Source: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Date: October 31, 2008
Summary:
Two proteins interact in a previously unknown molecular mechanism that may have broad implications in future studies looking the causes of defective organs in fetuses, metastatic cancers and other diseases, according to researchers at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center. Reporting their work in the Nov. 1 Genes & Development, the researchers said the mechanism coordinates cell identity and behavior in the forming organs of embryos.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Stem cell therapies for heart disease -- one step closer
Source: University of Bristol
Date: October 30, 2008
Summary:
New research from the University of Bristol brings stem cell therapies for heart disease one step closer. The findings reveal that our bodies' ability to respond to an internal 'mayday' signal may hold the key to success for long-awaited regenerative medicine. Researchers at the Bristol Heart Institute have discovered how our bodies initiate DIY rescue and repair mechanisms when blood supply is inadequate, for example in diabetic limbs or in the heart muscle during heart attack. Their findings also provide a practical step to advance progress in stem cell therapies.
Date: October 30, 2008
Summary:
New research from the University of Bristol brings stem cell therapies for heart disease one step closer. The findings reveal that our bodies' ability to respond to an internal 'mayday' signal may hold the key to success for long-awaited regenerative medicine. Researchers at the Bristol Heart Institute have discovered how our bodies initiate DIY rescue and repair mechanisms when blood supply is inadequate, for example in diabetic limbs or in the heart muscle during heart attack. Their findings also provide a practical step to advance progress in stem cell therapies.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Geron Scientists and Collaborators Demonstrate Activity of Pancreatic Islet-like Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Diabetes
Source: Geron Corporation
Date: October 28, 2008
Summary:
Geron Corporation today announced the publication of data showing the successful engraftment of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic islet-like clusters (ILCs) in diabetic mice. After transplantation, the ILCs continued to express important pancreatic islet proteins, responded to high levels of glucose in the blood, and extended the survival of recipient animals. The research, conducted by Geron scientists and collaborators at the University of Alberta, has been published online in advance of print in Cell Proliferation.
Date: October 28, 2008
Summary:
Geron Corporation today announced the publication of data showing the successful engraftment of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic islet-like clusters (ILCs) in diabetic mice. After transplantation, the ILCs continued to express important pancreatic islet proteins, responded to high levels of glucose in the blood, and extended the survival of recipient animals. The research, conducted by Geron scientists and collaborators at the University of Alberta, has been published online in advance of print in Cell Proliferation.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Gene find sheds light on motor neuron diseases like ALS
Source: University of Rochester
Date: October 22, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons. The study is the result of a collaboration by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center who normally focus on the eye, working together with a developmental neuroscientist at Harvard who focuses on the cerebral cortex. The work appears in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Neuron. The work centers on corticospinal neurons, crucial nerve cells that connect the brain to the spinal cord.
Date: October 22, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons. The study is the result of a collaboration by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center who normally focus on the eye, working together with a developmental neuroscientist at Harvard who focuses on the cerebral cortex. The work appears in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Neuron. The work centers on corticospinal neurons, crucial nerve cells that connect the brain to the spinal cord.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Swamping Bad Cells With Good In ALS Animal Models Helps Sustain Breathing
Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: October 19, 2008
Summary:
Johns Hopkins researchers report that transplanting a new line of stem cell-like cells into rat models of the disease clearly shifts key signs of neurodegenerative disease in general and ALS in particular - slowing the animals' neuron loss and extending life. The new work supports the hypothesis that artificially outnumbering unhealthy cells with healthy ones in targeted parts of the spinal cord preserves limb strength and breathing and can increase survival. An account of the work appears online in Nature Neuroscience.
Date: October 19, 2008
Summary:
Johns Hopkins researchers report that transplanting a new line of stem cell-like cells into rat models of the disease clearly shifts key signs of neurodegenerative disease in general and ALS in particular - slowing the animals' neuron loss and extending life. The new work supports the hypothesis that artificially outnumbering unhealthy cells with healthy ones in targeted parts of the spinal cord preserves limb strength and breathing and can increase survival. An account of the work appears online in Nature Neuroscience.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Stem Cell Breakthrough: Mass-Production Of 'Embryonic' Stem Cells From A Human Hair
Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: October 17, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have successfully reprogrammed adult human cells called keratinocytes -- attached to a single hair -- into induced pluripotent stem cells, which by all appearances looked and acted like embryonic stem cells. And, the researchers have boosted reprogramming efficiency more than 100-fold, while cutting the time it takes in half. Their method, published ahead of print in the Oct. 17, 2008 online edition of Nature Biotechnology, not only provides a practical and simple alternative for the generation of patient- and disease-specific stem cells, which had been hampered by the low efficiency of the reprogramming process, but also spares patients invasive procedures to collect suitable starting material, since the process only requires a single human hair.
Date: October 17, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have successfully reprogrammed adult human cells called keratinocytes -- attached to a single hair -- into induced pluripotent stem cells, which by all appearances looked and acted like embryonic stem cells. And, the researchers have boosted reprogramming efficiency more than 100-fold, while cutting the time it takes in half. Their method, published ahead of print in the Oct. 17, 2008 online edition of Nature Biotechnology, not only provides a practical and simple alternative for the generation of patient- and disease-specific stem cells, which had been hampered by the low efficiency of the reprogramming process, but also spares patients invasive procedures to collect suitable starting material, since the process only requires a single human hair.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Researchers uncover new links between stem cells, aging and cancer
Source: University of Michigan
Date: October 16, 2008
Summary:
Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It's a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.
Date: October 16, 2008
Summary:
Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It's a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Pinpointing Key Biochemical Pathways Involved In Generating Large Numbers Of Heart Cells From Embryonic Stem Cells
Source: VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc.
Date: October 15, 2008
Summary:
Researchers from VistaGen Therapeutics, together with Dr. Gordon Keller and his team of scientists from Toronto's McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have successfully identified key biochemical pathways involved in directing embryonic stem (ES) cells to become heart cells. The research was published recently in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology, in a paper entitled "Notch signaling re-specifies the hemangioblast to a cardiac fate."
Date: October 15, 2008
Summary:
Researchers from VistaGen Therapeutics, together with Dr. Gordon Keller and his team of scientists from Toronto's McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have successfully identified key biochemical pathways involved in directing embryonic stem (ES) cells to become heart cells. The research was published recently in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology, in a paper entitled "Notch signaling re-specifies the hemangioblast to a cardiac fate."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Forsyth Scientists Trigger Cancer-Like Response from Embryonic Stem Cells
Source: The Forsyth Institute
Date: October 13, 2008
Summary:
Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, working with collaborators at Tufts and Tuebingen Universities, have discovered a new control over embryonic stem cells’ behavior. The researchers disrupted a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells and trigged a cancer-like response, including increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs. This research shows that electrical signals are a powerful control mechanism that can be used to modulate cell behavior.
Date: October 13, 2008
Summary:
Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, working with collaborators at Tufts and Tuebingen Universities, have discovered a new control over embryonic stem cells’ behavior. The researchers disrupted a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells and trigged a cancer-like response, including increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs. This research shows that electrical signals are a powerful control mechanism that can be used to modulate cell behavior.
Monday, October 13, 2008
New Properties Of Skin Stem Cells
Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: 13 October 2008
Summary:
Recent research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet reveals completely new properties of the skin's stem cells - discoveries that contradict previous findings. The studies, which are published in Nature Genetics, show amongst other things, that hair follicle stem cells can divide actively and transport themselves through the skin tissue.
Date: 13 October 2008
Summary:
Recent research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet reveals completely new properties of the skin's stem cells - discoveries that contradict previous findings. The studies, which are published in Nature Genetics, show amongst other things, that hair follicle stem cells can divide actively and transport themselves through the skin tissue.
Stem Cell Sentry Sounds The Alarm To Maintain Balance Between Cancer And Aging
Source: University of Michigan
Date: October 13, 2008
Summary:
Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It’s a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.
Date: October 13, 2008
Summary:
Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It’s a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.
Stem cells may act as "Trojan horse" to deliver gene therapy to injured central nervous system
Source: Methodist Neurological Institute
Date: October 13, 2008
Summary:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) researchers at - The Methodist Hospital in Houston - have shown that transplanted bone marrow stem cells can attach themselves to injured areas in the brain or spinal cord, possibly providing a way to deliver future gene therapy. According to Dr. Stanley H. Appel’s study published in the Oct. 14, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, these "Trojan horse" cells may improve the ability to deliver gene therapy to the brain and spinal cord.
Date: October 13, 2008
Summary:
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) researchers at - The Methodist Hospital in Houston - have shown that transplanted bone marrow stem cells can attach themselves to injured areas in the brain or spinal cord, possibly providing a way to deliver future gene therapy. According to Dr. Stanley H. Appel’s study published in the Oct. 14, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, these "Trojan horse" cells may improve the ability to deliver gene therapy to the brain and spinal cord.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Landmark study unlocks stem cell, DNA secrets to speed therapies
Source: Florida State University
Date: October 10, 2008
Summary:
In a groundbreaking study led by an eminent molecular biologist at Florida State University, researchers have discovered that as embryonic stem cells turn into different cell types, there are dramatic corresponding changes to the order in which DNA is replicated and reorganized. The findings bridge a critical knowledge gap for stem cell biologists, enabling them to better understand the enormously complex process by which DNA is repackaged during differentiation -- when embryonic stem cells, jacks of all cellular trades, lose their anything-goes attitude and become masters of specialized functions. As a result, scientists now are one significant step closer to the central goal of stem cell therapy, which is to successfully convert adult tissue back to an embryo-like state so that it can be used to regenerate or replace damaged tissue. Such therapies hold out hope of treatments or cures for cancer, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and a host of other devastating disorders.
Date: October 10, 2008
Summary:
In a groundbreaking study led by an eminent molecular biologist at Florida State University, researchers have discovered that as embryonic stem cells turn into different cell types, there are dramatic corresponding changes to the order in which DNA is replicated and reorganized. The findings bridge a critical knowledge gap for stem cell biologists, enabling them to better understand the enormously complex process by which DNA is repackaged during differentiation -- when embryonic stem cells, jacks of all cellular trades, lose their anything-goes attitude and become masters of specialized functions. As a result, scientists now are one significant step closer to the central goal of stem cell therapy, which is to successfully convert adult tissue back to an embryo-like state so that it can be used to regenerate or replace damaged tissue. Such therapies hold out hope of treatments or cures for cancer, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and a host of other devastating disorders.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Eliminating Viral Vector In Stem Cell Reprogramming
Source: Gladstone Institutes
Date: October 9, 2008
Summary:
Scientists in the lab of Shinya Yamanaka MD, PhD, of Kyoto University and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have taken another step forward in improving the possibilities for the practical application of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. have eliminated the need for a viral vector in the stem cell reprogramming process In a report in Science, they showed the ability to reprogram adult cells into iPS cells without viral integration into the genome which lays to rest concerns that the reprogramming event might be dependent upon viral integration into specific genomic loci that could mediate the genetic switch.
Date: October 9, 2008
Summary:
Scientists in the lab of Shinya Yamanaka MD, PhD, of Kyoto University and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have taken another step forward in improving the possibilities for the practical application of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. have eliminated the need for a viral vector in the stem cell reprogramming process In a report in Science, they showed the ability to reprogram adult cells into iPS cells without viral integration into the genome which lays to rest concerns that the reprogramming event might be dependent upon viral integration into specific genomic loci that could mediate the genetic switch.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
A key mechanism regulating neural stem cell development is uncovered
Source: Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal
Date: October 8, 2008
Summary:
A research team at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness – Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), discovered a novel mechanism that regulates how neural stem cells of the retina generate the appropriate cell type at the right time during normal development. These findings, published today in the renowned journal Neuron, could influence the development of future cell replacement therapies for gene
Date: October 8, 2008
Summary:
A research team at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness – Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), discovered a novel mechanism that regulates how neural stem cells of the retina generate the appropriate cell type at the right time during normal development. These findings, published today in the renowned journal Neuron, could influence the development of future cell replacement therapies for gene
Scientists pinpoint key proteins in blood stem cell replication
Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: October 8, 2008
Summary:
A family of cancer-fighting molecules helps blood stem cells in mice decide when and how to divide, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Blocking the molecules' function spurs the normally resting cells to begin proliferating strangely - making too much of one kind of cell and not enough of another. Many types of human blood cancers involve a similar disruption in the expression of that same family of molecules.
Date: October 8, 2008
Summary:
A family of cancer-fighting molecules helps blood stem cells in mice decide when and how to divide, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Blocking the molecules' function spurs the normally resting cells to begin proliferating strangely - making too much of one kind of cell and not enough of another. Many types of human blood cancers involve a similar disruption in the expression of that same family of molecules.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Scientists identify a molecule that coordinates the movement of cells
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: October 2, 2008
Summary:
Even cells commute. To get from their birthplace to their work site, they sequentially attach to and detach from an elaborate track of exceptionally strong proteins known as the extracellular matrix. Now, in research to appear in the October 3 issue of Cell, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University show that a molecule, called ACF7, helps regulate and power this movement from the inside - findings that could have implications for understanding how cancer cells metastasize.
Date: October 2, 2008
Summary:
Even cells commute. To get from their birthplace to their work site, they sequentially attach to and detach from an elaborate track of exceptionally strong proteins known as the extracellular matrix. Now, in research to appear in the October 3 issue of Cell, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University show that a molecule, called ACF7, helps regulate and power this movement from the inside - findings that could have implications for understanding how cancer cells metastasize.
The role of stem cells in renewing the cornea
Source: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Date: October 2, 2008
Summary:
A group of researchers in from EPFL and Lausanne University Hospitals (CHUV) led by professor Yann Barrandon has published a study appearing in the Oct 1 advance online edition of the Journal Nature that shows how the cornea uses stem cells to repair itself. Using mouse models they demonstrate that everyday wear and tear on the cornea is repaired from stem cells residing in the corneal epithelium, and that more serious repair jobs require the involvement of other stem cells that migrate from the limbus, a region between the cornea and the conjunctiva, the white part of the eye.
Date: October 2, 2008
Summary:
A group of researchers in from EPFL and Lausanne University Hospitals (CHUV) led by professor Yann Barrandon has published a study appearing in the Oct 1 advance online edition of the Journal Nature that shows how the cornea uses stem cells to repair itself. Using mouse models they demonstrate that everyday wear and tear on the cornea is repaired from stem cells residing in the corneal epithelium, and that more serious repair jobs require the involvement of other stem cells that migrate from the limbus, a region between the cornea and the conjunctiva, the white part of the eye.
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