Source: Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Date: May 27, 2011
Summary:
Researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have discovered what enables embryonic stem cells to differentiate into diverse cell types and thus to be pluripotent. This pluripotency depends on a specific molecule -- E-cadherin -- hitherto primarily known for its role in mediating cell-cell adhesion as a kind of "intracellular glue." If E-cadherin is absent, the stem cells lose their pluripotency. The molecule also plays a crucial role in the reprogramming of somatic cells (body cells) into pluripotent stem cells. The research is published online in EMBO reports.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Scientists turn human skin cells directly into neurons, skipping iPS stage
Source: Stanford University School of Medicine
Date: May 26, 2011
Summary;
Human skin cells can be converted directly into functional neurons in a period of four to five weeks with the addition of just four proteins, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is significant because it bypasses the need to first create induced pluripotent stem cells, and may make it much easier to generate patient- or disease-specific neurons for study in a laboratory dish.It may also circumvent a recently reported potential problem with iPS cells, in which laboratory mice rejected genetically identical iPS cells — seemingly on the basis of the proteins used to render them pluripotent. The research is published online May 26 in Nature.
Nature and BBC News also posted news stories about this discovery today.
Date: May 26, 2011
Summary;
Human skin cells can be converted directly into functional neurons in a period of four to five weeks with the addition of just four proteins, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is significant because it bypasses the need to first create induced pluripotent stem cells, and may make it much easier to generate patient- or disease-specific neurons for study in a laboratory dish.It may also circumvent a recently reported potential problem with iPS cells, in which laboratory mice rejected genetically identical iPS cells — seemingly on the basis of the proteins used to render them pluripotent. The research is published online May 26 in Nature.
Nature and BBC News also posted news stories about this discovery today.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Study of stem cell diseases advanced by new Stanford technique
Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: May 22, 2011
Summary:
STANFORD, Calif. — A rare genetic disease called dyskeratosis congenita, caused by the rapid shortening of telomeres (protective caps on the ends of chromosomes), can be mimicked through the study of undifferentiated induced pluripotent stem cells, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Although dyskeratosis affects only about one in a million people, the scientists' findings could greatly facilitate research into this and other diseases caused by stem cell malfunctions, including some bone marrow failure syndromes and, perhaps, pulmonary fibrosis.
The study, which used iPS cells created from the cells of patients with dyskeratosis, explains why sufferers experience a wide variety in the types and severity of symptoms, ranging from abnormal skin pigmentation and nail growth to lung scarring, bone marrow failure and cancer. The key lies in the activity of telomerase, an enzyme critical to aging and cell renewal. The study will be published online May 22 in Nature.
Date: May 22, 2011
Summary:
STANFORD, Calif. — A rare genetic disease called dyskeratosis congenita, caused by the rapid shortening of telomeres (protective caps on the ends of chromosomes), can be mimicked through the study of undifferentiated induced pluripotent stem cells, according to new findings from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Although dyskeratosis affects only about one in a million people, the scientists' findings could greatly facilitate research into this and other diseases caused by stem cell malfunctions, including some bone marrow failure syndromes and, perhaps, pulmonary fibrosis.
The study, which used iPS cells created from the cells of patients with dyskeratosis, explains why sufferers experience a wide variety in the types and severity of symptoms, ranging from abnormal skin pigmentation and nail growth to lung scarring, bone marrow failure and cancer. The key lies in the activity of telomerase, an enzyme critical to aging and cell renewal. The study will be published online May 22 in Nature.
Human brain’s most ubiquitous cell cultivated in lab dish
Source: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Date: May 22, 2011
Summary:
Long considered to be little more than putty in the brain and spinal cord, the star-shaped astrocyte has found new respect among neuroscientists who have begun to recognize its many functions in the brain, not to mention its role in a range of disorders of the central nervous system. Now, writing in the current (Sunday, May 22) issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, a group led by University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell researcher Su-Chun Zhang reports it has been able to direct embryonic and induced human stem cells to become astrocytes in the lab dish.
The ability to make large, uniform batches of astrocytes, explains Zhang, opens a new avenue to more fully understanding the functional roles of the brain's most commonplace cell, as well as its involvement in a host of central nervous system disorders ranging from headaches to dementia. What's more, the ability to culture the cells gives researchers a powerful tool to devise new therapies and drugs for neurological disorders.
Date: May 22, 2011
Summary:
Long considered to be little more than putty in the brain and spinal cord, the star-shaped astrocyte has found new respect among neuroscientists who have begun to recognize its many functions in the brain, not to mention its role in a range of disorders of the central nervous system. Now, writing in the current (Sunday, May 22) issue of the journal Nature Biotechnology, a group led by University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell researcher Su-Chun Zhang reports it has been able to direct embryonic and induced human stem cells to become astrocytes in the lab dish.
The ability to make large, uniform batches of astrocytes, explains Zhang, opens a new avenue to more fully understanding the functional roles of the brain's most commonplace cell, as well as its involvement in a host of central nervous system disorders ranging from headaches to dementia. What's more, the ability to culture the cells gives researchers a powerful tool to devise new therapies and drugs for neurological disorders.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Predicting the Fate of Personalized Cells Next Step Towards New Therapies, Penn Study Suggests
Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Date: May 19, 2011
Summary:
PHILADELPHIA – Discovering the step-by-step details of the path embryonic cells take to develop into their final tissue type is the clinical goal of many stem cell biologists. To that end, Kenneth S. Zaret, PhD, professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and associate director of the Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Cheng-Ran Xu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Zaret laboratory, looked at immature cells called progenitors and found a way to potentially predict their fate. They base this on how the protein spools around which DNA winds -- called histones -- are marked by other proteins. This study appeared this week in Science.
Date: May 19, 2011
Summary:
PHILADELPHIA – Discovering the step-by-step details of the path embryonic cells take to develop into their final tissue type is the clinical goal of many stem cell biologists. To that end, Kenneth S. Zaret, PhD, professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and associate director of the Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and Cheng-Ran Xu, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Zaret laboratory, looked at immature cells called progenitors and found a way to potentially predict their fate. They base this on how the protein spools around which DNA winds -- called histones -- are marked by other proteins. This study appeared this week in Science.
Editing scrambled genes in human stem cells may help realize the promise of stem cell-gene therapy
Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: May 19, 2011
Summary:
In principle, genetic engineering is simple, but in practice, replacing a faulty gene with a healthy copy is anything but. Using mutated versions of the lamin A gene as an example to demonstrate the versatility of their virus-based approach, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies successfully edited a diseased gene in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells as well as adult stem cells.
The study, which will be published in the June 3, 2011 issue of Cell Stem Cell but are already available online, demonstrates that the gene-editing approach developed by Salk professor Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, Ph.D., and his team provides an efficient and safe tool for cell engineering and opens the way for gene editing-based stem cell therapies suitable for clinical applications.
Date: May 19, 2011
Summary:
In principle, genetic engineering is simple, but in practice, replacing a faulty gene with a healthy copy is anything but. Using mutated versions of the lamin A gene as an example to demonstrate the versatility of their virus-based approach, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies successfully edited a diseased gene in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells as well as adult stem cells.
The study, which will be published in the June 3, 2011 issue of Cell Stem Cell but are already available online, demonstrates that the gene-editing approach developed by Salk professor Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte, Ph.D., and his team provides an efficient and safe tool for cell engineering and opens the way for gene editing-based stem cell therapies suitable for clinical applications.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Scientists Discover Switch To Speed Up Stem Cell Production To Facilitate Development Of Treatments For Diseases
Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Date: May 18, 2011
Summary:
A team of scientists from Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have shown how proteins involved in controlling genes work together to carry out their functions in stem cells and demonstrated for the very first time, how they can change interaction partners to make other types of cells. The work highlighted the collaborative nature of modern biology in which techniques and knowledge from bioinformatics analysis, structural biology, biochemistry and stem cell molecular biology were used together to find the specific amino acid within the protein that facilitated the molecular switch between stem cells and other types of cells. This discovery, published in the journal Stem Cells, has implications for generating stem cells more efficiently for biomedical applications and could help facilitate the development of treatments for diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.
Date: May 18, 2011
Summary:
A team of scientists from Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) have shown how proteins involved in controlling genes work together to carry out their functions in stem cells and demonstrated for the very first time, how they can change interaction partners to make other types of cells. The work highlighted the collaborative nature of modern biology in which techniques and knowledge from bioinformatics analysis, structural biology, biochemistry and stem cell molecular biology were used together to find the specific amino acid within the protein that facilitated the molecular switch between stem cells and other types of cells. This discovery, published in the journal Stem Cells, has implications for generating stem cells more efficiently for biomedical applications and could help facilitate the development of treatments for diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Israel Ministry of Health Approves BrainStorm’s NurOwn™ for the First Clinical Trial of Adult Stem Cell Therapy for ALS
Source: BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics
Date: May 17, 2011
Summary;
BrainStorm Inc., a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, and Hadasit, the technology transfer company of the Hadassah Medical Organization, announced today that Israel's Ministry of Health (MOH) has approved the Phase I/II clinical trial of NurOwn™, BrainStorm’s autologous stem cell therapy for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (often referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease). BrainStorm is the first company to receive approval from the MOH for a differentiated stem cell-based therapy.
About the Trial
The Phase I/II clinical trial will be conducted by a joint team headed by the principal investigator Prof. Dimitrios Karussis, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Center for Multiple Sclerosis in the Department of Neurology at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, and a scientific team from BrainStorm headed by Prof. Eldad Melamed. The initial phase of the study is designed to establish the safety of NurOwn™ and will later be expanded to assess efficacy.
Patients will be transplanted with stem cells derived from their own bone marrow and treated with Brainstorm's NurOwn™ stem cell technology. The trial will include a total of 24 patients, twelve in an advanced stage of the disease and twelve in an early stage. The patients will be examined at regular intervals and followed for six months post transplantation. Additional information regarding the Phase I/II clinical trial is provided by the Hadassah Medical Center at ClinicalTrials.gov.
Reuters published a news story about the trial today. The lead follows below:
May 17, 2011 8:00am EDT
Date: May 17, 2011
Summary;
BrainStorm Inc., a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, and Hadasit, the technology transfer company of the Hadassah Medical Organization, announced today that Israel's Ministry of Health (MOH) has approved the Phase I/II clinical trial of NurOwn™, BrainStorm’s autologous stem cell therapy for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (often referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease). BrainStorm is the first company to receive approval from the MOH for a differentiated stem cell-based therapy.
About the Trial
The Phase I/II clinical trial will be conducted by a joint team headed by the principal investigator Prof. Dimitrios Karussis, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Center for Multiple Sclerosis in the Department of Neurology at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, and a scientific team from BrainStorm headed by Prof. Eldad Melamed. The initial phase of the study is designed to establish the safety of NurOwn™ and will later be expanded to assess efficacy.
Patients will be transplanted with stem cells derived from their own bone marrow and treated with Brainstorm's NurOwn™ stem cell technology. The trial will include a total of 24 patients, twelve in an advanced stage of the disease and twelve in an early stage. The patients will be examined at regular intervals and followed for six months post transplantation. Additional information regarding the Phase I/II clinical trial is provided by the Hadassah Medical Center at ClinicalTrials.gov.
Reuters published a news story about the trial today. The lead follows below:
May 17, 2011 8:00am EDT
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.received approval from Israel's Health Ministry for a clinical trial of its adult stem cell therapy for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ...BrainStorm expects to begin treating patients in the coming weeks and will work with Jerusalem's Hadassah Medical Center.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Stem Cells Reverse Disease in a Model of Parkinson's Disease
Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation
Date: May 16, 2011
Summary:
A team of researchers -- led by Sang-Hun Lee, at Hanyang University, Republic of Korea, and Kwang-Soo Kim, at Harvard Medical School, Belmont, -- has now compared the ability of cells derived from different types of human stem cell to reverse disease in a rat model of Parkinson disease and identified a stem cell population that they believe could be clinically relevant.
The researchers found several problems with cells derived from virus-based human iPS cells that precluded their use in the Parkinson disease model but found that nerve cells derived from protein-based human iPS cells reversed disease when transplanted into the brain of rats modeling Parkinson disease. They therefore conclude that protein-based human iPS cells could be used in the treatment of individuals with Parkinson disease.
The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Date: May 16, 2011
Summary:
A team of researchers -- led by Sang-Hun Lee, at Hanyang University, Republic of Korea, and Kwang-Soo Kim, at Harvard Medical School, Belmont, -- has now compared the ability of cells derived from different types of human stem cell to reverse disease in a rat model of Parkinson disease and identified a stem cell population that they believe could be clinically relevant.
The researchers found several problems with cells derived from virus-based human iPS cells that precluded their use in the Parkinson disease model but found that nerve cells derived from protein-based human iPS cells reversed disease when transplanted into the brain of rats modeling Parkinson disease. They therefore conclude that protein-based human iPS cells could be used in the treatment of individuals with Parkinson disease.
The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Sections of Retinas Regenerated and Visual Function Increased With Stem Cells from Skin
Source: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Date: May 16, 2011
Summary:
Boston, MA— Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases that affect millions worldwide.
Date: May 16, 2011
Summary:
Boston, MA— Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases that affect millions worldwide.
Stem cell study could pave the way to treatment for age-related muscle wasting
Source: Monash University
Date: 16 May 2011
Summary:
A team led by Monash University developmental biologist Professor Christophe Marcelle has nailed the mechanism that causes stem cells in the embryo to differentiate into specialised cells that form the skeletal muscles of animals’ bodies. The scientists published their results in the British journal Nature on Monday (May 16).
The researchers analysed the differentiation of muscle stem cells in chicken embryos. The mechanisms in birds are identical to those in mammals, so the chick is a good model species for understanding the mechanisms in humans.
The scientists investigated the effect of a known signalling pathway called NOTCH on muscle differentiation. They found that differentiation of stem cells to muscle was initiated when NOTCH signalling proteins touched some of the cells. These proteins were carried by passing cells migrating from a different tissue–the neural crest–the progenitor tissue of sensory nerve cells. Muscle formation in the target stem cells occurred only when the NOTCH pathway was triggered briefly by the migrating neural crest cells.
Date: 16 May 2011
Summary:
A team led by Monash University developmental biologist Professor Christophe Marcelle has nailed the mechanism that causes stem cells in the embryo to differentiate into specialised cells that form the skeletal muscles of animals’ bodies. The scientists published their results in the British journal Nature on Monday (May 16).
The researchers analysed the differentiation of muscle stem cells in chicken embryos. The mechanisms in birds are identical to those in mammals, so the chick is a good model species for understanding the mechanisms in humans.
The scientists investigated the effect of a known signalling pathway called NOTCH on muscle differentiation. They found that differentiation of stem cells to muscle was initiated when NOTCH signalling proteins touched some of the cells. These proteins were carried by passing cells migrating from a different tissue–the neural crest–the progenitor tissue of sensory nerve cells. Muscle formation in the target stem cells occurred only when the NOTCH pathway was triggered briefly by the migrating neural crest cells.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Winding Back the Clock With Kidney Stem Cells
Source: Monash University
Date: 15 May 2011
Summary:
For the first time, scientists at Monash University's Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories (MISCL) have shown that they can make human stem cells from healthy adult kidneys without working on human embryos, circumventing ethical concerns around this research. For the challenging project, which was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the Monash researchers started with healthy adult kidney cells, which they reprogrammed back to an embryonic-like state, then compared these kidney stem cells with off-the-shelf embryonic stem cells, and showed that both could form different embryonic tissue types, with their genetic features preserved.
Date: 15 May 2011
Summary:
For the first time, scientists at Monash University's Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories (MISCL) have shown that they can make human stem cells from healthy adult kidneys without working on human embryos, circumventing ethical concerns around this research. For the challenging project, which was published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the Monash researchers started with healthy adult kidney cells, which they reprogrammed back to an embryonic-like state, then compared these kidney stem cells with off-the-shelf embryonic stem cells, and showed that both could form different embryonic tissue types, with their genetic features preserved.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Study Finds Therapies Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Could Encounter Immune Rejection Problems
Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: May 13, 2011
Summary:
Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered that an important class of stem cells known as “induced pluripotent stem cells,” or iPSCs, derived from an individual’s own cells, could face immune rejection problems if they are used in future stem cell therapies. In today’s advance online issue of the journal Nature, the researchers report the first clear evidence of immune system rejection of cells derived from autologous iPSCs that can be differentiated into a wide variety of cell types.
Because iPSCs are not derived from embryonic tissue and are not subject to the federal restrictions that limit the use of embryonic stem cells, researchers regard them as a promising means to develop stem cell therapies. And because iPSCs are derived from an individual’s own cells, many scientists had assumed that these stem cells would not be recognized by the immune system. As a consequence, the immune system would not try to mount an attack to purge them from the body.
In fact, scientists regarded iPSCs as particularly attractive candidates for clinical use because cells derived from embryonic stem cells will induce immune system rejection that requires physicians to administer immune suppressant medications that can compromise a person’s overall health. But the UCSD biologists found that iPSCs are subject to some of the same problems of immune system rejection as embryonic stem cells.
The New York Times and Nature published news stories about this finding today.
Date: May 13, 2011
Summary:
Biologists at UC San Diego have discovered that an important class of stem cells known as “induced pluripotent stem cells,” or iPSCs, derived from an individual’s own cells, could face immune rejection problems if they are used in future stem cell therapies. In today’s advance online issue of the journal Nature, the researchers report the first clear evidence of immune system rejection of cells derived from autologous iPSCs that can be differentiated into a wide variety of cell types.
Because iPSCs are not derived from embryonic tissue and are not subject to the federal restrictions that limit the use of embryonic stem cells, researchers regard them as a promising means to develop stem cell therapies. And because iPSCs are derived from an individual’s own cells, many scientists had assumed that these stem cells would not be recognized by the immune system. As a consequence, the immune system would not try to mount an attack to purge them from the body.
In fact, scientists regarded iPSCs as particularly attractive candidates for clinical use because cells derived from embryonic stem cells will induce immune system rejection that requires physicians to administer immune suppressant medications that can compromise a person’s overall health. But the UCSD biologists found that iPSCs are subject to some of the same problems of immune system rejection as embryonic stem cells.
The New York Times and Nature published news stories about this finding today.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
A new program for neural stem cells
Source: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Date: May 12, 2011
Summary:
Neural stem cells can do a lot, but not everything. For example, brain and spinal cord cells are not usually generated by neural stem cells of the peripheral nervous system, and it is not possible to produce cells of the peripheral nervous system from the stem cells of the brain. However, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt and the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg have now succeeded in producing central nervous system cells from neural stem cells of the peripheral nervous system. They found that if peripheral stem cells are maintained under defined growth conditions, they generate oligodendrocytes, which form the myelin layer that surrounds the neurons found in the brain and spinal cord. The research is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Date: May 12, 2011
Summary:
Neural stem cells can do a lot, but not everything. For example, brain and spinal cord cells are not usually generated by neural stem cells of the peripheral nervous system, and it is not possible to produce cells of the peripheral nervous system from the stem cells of the brain. However, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt and the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg have now succeeded in producing central nervous system cells from neural stem cells of the peripheral nervous system. They found that if peripheral stem cells are maintained under defined growth conditions, they generate oligodendrocytes, which form the myelin layer that surrounds the neurons found in the brain and spinal cord. The research is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Pluripotent adult stem cells power planarian regeneration
Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Date: May 12, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have determined that the planarian flatworm regenerates missing tissues by using pluripotent adult stem cells. Until now, scientists could not determine whether the dividing cells in planarians, called neoblasts, are a mixture of specialized stem cells that each regenerates specific tissues, or if individual neoblasts are pluripotent and able to regenerate all tissues. Using complementary methods, the researchers demonstrated that adult planarians not only possess pluripotent stem cells -- known as clonogenic neoblasts (cNeoblasts) -- but that a single such cell is capable of regenerating an entire animal. Their results are published in the May 13 issue of Science.
Date: May 12, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research have determined that the planarian flatworm regenerates missing tissues by using pluripotent adult stem cells. Until now, scientists could not determine whether the dividing cells in planarians, called neoblasts, are a mixture of specialized stem cells that each regenerates specific tissues, or if individual neoblasts are pluripotent and able to regenerate all tissues. Using complementary methods, the researchers demonstrated that adult planarians not only possess pluripotent stem cells -- known as clonogenic neoblasts (cNeoblasts) -- but that a single such cell is capable of regenerating an entire animal. Their results are published in the May 13 issue of Science.
Scientists Regenerate Sections of Retinas, Increase Visual Function with Skin Stem Cells
Source: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Date: May 12, 2011
Summary:
Boston, MA— Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases that affect millions worldwide.
Date: May 12, 2011
Summary:
Boston, MA— Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases that affect millions worldwide.
Study finds lung stem cells, likely to generate debate Has potential to lead to ways to fix damage
Below is a summary of media coverage of the announcement by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital of the identification of a human lung stem cell that is self-renewing and capable of forming and integrating multiple biological structures of the lung:
Boston Globe, May 12, 2011: "Study finds lung stem cells, likely to generate debate. Has potential to lead to ways to fix damage":
Agence France Press (AFP), May 11, 2011, 5:04 pm ET: "US researchers identify first human lung stem cell":
Associated Press, May 11, 2011: "Scientists identify possible human lung stem cell":
HealthDay News, May 11, 2011: "Discovery of Lung Stem Cells May Herald New Treatments: But the research is preliminary, so human benefits won't come any time soon":
Boston Globe, May 12, 2011: "Study finds lung stem cells, likely to generate debate. Has potential to lead to ways to fix damage":
In a provocative new finding, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital report they have discovered human lung stem cells, which they say can give rise to the many different types of cells in the lung and ultimately may hold the potential to regenerate and repair damaged lung tissue in patients.
The results, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine, challenge the current understanding of how the lung develops and will probably generate significant debate and skepticism within the field. Many scientists did not expect that a single human lung stem cell would give rise to all the many cell types found in the lung.
Agence France Press (AFP), May 11, 2011, 5:04 pm ET: "US researchers identify first human lung stem cell":
WASHINGTON — US researchers said Wednesday they have identified for the first time human lung stem cells that are self-renewing and could offer important clues for treating chronic lung diseases. Previous studies have shown researchers were able to create lung cells using human embryonic stem cells, but this lung stem cell was isolated using surgical samples of adult human lung tissue.
Associated Press, May 11, 2011: "Scientists identify possible human lung stem cell":
"Scientists believe they've discovered stem cells in the lung that can make a wide variety of the organ's tissues, a finding that might open new doors for treating emphysema and other diseases."
...The researchers found the cells in donated surgical samples of adult tissue. The same cells appeared in tissue donated from nine fetuses that had died, giving evidence that the cells are present before birth and perhaps participate in lung development. To study the cells' behavior, researchers injured lungs of mice and then injected six doses of about 20,000 cells apiece.
Within 10 to 14 days, the injected cells had formed airways, blood vessels and air sacs. "We had a very large amount of regeneration" involving millions of new cells, researchers reported.
The new tissue showed "seamless" connection to the rest of the lung, and researchers believe it would work, although that wasn't tested, Loscalzo said. The results appeared in all 29 mice tested.
HealthDay News, May 11, 2011: "Discovery of Lung Stem Cells May Herald New Treatments: But the research is preliminary, so human benefits won't come any time soon":
Contrary to current scientific thinking, human lungs do harbor stem cells capable of forming different parts of the lung, including blood vessels, a new study says. The findings, reported May 12 in the New England Journal of Medicine, may open the door to eventual bioengineered lung tissue repair and replacement.
...The findings could potentially offer a new avenue of treatment for patients suffering from respiratory conditions, such as emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or pulmonary hypertension, that currently have only limited treatment options.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
First U.S. patient enrolled in stem cell transplantation/cardiac bypass study aimed at improving heart failure
Source: Methodist Hospital
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
Houston, TX - A 59-year-old Houston man became the first individual in the United States to enroll in a study using stem cell transplantation during cardiac bypass to treat severe heart failure. Clinician-researchers at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center are investigating whether stem cell infusion, delivered during bypass surgery, will generate new blood vessels and improve heart function more than what is accomplished through bypass surgery alone. The individual underwent a four-hour procedure Tuesday afternoon but because he is enrolled in a single-blind research study, he will not know if he received his own stem cells until study results are released.
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
Houston, TX - A 59-year-old Houston man became the first individual in the United States to enroll in a study using stem cell transplantation during cardiac bypass to treat severe heart failure. Clinician-researchers at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center are investigating whether stem cell infusion, delivered during bypass surgery, will generate new blood vessels and improve heart function more than what is accomplished through bypass surgery alone. The individual underwent a four-hour procedure Tuesday afternoon but because he is enrolled in a single-blind research study, he will not know if he received his own stem cells until study results are released.
Adult Stem Cells Take Root in Livers and Repair Damage
Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated that human liver cells derived from adult cells coaxed into an embryonic state can engraft and begin regenerating liver tissue in mice with chronic liver damage. The work, published in the May 11 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests that liver cells derived from so-called "induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)" could one day be used as an alternative to liver transplant in patients with serious liver diseases, bypassing long waiting lists for organs and concerns about immune system rejection of donated tissue.
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
Johns Hopkins researchers have demonstrated that human liver cells derived from adult cells coaxed into an embryonic state can engraft and begin regenerating liver tissue in mice with chronic liver damage. The work, published in the May 11 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, suggests that liver cells derived from so-called "induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)" could one day be used as an alternative to liver transplant in patients with serious liver diseases, bypassing long waiting lists for organs and concerns about immune system rejection of donated tissue.
Human Lung Stem Cell Discovered
Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
For the first time, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have identified a human lung stem cell that is self-renewing and capable of forming and integrating multiple biological structures of the lung including bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessels. This research is published in the May 12, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Using lung tissue from surgical samples, researchers identified and isolated the human lung stem cell and tested the functionality of the stem cell both in vitro and in vivo. Once the stem cell was isolated, researchers demonstrated in vitro that the cell was capable of dividing both into new stem cells and also into cells that would grow into various types of lung tissue. Next, researchers injected the stem cell into mice with damaged lungs. The injected stem cells differentiated into new bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessel cells which not only formed new lung tissue, but also integrated structurally to the existing lung tissue in the mice.
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
For the first time, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have identified a human lung stem cell that is self-renewing and capable of forming and integrating multiple biological structures of the lung including bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessels. This research is published in the May 12, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Using lung tissue from surgical samples, researchers identified and isolated the human lung stem cell and tested the functionality of the stem cell both in vitro and in vivo. Once the stem cell was isolated, researchers demonstrated in vitro that the cell was capable of dividing both into new stem cells and also into cells that would grow into various types of lung tissue. Next, researchers injected the stem cell into mice with damaged lungs. The injected stem cells differentiated into new bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessel cells which not only formed new lung tissue, but also integrated structurally to the existing lung tissue in the mice.
Human Lung Stem Cell Discovered: Crucial Role in Tissue Regeneration
Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
For the first time, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have identified a human lung stem cell that is self-renewing and capable of forming and integrating multiple biological structures of the lung including bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessels. This research is published in the May 12, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Using lung tissue from surgical samples, researchers identified and isolated the human lung stem cell and tested the functionality of the stem cell both in vitro and in vivo. Once the stem cell was isolated, researchers demonstrated in vitro that the cell was capable of dividing both into new stem cells and also into cells that would grow into various types of lung tissue. Next, researchers injected the stem cell into mice with damaged lungs. The injected stem cells differentiated into new bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessel cells which not only formed new lung tissue, but also integrated structurally to the existing lung tissue in the mice.
Date: May 11, 2011
Summary:
For the first time, researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have identified a human lung stem cell that is self-renewing and capable of forming and integrating multiple biological structures of the lung including bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessels. This research is published in the May 12, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Using lung tissue from surgical samples, researchers identified and isolated the human lung stem cell and tested the functionality of the stem cell both in vitro and in vivo. Once the stem cell was isolated, researchers demonstrated in vitro that the cell was capable of dividing both into new stem cells and also into cells that would grow into various types of lung tissue. Next, researchers injected the stem cell into mice with damaged lungs. The injected stem cells differentiated into new bronchioles, alveoli and pulmonary vessel cells which not only formed new lung tissue, but also integrated structurally to the existing lung tissue in the mice.
Monday, May 09, 2011
Stem cell technology used in unique surgery
Source: University of Gothenburg
Date: May 9, 2011
Summary:
For the first time ever in the world, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy have produced a blood vessel from stem cells and then used it in an operation on a 10-year-old girl at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Surgeon and Professor Michael Olausson was able to create a new connection with the aid of this blood vessel between the liver and the intestines, necessary to cure the girl. The girl is now in good health, and her prognosis is very good.
The girl developed during her first year of life a blood clot in the blood vessel that leads blood from the intestines to the liver. This introduced the risk that she would experience life-threatening internal bleeding. The condition can be cured if it is possible to direct the blood along the correct path, back into the liver. In optimal cases, the surgery can be performed using blood vessels from other parts of the patient’s body, but a liver transplant may be necessary if the surgery is unsuccessful due to a lack of sufficient blood vessels. A liver transplant will involve subsequent lifelong treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.
Blood vessels from a dead donor were used in the present case. The vessel was then chemically treated to remove all cells RNA and DNA. This left just the supporting tissue. Stem cells were then obtained from the girl’s bone marrow and these were added to the supporting tissue. A new blood vessel grew in just under four weeks. This was used during the surgery in order to create the new connection between the liver and the intestines, necessary to cure the girl.
Date: May 9, 2011
Summary:
For the first time ever in the world, researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy have produced a blood vessel from stem cells and then used it in an operation on a 10-year-old girl at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Surgeon and Professor Michael Olausson was able to create a new connection with the aid of this blood vessel between the liver and the intestines, necessary to cure the girl. The girl is now in good health, and her prognosis is very good.
The girl developed during her first year of life a blood clot in the blood vessel that leads blood from the intestines to the liver. This introduced the risk that she would experience life-threatening internal bleeding. The condition can be cured if it is possible to direct the blood along the correct path, back into the liver. In optimal cases, the surgery can be performed using blood vessels from other parts of the patient’s body, but a liver transplant may be necessary if the surgery is unsuccessful due to a lack of sufficient blood vessels. A liver transplant will involve subsequent lifelong treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.
Blood vessels from a dead donor were used in the present case. The vessel was then chemically treated to remove all cells RNA and DNA. This left just the supporting tissue. Stem cells were then obtained from the girl’s bone marrow and these were added to the supporting tissue. A new blood vessel grew in just under four weeks. This was used during the surgery in order to create the new connection between the liver and the intestines, necessary to cure the girl.
Friday, May 06, 2011
Engineers Patch a Heart: Tissue-Engineering Platform Enables Heart Tissue to Repair Itself
Source: Columbia University
Date: May 6, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at Columbia Engineering have established a new method to patch a damaged heart using a tissue-engineering platform that enables heart tissue to repair itself. This breakthrough, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is an important step forward in combating cardiovascular disease, one of the most serious health problems of our day.
Researchers developed a novel cell therapy to treat myocardial infarction (heart damage that follows a heart attack). They were able, for the first time, to combine the use of human repair cells that were conditioned during in-vitro culture to maximize their ability to revascularize and improve blood flow to the infarcted tissue with a fully biological composite scaffold designed to deliver these cells to the damaged heart. With this platform, they could both keep the cells within the infarct bed (in contrast to the massive cell loss associated with infusion of cells alone) and enhance cell survival and function in the infarct bed, where most of the cells would have died because of the obstruction of their blood supply.
Date: May 6, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at Columbia Engineering have established a new method to patch a damaged heart using a tissue-engineering platform that enables heart tissue to repair itself. This breakthrough, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is an important step forward in combating cardiovascular disease, one of the most serious health problems of our day.
Researchers developed a novel cell therapy to treat myocardial infarction (heart damage that follows a heart attack). They were able, for the first time, to combine the use of human repair cells that were conditioned during in-vitro culture to maximize their ability to revascularize and improve blood flow to the infarcted tissue with a fully biological composite scaffold designed to deliver these cells to the damaged heart. With this platform, they could both keep the cells within the infarct bed (in contrast to the massive cell loss associated with infusion of cells alone) and enhance cell survival and function in the infarct bed, where most of the cells would have died because of the obstruction of their blood supply.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Normal stem cells made to look and act like cancer stem cells
Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
CHAPEL HILL, NC — Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, after isolating normal stem cells that form the developing placenta, have given them the same properties of stem cells associated with an aggressive type of breast cancer.
The scientific first opens the door for developing novel targeted therapies aimed at triple negative breast cancer. Known also as TNBC, this is a highly recurrent tumor that spreads aggressively beyond its original site in the breast and carries a poor prognosis for patients who have it. The study will be published online Friday, May 6, by the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
CHAPEL HILL, NC — Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, after isolating normal stem cells that form the developing placenta, have given them the same properties of stem cells associated with an aggressive type of breast cancer.
The scientific first opens the door for developing novel targeted therapies aimed at triple negative breast cancer. Known also as TNBC, this is a highly recurrent tumor that spreads aggressively beyond its original site in the breast and carries a poor prognosis for patients who have it. The study will be published online Friday, May 6, by the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Study identifies stem cell-related changes that may contribute to age-related cognitive decline
Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – A new study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) offers an explanation for why our brains produce fewer and fewer neurons with age, a phenomenon thought to underlie age-related cognitive decline. The study, published as the cover story in the May 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, suggests that this drop in production is due to the shrinking cache of adult stem cells in our brains.
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – A new study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) offers an explanation for why our brains produce fewer and fewer neurons with age, a phenomenon thought to underlie age-related cognitive decline. The study, published as the cover story in the May 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, suggests that this drop in production is due to the shrinking cache of adult stem cells in our brains.
Study identifies stem cell-related changes that may contribute to age-related cognitive decline
Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – A new study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) offers an explanation for why our brains produce fewer and fewer neurons with age, a phenomenon thought to underlie age-related cognitive decline. The study, published as the cover story in the May 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, suggests that this drop in production is due to the shrinking cache of adult stem cells in our brains. The new neurons are critical for some facets of memory—for instance, when similar events need to be memorized as separate episodes—and for the response to anti-depressant therapies and repair after brain injury.
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – A new study from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) offers an explanation for why our brains produce fewer and fewer neurons with age, a phenomenon thought to underlie age-related cognitive decline. The study, published as the cover story in the May 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, suggests that this drop in production is due to the shrinking cache of adult stem cells in our brains. The new neurons are critical for some facets of memory—for instance, when similar events need to be memorized as separate episodes—and for the response to anti-depressant therapies and repair after brain injury.
What Decides Neural Stem Cell Fate? A gene called SOX2 acts as a stem cell gatekeeper – only cells expressing it have the potential to become neurons
Source: Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
Early in embryonic development, the neural crest - a transient group of stem cells - gives rise to parts of the nervous system and several other tissues. But little is known about what determines which cells become neurons and which become other cell types. A team led by Dr. Alexey Terskikh at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) recently found that expression of a gene called SOX2 maintains the potential for neural crest stem cells to become neurons in the peripheral nervous system, where they interface with muscles and other organs. Their results, published online May 5 by the journal Cell Stem Cell, could help better inform therapies aimed at neurocristopathies, diseases caused by defects in the neural crest or neurons, which include microphthamia and CHARGE syndrome.
Date: May 5, 2011
Summary:
Early in embryonic development, the neural crest - a transient group of stem cells - gives rise to parts of the nervous system and several other tissues. But little is known about what determines which cells become neurons and which become other cell types. A team led by Dr. Alexey Terskikh at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) recently found that expression of a gene called SOX2 maintains the potential for neural crest stem cells to become neurons in the peripheral nervous system, where they interface with muscles and other organs. Their results, published online May 5 by the journal Cell Stem Cell, could help better inform therapies aimed at neurocristopathies, diseases caused by defects in the neural crest or neurons, which include microphthamia and CHARGE syndrome.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Regenerating Nerve Cells: Research Offers Hope in New Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries
Source: Rutgers University
Date: May 3, 2011
Summary:
Rutgers researchers have developed an innovative new treatment that could help minimize nerve damage in spinal cord injuries, promote tissue healing and minimize pain. After a spinal cord injury there is an increased production of a protein (RhoA) that blocks regeneration of nerve cells that carry signals along the spinal cord and prevents the injured tissue from healing.
Scientists at the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and Quark Pharmaceuticals Inc. have developed a chemically synthesized siRNA molecule that decreases the production of the RhoA protein when administered to the spine and allows regeneration of the nerve cells. The study is published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
Date: May 3, 2011
Summary:
Rutgers researchers have developed an innovative new treatment that could help minimize nerve damage in spinal cord injuries, promote tissue healing and minimize pain. After a spinal cord injury there is an increased production of a protein (RhoA) that blocks regeneration of nerve cells that carry signals along the spinal cord and prevents the injured tissue from healing.
Scientists at the W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and Quark Pharmaceuticals Inc. have developed a chemically synthesized siRNA molecule that decreases the production of the RhoA protein when administered to the spine and allows regeneration of the nerve cells. The study is published in the Journal of Neurotrauma.
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