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.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
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.
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.
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."
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."
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
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.
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.
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.
Monday, August 25, 2008
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.
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.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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."
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.
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).
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).
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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.
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."
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."
Thursday, August 14, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, August 11, 2008
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, August 08, 2008
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.
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."
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."
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Trigger for brain plasticity identified. Signal comes, surprisingly, from outside the brain
Source: Children's Hospital Boston
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
Researchers have long sought a factor that can trigger the brain's ability to learn - and perhaps recapture the "sponge-like" quality of childhood. In the August 8 issue of the journal Cell, neuroscientists at Children's Hospital Boston report that they've identified such a factor, a protein called Otx 2.
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
Researchers have long sought a factor that can trigger the brain's ability to learn - and perhaps recapture the "sponge-like" quality of childhood. In the August 8 issue of the journal Cell, neuroscientists at Children's Hospital Boston report that they've identified such a factor, a protein called Otx 2.
Scientists create 20 disease-specific stem cell lines
Source: Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
Harvard Stem Cell Institute researcher George Q. Daley, associate director of the Stem Cell Program at Children's Hospital Boston, has with HSCI colleagues Chad Cowan and Konrad Hochedlinger of Massachusetts General Hospital produced a robust new collection of disease-specific stem cell lines, all of which were developed using the new induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) technique. The work is described in a paper published in today's online edition of the journal Cell.
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
Harvard Stem Cell Institute researcher George Q. Daley, associate director of the Stem Cell Program at Children's Hospital Boston, has with HSCI colleagues Chad Cowan and Konrad Hochedlinger of Massachusetts General Hospital produced a robust new collection of disease-specific stem cell lines, all of which were developed using the new induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS) technique. The work is described in a paper published in today's online edition of the journal Cell.
Putting microRNAs on the stem cell map
Source: Whitehead Institute for Medical Research
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
Short snippets of RNA called microRNAs help to keep embryonic stem cells in their stem cell state. Researchers now have discovered the gene circuitry that controls microRNAs in embryonic stem cells. Whitehead Institute researchers mapped the control circuitry of stem cells, revealing how they maintain themselves or decide to differentiate, providing key clues for regenerative medicine and reprogramming of adult cells to a stem cell state. These maps also aid in the understanding of human development and diseases such as cancer.
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
Short snippets of RNA called microRNAs help to keep embryonic stem cells in their stem cell state. Researchers now have discovered the gene circuitry that controls microRNAs in embryonic stem cells. Whitehead Institute researchers mapped the control circuitry of stem cells, revealing how they maintain themselves or decide to differentiate, providing key clues for regenerative medicine and reprogramming of adult cells to a stem cell state. These maps also aid in the understanding of human development and diseases such as cancer.
Scientists Replicate Diseases in the Lab with New Stem Cell Lines
Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
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.
Date: August 7, 2008
Summary:
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.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Recipe for cell reprogramming adds protein
Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Date: August 6, 2008
Summary:
A drug-like molecule called Wnt can be substituted for the cancer gene c-Myc, one of four genes added to adult cells to reprogram them to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, according to Whitehead researchers. Researchers hope that such embryonic stem-cell-like cells, known as induced pluripotent (IPS) cells, eventually may treat diseases such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes.
Date: August 6, 2008
Summary:
A drug-like molecule called Wnt can be substituted for the cancer gene c-Myc, one of four genes added to adult cells to reprogram them to an embryonic-stem-cell-like state, according to Whitehead researchers. Researchers hope that such embryonic stem-cell-like cells, known as induced pluripotent (IPS) cells, eventually may treat diseases such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes.
Scientists uncover the key to controlling how stem cells develop
Source: The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)
Date: August 6, 2008
Summary:
Canadian researchers are one step closer to controlling human embryonic stem cell differentiation thanks to the work of scientists Dr. Cheryle Séguin and Dr. Janet Rossant of the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Séguin and Rossant, along with their colleagues Dr. Jonathan Draper of the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute at McMaster University , and Dr. Andras Nagy, of Mount Sinai Hospital published these groundbreaking findings in the Cell Press journal, Stem Cell.
Date: August 6, 2008
Summary:
Canadian researchers are one step closer to controlling human embryonic stem cell differentiation thanks to the work of scientists Dr. Cheryle Séguin and Dr. Janet Rossant of the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). Séguin and Rossant, along with their colleagues Dr. Jonathan Draper of the Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute at McMaster University , and Dr. Andras Nagy, of Mount Sinai Hospital published these groundbreaking findings in the Cell Press journal, Stem Cell.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Protein Key to Control Growth of Blood Cells. Findings May Aid in Bone Marrow Transplants, Blood Diseases
Source: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Date: August 5, 2008
Summary:
New research sheds light on the biological events by which stem cells in the bone marrow develop into the broad variety of cells that circulate in the blood. The findings may help improve the success of bone marrow transplants and develop better treatments for life-threatening blood diseases. In a study conducted in mice, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia focused on a protein called Lnk that helps control HSC expansion. When a growth factor in the blood called thrombopoietin (TPO) acts on its cell receptor, it triggers signals along a pathway that includes another protein, JAK2. JAK2, in turn, causes stem cells to increase their numbers.
Date: August 5, 2008
Summary:
New research sheds light on the biological events by which stem cells in the bone marrow develop into the broad variety of cells that circulate in the blood. The findings may help improve the success of bone marrow transplants and develop better treatments for life-threatening blood diseases. In a study conducted in mice, researchers at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia focused on a protein called Lnk that helps control HSC expansion. When a growth factor in the blood called thrombopoietin (TPO) acts on its cell receptor, it triggers signals along a pathway that includes another protein, JAK2. JAK2, in turn, causes stem cells to increase their numbers.
Friday, August 01, 2008
Coverage of ALS treatment from reprogrammed skin cells
Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by researchers at Harvard and Columbia Universities in which adult skin cells taken from two patients with ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, were reprogrammed into nerve cells in hopes that they might be able to treat the disease:
Boston Globe, August 1, 2008: "Scientists report a breakthrough in stem cell production"":
"Reaching a milestone in stem cell research, scientists at Harvard and Columbia universities reported yesterday that they created the first stem cell lines from a sick person, then coaxed these cells to become nerve cells genetically matched to those that had gone bad in a patient's spinal cord. In a paper published online in the journal Science, the team claimed success at what researchers have long been racing to do: create in the laboratory a plentiful supply of cells that have the same genetic makeup as a patient with a particular disease."
Medical News Today, 01 August 2008, 10:00 PDT: "ALS Stem Cell Breakthrough":
"Scientists in the US have converted skin cells from an 82-year-old woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into stem cells that formed motor neurons with the same genetic make up as the patient. The breakthrough opens the possibility of modelling a patient's specific disease outside of the patient, to improve investigation and drug screening, and perhaps even to develop new neurons to replace the damaged ones in the patient."
Nature, 31 July 2008: "Nerve cells made from elderly patient’s skin cells":
"Skin cells from an elderly patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been ‘reprogrammed’ to generate motor neurons, the type of nerve cells that die as the disease progresses. It is the first time that an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line has been created from a patient with a genetic illness (J. T. Dimos et al. Science doi:10.1126/science.1158799; 2008). Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells have the potential to develop into almost any of the body’s cell types and offer new disease insights. The researchers, led by Kevin Eggan of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Christopher Henderson of Columbia University’s Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease in New York, made the iPS cells using viral vectors to introduce four genes into skin cells taken from two elderly patients with a mild form of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease)."
Time, July 31, 2008: "Scientists Achieve Stem-Cell Milestone":
"After nearly a decade of setbacks and false starts, stem-cell science finally seems to be hitting its stride. Just a year after Japanese scientists first reported that they had generated stem cells by reprogramming adult skin cells — without using embryos — American researchers have managed to use that groundbreaking technique to achieve another scientific milestone. They created the first nerve cells from reprogrammed stem cells — an important demonstration of the potential power of stem-cell-based treatments to cure disease."
HealthDay News, July 31, 2008: "Scientists Turn Skin Cells Into Motor Neurons in ALS Patients":
"Scientists have turned skin cells from patients with Lou Gehrig's disease into motor neurons that are genetically identical to the patients' own neurons. An unlimited number of these neurons can now be created and studied in the laboratory, a capability which should result in a better understanding of the disease and, one day, lead to new treatments or even the production of healthy cells that can replace the diseased ones."
The Independent, 1 August 2008: "Stem-cell advance for motor neurone disease":
"Scientists have succeeded in transforming skin cells from two sisters with motor neurone disease into the same kind of nerve cells being destroyed by their illness, raising the possibility that the new cells can be transplanted back into them to offset the degenerative condition. In a major breakthrough, the skin cells of the two women, aged 82 and 89, were turned into mature nerve cells. The achievement promises to revolutionise the understanding and treatment of a range of incurable illnesses. The skin cells were genetically altered by a laboratory technique that "reprogrammed" them back to their original embryonic state, before being grown into the specialised motor neurons that carry signals from brain to muscles."
National Public Radio, July 31, 2008: "Scientists Make Stem Cells From ALS Patient". A streaming NPR radio broadcast accompanies this story.
Los Angeles Times, 10:29 PM PDT, July 31, 2008: "Scientists create first personalized stem cells in ALS patients":
"Scientists have created the first personalized stem cells for patients with a genetic disease by rewinding their skin cells to an embryonic state, according to a study published today in the online edition of Science. The researchers then converted some of those stem cells into the two kinds of brain cells that cause their crippling disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 31, 2008: "Stem cell advance could help Lou Gehrig's disease":
"Researchers are one step closer to reprogramming skin cells into tailor-made, healthy replacements for diseased cells. Applying the technique first developed by James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, scientists at Harvard and Columbia universities reported online today in the journal Science that they had turned skin cells from two elderly patients with the neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into motor neurons, the nerve cells that become damaged in ALS. This is the first time that scientists have coaxed embryonic-like cells from adult patients suffering from a genetic-based disease, then induced the cells to form the specific cell types that would be needed to study and treat the disease."
Associated Press, July 31, 2008: "Cell changes may help Lou Gehrig's research":
"Using a new technique to reprogram cells, scientists are growing neurons from people with Lou Gehrig's disease, a possible first step in understanding how the deadly illness develops. Technically known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease damages the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually leading to death. The ALS Association estimates that as many as 30,000 Americans may have the disease at any given time."
ABC News, July 31, 2008: "Personalized Stem Cells One Step Closer to Reality":
"For the first time, scientists have proven that embryonic-like stem cells that are specific to both a person and to a disease can be manufactured using adult human cells. ...Researchers from Harvard and Columbia Universities used skin cells from two patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, to create stem cells and then reprogrammed them to morph into replacement motor neurons."
New Scientist, 19:00 31 July 2008: "Scientists 'reprogram' cells from sick, elderly patients":
"Scientists have grown motor neurons by "reprogramming" skin cells taken from a patient with the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Now they aim to study the cells to gain a better understanding of what goes wrong in the condition, and to screen for drugs that might help prevent the damage."
Reuters, July 31, 2008 2:27pm EDT: "Nerve cells grown from new-style stem cells":
"Ordinary skin cells taken from patients with a fatal and incurable nerve disease have been transformed into nerve cells in a first step toward treating them, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. They transformed the cells from two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, into motor neurons -- the cells that waste away and die in ALS. There is no immediate medical use for the cells, taken from two sisters aged 82 and 89, the researchers reported in the journal Science."
Boston Globe, August 1, 2008: "Scientists report a breakthrough in stem cell production"":
"Reaching a milestone in stem cell research, scientists at Harvard and Columbia universities reported yesterday that they created the first stem cell lines from a sick person, then coaxed these cells to become nerve cells genetically matched to those that had gone bad in a patient's spinal cord. In a paper published online in the journal Science, the team claimed success at what researchers have long been racing to do: create in the laboratory a plentiful supply of cells that have the same genetic makeup as a patient with a particular disease."
Medical News Today, 01 August 2008, 10:00 PDT: "ALS Stem Cell Breakthrough":
"Scientists in the US have converted skin cells from an 82-year-old woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into stem cells that formed motor neurons with the same genetic make up as the patient. The breakthrough opens the possibility of modelling a patient's specific disease outside of the patient, to improve investigation and drug screening, and perhaps even to develop new neurons to replace the damaged ones in the patient."
Nature, 31 July 2008: "Nerve cells made from elderly patient’s skin cells":
"Skin cells from an elderly patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been ‘reprogrammed’ to generate motor neurons, the type of nerve cells that die as the disease progresses. It is the first time that an induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell line has been created from a patient with a genetic illness (J. T. Dimos et al. Science doi:10.1126/science.1158799; 2008). Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells have the potential to develop into almost any of the body’s cell types and offer new disease insights. The researchers, led by Kevin Eggan of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Christopher Henderson of Columbia University’s Center for Motor Neuron Biology and Disease in New York, made the iPS cells using viral vectors to introduce four genes into skin cells taken from two elderly patients with a mild form of ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease)."
Time, July 31, 2008: "Scientists Achieve Stem-Cell Milestone":
"After nearly a decade of setbacks and false starts, stem-cell science finally seems to be hitting its stride. Just a year after Japanese scientists first reported that they had generated stem cells by reprogramming adult skin cells — without using embryos — American researchers have managed to use that groundbreaking technique to achieve another scientific milestone. They created the first nerve cells from reprogrammed stem cells — an important demonstration of the potential power of stem-cell-based treatments to cure disease."
HealthDay News, July 31, 2008: "Scientists Turn Skin Cells Into Motor Neurons in ALS Patients":
"Scientists have turned skin cells from patients with Lou Gehrig's disease into motor neurons that are genetically identical to the patients' own neurons. An unlimited number of these neurons can now be created and studied in the laboratory, a capability which should result in a better understanding of the disease and, one day, lead to new treatments or even the production of healthy cells that can replace the diseased ones."
The Independent, 1 August 2008: "Stem-cell advance for motor neurone disease":
"Scientists have succeeded in transforming skin cells from two sisters with motor neurone disease into the same kind of nerve cells being destroyed by their illness, raising the possibility that the new cells can be transplanted back into them to offset the degenerative condition. In a major breakthrough, the skin cells of the two women, aged 82 and 89, were turned into mature nerve cells. The achievement promises to revolutionise the understanding and treatment of a range of incurable illnesses. The skin cells were genetically altered by a laboratory technique that "reprogrammed" them back to their original embryonic state, before being grown into the specialised motor neurons that carry signals from brain to muscles."
National Public Radio, July 31, 2008: "Scientists Make Stem Cells From ALS Patient". A streaming NPR radio broadcast accompanies this story.
Los Angeles Times, 10:29 PM PDT, July 31, 2008: "Scientists create first personalized stem cells in ALS patients":
"Scientists have created the first personalized stem cells for patients with a genetic disease by rewinding their skin cells to an embryonic state, according to a study published today in the online edition of Science. The researchers then converted some of those stem cells into the two kinds of brain cells that cause their crippling disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease."
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, July 31, 2008: "Stem cell advance could help Lou Gehrig's disease":
"Researchers are one step closer to reprogramming skin cells into tailor-made, healthy replacements for diseased cells. Applying the technique first developed by James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University, scientists at Harvard and Columbia universities reported online today in the journal Science that they had turned skin cells from two elderly patients with the neurodegenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) into motor neurons, the nerve cells that become damaged in ALS. This is the first time that scientists have coaxed embryonic-like cells from adult patients suffering from a genetic-based disease, then induced the cells to form the specific cell types that would be needed to study and treat the disease."
Associated Press, July 31, 2008: "Cell changes may help Lou Gehrig's research":
"Using a new technique to reprogram cells, scientists are growing neurons from people with Lou Gehrig's disease, a possible first step in understanding how the deadly illness develops. Technically known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the disease damages the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, eventually leading to death. The ALS Association estimates that as many as 30,000 Americans may have the disease at any given time."
ABC News, July 31, 2008: "Personalized Stem Cells One Step Closer to Reality":
"For the first time, scientists have proven that embryonic-like stem cells that are specific to both a person and to a disease can be manufactured using adult human cells. ...Researchers from Harvard and Columbia Universities used skin cells from two patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, to create stem cells and then reprogrammed them to morph into replacement motor neurons."
New Scientist, 19:00 31 July 2008: "Scientists 'reprogram' cells from sick, elderly patients":
"Scientists have grown motor neurons by "reprogramming" skin cells taken from a patient with the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Now they aim to study the cells to gain a better understanding of what goes wrong in the condition, and to screen for drugs that might help prevent the damage."
Reuters, July 31, 2008 2:27pm EDT: "Nerve cells grown from new-style stem cells":
"Ordinary skin cells taken from patients with a fatal and incurable nerve disease have been transformed into nerve cells in a first step toward treating them, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. They transformed the cells from two patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, into motor neurons -- the cells that waste away and die in ALS. There is no immediate medical use for the cells, taken from two sisters aged 82 and 89, the researchers reported in the journal Science."
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