Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Date: April 29, 2010
Summary:
A comprehensive new gene expression study in embryonic stem cells has uncovered a transcription control mechanism that is not only more pervasive than once thought but is also heavily regulated by the cancer-causing gene c-Myc. In research published in the April 30th edition of Cell, a team of Whitehead Institute researchers describes a pausing step in the transcription process that serves to regulate expression of as many as 80% of the genes in mammalian cells.
Scientists have long known that DNA-binding transcription factors recruit the RNA polymerase Pol II (which prompts copying of DNA into mRNA protein codes) to promoters in order to kick off the transcription process. Now researchers in the lab of Whitehead Member Richard Young have found that additional factors recruited to the promoters serve to stop transcription in its tracks shortly after it’s begun.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
NIH Study Confirms Location of Stem Cells Near Cartilage-Rich Regions in Bones
Source: NIH / National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Date: April 26, 2010
Summary:
Working with mice, a team of researchers has pinpointed the location of bone generating stem cells in the spine, at the ends of shins, and in other bones. The team also has identified factors that control the stem cells' growth. The research was conducted at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Researchers have long known that stem cells from bone marrow give rise to bone cells and to red and white blood cells. The current study is the first to identify the location of bone stem cells in the adult mouse skeleton. The researchers refer to the newly identified cells as bone stromal cells. "Stroma" is a term used to describe a supportive or connective structure in biological tissue. The term distinguishes the cells from hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to blood cells, and which are found in bone marrow. The findings appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: April 26, 2010
Summary:
Working with mice, a team of researchers has pinpointed the location of bone generating stem cells in the spine, at the ends of shins, and in other bones. The team also has identified factors that control the stem cells' growth. The research was conducted at the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.
Researchers have long known that stem cells from bone marrow give rise to bone cells and to red and white blood cells. The current study is the first to identify the location of bone stem cells in the adult mouse skeleton. The researchers refer to the newly identified cells as bone stromal cells. "Stroma" is a term used to describe a supportive or connective structure in biological tissue. The term distinguishes the cells from hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to blood cells, and which are found in bone marrow. The findings appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Stem cells from surgery leftovers could repair damaged hearts
Source: University of Bristol
Date: 26 April 2010
Summary:
Scientists have for the first time succeeded in extracting vital stem cells from sections of vein removed for heart bypass surgery. Researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) found that these stem cells can stimulate new blood vessels to grow, which could potentially help repair damaged heart muscle after a heart attack. The research, by Paolo Madeddu, Professor of Experimental Cardiovascluar Medicine and his team in the Bristol Heart Institute (BHI) at the University of Bristol, is published in the leading journal Circulation. In tests in mice, the cells proved able to stimulate new blood vessels to grow into injured leg muscles. Professor Madeddu and his team are now beginning to investigate whether the cells can help the heart to recover from a heart attack.
Date: 26 April 2010
Summary:
Scientists have for the first time succeeded in extracting vital stem cells from sections of vein removed for heart bypass surgery. Researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) found that these stem cells can stimulate new blood vessels to grow, which could potentially help repair damaged heart muscle after a heart attack. The research, by Paolo Madeddu, Professor of Experimental Cardiovascluar Medicine and his team in the Bristol Heart Institute (BHI) at the University of Bristol, is published in the leading journal Circulation. In tests in mice, the cells proved able to stimulate new blood vessels to grow into injured leg muscles. Professor Madeddu and his team are now beginning to investigate whether the cells can help the heart to recover from a heart attack.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Gene silencing may be responsible for induced pluripotent stem cells' limitations
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: April 25, 2010
Summary:
Scientists may be one step closer to being able to generate any type of cells and tissues from a patient's own cells. In a study that will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), describe finding that an important cluster of genes is inactivated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not have the full development potential of embryonic stem cells. Generated from adult cells, iPSCs have many characteristics of embryonic stem cells but also have had significant limitations.
Date: April 25, 2010
Summary:
Scientists may be one step closer to being able to generate any type of cells and tissues from a patient's own cells. In a study that will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), describe finding that an important cluster of genes is inactivated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not have the full development potential of embryonic stem cells. Generated from adult cells, iPSCs have many characteristics of embryonic stem cells but also have had significant limitations.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Body builders - the worms that point the way to understanding tissue regeneration
Source: University of Nottingham
Posted: 23 April 2010 09:35:00 GMT
Summary:
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered the gene that enables an extraordinary worm to regenerate its own body parts after amputation — including a whole head and brain. Their research into the Planarian worm is another piece in the scientific jigsaw that could one day make the regeneration of old or damaged human organs and tissues a real possibility. The research led by Dr Aziz Aboobaker, a Research Councils UK Fellow in the School of Biology shows for the first time that a gene called 'Smed-prep' is essential for correctly regenerating a head and brain in planarian worms. The study is published on April 22 2010 in the open access journal PLoS Genetics.
Posted: 23 April 2010 09:35:00 GMT
Summary:
Scientists at The University of Nottingham have discovered the gene that enables an extraordinary worm to regenerate its own body parts after amputation — including a whole head and brain. Their research into the Planarian worm is another piece in the scientific jigsaw that could one day make the regeneration of old or damaged human organs and tissues a real possibility. The research led by Dr Aziz Aboobaker, a Research Councils UK Fellow in the School of Biology shows for the first time that a gene called 'Smed-prep' is essential for correctly regenerating a head and brain in planarian worms. The study is published on April 22 2010 in the open access journal PLoS Genetics.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Scientists Create Stem Cells from Eggs of Aging Mice
Source: New York University Langone Medical Center
Date: April 22, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have created stem cells from the eggs of aging mice that could be used for reproductive purposes and regenerative medicine. The study, published in April issue of the journal Aging Cell, found that even though the eggs from older females were slightly less efficient at making stem cells than those from younger females, the capacity to create stem cells was sustained.
Date: April 22, 2010
Summary:
Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have created stem cells from the eggs of aging mice that could be used for reproductive purposes and regenerative medicine. The study, published in April issue of the journal Aging Cell, found that even though the eggs from older females were slightly less efficient at making stem cells than those from younger females, the capacity to create stem cells was sustained.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
StemCells, Inc. Plans to Advance to Second Clinical Trial in Batten Disease
Source: StemCells, Inc.
Date: April 21, 2010
Summary:
In an official company news release, Stem Cells, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced plans to advance to a second clinical trial using purified human neural stem cells to treat Batten disease:
Date: April 21, 2010
Summary:
In an official company news release, Stem Cells, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced plans to advance to a second clinical trial using purified human neural stem cells to treat Batten disease:
StemCells, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine, announced today that it has submitted a protocol to the FDA for initiation of a second clinical trial of its proprietary HuCNS-SC® human neural stem cells in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL), which is also often referred to as Batten disease. NCL is a genetic disorder characterized by the absence of a critical enzyme, which leads to the loss of neurons and the eventual death of the patient. The Company completed a Phase I clinical trial in NCL in January 2009 and reported the results to the FDA in September 2009.
The proposed new trial is designed to further assess the safety of HuCNS-SC cells in NCL, while also examining the ability of the cells to affect the progression of the disease. The Company plans to enroll six patients with infantile and late infantile NCL. Because intervention prior to the final stages of the disease will likely be key to providing a therapeutic benefit, the Company plans to enroll patients with less brain atrophy than those enrolled in its first trial. Under the proposed protocol, all patients would be transplanted with HuCNS-SC cells and immunosuppressed for nine months. The patients would also be evaluated and assessed at regular intervals over the course of 12 months following transplantation. As the Company intends to follow the effects of this therapy long-term, a separate four-year observational study would be initiated at the conclusion of this trial. Upon FDA authorization of the trial protocol, the Company will proceed with site selection and seek the necessary Institutional Review Board approval to initiate the trial.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Scripps Research scientists solve mystery of fragile stem cells
Source: The Scripps Research Institute
Date: April 12, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field closer to the day when stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes. The research is being published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of April 12, 2010.
In the study, the team discovered two novel synthetic small molecule drugs that can be added to human stem cell culture that each individually prevent the death of these cells. The team also unravels the mechanisms by which the compounds promote stem cell survival, shedding light on a previously unknown aspect of stem cell biology. The hope of most researchers in the field is that one day it will be possible to use stem cells — which possess the ability to develop into many other distinct cell types, such as nerve, heart, or lung cells — to repair damaged tissue from any number of diseases, from Type 1 diabetes to Parkinson's disease, as well as from injuries.
Date: April 12, 2010
Summary:
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field closer to the day when stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes. The research is being published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences during the week of April 12, 2010.
In the study, the team discovered two novel synthetic small molecule drugs that can be added to human stem cell culture that each individually prevent the death of these cells. The team also unravels the mechanisms by which the compounds promote stem cell survival, shedding light on a previously unknown aspect of stem cell biology. The hope of most researchers in the field is that one day it will be possible to use stem cells — which possess the ability to develop into many other distinct cell types, such as nerve, heart, or lung cells — to repair damaged tissue from any number of diseases, from Type 1 diabetes to Parkinson's disease, as well as from injuries.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Research may help scientists understand mechanism behind cellular differentiation
Source: Carnegie Institution
Date: April 5, 2010
Summary:
Multipotent stem cells have the capacity to develop into different types of cells by reprogramming their DNA to turn on different combinations of genes, a process called "differentiation." In a new study, researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science have found that reprogramming is imperfect in the early stages of differentiation, with some genes turned on and off at random. As cell divisions continue, the stability of the differentiation process increases by a factor of 100. The finding will help scientists understand how stem cells reprogram their genes and why fully differentiated cells are very hard to reprogram, knowledge with potential impacts on aging, regenerative medicine, and cancer research. The results of this research are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: April 5, 2010
Summary:
Multipotent stem cells have the capacity to develop into different types of cells by reprogramming their DNA to turn on different combinations of genes, a process called "differentiation." In a new study, researchers from the Carnegie Institution for Science have found that reprogramming is imperfect in the early stages of differentiation, with some genes turned on and off at random. As cell divisions continue, the stability of the differentiation process increases by a factor of 100. The finding will help scientists understand how stem cells reprogram their genes and why fully differentiated cells are very hard to reprogram, knowledge with potential impacts on aging, regenerative medicine, and cancer research. The results of this research are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Friday, April 02, 2010
New York Stem Cell Foundation Fellow Lead Author on Study That Derives Floor Plate Tissue From Embryonic Stem Cells
Source: New York Stem Cell Foundation
Date: April 2, 2010
Summary:
NEW YORK, NY (April 2) - New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Fellow, Christopher Fasano, PhD, of the New York Neural Stem Cell Institute, is lead author on a study that investigating human neural development. Dr. Fasano conducted this work while working as a post-doctoral fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the lab of Dr. Lorenz Studer. Dr. Fasano and his colleagues used human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to derive floor plate tissue, an important signaling center during brain development.
The study, Efficient derivation of functional floor plate tissue from human embryonic stem cells, was published in the online edition of Cell Stem Cell on April 1, 2010, and will also appear in the journal’s print edition.
Date: April 2, 2010
Summary:
NEW YORK, NY (April 2) - New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Fellow, Christopher Fasano, PhD, of the New York Neural Stem Cell Institute, is lead author on a study that investigating human neural development. Dr. Fasano conducted this work while working as a post-doctoral fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the lab of Dr. Lorenz Studer. Dr. Fasano and his colleagues used human embryonic stem cells (hESC) to derive floor plate tissue, an important signaling center during brain development.
The study, Efficient derivation of functional floor plate tissue from human embryonic stem cells, was published in the online edition of Cell Stem Cell on April 1, 2010, and will also appear in the journal’s print edition.
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