Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Date: June 29, 2011
Summary:
A Johns Hopkins team has discovered in young adult mice that a lone brain stem cell is capable not only of replacing itself and giving rise to specialized neurons and glia – important types of brain cells – but also of taking a wholly unexpected path: generating two new brain stem cells. A report on their study appears June 24 in Cell.
Although it was known that the brain has the capacity to generate both neurons, which send and receive signals, and the glial cells that surround them, it was unclear whether these various cell types came from a single source. In addition to demonstrating that a single radial glia-like (RGL) brain cell is able to generate two very different functional cell types, the Hopkins researchers, by following the fates of single cells over time, found that a single brain stem cell can even produce two stem cells like itself.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Scientists Discover How To Control Fate of Stem Cells
Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Date: June 24, 2011
Summary:
Scientists from the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), an institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), in collaboration with the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI), have discovered how the body uses a single communication system to decide the fate of stem cells. The study, published in the scientific journal PLoS Genetics on 23rd June 2011, paves the way for the development of new methods of stem cell therapy with fewer side effects.
Date: June 24, 2011
Summary:
Scientists from the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), an institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), in collaboration with the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI), have discovered how the body uses a single communication system to decide the fate of stem cells. The study, published in the scientific journal PLoS Genetics on 23rd June 2011, paves the way for the development of new methods of stem cell therapy with fewer side effects.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Signaling Pathway Is “Executive Software” of Airway Stem Cells
Source: Duke University
Date: June 16, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found out how mouse basal cells that line airways “decide” to become one of two types of cells that assist in airway-clearing duties. The findings could help provide new therapies for either blocked or thinned airways.
“Our work has identified the Notch signaling pathway as a central regulatory ‘switch’ that controls the differentiation of airway basal stem cells,” said Jason Rock, PhD, lead author and postdoctoral researcher in Brigid Hogan's cell biology laboratory.
“Studies like ours will enhance efforts to develop effective genetic, cellular, and molecular therapies for airway diseases -- a leading cause of death worldwide.”
The work was published in Cell Stem Cell on June 3.
Together with the current findings, recent studies suggest that the Notch signaling pathway represents a potential therapeutic target for airway remodeling and lung disease, he said.
Date: June 16, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found out how mouse basal cells that line airways “decide” to become one of two types of cells that assist in airway-clearing duties. The findings could help provide new therapies for either blocked or thinned airways.
“Our work has identified the Notch signaling pathway as a central regulatory ‘switch’ that controls the differentiation of airway basal stem cells,” said Jason Rock, PhD, lead author and postdoctoral researcher in Brigid Hogan's cell biology laboratory.
“Studies like ours will enhance efforts to develop effective genetic, cellular, and molecular therapies for airway diseases -- a leading cause of death worldwide.”
The work was published in Cell Stem Cell on June 3.
Together with the current findings, recent studies suggest that the Notch signaling pathway represents a potential therapeutic target for airway remodeling and lung disease, he said.
ACT Announces First Patients Enrolled in Two Clinical Trials Using Embryonic Stem Cells to Treat Stargardt's Disease and Dry Age-Related Macular Degen
Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Date: June 16, 2011
Summary:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today the enrollment of the first patients in its two Phase 1/2 clinical trials for Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD) and Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Dry AMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The patients were enrolled at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The Phase 1/2 trials are prospective, open-label studies primarily designed to determine the safety and tolerability of the RPE cells following sub-retinal transplantation into patients with SMD and Dry AMD. Each study will enroll 12 patients with cohorts of three patients in an ascending dosage format. The primary endpoint of both studies is to determine the safety and tolerability of hESC-derived RPE cells at 12 months.
Date: June 16, 2011
Summary:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today the enrollment of the first patients in its two Phase 1/2 clinical trials for Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD) and Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (Dry AMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The patients were enrolled at the Jules Stein Eye Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The Phase 1/2 trials are prospective, open-label studies primarily designed to determine the safety and tolerability of the RPE cells following sub-retinal transplantation into patients with SMD and Dry AMD. Each study will enroll 12 patients with cohorts of three patients in an ascending dosage format. The primary endpoint of both studies is to determine the safety and tolerability of hESC-derived RPE cells at 12 months.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Stem Cells from Patients Make 'Early Retina in a Dish'
Source: University of Wisconsin - Madison
Date: June 15, 2011
Summary:
Soon, some treatments for blinding eye diseases might be developed and tested using retina-like tissues produced from the patient's own skin, thanks to a series of discoveries reported by a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell researchers.
The team, led by stem cell scientist and ophthalmologist Dr. David Gamm of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and former UW scientist Dr. Jason Meyer, used human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to generate three-dimensional structures that are similar to those present at the earliest stages of retinal development. The research is published online in the journal Stem Cells.
Date: June 15, 2011
Summary:
Soon, some treatments for blinding eye diseases might be developed and tested using retina-like tissues produced from the patient's own skin, thanks to a series of discoveries reported by a team of University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell researchers.
The team, led by stem cell scientist and ophthalmologist Dr. David Gamm of the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and former UW scientist Dr. Jason Meyer, used human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to generate three-dimensional structures that are similar to those present at the earliest stages of retinal development. The research is published online in the journal Stem Cells.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sniffing out a New Source of Stem Cells
Source: Journal of Clinical Investigation
Date: June 14, 2011
Summary:
New research in mice published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that adult stem cells from immune system tissue in the smell-sensing region of the human nose (human olfactory ecto--mesenchymal stem cells [OE-MSCs]) could provide a source of cells to treat brain disorders in which nerve cells are lost or irreparably damaged.
A team of researchers, led by Emmanuel Nivet, now at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, has generated data in mice that suggest that adult stem cells from immune system tissue in the smell-sensing region of the human nose (human olfactory ecto-mesenchymal stem cells [OE-MSCs]) could provide a source of cells to treat brain disorders in which nerve cells are lost or irreparably damaged.
Date: June 14, 2011
Summary:
New research in mice published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests that adult stem cells from immune system tissue in the smell-sensing region of the human nose (human olfactory ecto--mesenchymal stem cells [OE-MSCs]) could provide a source of cells to treat brain disorders in which nerve cells are lost or irreparably damaged.
A team of researchers, led by Emmanuel Nivet, now at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, has generated data in mice that suggest that adult stem cells from immune system tissue in the smell-sensing region of the human nose (human olfactory ecto-mesenchymal stem cells [OE-MSCs]) could provide a source of cells to treat brain disorders in which nerve cells are lost or irreparably damaged.
UC DAVIS RESEARCHERS DISCOVER TARGET MOLECULE TO REPAIR INJURED NERVE CELLS
University of California - Davis
Date: June 14, 2011
Summary:
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A team of investigators at UC Davis and Shriners Hospital have discovered that a factor in the embryonic development of brain cells is an important target for developing new drugs and stem cell therapies to treat patients who have lost function from multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke and other “demyelinating” diseases and injuries. The study, which was conducted in mice, appears online today in Scientific Reports, a new primary research, open-access journal from the publishers of Nature.
Date: June 14, 2011
Summary:
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A team of investigators at UC Davis and Shriners Hospital have discovered that a factor in the embryonic development of brain cells is an important target for developing new drugs and stem cell therapies to treat patients who have lost function from multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke and other “demyelinating” diseases and injuries. The study, which was conducted in mice, appears online today in Scientific Reports, a new primary research, open-access journal from the publishers of Nature.
New Research Provides Clues on Why Hair Turns Gray Communication Between Hair Follicles and Melanocyte Stem Cells Key to Mystery
Source: NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Date: June 14, 2011
Summary:
A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center has shown that, for the first time, Wnt signaling, already known to control many biological processes, between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation. The study was published in the June 11, 2011 issue of the journal Cell. Using genetic mouse models, researchers were able to examine how Wnt signaling pathways enabled both hair follicle stem cells and melanocyte stem cells to work together to generate hair growth and produce hair color. Research also showed the depletion (or inhibition or abnormal) Wnt signaling in hair follicle stem cells not only inhibits hair re-growth but also prevents melanocytes stem cell activation required for producing hair color. The lack of Wnt activation in melanocyte stem cells leads to depigmented or gray hair.
Date: June 14, 2011
Summary:
A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center has shown that, for the first time, Wnt signaling, already known to control many biological processes, between hair follicles and melanocyte stem cells can dictate hair pigmentation. The study was published in the June 11, 2011 issue of the journal Cell. Using genetic mouse models, researchers were able to examine how Wnt signaling pathways enabled both hair follicle stem cells and melanocyte stem cells to work together to generate hair growth and produce hair color. Research also showed the depletion (or inhibition or abnormal) Wnt signaling in hair follicle stem cells not only inhibits hair re-growth but also prevents melanocytes stem cell activation required for producing hair color. The lack of Wnt activation in melanocyte stem cells leads to depigmented or gray hair.
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Researchers work to turn back the clock on bone-producing stem cells
Source: Georgia Health Sciences University
Date: June 9, 2011
Summary:
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Researchers want to turn back the clock on aging stem cells so they’ll make better bone. Bone-weakening osteoporosis results in a fracture every three seconds worldwide, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. The right nutrients resulting in the right signals could help aging stem cells act more youthful, producing stronger bones longer and reducing the death and disability associated with a frail framework, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers say.
Date: June 9, 2011
Summary:
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Researchers want to turn back the clock on aging stem cells so they’ll make better bone. Bone-weakening osteoporosis results in a fracture every three seconds worldwide, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. The right nutrients resulting in the right signals could help aging stem cells act more youthful, producing stronger bones longer and reducing the death and disability associated with a frail framework, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers say.
NEW GENETIC TECHNIQUE CONVERTS SKIN CELLS INTO BRAIN CELLS
Source: Lund University
Date: 09 June 2011
Summary:
research breakthrough has proven that it is possible to reprogram mature cells from human skin directly into brain cells, without passing through the stem cell stage. The unexpectedly simple technique involves activating three genes in the skin cells; genes which are already known to be active in the formation of brain cells at the fetal stage.
The new technique avoids many of the ethical dilemmas that stem cell research has faced.
For the first time, a research group at Lund University in Sweden has succeeded in creating specific types of nerve cells from human skin. By reprogramming connective tissue cells, called fibroblasts, directly into nerve cells, a new field has been opened up with the potential to take research on cell transplants to the next level. The discovery represents a fundamental change in the view of the function and capacity of mature cells. By taking mature cells as their starting point instead of stem cells, the Lund researchers also avoid the ethical issues linked to research on embryonic stem cells.
The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: 09 June 2011
Summary:
research breakthrough has proven that it is possible to reprogram mature cells from human skin directly into brain cells, without passing through the stem cell stage. The unexpectedly simple technique involves activating three genes in the skin cells; genes which are already known to be active in the formation of brain cells at the fetal stage.
The new technique avoids many of the ethical dilemmas that stem cell research has faced.
For the first time, a research group at Lund University in Sweden has succeeded in creating specific types of nerve cells from human skin. By reprogramming connective tissue cells, called fibroblasts, directly into nerve cells, a new field has been opened up with the potential to take research on cell transplants to the next level. The discovery represents a fundamental change in the view of the function and capacity of mature cells. By taking mature cells as their starting point instead of stem cells, the Lund researchers also avoid the ethical issues linked to research on embryonic stem cells.
The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Blood Simpler: Researchers Parse the Origins of Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: June 8, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a gene and a novel signaling pathway, both critical for making the first hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in developing vertebrate embryos. The discovery has implications for developing stem cell-based therapies for diseases like leukemia and congenital blood disorders.
HSCs are multipotent stem cells that give rise to all blood cell types, including red blood and immune cells. Existing medical treatments using HSCs are hampered by cell shortages and finding compatible matches between donors and recipients. Currently, it is not possible to create HSCs from converted embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells -- pluripotent cells artificially derived from non-pluripotent cells, such as skin cells.
"What we need is the ability to generate self-renewing HSCs from patients for treatments," said David Traver, PhD, an associate professor in UCSD's Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. "But accomplishing this goal means first understanding the mechanisms involved in creating HSCs during embryonic development."
One of those mechanisms is described for the first time in a paper published by Traver and colleagues in the June 9 issue of the journal Nature.
Date: June 8, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a gene and a novel signaling pathway, both critical for making the first hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in developing vertebrate embryos. The discovery has implications for developing stem cell-based therapies for diseases like leukemia and congenital blood disorders.
HSCs are multipotent stem cells that give rise to all blood cell types, including red blood and immune cells. Existing medical treatments using HSCs are hampered by cell shortages and finding compatible matches between donors and recipients. Currently, it is not possible to create HSCs from converted embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells -- pluripotent cells artificially derived from non-pluripotent cells, such as skin cells.
"What we need is the ability to generate self-renewing HSCs from patients for treatments," said David Traver, PhD, an associate professor in UCSD's Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. "But accomplishing this goal means first understanding the mechanisms involved in creating HSCs during embryonic development."
One of those mechanisms is described for the first time in a paper published by Traver and colleagues in the June 9 issue of the journal Nature.
Scientists find gene vital to nerve cell development
Source: Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Date: June 8, 2011
Summary:
The body’s ability to perform simple tasks like flex muscles or feel heat, cold and pain depends, in large part, on myelin, an insulating layer of fats and proteins that speeds the propagation of nerve cell signals. Now, scientists have identified a gene in mice that controls whether certain cells in the peripheral nervous system can make myelin. Called Gpr126, the gene encodes a cellular receptor that could play a role in diseases affecting peripheral nerves, says Kelly R. Monk, PhD, assistant professor of developmental biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The work is currently available online and will be published in the July 1 issue of the journal Development.
Date: June 8, 2011
Summary:
The body’s ability to perform simple tasks like flex muscles or feel heat, cold and pain depends, in large part, on myelin, an insulating layer of fats and proteins that speeds the propagation of nerve cell signals. Now, scientists have identified a gene in mice that controls whether certain cells in the peripheral nervous system can make myelin. Called Gpr126, the gene encodes a cellular receptor that could play a role in diseases affecting peripheral nerves, says Kelly R. Monk, PhD, assistant professor of developmental biology at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The work is currently available online and will be published in the July 1 issue of the journal Development.
Monday, June 06, 2011
Stony Brook Pathology Team Demonstrates Breakthrough Method Of Stem Cell Expansion
Source: Stony Brook University School of Medicine
Date: June 6, 2011
Summary:
Researchers in the Department of Pathology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine have discovered a laboratory method to expand adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) using the SALL4 gene. Professor Yupo Ma, M.D., Ph.D., Lead Author, and colleagues used this method to produce a more than 10,000-fold increase in HSCs derived from normal human bone marrow. Their findings define a new mechanism of stem cell self-renewal, providing a means to produce large numbers of HSCs that could be used to treat hematological malignancies and other blood disorders. Their results are reported in the early online edition of Blood.
Date: June 6, 2011
Summary:
Researchers in the Department of Pathology at Stony Brook University School of Medicine have discovered a laboratory method to expand adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) using the SALL4 gene. Professor Yupo Ma, M.D., Ph.D., Lead Author, and colleagues used this method to produce a more than 10,000-fold increase in HSCs derived from normal human bone marrow. Their findings define a new mechanism of stem cell self-renewal, providing a means to produce large numbers of HSCs that could be used to treat hematological malignancies and other blood disorders. Their results are reported in the early online edition of Blood.
Stem cell treatment may offer option for broken bones that don’t heal
Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine
Date: June 6, 2011
Summary:
CHAPEL HILL, NC — Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown in an animal study that transplantation of adult stem cells enriched with a bone-regenerating hormone can help mend bone fractures that are not healing properly.
The UNC study team led by Anna Spagnoli, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and biomedical engineering, demonstrated that stem cells manufactured with the regenerative hormone insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) become bone cells and also help the cells within broken bones repair the fracture, thereby speeding the healing. The new findings were presented Sunday, June 5, 2011 at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston, Mass.
Date: June 6, 2011
Summary:
CHAPEL HILL, NC — Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown in an animal study that transplantation of adult stem cells enriched with a bone-regenerating hormone can help mend bone fractures that are not healing properly.
The UNC study team led by Anna Spagnoli, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and biomedical engineering, demonstrated that stem cells manufactured with the regenerative hormone insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) become bone cells and also help the cells within broken bones repair the fracture, thereby speeding the healing. The new findings were presented Sunday, June 5, 2011 at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston, Mass.
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Stem cell treatment to prevent leukaemia returning is a step closer
Source: King's College London
Date: 6 June 2011
Summary:
Cancer Research UK-funded researchers at King’s College London have identified a way of eliminating leukaemic stem cells, which could in the future lead to new treatments that may enable complete remission for leukaemia patients. An early study in mice has shown that leukaemic stem cells can be abolished by suppressing two proteins found in the body.
Leukaemic stem cells sustain the disease and are likely to be responsible for relapse, so elimination of these cells is believed to be key for achieving complete remission. These encouraging findings highlight the two proteins as potential therapeutic targets to prevent the most aggressive forms of leukaemia returning. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and Leukaemia Lymphoma Research, is published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Date: 6 June 2011
Summary:
Cancer Research UK-funded researchers at King’s College London have identified a way of eliminating leukaemic stem cells, which could in the future lead to new treatments that may enable complete remission for leukaemia patients. An early study in mice has shown that leukaemic stem cells can be abolished by suppressing two proteins found in the body.
Leukaemic stem cells sustain the disease and are likely to be responsible for relapse, so elimination of these cells is believed to be key for achieving complete remission. These encouraging findings highlight the two proteins as potential therapeutic targets to prevent the most aggressive forms of leukaemia returning. The study, funded by Cancer Research UK and Leukaemia Lymphoma Research, is published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
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