Source: St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
Date: September 28, 2011
Summary:
Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center have identified a new pathway of stem cell activity in the brain that represents potential targets of brain injuries affecting newborns. The recent study, which raises new questions of how the brain evolves, is published in the current issue of Nature.
The findings revealed that there is a pathway of young migrating neurons targeting the prefrontal cortex of the human brain in the first few months of life. After the first year of life, the subventricular zone of the brain slows down, tapering production of new brain cells by the time a child is 18-months and then to nearly zero by age two. This revelation settles conflicting prior reports that suggested that human neural stem cell cells remain highly active into adulthood.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
CORRECTING SICKLE CELL DISEASE WITH STEM CELLS
Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: September 28, 2011
Summary:
Using a patient’s own stem cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins have corrected the genetic alteration that causes sickle cell disease (SCD), a painful, disabling inherited blood disorder that affects mostly African-Americans. The corrected stem cells were coaxed into immature red blood cells in a test tube that then turned on a normal version of the gene. The research team cautions that the work, done only in the laboratory, is years away from clinical use in patients, but should provide tools for developing gene therapies for SCD and a variety of other blood disorders.
In an article published online August 31 in Blood, the researchers say they are one step closer to developing a feasible cure or long-term treatment option for patients with SCD, which is caused by a single DNA letter change in the gene for adult hemoglobin, the principle protein in red blood cells needed to carry oxygen. People who inherited two copies — one from each parent — of the genetic alteration, the red blood cells are sickle-shaped, rather than round. The misshapen red blood cells clog blood vessels, leading to pain, fatigue, infections, organ damage and premature death.
Date: September 28, 2011
Summary:
Using a patient’s own stem cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins have corrected the genetic alteration that causes sickle cell disease (SCD), a painful, disabling inherited blood disorder that affects mostly African-Americans. The corrected stem cells were coaxed into immature red blood cells in a test tube that then turned on a normal version of the gene. The research team cautions that the work, done only in the laboratory, is years away from clinical use in patients, but should provide tools for developing gene therapies for SCD and a variety of other blood disorders.
In an article published online August 31 in Blood, the researchers say they are one step closer to developing a feasible cure or long-term treatment option for patients with SCD, which is caused by a single DNA letter change in the gene for adult hemoglobin, the principle protein in red blood cells needed to carry oxygen. People who inherited two copies — one from each parent — of the genetic alteration, the red blood cells are sickle-shaped, rather than round. The misshapen red blood cells clog blood vessels, leading to pain, fatigue, infections, organ damage and premature death.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Research reveals how dynamic changes in methylation can determine cell fate
Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: September 26, 2011
Summary:
Cold Spring Harbor, NY – Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and the University of Southern California (USC) have uncovered intriguing new evidence helping to explain one of the ways in which a stem cell's fate can be determined. The new data show how the "marking" of DNA sequences by groups of methyl molecules – a process called methylation – can influence the type of cell a stem cell will become. The cellular maturation process, called differentiation, has long been thought to be affected by methylation. Subtle changes in methylation patterns within subsets of a particular cell type have now been observed and closely scrutinized, and they reveal some intriguing mechanisms at work in the process. The study, which will appear in print October 7 in the journal Molecular Cell, generated some surprising findings that challenge currently held theories about how methylation operates.
Date: September 26, 2011
Summary:
Cold Spring Harbor, NY – Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and the University of Southern California (USC) have uncovered intriguing new evidence helping to explain one of the ways in which a stem cell's fate can be determined. The new data show how the "marking" of DNA sequences by groups of methyl molecules – a process called methylation – can influence the type of cell a stem cell will become. The cellular maturation process, called differentiation, has long been thought to be affected by methylation. Subtle changes in methylation patterns within subsets of a particular cell type have now been observed and closely scrutinized, and they reveal some intriguing mechanisms at work in the process. The study, which will appear in print October 7 in the journal Molecular Cell, generated some surprising findings that challenge currently held theories about how methylation operates.
Mice stem cells guided into myelinating cells by the trillions
Source: Case Western Reserve University
Date: September 26, 2011
Summary:
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found a way to rapidly produce pure populations of cells that grow into the protective myelin coating on nerves in mice. Their process opens a door to research and potential treatments for multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other demyelinating diseases afflicting millions of people worldwide. The findings were published in the online issue of Nature Methods, Sunday, Sept. 25.
With this new discovery, scientists are now able to direct mouse stem cells into populations of myelinating cells, called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, or OPCs. in just 10 days. The team’s success relied upon guiding the cells through specific stages that match those that occur during normal embryonic development.
First, stem cells in a petri dish are treated with molecules to direct them to become the most primitive cells in the nervous system. These cells then organize into structures called neural rosettes reminiscent of the developing brain and spinal cord. To produce OPCs, the neural rosettes are then treated with a defined set of signaling proteins previously known to be important for generation of OPCs in the developing spinal cord.
After this 10 day protocol, the researchers were able to maintain the OPCs in the lab for more than a month by growing them on a specific protein surface called laminin and adding growth factors associated with OPC development. The OPCs were nearly homogenous and could be multiplied to obtain more than a trillion cells. The OPCs were treated with thyroid hormone, which is key to regulating the transition of the OPCs to oligodendrocytes. The result was the OPCs stopped proliferating and turned into oligodendrocytes within four days. Testing on nerves lacking myelin, both on the lab bench and in diseased mouse models, showed the OPCs derived from the process flourished into oligodendrocytes and restored normal myelin within days, demonstrating their potential use in therapeutic transplants.
Date: September 26, 2011
Summary:
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found a way to rapidly produce pure populations of cells that grow into the protective myelin coating on nerves in mice. Their process opens a door to research and potential treatments for multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other demyelinating diseases afflicting millions of people worldwide. The findings were published in the online issue of Nature Methods, Sunday, Sept. 25.
With this new discovery, scientists are now able to direct mouse stem cells into populations of myelinating cells, called oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, or OPCs. in just 10 days. The team’s success relied upon guiding the cells through specific stages that match those that occur during normal embryonic development.
First, stem cells in a petri dish are treated with molecules to direct them to become the most primitive cells in the nervous system. These cells then organize into structures called neural rosettes reminiscent of the developing brain and spinal cord. To produce OPCs, the neural rosettes are then treated with a defined set of signaling proteins previously known to be important for generation of OPCs in the developing spinal cord.
After this 10 day protocol, the researchers were able to maintain the OPCs in the lab for more than a month by growing them on a specific protein surface called laminin and adding growth factors associated with OPC development. The OPCs were nearly homogenous and could be multiplied to obtain more than a trillion cells. The OPCs were treated with thyroid hormone, which is key to regulating the transition of the OPCs to oligodendrocytes. The result was the OPCs stopped proliferating and turned into oligodendrocytes within four days. Testing on nerves lacking myelin, both on the lab bench and in diseased mouse models, showed the OPCs derived from the process flourished into oligodendrocytes and restored normal myelin within days, demonstrating their potential use in therapeutic transplants.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Important Step in Sperm Reprogramming Identified
Source: University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Date: September 22, 2011
Summary:
A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has illuminated a key step of demethylation, giving stem cell researchers critical information as they try to reprogram adult cells to mimic the curative and self-renewing properties of stem cells. Previous research had shown that the methyl tags on sperm DNA are converted to their chemical cousin, hydroxymethyl, before disappearing completely. The current finding, published online in the Sept. 22, 2011, issue of Science (ScienceExpress), suggests that the disappearance of these chemical tags in the later steps of demethylation is not an active process catalyzed by an enzyme but is rather a passive process.
Date: September 22, 2011
Summary:
A study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has illuminated a key step of demethylation, giving stem cell researchers critical information as they try to reprogram adult cells to mimic the curative and self-renewing properties of stem cells. Previous research had shown that the methyl tags on sperm DNA are converted to their chemical cousin, hydroxymethyl, before disappearing completely. The current finding, published online in the Sept. 22, 2011, issue of Science (ScienceExpress), suggests that the disappearance of these chemical tags in the later steps of demethylation is not an active process catalyzed by an enzyme but is rather a passive process.
ACT Receives Approval for First Human Embryonic Stem Cell Trial in Europe
Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Date: September 22, 2011
Summary:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that it has received clearance from the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to begin treating patients as part of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). ACT received similar approval from the the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC), which has responsibility for the ethical oversight of proposals to conduct clinical trials involving gene or stem cell therapies in the U.K. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) previously granted Orphan Drug designation for the company's RPE cell product for use in treating SMD.
Date: September 22, 2011
Summary:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that it has received clearance from the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to begin treating patients as part of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). ACT received similar approval from the the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC), which has responsibility for the ethical oversight of proposals to conduct clinical trials involving gene or stem cell therapies in the U.K. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) previously granted Orphan Drug designation for the company's RPE cell product for use in treating SMD.
StemCells, Inc. Announces World's First Neural Stem Cell Transplant in Spinal Cord Injury Patient
Source: StemCells, Inc.
Date: September 22, 2011
Summary:
StemCells, Inc. announced today that the first patient in the Company's breakthrough Phase I/II clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury was successfully transplanted with the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) adult neural stem cells. The stem cells were administered yesterday at Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, a world leading medical center for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. The transplant surgery was performed by a team of surgeons led by Dr. Raphael Guzman, a visiting staff neurosurgeon also on faculty at Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, and Dr. K. Min, an orthopedic surgeon at Balgrist University Hospital.
Date: September 22, 2011
Summary:
StemCells, Inc. announced today that the first patient in the Company's breakthrough Phase I/II clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury was successfully transplanted with the Company's proprietary HuCNS-SC(R) adult neural stem cells. The stem cells were administered yesterday at Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zurich, a world leading medical center for spinal cord injury and rehabilitation. The transplant surgery was performed by a team of surgeons led by Dr. Raphael Guzman, a visiting staff neurosurgeon also on faculty at Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University, and Dr. K. Min, an orthopedic surgeon at Balgrist University Hospital.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Additional News Coverage of Stanford University Embryonic Stem Cell Trial For Spinal Cord Injury
Below are summaries of additional coverage on the announcement yesterday by Stanford University that a researcher has begun the first test of an embryonic stem cell therapy on the West Coast from the San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Chronicle:
From the San Jose Mercury News, September 21, 2011:
From the San Francisco Chronicle, September 21, 2011:
From the San Jose Mercury News, September 21, 2011:
A Stanford researcher has injected 2 million human embryonic stem cells into the spinal cord of a paralyzed patient at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, marking the first West Coast effort to test the potential therapy. The experiment, announced Tuesday, is designed only to test safety, but doctors will also note whether it improves sensation or helps the patient regain movement.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, September 21, 2011:
A Bay Area patient who recently suffered a serious spinal cord injury and is now paralyzed from the waist down joined the world's first-ever embryonic stem cell study in humans last week, when Stanford doctors injected 2 million cells designed to replace damaged neurons in the patient's spine.
The patient, who is not being identified, is the fourth person to be enrolled in the clinical trial being run by Menlo Park's Geron Corp. and the first person in California. The patient, whose participation in the trial was revealed Tuesday, received the stem cell injection Saturday at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and is now at the rehabilitation center there.
The study is not meant to determine whether the stem cells can cure or even improve the patients' condition, but to find out if the treatment itself is safe. Researchers will be monitoring patients over the following months and years to look for side effects, including possible benign tumor growth if the stem cells start to replicate, or adverse immune reactions.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Embryonic stem cell therapy for paralysis given to first patient in western United States
Source: Stanford University School of Medicine
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
The Stanford University School of Medicine and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center have enrolled the fourth participant in the nation’s first trial of cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. The phase-1, FDA-approved trial is meant to test the safety of the cells in up to 10 people with recent spinal cord injuries at seven trial sites across the United States.
The most recent patient was treated Sept. 17 at the Rehabilitation Trauma Center at SCVMC with cells prepared for injection at Stanford. Stanford neurosurgeon Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD, implanted the cells. Three other patients have previously received the surgically delivered cells: two at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta beginning in October of last year, and one at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in May 2011. The Stanford/SCVMC patient is the first person to receive the therapy west of the Mississippi.
The Palo Alto Weekly and San Francisco Business Times carried news stories on this development today.
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
The Stanford University School of Medicine and Santa Clara Valley Medical Center have enrolled the fourth participant in the nation’s first trial of cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. The phase-1, FDA-approved trial is meant to test the safety of the cells in up to 10 people with recent spinal cord injuries at seven trial sites across the United States.
The most recent patient was treated Sept. 17 at the Rehabilitation Trauma Center at SCVMC with cells prepared for injection at Stanford. Stanford neurosurgeon Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD, implanted the cells. Three other patients have previously received the surgically delivered cells: two at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta beginning in October of last year, and one at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago in May 2011. The Stanford/SCVMC patient is the first person to receive the therapy west of the Mississippi.
The Palo Alto Weekly and San Francisco Business Times carried news stories on this development today.
Using Bone Marrow to Protect the Brain: Stem Cell Technology Begins Clinical Trial for Lou Gehrig's Disease
Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
Through a clinical product called NurOwn, researchers at Tel Aviv University are turning bone marrow stem cells into astrocyte-like cells which are responsible for the well-being of the brain's neurons. Trials for the technology, which has the potential to treat a broad range of neurodegenerative conditions, are now planned for Massachusetts General Hospital.
the technology is now a patent-pending process that takes stem cells from a patient's own bone marrow and causes them to differentiate into astrocyte-like cells, which are responsible for the well-being of the brain's neurons. The cells release neurotrophic factors, or neuroprotectants, which have been shown to play a key role in reducing the progress of ALS, a debilitating disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in paralysis of a patient's limbs and organ function.
The research has appeared in the Journal of Stem Cells Reviews and Reports and a number of other publications.
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
Through a clinical product called NurOwn, researchers at Tel Aviv University are turning bone marrow stem cells into astrocyte-like cells which are responsible for the well-being of the brain's neurons. Trials for the technology, which has the potential to treat a broad range of neurodegenerative conditions, are now planned for Massachusetts General Hospital.
the technology is now a patent-pending process that takes stem cells from a patient's own bone marrow and causes them to differentiate into astrocyte-like cells, which are responsible for the well-being of the brain's neurons. The cells release neurotrophic factors, or neuroprotectants, which have been shown to play a key role in reducing the progress of ALS, a debilitating disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in paralysis of a patient's limbs and organ function.
The research has appeared in the Journal of Stem Cells Reviews and Reports and a number of other publications.
Stem Cells Are Potential Source of Cancer-Fighting T Cells
Source: Penn State College of Medicine
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
Adult stem cells from mice converted to antigen-specific T cells -- the immune cells that fight cancer tumor cells -- show promise in cancer immunotherapy and may lead to a simpler, more efficient way to use the body's immune system to fight cancer, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
By inserting DNA, researchers change the mouse iPS cells into immune cells and inject them into mice with tumors. After 50 days, 100 percent of the mice in the study were still alive, compared to 55 percent of control mice, which received tumor-reactive immune cells isolated from donors. Researchers reported their results and were featured as the cover story in a recent issue of the journal Cancer Research.
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
Adult stem cells from mice converted to antigen-specific T cells -- the immune cells that fight cancer tumor cells -- show promise in cancer immunotherapy and may lead to a simpler, more efficient way to use the body's immune system to fight cancer, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.
By inserting DNA, researchers change the mouse iPS cells into immune cells and inject them into mice with tumors. After 50 days, 100 percent of the mice in the study were still alive, compared to 55 percent of control mice, which received tumor-reactive immune cells isolated from donors. Researchers reported their results and were featured as the cover story in a recent issue of the journal Cancer Research.
Scientists Turn Back the Clock On Adult Stem Cells Aging
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
Atlanta, GA - Researchers have shown they can reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells, which are responsible for helping old or damaged tissues regenerate. The findings could lead to medical treatments that may repair a host of ailments that occur because of tissue damage as people age. A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted the study in cell culture, which appears in the September 1, 2011 edition of the journal Cell Cycle.
The regenerative power of tissues and organs declines as we age. The modern day stem cell hypothesis of aging suggests that living organisms are as old as are its tissue specific or adult stem cells. Therefore, an understanding of the molecules and processes that enable human adult stem cells to initiate self-renewal and to divide, proliferate and then differentiate in order to rejuvenate damaged tissue might be the key to regenerative medicine and an eventual cure for many age-related diseases. A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, conducted the study that pinpoints what is going wrong with the biological clock underlying the limited division of human adult stem cells as they age.
Date: September 20, 2011
Summary:
Atlanta, GA - Researchers have shown they can reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells, which are responsible for helping old or damaged tissues regenerate. The findings could lead to medical treatments that may repair a host of ailments that occur because of tissue damage as people age. A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted the study in cell culture, which appears in the September 1, 2011 edition of the journal Cell Cycle.
The regenerative power of tissues and organs declines as we age. The modern day stem cell hypothesis of aging suggests that living organisms are as old as are its tissue specific or adult stem cells. Therefore, an understanding of the molecules and processes that enable human adult stem cells to initiate self-renewal and to divide, proliferate and then differentiate in order to rejuvenate damaged tissue might be the key to regenerative medicine and an eventual cure for many age-related diseases. A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, conducted the study that pinpoints what is going wrong with the biological clock underlying the limited division of human adult stem cells as they age.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Scientists Turn Back the Clock on Adult Stem Cells Aging
Source: Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Date: September 19, 2011
Summary:
Researchers have shown they can reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells, which are responsible for helping old or damaged tissues regenerate. The findings could lead to medical treatments that may repair a host of ailments that occur because of tissue damage as people age. A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted the study in cell culture, which appears in the September 1, 2011 edition of the journal Cell Cycle.
The regenerative power of tissues and organs declines as we age. The modern day stem cell hypothesis of aging suggests that living organisms are as old as are its tissue specific or adult stem cells. Therefore, an understanding of the molecules and processes that enable human adult stem cells to initiate self-renewal and to divide, proliferate and then differentiate in order to rejuvenate damaged tissue might be the key to regenerative medicine and an eventual cure for many age-related diseases A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, conducted the study that pinpoints what is going wrong with the biological clock underlying the limited division of human adult stem cells as they age.
Date: September 19, 2011
Summary:
Researchers have shown they can reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells, which are responsible for helping old or damaged tissues regenerate. The findings could lead to medical treatments that may repair a host of ailments that occur because of tissue damage as people age. A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted the study in cell culture, which appears in the September 1, 2011 edition of the journal Cell Cycle.
The regenerative power of tissues and organs declines as we age. The modern day stem cell hypothesis of aging suggests that living organisms are as old as are its tissue specific or adult stem cells. Therefore, an understanding of the molecules and processes that enable human adult stem cells to initiate self-renewal and to divide, proliferate and then differentiate in order to rejuvenate damaged tissue might be the key to regenerative medicine and an eventual cure for many age-related diseases A research group led by the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in collaboration with the Georgia Institute of Technology, conducted the study that pinpoints what is going wrong with the biological clock underlying the limited division of human adult stem cells as they age.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Researchers discover a switch that controls stem cell pluripotency
Source: University of Toronto
Date: September 15, 2011
Summary:
Toronto—Scientists at the University of Toronto have found a control switch that regulates stem cell “pluripotency,” the capacity of stem cells to develop into any type of cell in the human body. The discovery reveals that pluripotency is regulated by a single event in a process called alternative splicing.
Alternative splicing allows one gene to generate many different genetic messages and protein products. The researchers found that in genetic messages of a gene called FOXP1, the switch was active in embryonic stem cells but silent in “adult” cells—those that had become the specialized cells that comprise organs and perform functions.
The findings were published in the current online edition of the scientific journal Cell.
Date: September 15, 2011
Summary:
Toronto—Scientists at the University of Toronto have found a control switch that regulates stem cell “pluripotency,” the capacity of stem cells to develop into any type of cell in the human body. The discovery reveals that pluripotency is regulated by a single event in a process called alternative splicing.
Alternative splicing allows one gene to generate many different genetic messages and protein products. The researchers found that in genetic messages of a gene called FOXP1, the switch was active in embryonic stem cells but silent in “adult” cells—those that had become the specialized cells that comprise organs and perform functions.
The findings were published in the current online edition of the scientific journal Cell.
NEW CLASS OF STEM CELL-LIKE CELLS DISCOVERED IN SPINAL CORD OFFERS POSSIBILITIES FOR SPINAL CORD REPAIR
Source: The Allen Institute for Brain Science
Date: September 15, 2011
Summary:
The Allen Institute for Brain Science announced today the discovery of a new class of cells in the spinal cord that act like neural stem cells, offering a fresh avenue in the search for therapies to treat spinal cord injury and disease. The published collaborative study, authored by scientists from the University of British Columbia, the Allen Institute for Brain Science and The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University and titled “Adult Spinal Cord Radial Glia Display a Unique Progenitor Phenotype,” appears in the open access journal PLoS One.
Date: September 15, 2011
Summary:
The Allen Institute for Brain Science announced today the discovery of a new class of cells in the spinal cord that act like neural stem cells, offering a fresh avenue in the search for therapies to treat spinal cord injury and disease. The published collaborative study, authored by scientists from the University of British Columbia, the Allen Institute for Brain Science and The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University and titled “Adult Spinal Cord Radial Glia Display a Unique Progenitor Phenotype,” appears in the open access journal PLoS One.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Researchers Use Uterine Stem Cells to Treat Diabetes
Source: Yale University
Date: September 14, 2011
Summary:
New Haven, Conn. — Controlling diabetes may someday involve mining stem cells from the lining of the uterus, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study published in the journal Molecular Therapy. The team treated diabetes in mice by converting cells from the uterine lining into insulin-producing cells. The endometrium or uterine lining, is a source of adult stem cells. These cells generate uterine tissue each month as part of the menstrual cycle. Like other stem cells, however, they can divide to form other kinds of cells. The Yale team's findings suggest that endometrial stem cells could be used to develop insulin-producing islet cells, which are found in the pancreas. These islet cells could then be used to advance the study of islet cell transplantation to treat people with diabetes.
Date: September 14, 2011
Summary:
New Haven, Conn. — Controlling diabetes may someday involve mining stem cells from the lining of the uterus, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a new study published in the journal Molecular Therapy. The team treated diabetes in mice by converting cells from the uterine lining into insulin-producing cells. The endometrium or uterine lining, is a source of adult stem cells. These cells generate uterine tissue each month as part of the menstrual cycle. Like other stem cells, however, they can divide to form other kinds of cells. The Yale team's findings suggest that endometrial stem cells could be used to develop insulin-producing islet cells, which are found in the pancreas. These islet cells could then be used to advance the study of islet cell transplantation to treat people with diabetes.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
NEUROSURGEONS USE ADULT STEM CELLS TO GROW NECK VERTEBRAE
Source: University of California - Davis Health System
Date: September 6, 2011
Summary:
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Neurosurgery researchers at UC Davis Health System have used a new, leading-edge stem cell therapy to promote the growth of bone tissue following the removal of cervical discs -- the cushions between the bones in the neck -- to relieve chronic, debilitating pain. The procedure used bone marrow-derived adult stem cells to promote the growth of the bone tissue essential for spinal fusion following surgery, as part of a nationwide, multicenter clinical trial of the therapy.
Date: September 6, 2011
Summary:
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Neurosurgery researchers at UC Davis Health System have used a new, leading-edge stem cell therapy to promote the growth of bone tissue following the removal of cervical discs -- the cushions between the bones in the neck -- to relieve chronic, debilitating pain. The procedure used bone marrow-derived adult stem cells to promote the growth of the bone tissue essential for spinal fusion following surgery, as part of a nationwide, multicenter clinical trial of the therapy.
Fetal Tissue Plays Pivotal Role in Formation of Insulin-Producing Cells
Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: September 6, 2011
Summary:
A somewhat mysterious soft tissue found in the fetus during early development in the womb plays a pivotal role in the formation of mature beta cells the sole source of the body’s insulin. This discovery, made by scientists at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Texas A&M University, may lead to new ways of addressing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
As reported today in the journal PLoS Biology, during the late stages of development in mice, this fetal tissue -- called the mesenchyme -- secretes chemicals. Those chemicals enable insulin-producing beta cells to mature and expand. Remove this mesenchyme tissue, the researchers found, and the mice do not grow their full complement of beta cells.
This work provides researchers with an immediate tool for research and drug discovery. By identifying the chemicals that this tissue secretes, scientists may be able to create new beta cells in the body or in the test tube -- something currently beyond the reach of medical science.
Date: September 6, 2011
Summary:
A somewhat mysterious soft tissue found in the fetus during early development in the womb plays a pivotal role in the formation of mature beta cells the sole source of the body’s insulin. This discovery, made by scientists at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Texas A&M University, may lead to new ways of addressing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
As reported today in the journal PLoS Biology, during the late stages of development in mice, this fetal tissue -- called the mesenchyme -- secretes chemicals. Those chemicals enable insulin-producing beta cells to mature and expand. Remove this mesenchyme tissue, the researchers found, and the mice do not grow their full complement of beta cells.
This work provides researchers with an immediate tool for research and drug discovery. By identifying the chemicals that this tissue secretes, scientists may be able to create new beta cells in the body or in the test tube -- something currently beyond the reach of medical science.
Monday, September 05, 2011
Human Intestinal Stem Cell Breakthrough for Regenerative Medicine
Source: Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
Date: 4 September 2011
Summary:
Human colon stem cells have been identified and grown in a petri dish in the lab for the first time. This achievement, made by researchers of the Colorectal Cancer Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and published in Nature Medicine, is a crucial advance towards regenerative medicine.
Throughout life, stem cells of the colon regenerate the inner layer of our large intestine in a weekly basis. For decades scientists had evidences of the existence of these cells yet their identity remained elusive. Scientists led by the ICREA Professor and researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) Eduard Batlle discovered the precise location of the stem cells in the human colon and worked out a method that allows their isolation and in vitro expansion, that is their propagation in lab-plates (petri dishes).
Date: 4 September 2011
Summary:
Human colon stem cells have been identified and grown in a petri dish in the lab for the first time. This achievement, made by researchers of the Colorectal Cancer Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and published in Nature Medicine, is a crucial advance towards regenerative medicine.
Throughout life, stem cells of the colon regenerate the inner layer of our large intestine in a weekly basis. For decades scientists had evidences of the existence of these cells yet their identity remained elusive. Scientists led by the ICREA Professor and researcher at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) Eduard Batlle discovered the precise location of the stem cells in the human colon and worked out a method that allows their isolation and in vitro expansion, that is their propagation in lab-plates (petri dishes).
Thursday, September 01, 2011
Researchers Successfully Perform First Injection of Cultured Red Blood Cells in Human Donor
Source: American Society of Hematology
Date: September 1, 2011
Summary:
For the first time, researchers have successfully injected cultured red blood cells (cRBCs) created from human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into a human donor, according to study results published today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). As the global need for blood continues to increase while the number of blood donors is decreasing, these study results provide hope that one day patients in need of a blood transfusion might become their own donors.
Date: September 1, 2011
Summary:
For the first time, researchers have successfully injected cultured red blood cells (cRBCs) created from human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into a human donor, according to study results published today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). As the global need for blood continues to increase while the number of blood donors is decreasing, these study results provide hope that one day patients in need of a blood transfusion might become their own donors.
Scientists Find Stem Cells That Tell Hair It’s Time to Grow
Source: Yale University
Date: September 1, 2011
Summary:
New Haven, Conn. — Yale researchers have discovered the source of signals that trigger hair growth, an insight that may lead to new treatments for baldness. The researchers identified stem cells within the skin's fatty layer and showed that molecular signals from these cells were necessary to spur hair growth in mice, according to research published in the Sept. 2 issue of the journal Cell.
Date: September 1, 2011
Summary:
New Haven, Conn. — Yale researchers have discovered the source of signals that trigger hair growth, an insight that may lead to new treatments for baldness. The researchers identified stem cells within the skin's fatty layer and showed that molecular signals from these cells were necessary to spur hair growth in mice, according to research published in the Sept. 2 issue of the journal Cell.
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