rat and pig hearts and reseeding them with a mixture of live cells. The research will be published online in the January 13 issue of Nature Medicine.
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
University of Minnesota researchers have created a beating heart in the laboratory. By using a process called whole organ decellularization, scientists from the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair grew functioning heart tissue by taking dead rat and pig hearts and reseeding them with a mixture of live cells. The research will be published online in the January 13 issue of Nature Medicine.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Hair has promise in nerve repairs: Protein keratin aids cell regeneration, WFU research says
Source: Winston-Salem Journal
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
The Winston-Salem Journal reports researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found that a protein found in human hair may enable nerve regeneration:
"Human hair could hold the key to accelerating the regeneration of nerve tissue that has been cut or damaged by trauma, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine said yesterday. ....The study, published in the current issue of Biomaterials, reported that the protein keratin found in human hair enhances nerve regeneration and improves nerve function - compared with current treatment options - in animal research. Keratin is believed to contain molecules that regulate cell behavior."
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
The Winston-Salem Journal reports researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found that a protein found in human hair may enable nerve regeneration:
"Human hair could hold the key to accelerating the regeneration of nerve tissue that has been cut or damaged by trauma, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine said yesterday. ....The study, published in the current issue of Biomaterials, reported that the protein keratin found in human hair enhances nerve regeneration and improves nerve function - compared with current treatment options - in animal research. Keratin is believed to contain molecules that regulate cell behavior."
Stem cells make bone marrow cancer resistant to treatment
Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have evidence that cancer stem cells for multiple myeloma share many properties with normal stem cells and have multiple ways of resisting chemotherapy and other treatments. A report on the evidence, published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, may explain why the disease is so persistent, the Johns Hopkins scientists say, and pave the way for treatments that overcome the cells’ drug resistance. Multiple myeloma affects bone marrow and bone tissue.
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have evidence that cancer stem cells for multiple myeloma share many properties with normal stem cells and have multiple ways of resisting chemotherapy and other treatments. A report on the evidence, published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, may explain why the disease is so persistent, the Johns Hopkins scientists say, and pave the way for treatments that overcome the cells’ drug resistance. Multiple myeloma affects bone marrow and bone tissue.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Embryonic stem cell lines created without destroying embryo: study
Source: Agence France Presse (AFP)
January 10, 2008, 14:58 EST
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, successfully created embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
"In a bid to sidestep the ethical debate over the use of human embryos in medical research, scientists have developed a way to derive viable stem cell lines without harming the embryo. They did so by extracting a single cell from the embryo -- as in vitro fertilization clinics do when they test for genetic defects -- and introducing a common molecule called laminin to keep it in a stem cell, or pluripotent, state."
Below are links to more coverage of this news story from various news sources:
Los Angeles Times: "Stem cells created without destroying embryos"
Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology: "Advanced Cell reports new embryonic stem cell tech ready to go"
San Jose Mercury News: "Stem-cell firms hail advance"
San Francisco Chronicle: "Firm proves its stem cell work won't destroy embryos"
Washington Post: "Lab Cites Stem Cell Advance"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Embryos Survive stem cells' creation"
January 10, 2008, 14:58 EST
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, successfully created embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
"In a bid to sidestep the ethical debate over the use of human embryos in medical research, scientists have developed a way to derive viable stem cell lines without harming the embryo. They did so by extracting a single cell from the embryo -- as in vitro fertilization clinics do when they test for genetic defects -- and introducing a common molecule called laminin to keep it in a stem cell, or pluripotent, state."
Below are links to more coverage of this news story from various news sources:
Los Angeles Times: "Stem cells created without destroying embryos"
Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology: "Advanced Cell reports new embryonic stem cell tech ready to go"
San Jose Mercury News: "Stem-cell firms hail advance"
San Francisco Chronicle: "Firm proves its stem cell work won't destroy embryos"
Washington Post: "Lab Cites Stem Cell Advance"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Embryos Survive stem cells' creation"
Creation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Without Destruction of Embryos
Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Posted: January 10, 2008 10:24 AM PST
Summary:
In an official company news release Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced the development of embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. together with colleagues announced today the development of five human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines without the destruction of embryos. These new results have the potential to end the ethical debate surrounding the use of embryos to derive stem cells. In fact, the NIH report to the President refers to this technology as one of the viable alternatives to the destruction of embryos."
Posted: January 10, 2008 10:24 AM PST
Summary:
In an official company news release Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced the development of embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. together with colleagues announced today the development of five human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines without the destruction of embryos. These new results have the potential to end the ethical debate surrounding the use of embryos to derive stem cells. In fact, the NIH report to the President refers to this technology as one of the viable alternatives to the destruction of embryos."
Protein In Human Hair Shows Promise For Regenerating Nerves
Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Date: January 10, 2008
Summary:
A protein found in human hair shows promise for promoting the regeneration of nerve tissue and could lead to a new treatment option when nerves are cut or crushed from trauma. In the journal Biomaterials, scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported that in animal studies the protein keratin was able to speed up nerve regeneration and improve nerve function compared to current treatment options.
Date: January 10, 2008
Summary:
A protein found in human hair shows promise for promoting the regeneration of nerve tissue and could lead to a new treatment option when nerves are cut or crushed from trauma. In the journal Biomaterials, scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported that in animal studies the protein keratin was able to speed up nerve regeneration and improve nerve function compared to current treatment options.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
BERT tells ERNI it's time to grow a brain
Source: University College London
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
UCL (University College London) scientists have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and stem cell behaviour.
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
UCL (University College London) scientists have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and stem cell behaviour.
New insight into factors that drive muscle-building stem cells
Source: Cell Press
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
A report in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, provides new evidence explaining how stem cells known as satellite cells contribute to building muscles up in response to exercise. These findings could lead to treatments for reversing or improving the muscle loss that occurs in diseases such as cancer and AIDS as well as in the normal aging process, according to the researchers.
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
A report in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, provides new evidence explaining how stem cells known as satellite cells contribute to building muscles up in response to exercise. These findings could lead to treatments for reversing or improving the muscle loss that occurs in diseases such as cancer and AIDS as well as in the normal aging process, according to the researchers.
BERT and ERNI proteins control brain development
Source: Public Library of Science
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at University College London have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and expanding our knowledge of stem cell behavior.
The new research published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology solves the puzzle of how vertebrates prioritize the order in which they begin to develop different sets of structures.
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at University College London have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and expanding our knowledge of stem cell behavior.
The new research published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology solves the puzzle of how vertebrates prioritize the order in which they begin to develop different sets of structures.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Researchers use magnetism to target cells to animal arteries
Source: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have used magnetic fields and tiny iron-bearing particles to drive healthy cells to targeted sites in blood vessels. The research, done in animals, may lead to a new method of delivering cells and genes to repair injured or diseased organs in people.
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have used magnetic fields and tiny iron-bearing particles to drive healthy cells to targeted sites in blood vessels. The research, done in animals, may lead to a new method of delivering cells and genes to repair injured or diseased organs in people.
Scientists restore walking after spinal cord injury
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Spinal cord damage blocks the routes that the brain uses to send messages to the nerve cells that control walking. Until now, doctors believed that the only way for injured patients to walk again was to re-grow the long nerve highways that link the brain and base of the spinal cord. For the first time, a UCLA study shows that the central nervous system can reorganize itself and follow new pathways to restore the cellular communication required for movement.
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Spinal cord damage blocks the routes that the brain uses to send messages to the nerve cells that control walking. Until now, doctors believed that the only way for injured patients to walk again was to re-grow the long nerve highways that link the brain and base of the spinal cord. For the first time, a UCLA study shows that the central nervous system can reorganize itself and follow new pathways to restore the cellular communication required for movement.
Forever young: Differentiation blocked in tumor stem cells
Source: Cell Press
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
A new comparison of normal stem cells and cancer stem cells reveals that the cancer stem cells are abnormally trapped at an early stage of development. The research, published by Cell Press in the January issue of Cancer Cell, significantly advances the understanding of glioma pathophysiology and provides new directions for design of therapeutic strategies that are targeted to specific types of tumors.
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
A new comparison of normal stem cells and cancer stem cells reveals that the cancer stem cells are abnormally trapped at an early stage of development. The research, published by Cell Press in the January issue of Cancer Cell, significantly advances the understanding of glioma pathophysiology and provides new directions for design of therapeutic strategies that are targeted to specific types of tumors.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Scientists move toward helping paralysis patients
Source: Reuters
Posted: January 6, 2008 1:13pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers have discovered injured brains and spinal cords can reorganize function to restore cellular communication to help patients with injuries regain mobility:
"Scientists have figured out how mice can regain some ability to walk after spinal cord injuries, and hope this insight can lead to a new approach to restoring function in people paralyzed by similar damage. The research, published on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, showed that the brain and spinal cord are able to reorganize functions after a spinal cord injury to restore communication at the cellular level needed for walking."
Posted: January 6, 2008 1:13pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers have discovered injured brains and spinal cords can reorganize function to restore cellular communication to help patients with injuries regain mobility:
"Scientists have figured out how mice can regain some ability to walk after spinal cord injuries, and hope this insight can lead to a new approach to restoring function in people paralyzed by similar damage. The research, published on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, showed that the brain and spinal cord are able to reorganize functions after a spinal cord injury to restore communication at the cellular level needed for walking."
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Biomedical Shape-Memory Polymers Developed
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: January 3, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing unique polymers, which change shape upon heating, to open blocked arteries, probe neurons in the brain and engineer a tougher spine. These so-called shape-memory polymers can be temporarily stretched or compressed into forms several times larger or smaller than their final shape. Then heat, light or the local chemical environment triggers a transformation into their permanent shape.
Date: January 3, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing unique polymers, which change shape upon heating, to open blocked arteries, probe neurons in the brain and engineer a tougher spine. These so-called shape-memory polymers can be temporarily stretched or compressed into forms several times larger or smaller than their final shape. Then heat, light or the local chemical environment triggers a transformation into their permanent shape.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Regenerating Nerves: A polymer studded with chemicals that resemble a common neurotransmitter can stimulate the growth of neurons.
Source: Technology Review
Date: January 2, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology announced that they have triggered the regrowth of nerve cells using a polymer coated with chemical structures that resemble acetylcholine, a common neurotransmitter. The research, which is the first to combine a neurotransmitter and a polymer, could one day lead to treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and spinal-cord injuries.
Date: January 2, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology announced that they have triggered the regrowth of nerve cells using a polymer coated with chemical structures that resemble acetylcholine, a common neurotransmitter. The research, which is the first to combine a neurotransmitter and a polymer, could one day lead to treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and spinal-cord injuries.
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