Source: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Date: February 26, 2009
Summary:
By now, most people have read stories about how to "grow your own organs" using stem cells is just a breakthrough away. Despite the hype, this breakthrough has been elusive. A new report published in the March 2009 issue of The FASEB Journal brings bioengineered organs a step closer, as scientists from Stanford and New York University Langone Medical Center describe how they were able to use a "scaffolding" material extracted from the groin area of mice on which stem cells from blood, fat, and bone marrow grew. This advance clears two major hurdles to bioengineered replacement organs, namely a matrix on which stem cells can form a 3-dimensional organ and transplant rejection.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Scientists make electrically active motor neurons from iPS cells
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: February 25, 2009
Summary:
Stem cells scientists at UCLA showed for the first time that human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be differentiated into electrically active motor neurons, a discovery that may aid in studying and treating neurological disorders. Additionally, the motor neurons derived from the iPS cells appeared to be similar in function and efficiency to those derived from human embryonic stem cells, although further testing needs to be done to confirm that. If the similarities are confirmed, the discovery may open the door for new treatments for neurological disorders using patient-specific cells. The study appears today in the early online edition of the journal Stem Cells.
Date: February 25, 2009
Summary:
Stem cells scientists at UCLA showed for the first time that human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be differentiated into electrically active motor neurons, a discovery that may aid in studying and treating neurological disorders. Additionally, the motor neurons derived from the iPS cells appeared to be similar in function and efficiency to those derived from human embryonic stem cells, although further testing needs to be done to confirm that. If the similarities are confirmed, the discovery may open the door for new treatments for neurological disorders using patient-specific cells. The study appears today in the early online edition of the journal Stem Cells.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Brain’s Reserve Cells Can Be Activated After Stroke
Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: 23 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have found a way of activating the neuronal reserves in the brains of mice by switching off the signal that inhibits the formation of new nerve cells. New nerve cells are formed from stem cells in specific areas of the human brain. This process increases after a stroke, something that might explain the recovery that is often observed in patients, particularly in the first year following the onset of illness. In the present study, the scientists have demonstrated how a type of cell that does not give rise to new cells in the healthy brain is activated after a stroke in laboratory animals. The study is published in the February 22, 2009 issue of the journal Neuroscience.
Date: 23 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have found a way of activating the neuronal reserves in the brains of mice by switching off the signal that inhibits the formation of new nerve cells. New nerve cells are formed from stem cells in specific areas of the human brain. This process increases after a stroke, something that might explain the recovery that is often observed in patients, particularly in the first year following the onset of illness. In the present study, the scientists have demonstrated how a type of cell that does not give rise to new cells in the healthy brain is activated after a stroke in laboratory animals. The study is published in the February 22, 2009 issue of the journal Neuroscience.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Stem Cell Research Uncovers Mechanism for Type 2 Diabetes
Source: Burnham Institute for Medical Research
Date: February 12, 2009
Summary:
Taking clues from their stem cell research, investigators at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that a signaling pathway involved in normal pancreatic development is also associated with type 2 diabetes. Their findings, published online January 9 in Experimental Diabetes Research, could provide a potential new target for therapy.
Date: February 12, 2009
Summary:
Taking clues from their stem cell research, investigators at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that a signaling pathway involved in normal pancreatic development is also associated with type 2 diabetes. Their findings, published online January 9 in Experimental Diabetes Research, could provide a potential new target for therapy.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
CBS News Feature story on MS Adult Stem Cell Trial
CBS News reports on the recent trial at Northwestern University using adult stem cells to treat multiple sclerosis in a feature entitled "Treating MS Symptoms With Stem Cells." For previous news coverage of this trial see the SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2009 entry "Coverage of Northwestern University Multiple Sclerosis Adult Stem Cell Study" below.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Don’t go changing: New chemical keeps stem cells young
Source: University of Bath
Date: 3 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop new medical treatments more easily. Stem cells have the ability to develop into many other cell types in the body, and scientists believe they have huge potential to treat diseases or injuries that don’t currently have a cure.
Professor Melanie Welham’s team at the University of Bath’s Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, collaborating with Professor Adam Nelson at the University of Leeds, have discovered a chemical that can be added to embryonic stem cells grown in the lab, allowing them to multiply without changing into other cell types. This breakthrough will help scientists produce large stocks of cells that are needed for developing new medical therapies. The research, supported by funding from the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, is published in the prestigious peer-reviewed Cell Press journal, Chemistry & Biology.
Date: 3 February 2009
Summary:
Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop new medical treatments more easily. Stem cells have the ability to develop into many other cell types in the body, and scientists believe they have huge potential to treat diseases or injuries that don’t currently have a cure.
Professor Melanie Welham’s team at the University of Bath’s Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, collaborating with Professor Adam Nelson at the University of Leeds, have discovered a chemical that can be added to embryonic stem cells grown in the lab, allowing them to multiply without changing into other cell types. This breakthrough will help scientists produce large stocks of cells that are needed for developing new medical therapies. The research, supported by funding from the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, is published in the prestigious peer-reviewed Cell Press journal, Chemistry & Biology.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
Coverage of Northwestern University Multiple Sclerosis Adult Stem Cell Study
Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by researchers at Northwestern University in which adult stem cells reversed symptoms of multiple sclerosis in mice:
Bloomberg News, January 31, 2009: "Dose of stem cells reverses some MS":
"A dose of their own stem cells "reset" the malfunctioning immune system of patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their disability, according to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. All 21 patients in the study had the "relapsing-remitting" form of the disease that makes their symptoms alternately flare up and recede. Three years after being treated, on average, 17 of the patients had improved on tests of their symptoms, 16 had experienced no relapse, and none had deteriorated, the study found."
Nature, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell trial shows promise: Multiple sclerosis treatment seems to reverse symptoms.":
"A stem-cell therapy appears to help some patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis recover, according to results from a preliminary study. In the new trial, the patients' immune cells were first destroyed and they were then injected with blood stem cells taken from their bone marrow. Seventeen of the 21 patients treated in his study improved, suffering fewer problems with their balance or vision, and none declined over the 2-4 years they took part in the study. This marks the first time a technique "has actually shown reversal" of neurologic loss caused by this disease, says Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, who led the study."
BBC News, 02:21 GMT, Friday, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell treatment 'success'":
"Stem-cell transplants may control and even reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms if done early enough, a small study has suggested. ...Stem cells were harvested from the patients and frozen while drugs were given to remove the immune cells or lymphocytes causing the damage. The stem cells were then transplanted back to replenish the immune system - effectively resetting it. Five patients in the study relapsed, but went into remission after receiving other therapy."
The Scotsman, 30 January 2009: "New stem cell treatment can reverse crippling MS":
"A NEW treatment for multiple sclerosis using stem cells could be used to reverse the effects of the disease, research revealed yesterday. A study of 21 patients with MS found that none saw their condition deteriorate while using the therapy – and the majority saw an improvement. The discovery gives new hope that stem cells offer a ground-breaking new method of tackling the debilitating disease, for which there was no cure. The latest research, published in The Lancet Neurology, focused on a technique known as "autologous non-myeloablative haemopoietic stem cell transplantation."
"Stem cells are taken from the patient's bone marrow. The patient's immune system is suppressed and their haemopoietic stem cells – which become blood cells – are put back. Such a technique effectively "resets" the immune system. The 11 women and ten men taking part in the new study, led by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, suffered from a form of the condition known as relapsing-remitting MS."
New Scientist, 30 January 2009 11:57: "Multiple sclerosis 'reversed' with stem cell therapy":
"For the first time, some of the disability associated with the early stages of multiple sclerosis appears to have been reversed. The treatment works by resetting patients' immune systems using their own stem cells. While randomised clinical trials are still needed to confirm the findings, they offer new hope to people in the early stages of the disease who don't respond to drug treatment."
Daily Mail, 30th January 2009, 11:56 AM: "Stem cell injection offers fresh hope for MS sufferers":
"Stem cell injections can reverse the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis, a study published today says. Four out of five adults in the early stages of MS who were injected with stem cells taken from their bone marrow saw an improvement in symptoms after three years. The rest of the patients saw their condition stabilise."
United Press International, January 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM ET: "Stem cell transplant reverses early MS"
"U.S. medical scientists say they have used stem cell therapy to apparently reverse the neurological dysfunctions caused by early-stage multiple sclerosis. Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said they transplanted early-stage multiple sclerosis patients' own immune stem cells into the patients' bodies, thereby "resetting" their immune systems."
Reuters, January 29, 2009 7:11pm EST: "Stem cell transplants show promise for MS: study":
"U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said... Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient's bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it."
HealthDay News, January 29, 2009: "Stem Cell Transplants Help MS Victims: 'Resetting' overactive immune system in early stages of disease worked, study finds":
"Stem cell transplantation seems to stop and, in some cases, undo neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis, a small study shows. The trial involved just 21 patients, but a larger, randomized trial is under way in the United States, Canada and Brazil. ...The technique used in this study, autologous non-myeloablative hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, 'resets' the immune system and is already used for secondary-progressive MS."
Bloomberg News, January 31, 2009: "Dose of stem cells reverses some MS":
"A dose of their own stem cells "reset" the malfunctioning immune system of patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their disability, according to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. All 21 patients in the study had the "relapsing-remitting" form of the disease that makes their symptoms alternately flare up and recede. Three years after being treated, on average, 17 of the patients had improved on tests of their symptoms, 16 had experienced no relapse, and none had deteriorated, the study found."
Nature, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell trial shows promise: Multiple sclerosis treatment seems to reverse symptoms.":
"A stem-cell therapy appears to help some patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis recover, according to results from a preliminary study. In the new trial, the patients' immune cells were first destroyed and they were then injected with blood stem cells taken from their bone marrow. Seventeen of the 21 patients treated in his study improved, suffering fewer problems with their balance or vision, and none declined over the 2-4 years they took part in the study. This marks the first time a technique "has actually shown reversal" of neurologic loss caused by this disease, says Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, who led the study."
BBC News, 02:21 GMT, Friday, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell treatment 'success'":
"Stem-cell transplants may control and even reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms if done early enough, a small study has suggested. ...Stem cells were harvested from the patients and frozen while drugs were given to remove the immune cells or lymphocytes causing the damage. The stem cells were then transplanted back to replenish the immune system - effectively resetting it. Five patients in the study relapsed, but went into remission after receiving other therapy."
The Scotsman, 30 January 2009: "New stem cell treatment can reverse crippling MS":
"A NEW treatment for multiple sclerosis using stem cells could be used to reverse the effects of the disease, research revealed yesterday. A study of 21 patients with MS found that none saw their condition deteriorate while using the therapy – and the majority saw an improvement. The discovery gives new hope that stem cells offer a ground-breaking new method of tackling the debilitating disease, for which there was no cure. The latest research, published in The Lancet Neurology, focused on a technique known as "autologous non-myeloablative haemopoietic stem cell transplantation."
"Stem cells are taken from the patient's bone marrow. The patient's immune system is suppressed and their haemopoietic stem cells – which become blood cells – are put back. Such a technique effectively "resets" the immune system. The 11 women and ten men taking part in the new study, led by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, suffered from a form of the condition known as relapsing-remitting MS."
New Scientist, 30 January 2009 11:57: "Multiple sclerosis 'reversed' with stem cell therapy":
"For the first time, some of the disability associated with the early stages of multiple sclerosis appears to have been reversed. The treatment works by resetting patients' immune systems using their own stem cells. While randomised clinical trials are still needed to confirm the findings, they offer new hope to people in the early stages of the disease who don't respond to drug treatment."
Daily Mail, 30th January 2009, 11:56 AM: "Stem cell injection offers fresh hope for MS sufferers":
"Stem cell injections can reverse the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis, a study published today says. Four out of five adults in the early stages of MS who were injected with stem cells taken from their bone marrow saw an improvement in symptoms after three years. The rest of the patients saw their condition stabilise."
United Press International, January 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM ET: "Stem cell transplant reverses early MS"
"U.S. medical scientists say they have used stem cell therapy to apparently reverse the neurological dysfunctions caused by early-stage multiple sclerosis. Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said they transplanted early-stage multiple sclerosis patients' own immune stem cells into the patients' bodies, thereby "resetting" their immune systems."
Reuters, January 29, 2009 7:11pm EST: "Stem cell transplants show promise for MS: study":
"U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said... Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient's bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it."
HealthDay News, January 29, 2009: "Stem Cell Transplants Help MS Victims: 'Resetting' overactive immune system in early stages of disease worked, study finds":
"Stem cell transplantation seems to stop and, in some cases, undo neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis, a small study shows. The trial involved just 21 patients, but a larger, randomized trial is under way in the United States, Canada and Brazil. ...The technique used in this study, autologous non-myeloablative hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, 'resets' the immune system and is already used for secondary-progressive MS."
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