Source: Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Date: March 4, 2008
Summary:
By outfitting immune-system killer cells with a new pair of genes, scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University transformed them into potent weapons that destroy cells infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Their novel strategy of genetically engineering immune cells to redirect their infection-fighting ability toward killing HIV-infected cells could lead to an entirely new approach for combating AIDS and other viral diseases. The findings appear in the March issue of the Journal of Virology.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
Protein in embryonic stem cells control malignant tumor cells
Source: Northwestern University
Date: March 3, 2008
Summary:
A protein that governs development of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) also inhibits the growth and spread of malignant melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, Northwestern University researchers have discovered. Metastatic melanoma, which develops from the transformation of skin pigment cells or melanocytes, has a death rate of more than 80 percent and a median survival of less than 7.5 months.
HealthDay News also published a news story about this finding:
"A protein called Lefty that regulates development of human embryonic stem cells can inhibit the growth and spread of deadly melanomas and aggressive breast cancers, says a study by researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. The findings, published in this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, add to the team's previous efforts to identify the genes and cellular pathways involved in cancer metastasis, and may help lead to new kinds of cancer treatments."
Date: March 3, 2008
Summary:
A protein that governs development of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) also inhibits the growth and spread of malignant melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, Northwestern University researchers have discovered. Metastatic melanoma, which develops from the transformation of skin pigment cells or melanocytes, has a death rate of more than 80 percent and a median survival of less than 7.5 months.
HealthDay News also published a news story about this finding:
"A protein called Lefty that regulates development of human embryonic stem cells can inhibit the growth and spread of deadly melanomas and aggressive breast cancers, says a study by researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. The findings, published in this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, add to the team's previous efforts to identify the genes and cellular pathways involved in cancer metastasis, and may help lead to new kinds of cancer treatments."
Toxins in Cigarette Smoke Prevent Stem Cells from Becoming Cartilage
Source: University of Rochester Medical Center
Date: March 3, 2008
Summary:
A toxic pollutant spread by oil spills, forest fires and car exhaust is also present in cigarette smoke, and may represent a second way in which smoking delays bone healing, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in San Francisco.
Date: March 3, 2008
Summary:
A toxic pollutant spread by oil spills, forest fires and car exhaust is also present in cigarette smoke, and may represent a second way in which smoking delays bone healing, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in San Francisco.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Short RNA strand helps exposed skin cells protect body from bacteria, dehydration and even cancer
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: March 2, 2008
Summary:
Every minute, 30,000 of our outermost skin cells die so that we can live. When they do, new cells migrate from the inner layer of the skin to the surface of it, where they form a tough protective barrier. In a series of elegant experiments in mice, researchers at Rockefeller University have now discovered a tiny RNA molecule that helps create this barrier. The results not only yield new insight into how skin first evolved, but also suggest how healthy cells can turn cancerous.
Date: March 2, 2008
Summary:
Every minute, 30,000 of our outermost skin cells die so that we can live. When they do, new cells migrate from the inner layer of the skin to the surface of it, where they form a tough protective barrier. In a series of elegant experiments in mice, researchers at Rockefeller University have now discovered a tiny RNA molecule that helps create this barrier. The results not only yield new insight into how skin first evolved, but also suggest how healthy cells can turn cancerous.
Adult stem cell changes underlie rare genetic disease associated with accelerated aging
Source: National Cancer Institute
Date: March 2, 2008
Summary:
Adult stem cells may provide an explanation for the cause of a Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), a rare disease that causes premature aging in children, according to researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. These findings, the first to indicate a biological basis for the clinical features of HGPS, also known as progeria, may also provide new insights into the biological mechanisms of normal aging. The results were published in the March, 2008, issue of Nature Cell Biology.
Date: March 2, 2008
Summary:
Adult stem cells may provide an explanation for the cause of a Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), a rare disease that causes premature aging in children, according to researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. These findings, the first to indicate a biological basis for the clinical features of HGPS, also known as progeria, may also provide new insights into the biological mechanisms of normal aging. The results were published in the March, 2008, issue of Nature Cell Biology.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Key Step In Programmed Cell Death Discovered
Source: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Date: February 29, 2008
Summary:
Investigators have discovered a dance of proteins that protects certain cells from undergoing apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death. Understanding the fine points of apoptosis is important to researchers seeking ways to control this process. In a series of experiments, St. Jude researchers found that if any one of three molecules is missing, certain cells lose the ability to protect themselves from apoptosis. A report on this work appears in the advance online publication of Nature.
Date: February 29, 2008
Summary:
Investigators have discovered a dance of proteins that protects certain cells from undergoing apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death. Understanding the fine points of apoptosis is important to researchers seeking ways to control this process. In a series of experiments, St. Jude researchers found that if any one of three molecules is missing, certain cells lose the ability to protect themselves from apoptosis. A report on this work appears in the advance online publication of Nature.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Device allows scientists to control gene activity across generations of cells
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: February 28, 2008
Summary:
Just as cells inherit genes, they also inherit a set of instructions that tell genes when to become active, in which tissues and to what extent. Now, Rockefeller University researchers have built a device that, by allowing scientists to turn genes on and off in actively multiplying budding yeast cells, will help them figure out more precisely than before how genes and proteins interact with one another and how these interactions drive cellular functions.
Date: February 28, 2008
Summary:
Just as cells inherit genes, they also inherit a set of instructions that tell genes when to become active, in which tissues and to what extent. Now, Rockefeller University researchers have built a device that, by allowing scientists to turn genes on and off in actively multiplying budding yeast cells, will help them figure out more precisely than before how genes and proteins interact with one another and how these interactions drive cellular functions.
PrimeGen Biotech: Stem-cell progress
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
Date: February 28, 2008
Summary:
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports stem cell biotechnology company PrimeGen Biotech created stem cells with traits of embryonic stem cells without using embryos:
"Just three months after leading scientists turned ordinary skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells - easing an ethical storm - a small biotech company says it has removed a major safety obstacle to this new approach. PrimeGen Biotech of Irvine, Calif., says its embryonic-like stem cells are created without human eggs or embryos - as were the cells reported by researchers in Wisconsin and Japan last fall. The difference is that PrimeGen has shortcut the process of turning a cell's developmental clock backward, using what it calls 'purified proteins.' That not only hastens the reprogramming - a week or two instead of a month - but also avoids the theoretical danger of triggering cancer, ...'"
Date: February 28, 2008
Summary:
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports stem cell biotechnology company PrimeGen Biotech created stem cells with traits of embryonic stem cells without using embryos:
"Just three months after leading scientists turned ordinary skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells - easing an ethical storm - a small biotech company says it has removed a major safety obstacle to this new approach. PrimeGen Biotech of Irvine, Calif., says its embryonic-like stem cells are created without human eggs or embryos - as were the cells reported by researchers in Wisconsin and Japan last fall. The difference is that PrimeGen has shortcut the process of turning a cell's developmental clock backward, using what it calls 'purified proteins.' That not only hastens the reprogramming - a week or two instead of a month - but also avoids the theoretical danger of triggering cancer, ...'"
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Stem Cell Trial Offers Hope for Patients with Severe Ischemic Heart Disease
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
Patients with ischemic heart disease, a serious condition that occurs when the heart's arteries become clogged with cholesterol plaque, may have new options if they have exhausted traditional cardiovascular therapies. A clinical trial at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Heart Center is using patients' own stem cells to improve circulation in hearts damaged by inadequate blood flow, by promoting the growth of new, microscopic blood vessels.
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
Patients with ischemic heart disease, a serious condition that occurs when the heart's arteries become clogged with cholesterol plaque, may have new options if they have exhausted traditional cardiovascular therapies. A clinical trial at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Heart Center is using patients' own stem cells to improve circulation in hearts damaged by inadequate blood flow, by promoting the growth of new, microscopic blood vessels.
Adult stem cells may be beneficial for certain cardiovascular disorders and autoimmune diseases
Source: JAMA and Archives Journals
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
A review of previously published research suggests that stem cells harvested from an adult’s blood or marrow may provide treatment benefit to select patients for some autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disorders, according to an article in the February 27 issue of JAMA.
HealthDay News also published an item on this story:
"Treatment with adult stem cells harvested from blood or bone marrow may benefit some patients with certain kinds of cardiovascular disorders and autoimmune diseases, a new U.S. analysis shows."
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
A review of previously published research suggests that stem cells harvested from an adult’s blood or marrow may provide treatment benefit to select patients for some autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disorders, according to an article in the February 27 issue of JAMA.
HealthDay News also published an item on this story:
"Treatment with adult stem cells harvested from blood or bone marrow may benefit some patients with certain kinds of cardiovascular disorders and autoimmune diseases, a new U.S. analysis shows."
Yale Scientists Create Artificial “Cells” that Boost the Immune Response to Cancer
Source: Yale University
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
Using artificial cell-like particles, Yale biomedical engineers have devised a rapid and efficient way to produce a 45-fold enhancement of T cell activation and expansion, an immune response important for a patient’s ability to fight cancer and infectious diseases, according to an advance on line report in Molecular Therapy.
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
Using artificial cell-like particles, Yale biomedical engineers have devised a rapid and efficient way to produce a 45-fold enhancement of T cell activation and expansion, an immune response important for a patient’s ability to fight cancer and infectious diseases, according to an advance on line report in Molecular Therapy.
Penn researchers engineer first system of human nerve-cell tissue
Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated that living human nerve cells can be engineered into a network that could one day be used for transplants to repair damaged to the nervous system. They report their findings in the February issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Date: February 26, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated that living human nerve cells can be engineered into a network that could one day be used for transplants to repair damaged to the nervous system. They report their findings in the February issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Building Brains: Mammalian-like Neurogenesis In Fruit Flies
Source: University of Basel
Date: February 25, 2008
Summary:
The nerve cells in the brain of Drosophila are generated by neural stem cell-like progenitor cells called neuroblasts. In the currently accepted model of neurogenesis, these neuroblast divide asymmetrically both to self renew and to produce a smaller progenitor cell. This smaller cell then divides only once into two daughter cells, which receive cell fate determinants, causing them to exit the cell cycle and differentiate into postmitotic neural cells.
A previous entry on this item was posted on February 18 and can be viewed by clicking here.
Date: February 25, 2008
Summary:
The nerve cells in the brain of Drosophila are generated by neural stem cell-like progenitor cells called neuroblasts. In the currently accepted model of neurogenesis, these neuroblast divide asymmetrically both to self renew and to produce a smaller progenitor cell. This smaller cell then divides only once into two daughter cells, which receive cell fate determinants, causing them to exit the cell cycle and differentiate into postmitotic neural cells.
A previous entry on this item was posted on February 18 and can be viewed by clicking here.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Stem Cell-based Therapy May Be Able To Treat Muscular Dystrophy
Source: Nature Medicine
Date: February 24, 2008
Summary:
A new way to manipulate human embryonic stem cells offers hope for an eventual cell-based therapy to treat muscular dystrophies. Muscular dystrophies, such as Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD), are caused by genetic mutations that lead to a loss of expression of dystrophin, a key structural protein of muscle cells, which results in cell dysfunction. When this occurs the cells can no longer regenerate after injury, resulting in progressive muscle weakness and eventual death. One hope for therapy has been to replenish these defective cells with ESCs that produce normal dystrophin).
Date: February 24, 2008
Summary:
A new way to manipulate human embryonic stem cells offers hope for an eventual cell-based therapy to treat muscular dystrophies. Muscular dystrophies, such as Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy (DMD), are caused by genetic mutations that lead to a loss of expression of dystrophin, a key structural protein of muscle cells, which results in cell dysfunction. When this occurs the cells can no longer regenerate after injury, resulting in progressive muscle weakness and eventual death. One hope for therapy has been to replenish these defective cells with ESCs that produce normal dystrophin).
One big step for Geron: Therapy that enabled paralyzed rats to walk ready for test on humans, stem-cell firm says.
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Posted: February 24, 2008 01:39:43 AM PST
Summary:
The San Jose Mercury News reports that Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced that its embryonic stem cell therapy for treating spinal cord injuries is ready for tests in humans with spinal cord injuries:
"After 13 years of research costing more than $150 million, Geron says it is finally ready to conduct an unprecedented test in people with a treatment made from one of the most controversial substances in science. Using human embryonic stem cells, the Menlo Park company has developed a therapy that enables paralyzed rats to walk and that it claims shows no dangerous side effects in experiments with about 2,000 animals. Others also are studying such cells for medical uses, including Stanford University scientists, who last week said they had used them to help stroke-disabled lab rats walk better. But none are as close to seeking permission for human tests as Geron, whose treatment is for spinal injuries."
Posted: February 24, 2008 01:39:43 AM PST
Summary:
The San Jose Mercury News reports that Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced that its embryonic stem cell therapy for treating spinal cord injuries is ready for tests in humans with spinal cord injuries:
"After 13 years of research costing more than $150 million, Geron says it is finally ready to conduct an unprecedented test in people with a treatment made from one of the most controversial substances in science. Using human embryonic stem cells, the Menlo Park company has developed a therapy that enables paralyzed rats to walk and that it claims shows no dangerous side effects in experiments with about 2,000 animals. Others also are studying such cells for medical uses, including Stanford University scientists, who last week said they had used them to help stroke-disabled lab rats walk better. But none are as close to seeking permission for human tests as Geron, whose treatment is for spinal injuries."
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Scientists Use Embryonic Stem Cells To Make Insulin-Secreting Cells In Mice
Source: Medical News Today
Article Date: 21 February 2008 - 3:00 PDT
Summary:
Scientists at Novocell Inc,, a biotechnology company in the field of embryonic stem cell research, implanted immature beta-cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hES cells) into mice and showed that they generated insulin-secreting cells that responded to raised blood sugar. The study is published in the early online 20 February issue of Nature Biotechnology. They hope the discovery will one day lead to a renewable source of insulin-producing cells for the treatment of diabetes.
Article Date: 21 February 2008 - 3:00 PDT
Summary:
Scientists at Novocell Inc,, a biotechnology company in the field of embryonic stem cell research, implanted immature beta-cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hES cells) into mice and showed that they generated insulin-secreting cells that responded to raised blood sugar. The study is published in the early online 20 February issue of Nature Biotechnology. They hope the discovery will one day lead to a renewable source of insulin-producing cells for the treatment of diabetes.
Scientists reactivate immune
Source: Gladstone Institutes
Date: February 21, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found that therapy can be used to stimulate the production of vital immune cells, called “T- cells,” in adults with HIV infection.
Date: February 21, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found that therapy can be used to stimulate the production of vital immune cells, called “T- cells,” in adults with HIV infection.
Stem Cell Therapeutics Announces Favorable Results From the Phase IIa BETAS Stroke Trial
Source: Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp.
Posted: February 20, 2008 - 10:32 ET
In an official company news release, Stem Cell Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology focused on the development of drug-based therapies to treat central nervous system diseases, reported favorable results from a safety trial of a treatment for ischemic stroke:
" Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. is pleased to announce favorable results from the investigator led BETAS (Beta-hCG + Erythropoietin in Acute Stroke), Phase IIa, open label, safety trial conducted at the University of California, Irvine and Hoag Presbyterian Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, CA. This trial is the first to test the safety of NTxTM-265 in patients suffering acute ischemic stroke and to conduct a preliminary assessment of functional recovery in this patient population. Results from the BETAS trial showed no serious adverse events related to NTxTM-265 in the 13 patients enrolled. Of these, 8 patients completed the 90 day assessment term and each of them showed a clinically relevant improvement in their National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 4 points or greater."
Posted: February 20, 2008 - 10:32 ET
In an official company news release, Stem Cell Therapeutics Corporation, a biotechnology focused on the development of drug-based therapies to treat central nervous system diseases, reported favorable results from a safety trial of a treatment for ischemic stroke:
" Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. is pleased to announce favorable results from the investigator led BETAS (Beta-hCG + Erythropoietin in Acute Stroke), Phase IIa, open label, safety trial conducted at the University of California, Irvine and Hoag Presbyterian Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, CA. This trial is the first to test the safety of NTxTM-265 in patients suffering acute ischemic stroke and to conduct a preliminary assessment of functional recovery in this patient population. Results from the BETAS trial showed no serious adverse events related to NTxTM-265 in the 13 patients enrolled. Of these, 8 patients completed the 90 day assessment term and each of them showed a clinically relevant improvement in their National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 4 points or greater."
Advanced Cell Technology Demonstrates Efficient Generation of Functional Hepatocytes (Liver Cells) From Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Date: February 21, 2008
Summary:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. reported today for the first time a robust and highly efficient process for the generation of high-purity hepatocytes (liver cells). The research, described online (ahead of print) in the journal STEM CELLS, signifies a significant step towards the efficient generation of hepatocytes for use in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. (Click Here to link to the Paper) Moreover, the research represents another one of Advanced Cell Technology’s efforts aimed at the large-scale differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into critical replacement cell types.
Date: February 21, 2008
Summary:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. reported today for the first time a robust and highly efficient process for the generation of high-purity hepatocytes (liver cells). The research, described online (ahead of print) in the journal STEM CELLS, signifies a significant step towards the efficient generation of hepatocytes for use in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. (Click Here to link to the Paper) Moreover, the research represents another one of Advanced Cell Technology’s efforts aimed at the large-scale differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into critical replacement cell types.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Stem cells successfully treat diabetes in mice
Source: Reuters
Posted: February 20, 2008 5:14pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports biotechnology researchers turned human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells in mice:
"Human stem cells transformed into nearly normal insulin-producing cells when implanted into mice, possibly offering a way to treat diabetes long-term, researchers at a U.S. company reported... Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the team at San Diego, California-based Novocell Inc said their work showed that human embryonic stem cells might fulfill the promise of treating or perhaps even curing diabetes."
Posted: February 20, 2008 5:14pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports biotechnology researchers turned human embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells in mice:
"Human stem cells transformed into nearly normal insulin-producing cells when implanted into mice, possibly offering a way to treat diabetes long-term, researchers at a U.S. company reported... Writing in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the team at San Diego, California-based Novocell Inc said their work showed that human embryonic stem cells might fulfill the promise of treating or perhaps even curing diabetes."
Stem Cell Therapy Controls Diabetes in Mice, Scientists Report
Source: New York Times
Date: February 21, 2008
Summary:
The New York Times reports Novcell, Inc., used embryonic stem cells to successfully treat diabetes in mice:
"Scientists reported on Wednesday that they were able to control diabetes in mice by harnessing human embryonic stem cells. The work raised the prospect that the embryonic cells might one day be used to provide insulin-producing replacement cells to treat the disease in people. The scientists, at the biotechnology company Novocell, turned the stem cells into cells that produced insulin in the mice. Those cells kept blood sugar in check after the mice’s own insulin-producing cells were destroyed."
Date: February 21, 2008
Summary:
The New York Times reports Novcell, Inc., used embryonic stem cells to successfully treat diabetes in mice:
"Scientists reported on Wednesday that they were able to control diabetes in mice by harnessing human embryonic stem cells. The work raised the prospect that the embryonic cells might one day be used to provide insulin-producing replacement cells to treat the disease in people. The scientists, at the biotechnology company Novocell, turned the stem cells into cells that produced insulin in the mice. Those cells kept blood sugar in check after the mice’s own insulin-producing cells were destroyed."
Novocell Reports Successful Use of Stem Cells to Generate Insulin in Mice
Source: Novocell, Inc.
Posted: February 20, 2008 3:00 pm ET
Summary:
In an official company news release, Novocell, Inc., a stem cell engineering biotechnology company, reported it successfully turned embryonic stem cells into pancreatic cells that can produce insulin mice:
"announced data demonstrating for the first time that human embryonic stem (hES) cells can be turned into pancreatic cells capable of producing insulin in mice. The findings are reported in an article appearing on-line today, in advance of print publication, in the journal Nature Biotechnology. This research provides evidence supporting the potential future use of hES cells to replace insulin-producing pancreatic cells that are destroyed in people with Type 1 diabetes, requiring them to receive regular insulin treatment."
Posted: February 20, 2008 3:00 pm ET
Summary:
In an official company news release, Novocell, Inc., a stem cell engineering biotechnology company, reported it successfully turned embryonic stem cells into pancreatic cells that can produce insulin mice:
"announced data demonstrating for the first time that human embryonic stem (hES) cells can be turned into pancreatic cells capable of producing insulin in mice. The findings are reported in an article appearing on-line today, in advance of print publication, in the journal Nature Biotechnology. This research provides evidence supporting the potential future use of hES cells to replace insulin-producing pancreatic cells that are destroyed in people with Type 1 diabetes, requiring them to receive regular insulin treatment."
Stem cells help rats recover function after stroke
Source: Reuters
Posted: February 19, 2008 8:06pm ET
Summary:
Reuters reports brain cells from human embryonic stem cells treated stroke damage in rats:
"Transplanting brain cells produced from human embryonic stem cells helped fix stroke damage in the brains of rats, according to scientists who hope to test the same thing in people within about five years. Researchers have been looking for ways to repair the brain damage from a stroke, which can cause permanent disability. In a study published on Tuesday, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California reported that treatment involving human embryonic stem cells may be a solution."
Below is additional coverage of this news story from various sources:
HealthDay News:
"Stem Cells Repair Stroke Damage in Rats: Study suggests same technique might one day work in humans"
"Human stem cells helped repair stroke-related brain damage in rats, Stanford University researchers report. The use of neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells led to improvements in the rats' physical abilities, according to the study, which is published in the Feb. 20 issue of Public Library of Science ONE. The stroke damage induced by the researchers left the rats with a weakened forelimb."
Scientific American: "Human Embryonic Stem Cells Fix Stroke-Afflicted Rats":
"In a new study, rats were spared the limb-weakening effects of a stroke if they were treated with brain tissue cultivated from human embryonic stem cells. But unlike similar experiments, the transplanted cells gave no sign of causing tumors, according to a report this week in the online journal PLoS One."
San Jose Mercury News: "Stroke therapy shows promise":
"Stroke-disabled animals improved their ability to walk after getting transplants derived from human embryonic stem cells, raising the prospect that it may someday be possible to help heal victims of the devastating brain injury. A new study from a team of researchers at Stanford University offers tantalizing hope for recovery from an injury that disables 750,000 Americans every year - and for which there is no substantive treatment."
The Guardian: "Stem cell jabs reverse damage after strokes, doctors claim":
"Stroke patients could receive stem cell injections to help repair damage to their brains within the next five years, a team of American doctors claimed yesterday. Hopes that a therapy may be on the horizon were boosted by experiments which showed human embryonic stem cells could be turned into a variety of brain cells, which helped animals recover from strokes without causing dangerous side effects. Researchers led by Gary Steinberg at Stanford University took a dish of human embryonic stem cells and treated them with natural chemicals called growth factors, to nudge them into forming early-stage neurons and other brain cells called astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The scientists screened these cells to make sure that any genes which could make them grow into cancers were switched off."
Public Library of Science, 19 February 2008 - 17:00 PST
"Human Stem Cells Aid Stroke Recovery In Rats":
"Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This study, to be published in the Feb. 20 issue of the journal PLoS ONE, marks the first time researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells that grow well in the lab, improve a rat's physical abilities and consistently don't form tumors when transplanted."
Posted: February 19, 2008 8:06pm ET
Summary:
Reuters reports brain cells from human embryonic stem cells treated stroke damage in rats:
"Transplanting brain cells produced from human embryonic stem cells helped fix stroke damage in the brains of rats, according to scientists who hope to test the same thing in people within about five years. Researchers have been looking for ways to repair the brain damage from a stroke, which can cause permanent disability. In a study published on Tuesday, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in California reported that treatment involving human embryonic stem cells may be a solution."
Below is additional coverage of this news story from various sources:
HealthDay News:
"Stem Cells Repair Stroke Damage in Rats: Study suggests same technique might one day work in humans"
"Human stem cells helped repair stroke-related brain damage in rats, Stanford University researchers report. The use of neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells led to improvements in the rats' physical abilities, according to the study, which is published in the Feb. 20 issue of Public Library of Science ONE. The stroke damage induced by the researchers left the rats with a weakened forelimb."
Scientific American: "Human Embryonic Stem Cells Fix Stroke-Afflicted Rats":
"In a new study, rats were spared the limb-weakening effects of a stroke if they were treated with brain tissue cultivated from human embryonic stem cells. But unlike similar experiments, the transplanted cells gave no sign of causing tumors, according to a report this week in the online journal PLoS One."
San Jose Mercury News: "Stroke therapy shows promise":
"Stroke-disabled animals improved their ability to walk after getting transplants derived from human embryonic stem cells, raising the prospect that it may someday be possible to help heal victims of the devastating brain injury. A new study from a team of researchers at Stanford University offers tantalizing hope for recovery from an injury that disables 750,000 Americans every year - and for which there is no substantive treatment."
The Guardian: "Stem cell jabs reverse damage after strokes, doctors claim":
"Stroke patients could receive stem cell injections to help repair damage to their brains within the next five years, a team of American doctors claimed yesterday. Hopes that a therapy may be on the horizon were boosted by experiments which showed human embryonic stem cells could be turned into a variety of brain cells, which helped animals recover from strokes without causing dangerous side effects. Researchers led by Gary Steinberg at Stanford University took a dish of human embryonic stem cells and treated them with natural chemicals called growth factors, to nudge them into forming early-stage neurons and other brain cells called astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The scientists screened these cells to make sure that any genes which could make them grow into cancers were switched off."
Public Library of Science, 19 February 2008 - 17:00 PST
"Human Stem Cells Aid Stroke Recovery In Rats":
"Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This study, to be published in the Feb. 20 issue of the journal PLoS ONE, marks the first time researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells that grow well in the lab, improve a rat's physical abilities and consistently don't form tumors when transplanted."
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Human Stem Cells Aid Stroke Recovery In Rats
Source: Stanford University School of Medicine
Date: February 19, 2008
Summary:
Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in rats' brains and led to improvements in their physical abilities, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This study, published in the Feb. 20 issue of the journal Public Library of Science-ONE, marks the first time researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells that grow well in the lab, improve a rat’s physical abilities and consistently don’t form tumors when transplanted.
Date: February 19, 2008
Summary:
Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in rats' brains and led to improvements in their physical abilities, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This study, published in the Feb. 20 issue of the journal Public Library of Science-ONE, marks the first time researchers have used human embryonic stem cells to generate neural cells that grow well in the lab, improve a rat’s physical abilities and consistently don’t form tumors when transplanted.
Precancerous Stem Cells Can Form Tumor Blood Vessels
Source: Public Library of Science
Article Date: 19 Feb 2008 - 17:00 PST
Summary:
Tumors require a blood supply to grow, but how they acquire their network of blood vessels is poorly understood. A new study here shows that tumor blood vessels can develop from precancerous stem cells, a recently discovered type of cell that can either remain benign or become malignant. Researchers say the findings provide new information about how tumors develop blood vessels, and why new drugs designed to block tumor blood-vessel growth are often less effective than expected.
Article Date: 19 Feb 2008 - 17:00 PST
Summary:
Tumors require a blood supply to grow, but how they acquire their network of blood vessels is poorly understood. A new study here shows that tumor blood vessels can develop from precancerous stem cells, a recently discovered type of cell that can either remain benign or become malignant. Researchers say the findings provide new information about how tumors develop blood vessels, and why new drugs designed to block tumor blood-vessel growth are often less effective than expected.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Building brains: Mammalian-like neurogenesis in fruit flies
Source: BioMed Central
Date: February 18, 2008
Summary:
A new way of generating brain cells has been uncovered in Drosophila. The findings, published this week in the online open access journal Neural Development, reveal that this novel mode of neurogenesis is very similar to that seen in mammalian brains, suggesting that key aspects of neural development could be shared by insects and mammals.
Date: February 18, 2008
Summary:
A new way of generating brain cells has been uncovered in Drosophila. The findings, published this week in the online open access journal Neural Development, reveal that this novel mode of neurogenesis is very similar to that seen in mammalian brains, suggesting that key aspects of neural development could be shared by insects and mammals.
Scientists move towards stem cell therapy trials to mend shattered bones
Source: University of Edinburgh
Date: 18 February 2008
Summary:
The UK Stem Cell Foundation, the Medical Research Council and Scottish Enterprise, in partnership with the Chief Scientist’s Office, are funding a £1.4 million project to further the research at the University of Edinburgh with a view to setting up a clinical trial within two years. The initiative could have a major impact on treating conditions such as osteoarthritis as well as treating trauma victims whose bones have been shattered beyond repair.
Date: 18 February 2008
Summary:
The UK Stem Cell Foundation, the Medical Research Council and Scottish Enterprise, in partnership with the Chief Scientist’s Office, are funding a £1.4 million project to further the research at the University of Edinburgh with a view to setting up a clinical trial within two years. The initiative could have a major impact on treating conditions such as osteoarthritis as well as treating trauma victims whose bones have been shattered beyond repair.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
UI study: embryonic stem cells may benefit Leukemia patients
Source: Associated Press
Date: February 16, 2008
Summary:
The Associated Press reports scientists at the University of Iowa have created functioning white blood cells that fight infection from embryonic stem cells:
"University of Iowa researchers say Leukemia patients may soon have another way to boost their immune systems -- embryonic stem cells. For the first time, scientists used embryonic stem cells in mice to develop functioning white blood cells that fight infection. The breakthrough may help doctors eventually use the cells as an alternative source for bone marrow transplants."
Date: February 16, 2008
Summary:
The Associated Press reports scientists at the University of Iowa have created functioning white blood cells that fight infection from embryonic stem cells:
"University of Iowa researchers say Leukemia patients may soon have another way to boost their immune systems -- embryonic stem cells. For the first time, scientists used embryonic stem cells in mice to develop functioning white blood cells that fight infection. The breakthrough may help doctors eventually use the cells as an alternative source for bone marrow transplants."
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Protein maintains cross talk between cells that control hair growth
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: February 14, 2008
Summary:
Genes, it turns out, are only as active as the signals that turn them on and off. Now scientists from Rockefeller University and the Howard Hughes Institute have identified the signaling molecule that ratchets up and clamps down the activity of key genes in dermal papilla, a type of skin cell whose unique collection of proteins ultimately instruct epithelial stem cells to make hair. The research, which will be published in the February 15 issue of Genes & Development, highlights the cross talk between these two cell types and how this signaling molecule, a protein called BMP, is crucial for this exchange.
Date: February 14, 2008
Summary:
Genes, it turns out, are only as active as the signals that turn them on and off. Now scientists from Rockefeller University and the Howard Hughes Institute have identified the signaling molecule that ratchets up and clamps down the activity of key genes in dermal papilla, a type of skin cell whose unique collection of proteins ultimately instruct epithelial stem cells to make hair. The research, which will be published in the February 15 issue of Genes & Development, highlights the cross talk between these two cell types and how this signaling molecule, a protein called BMP, is crucial for this exchange.
Researchers get closer to safe stem cell treatments
Source: Agence France Presse (AFP)
Posted: February 14, 2008 3:16 PM ET
Summary:
Researchers came a step closer to finding a safe way to use stem cells in clinical treatment Thursday when a team of Japanese scientists announced they found a way to induce stem cells without triggering tumors.
Posted: February 14, 2008 3:16 PM ET
Summary:
Researchers came a step closer to finding a safe way to use stem cells in clinical treatment Thursday when a team of Japanese scientists announced they found a way to induce stem cells without triggering tumors.
Major step forward in understanding cell reprogramming
Source: Harvard University
Date: February 14, 2008
Summary:
Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Researchers have taken a major step toward eventually being able to reprogram adult cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state without the use of viruses or cancer-causing genes. In a paper released on-line today by the journal Cell Stem Cell, Konrad Hochedlinger and colleagues report that they have both discovered how long adult cells need to be exposed to reprogramming factors before they convert to an embryonic-like state, and have “defined the sequence of events that occur during reprogramming.”
Date: February 14, 2008
Summary:
Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Researchers have taken a major step toward eventually being able to reprogram adult cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state without the use of viruses or cancer-causing genes. In a paper released on-line today by the journal Cell Stem Cell, Konrad Hochedlinger and colleagues report that they have both discovered how long adult cells need to be exposed to reprogramming factors before they convert to an embryonic-like state, and have “defined the sequence of events that occur during reprogramming.”
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Experimental HIV vaccine gets a boost from ’70s-era discovery
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: February 13, 2008
Summary:
Although science is known for being a forward-looking field, researchers have found that they can often benefit from a glance over their shoulders. By combining an experimental AIDS vaccine with a long-neglected molecule called poly-IC, Rockefeller University scientists discovered that they were able to significantly improve its effectiveness. Their new, bolstered vaccine not only stimulated the production of HIV-attacking immune cells in mice, but also allowed the rodents to maintain immunity over a significantly longer period of time.
Date: February 13, 2008
Summary:
Although science is known for being a forward-looking field, researchers have found that they can often benefit from a glance over their shoulders. By combining an experimental AIDS vaccine with a long-neglected molecule called poly-IC, Rockefeller University scientists discovered that they were able to significantly improve its effectiveness. Their new, bolstered vaccine not only stimulated the production of HIV-attacking immune cells in mice, but also allowed the rodents to maintain immunity over a significantly longer period of time.
Stem cells pave the way for safer drug screening
Source: University of Edinburgh
Date: 13 February 2008
Summary:
Scientists have generated human liver cells from embryonic stem cells that could be used to screen potentially harmful side-effects of drugs before they are trialled in patients. The research, led by the University of Edinburgh, focuses on certain enzymes within the liver cells that play a key role in processing drugs.
Date: 13 February 2008
Summary:
Scientists have generated human liver cells from embryonic stem cells that could be used to screen potentially harmful side-effects of drugs before they are trialled in patients. The research, led by the University of Edinburgh, focuses on certain enzymes within the liver cells that play a key role in processing drugs.
Stem cells give clues to understanding cancer; make breakthrough in childhood leukaemia
Source: European Science Foundation
Date: 13. February 2008 07:00
Summary:
Scientists in Switzerland are uncovering new clues about how cancer cells grow -- and how they can be killed -- by studying stem cells, 'blank' cells that have the potential to develop into fully mature or 'differentiated' cells and other scientists in UK have made a breakthrough in understanding the cause of the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The research should lead to less aggressive treatment for the disease and could result in the development of new and more effective drugs, an international conference on stem cell biology was told last month.
Date: 13. February 2008 07:00
Summary:
Scientists in Switzerland are uncovering new clues about how cancer cells grow -- and how they can be killed -- by studying stem cells, 'blank' cells that have the potential to develop into fully mature or 'differentiated' cells and other scientists in UK have made a breakthrough in understanding the cause of the most common form of childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The research should lead to less aggressive treatment for the disease and could result in the development of new and more effective drugs, an international conference on stem cell biology was told last month.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Geron: 'Human stem cell tests could begin this summer'
Source: CNNMoney.com
Posted: February 12, 2008: 12:05 PM EST
CNNMoney.com reports Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of embryonic stem cell research, is preparing to begin embryonic stem cell studies humans with spinal cord injuries, pending FDA approval:
"The first experiments using human embryonic stem cells in human subjects could begin within a few months, the chief executive of biotech Geron said Monday. At the annual BIO CEO conference in New York, Dr. Thomas Okarma said Geron plans to start embryonic stem-cell studies in humans with spinal cord injuries toward the end of the second quarter. Okarma said the tests would involve up to 40 human patients, while all prior tests involved rats."
Posted: February 12, 2008: 12:05 PM EST
CNNMoney.com reports Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of embryonic stem cell research, is preparing to begin embryonic stem cell studies humans with spinal cord injuries, pending FDA approval:
"The first experiments using human embryonic stem cells in human subjects could begin within a few months, the chief executive of biotech Geron said Monday. At the annual BIO CEO conference in New York, Dr. Thomas Okarma said Geron plans to start embryonic stem-cell studies in humans with spinal cord injuries toward the end of the second quarter. Okarma said the tests would involve up to 40 human patients, while all prior tests involved rats."
A functional immune system can be derived from embryonic stem cells, preliminary study finds
Source: American Society of Hematology
Date: February 12, 2008
Summary:
A new study demonstrates for the first time that embryonic stem cells can be used to create functional immune system blood cells, a finding which is an important step in the utilization of embryonic stem cells as an alternative source of cells for bone marrow transplantation. This hopeful news for patients with severe blood and immune disorders, who need these transplants for treatment, was prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
Date: February 12, 2008
Summary:
A new study demonstrates for the first time that embryonic stem cells can be used to create functional immune system blood cells, a finding which is an important step in the utilization of embryonic stem cells as an alternative source of cells for bone marrow transplantation. This hopeful news for patients with severe blood and immune disorders, who need these transplants for treatment, was prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology.
Monday, February 11, 2008
UCLA scientists reprogram human skin cells into embryonic stem cells
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: February 11, 2008
Summary:
UCLA stem cell scientists have reprogrammed human skin cells into cells with the same unlimited properties as embryonic stem cells without using embryos or eggs. The UCLA study confirms the work first reported in late November of researcher Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University and James Thompson at the University of Wisconsin. The UCLA research appears Feb. 11, 2008, in an early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.
Date: February 11, 2008
Summary:
UCLA stem cell scientists have reprogrammed human skin cells into cells with the same unlimited properties as embryonic stem cells without using embryos or eggs. The UCLA study confirms the work first reported in late November of researcher Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University and James Thompson at the University of Wisconsin. The UCLA research appears Feb. 11, 2008, in an early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Bone Marrow Stem Cell Release Regulated By Brain's Biological Clock
Source: Mount Sinai Medical Center
Date: February 7, 2008
Summary:
Researchers have discovered that the release of blood stem cells from bone marrow is regulated by the brain through the cyclical human biological clock, via adrenergic signals transmitted by the sympathetic nervous system. These new findings point out that the harvest of stem cells for transplantation may be improved by timing it at the peak of their release.
Date: February 7, 2008
Summary:
Researchers have discovered that the release of blood stem cells from bone marrow is regulated by the brain through the cyclical human biological clock, via adrenergic signals transmitted by the sympathetic nervous system. These new findings point out that the harvest of stem cells for transplantation may be improved by timing it at the peak of their release.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Grow Your Own Replacement Parts
Source:CBS News
Date: February 6, 2008
CBS News reports researchers at Wake Forest University are working on using stem cells to grow organs for transplants. A streaming CBS News video accompanies this story.
Date: February 6, 2008
CBS News reports researchers at Wake Forest University are working on using stem cells to grow organs for transplants. A streaming CBS News video accompanies this story.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Discovery Of Good -- And Bad -- Liver Stem Cells Raises Possibility Of New Treatment
Source: Georgetown University
Date: February 5, 2008
Summary:
Many scientists believe up to 40 percent of liver cancer is caused by stem cells gone wild – master cells in the organ that have lost all growth control. But, despite years spent looking, no one has ever found these liver “cancer stem cells” – or even normal stem cells in the organ. Until now. In the February 19, 2008 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center report discovering both types of stem cells, and by comparing their genetic “signatures,” they found evidence to suggest that a new type of experimental drug now being tested in other cancers might offer benefit in treating liver cancer.
Date: February 5, 2008
Summary:
Many scientists believe up to 40 percent of liver cancer is caused by stem cells gone wild – master cells in the organ that have lost all growth control. But, despite years spent looking, no one has ever found these liver “cancer stem cells” – or even normal stem cells in the organ. Until now. In the February 19, 2008 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center report discovering both types of stem cells, and by comparing their genetic “signatures,” they found evidence to suggest that a new type of experimental drug now being tested in other cancers might offer benefit in treating liver cancer.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Targeting Astrocytes Slows Disease Progression In Lou Gehrig's Disease, Study Shows
Source: University of California - San Diego
February 3, 2008
Summary:
In what the researchers say could be promising news in the quest to find a therapy to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have shown that targeting neuronal support cells called astrocytes sharply slows disease progression in mice.
February 3, 2008
Summary:
In what the researchers say could be promising news in the quest to find a therapy to slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, scientists at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have shown that targeting neuronal support cells called astrocytes sharply slows disease progression in mice.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Carbohydrate Regulates Stem Cell Potency
Source: American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Date: February 1, 2008
Summary:
A carbohydrate molecule that coats certain proteins on the cell surface, is critical for the proper proliferation and potency of embryonic stem cells, researchers report. Stem cells' tremendous therapeutic potential arises from their ability to continually self-renew and turn into any adult cell type. Researchers have long been trying to uncover the basis of these abilities, but while several proteins and growth factors are known to play a role both inside and outside the cell, the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown.
Date: February 1, 2008
Summary:
A carbohydrate molecule that coats certain proteins on the cell surface, is critical for the proper proliferation and potency of embryonic stem cells, researchers report. Stem cells' tremendous therapeutic potential arises from their ability to continually self-renew and turn into any adult cell type. Researchers have long been trying to uncover the basis of these abilities, but while several proteins and growth factors are known to play a role both inside and outside the cell, the molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown.
Finnish patient gets new jaw from own stem cells
Source: Reuters
Posted: February 1, 2008 1:46pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports scientists have created a new jaw made from bone transplanted derived from a patient's own fat tissue:
"Scientists in Finland said they had replaced a 65-year-old patient's upper jaw with a bone transplant cultivated from stem cells isolated from his own fatty tissue and grown inside his abdomen. Researchers said on Friday the breakthrough opened up new ways to treat severe tissue damage and made the prospect of custom-made living spares parts for humans a step closer to reality."
Posted: February 1, 2008 1:46pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports scientists have created a new jaw made from bone transplanted derived from a patient's own fat tissue:
"Scientists in Finland said they had replaced a 65-year-old patient's upper jaw with a bone transplant cultivated from stem cells isolated from his own fatty tissue and grown inside his abdomen. Researchers said on Friday the breakthrough opened up new ways to treat severe tissue damage and made the prospect of custom-made living spares parts for humans a step closer to reality."
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Scientists discover a way to reverse memory loss in 'accidental breakthrough'
Source: Daily Mail
Posted: Last updated at 09:29am on 31st January 2008
Summary:
The Daily Mail reports scientists have discovered how to reverse memory loss by using electrical stimulation on the human brain:
"Scientists have accidentally discovered how to reverse memory loss by stimulating a specific part of the hypothalamus.
They were experimenting with deep-brain stimulation in an attempt to curb the appetite of a 30st patient who suffered from a lifelong obesity problem. Electrodes were pushed into his brain and stimulated with an electric current. The treatment did not cure his eating problem - but he experienced vivid memories of an event that occurred 30 years earlier."
Posted: Last updated at 09:29am on 31st January 2008
Summary:
The Daily Mail reports scientists have discovered how to reverse memory loss by using electrical stimulation on the human brain:
"Scientists have accidentally discovered how to reverse memory loss by stimulating a specific part of the hypothalamus.
They were experimenting with deep-brain stimulation in an attempt to curb the appetite of a 30st patient who suffered from a lifelong obesity problem. Electrodes were pushed into his brain and stimulated with an electric current. The treatment did not cure his eating problem - but he experienced vivid memories of an event that occurred 30 years earlier."
Is Old Age Memory Decline Reversible?
Source: Scientific American
Date: January 31, 2008
Summary:
Scientific American reports researchers made a discovery about what triggers age-related memory loss:
"Scientists have found that a lessened supply of new nerve cells in the adult brain apparently triggers short-term memory loss typically associated with aging, setting the stage for one day developing therapies designed to maintain a steady supply of fresh neurons to keep the mind sharp."
Date: January 31, 2008
Summary:
Scientific American reports researchers made a discovery about what triggers age-related memory loss:
"Scientists have found that a lessened supply of new nerve cells in the adult brain apparently triggers short-term memory loss typically associated with aging, setting the stage for one day developing therapies designed to maintain a steady supply of fresh neurons to keep the mind sharp."
Monash pioneers nano scaffold to rebuild nerve damage
Source: Monash University
Date: 31 January 2008
Summary:
A Monash University PhD student has developed a new technique that could revolutionise stem cell treatment for Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. David Nisbet from Monash University's Department of Materials Engineering has used existing polymer-based biodegradable fibres, 100 times smaller than a human hair, and re-engineered them to create a unique 3-D scaffold that could potentially allow stem cells to repair damaged nerves in the human body more quickly and effectively.
Date: 31 January 2008
Summary:
A Monash University PhD student has developed a new technique that could revolutionise stem cell treatment for Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. David Nisbet from Monash University's Department of Materials Engineering has used existing polymer-based biodegradable fibres, 100 times smaller than a human hair, and re-engineered them to create a unique 3-D scaffold that could potentially allow stem cells to repair damaged nerves in the human body more quickly and effectively.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
First Patients Treated in Cytori's Stem & Regenerative Cell Heart Attack Study
Source: Cytori Therapeutics
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
In an official company news release, Cytori Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in the field of adult stem cell research, announced the the treatment of the first patients participating in its clinical trial using Adult adipose (fat) stem and regenerative cells to treat heart attacks:
" Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CYTX) enrolled the first two patients in a clinical trial using adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells in the treatment of heart attack. In this trial, patients' cells are made available using Cytori's Celution™ System, a real-time cell processing device. One patient has been enrolled in each trial center, Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, Spain, and Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands."
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
In an official company news release, Cytori Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in the field of adult stem cell research, announced the the treatment of the first patients participating in its clinical trial using Adult adipose (fat) stem and regenerative cells to treat heart attacks:
" Cytori Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CYTX) enrolled the first two patients in a clinical trial using adipose-derived stem and regenerative cells in the treatment of heart attack. In this trial, patients' cells are made available using Cytori's Celution™ System, a real-time cell processing device. One patient has been enrolled in each trial center, Hospital Universitario Gregorio Marañón in Madrid, Spain, and Thoraxcenter, Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, The Netherlands."
Newborn brain cells modulate learning and memory
Source: Salk Institute
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
Boosted by physical and mental exercise, neural stem cells continue to sprout new neurons throughout life, but the exact function of these newcomers has been the topic of much debate. Removing a genetic master switch that maintains neural stem cells in their proliferative state finally gave researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies some definitive answers. Without adult neurogenesis — literally the “birth of neurons” —genetically engineered mice turned into “slow learners” that had trouble navigating a water maze and remembering the location of a submerged platform, the Salk investigators report in the Jan. 30 Advance Online Edition of Nature. The findings suggest that, one day, researchers might be able to stimulate neurogenesis with orally active drugs to influence memory function, the researchers say.
Date: January 30, 2008
Summary:
Boosted by physical and mental exercise, neural stem cells continue to sprout new neurons throughout life, but the exact function of these newcomers has been the topic of much debate. Removing a genetic master switch that maintains neural stem cells in their proliferative state finally gave researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies some definitive answers. Without adult neurogenesis — literally the “birth of neurons” —genetically engineered mice turned into “slow learners” that had trouble navigating a water maze and remembering the location of a submerged platform, the Salk investigators report in the Jan. 30 Advance Online Edition of Nature. The findings suggest that, one day, researchers might be able to stimulate neurogenesis with orally active drugs to influence memory function, the researchers say.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Stem cell therapy studies for stroke, cerebral palsy prepare for clinical trials
Source: Medical College of Georgia
Date: January 29, 2008
Summary:
Finding answers about optimal dosage and timing for stem cell therapy in adults with strokes and newborns with ischemic injuries is a goal of two new federally funded studies. The answers are critical before clinical trials can begin, says Dr. Cesario V. Borlongan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia and Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is principal investigator on the National Institutes of Health grants totaling $6 million that also will explore long-term benefits of cell therapy. If these additional laboratory studies replicate the promising results of the pilot studies, which indicate about a 25 percent improvement in recovery over controls, MCG and VA researchers hope to begin clinical trials in new ischemic injuries in adults and children within two years.
Date: January 29, 2008
Summary:
Finding answers about optimal dosage and timing for stem cell therapy in adults with strokes and newborns with ischemic injuries is a goal of two new federally funded studies. The answers are critical before clinical trials can begin, says Dr. Cesario V. Borlongan, neuroscientist at the Medical College of Georgia and Charlie Norwood Veterans Affairs Medical Center. He is principal investigator on the National Institutes of Health grants totaling $6 million that also will explore long-term benefits of cell therapy. If these additional laboratory studies replicate the promising results of the pilot studies, which indicate about a 25 percent improvement in recovery over controls, MCG and VA researchers hope to begin clinical trials in new ischemic injuries in adults and children within two years.
Stem cells treatment for brittle bones in the womb
Source: The University of Queensland
Date: 29 January 2008
Summary:
The extraordinary results of an in utero stem cell treatment could lead to a new treatment for babies with brittle bones, as well as a range of other disabling conditions, according to a maternal-fetal medicine researcher, now based at The University of Queensland (UQ). Action Medical Research has announced the outcomes of an Imperial College London study, conducted by a team led by Professor Nicholas Fisk, that could lead to a stem cell treatment for babies with brittle bones - before they are even born.
Date: 29 January 2008
Summary:
The extraordinary results of an in utero stem cell treatment could lead to a new treatment for babies with brittle bones, as well as a range of other disabling conditions, according to a maternal-fetal medicine researcher, now based at The University of Queensland (UQ). Action Medical Research has announced the outcomes of an Imperial College London study, conducted by a team led by Professor Nicholas Fisk, that could lead to a stem cell treatment for babies with brittle bones - before they are even born.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Researchers map signaling networks that control neuron function
Source: University of California - San Diego
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
In the first large-scale proteomics study of its kind, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have mapped thousands of neuronal proteins to discover how they connect into complex signaling networks that guide neuron function. Their research – using quantitative mass spectrometry, computational software and bioinformatics to match the proteins to their cellular functions – may lead to a better understanding of brain development, neurodegenerative diseases, and spinal cord regeneration.
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
In the first large-scale proteomics study of its kind, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have mapped thousands of neuronal proteins to discover how they connect into complex signaling networks that guide neuron function. Their research – using quantitative mass spectrometry, computational software and bioinformatics to match the proteins to their cellular functions – may lead to a better understanding of brain development, neurodegenerative diseases, and spinal cord regeneration.
Cancer drug activates adult stem cells
Source: Harvard Stem Cell Institute
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug used in cancer treatment activates stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers– found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug used in cancer treatment activates stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers– found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Adult Stem Cell Application Effective In Treatment Of Peripheric Vascular Disease
Source: Basque Research
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
Multipotent adult progenitor stem cells extracted from bone marrow, and known as MAPCs, have proved to be effective in the regeneration of blood vessel tissue and also in muscle tissue when treating peripheric vascular disease. The most important finding from the research was that adult MAPC stem cells are more effective when injected without pre-differentiation, not only because they contribute in increasing the quantity of arteries and veins generated in the new area, but also because they manage to enhance muscle regeneration.
Date: January 28, 2008
Summary:
Multipotent adult progenitor stem cells extracted from bone marrow, and known as MAPCs, have proved to be effective in the regeneration of blood vessel tissue and also in muscle tissue when treating peripheric vascular disease. The most important finding from the research was that adult MAPC stem cells are more effective when injected without pre-differentiation, not only because they contribute in increasing the quantity of arteries and veins generated in the new area, but also because they manage to enhance muscle regeneration.
Researchers create stem cell lines from poor quality embryos discarded from fertility clinics
Source: Children's Hospital Boston
Date: January 27, 2008
Summary:
Human embryos that are discarded every day as medical waste from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics could be an important source of stem cells for research, according to a team of researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Some of the embryos created during IVF are deemed "clinically useless" because of imperfections, but a paper published in the January 27 online edition of Nature Biotechnology shows that it is possible to derive stem cell lines from these poor-quality embryos.
Date: January 27, 2008
Summary:
Human embryos that are discarded every day as medical waste from in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics could be an important source of stem cells for research, according to a team of researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. Some of the embryos created during IVF are deemed "clinically useless" because of imperfections, but a paper published in the January 27 online edition of Nature Biotechnology shows that it is possible to derive stem cell lines from these poor-quality embryos.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Elusive Pancreatic Progenitor Cells Found in Mice
Source: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
Researchers in Belgium have significantly advanced the discovery of a pancreatic progenitor cell with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells may represent "an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes," the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of the research journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press. In people with type 1 diabetes, blood sugar rises due to a loss of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy.
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
Researchers in Belgium have significantly advanced the discovery of a pancreatic progenitor cell with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells may represent "an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes," the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of the research journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press. In people with type 1 diabetes, blood sugar rises due to a loss of the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. Insulin is a hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy.
Turning on adult stem cells may help repair bone
Source: Massachusetts General Hospital
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug to activate stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) – found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Date: January 25, 2008
Summary:
The use of a drug to activate stem cells that differentiate into bone appears to cause regeneration of bone tissue and be may be a potential treatment strategy for osteoporosis, according to a report in the February 2008 Journal of Clinical Investigation. The study – led by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) – found that treatment with a medication used to treat bone marrow cancer improved bone density in a mouse model of osteoporosis, apparently through its effect on the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that differentiate into several types of tissues.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Pancreatic stem cell breakthrough could offer treatment for Type 1 diabetes
Source: Agence France Presse
Posted: January 25, 2008 2:48 AM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse reports researchers have isolated adult pancreatic stem cells in mice:
"An international team of scientists has isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice, a breakthrough that could lead to treatment for juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, researchers said in a study published Thursday. Scientists have for some time been searching for stem cells in the pancreas, which have the potential of restoring the organ's insulin-making capacity so crucial in maintaining adequate blood sugar levels in the body. The researchers hope to program the mice pancreatic stemcells to generate new insulin-producing beta cells."
Posted: January 25, 2008 2:48 AM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse reports researchers have isolated adult pancreatic stem cells in mice:
"An international team of scientists has isolated pancreatic stem cells in adult mice, a breakthrough that could lead to treatment for juvenile or Type 1 diabetes, researchers said in a study published Thursday. Scientists have for some time been searching for stem cells in the pancreas, which have the potential of restoring the organ's insulin-making capacity so crucial in maintaining adequate blood sugar levels in the body. The researchers hope to program the mice pancreatic stemcells to generate new insulin-producing beta cells."
Genes Linked to Parkinson’s Protection Identified by UA Researchers
Source: University of Alabama
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
University of Alabama researchers have identified five genes within animal models displaying protective capabilities against a hallmark trait of Parkinson’s disease. The research, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ Early Edition, is a possible step toward identifying both new targets for drug treatment development and genetic factors that make some people more susceptible to the disease, the researchers said.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
University of Alabama researchers have identified five genes within animal models displaying protective capabilities against a hallmark trait of Parkinson’s disease. The research, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ Early Edition, is a possible step toward identifying both new targets for drug treatment development and genetic factors that make some people more susceptible to the disease, the researchers said.
Stem Cells Finally Found in Pancreas
Source: HealthDay News
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have discovered stem cells in the pancreas of mice:
"An international team of researchers has finally managed to locate stem cells in the pancreas -- in mice, at least. If the findings are confirmed in humans, they could pave the way for dramatic new therapies for diabetes, namely the regeneration of beta cells so the body could once again produce its own insulin."
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have discovered stem cells in the pancreas of mice:
"An international team of researchers has finally managed to locate stem cells in the pancreas -- in mice, at least. If the findings are confirmed in humans, they could pave the way for dramatic new therapies for diabetes, namely the regeneration of beta cells so the body could once again produce its own insulin."
Protein that controls hair growth also keeps stem cells slumbering
Source: Rockefeller University
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Like fine china and crystal, which tend to be used sparingly, stem cells divide infrequently. It was thought they did so to protect themselves from unnecessary wear and tear. But now new research has unveiled the protein that puts the brakes on stem cell division and shows that stem cells may not need such guarded protection to maintain their potency. A protein involved in hair growth also keeps the skin's stem cells from proliferating. This research raises questions about what stem cells need in order to maintain their ability to regenerate tissues -- questions that may be key in developing treatments for patients with thinning hair.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Like fine china and crystal, which tend to be used sparingly, stem cells divide infrequently. It was thought they did so to protect themselves from unnecessary wear and tear. But now new research has unveiled the protein that puts the brakes on stem cell division and shows that stem cells may not need such guarded protection to maintain their potency. A protein involved in hair growth also keeps the skin's stem cells from proliferating. This research raises questions about what stem cells need in order to maintain their ability to regenerate tissues -- questions that may be key in developing treatments for patients with thinning hair.
Elusive pancreatic stem cells found in adult mice
Source: Cell Press
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Just as many scientists had given up the search, researchers have discovered that the pancreas does indeed harbor stem cells with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in adult mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells will represent “an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes,” the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of Cell, a publication of Cell Press.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
Just as many scientists had given up the search, researchers have discovered that the pancreas does indeed harbor stem cells with the capacity to generate new insulin-producing beta cells. If the finding made in adult mice holds for humans, the newfound progenitor cells will represent “an obvious target for therapeutic regeneration of beta cells in diabetes,” the researchers report in the Jan. 25 issue of Cell, a publication of Cell Press.
Engineers Use Blood's Hydrodynamics to Manipulate Stem, Cancer Cells
Source: University of Rochester
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
A tiny, implantable device has pulled adult stem cells out of a living rat with a far greater purity than any present technique. The test of the device designed by Michael R. King, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester, will be reported in the March 3 issue of the British Journal of Haematology.
Date: January 24, 2008
Summary:
A tiny, implantable device has pulled adult stem cells out of a living rat with a far greater purity than any present technique. The test of the device designed by Michael R. King, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Rochester, will be reported in the March 3 issue of the British Journal of Haematology.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Stem Cells May Gradually Replace Antirejection Drugs For Kidney Transplant Patients
Source: Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Date: January 23, 2008
Summary:
After transplant surgery, antirejection drugs for the organ recipient are a must. But prolonged use can have serious side effects, including infections, heart disease and even cancer. A new study seeks to eliminate the need for antirejection drugs by transplanting stem cells from a kidney donor's bone marrow into the organ recipient. Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine are working with Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s department of organ transplantation to enroll qualifying subjects in a new research study that seeks to transplants stem cells from a kidney donor’s bone marrow into the recipient, with the hope of gradually eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. If research proves successful, it would mean a dramatic change in the post-transplant quality of life for the transplant recipient.
Date: January 23, 2008
Summary:
After transplant surgery, antirejection drugs for the organ recipient are a must. But prolonged use can have serious side effects, including infections, heart disease and even cancer. A new study seeks to eliminate the need for antirejection drugs by transplanting stem cells from a kidney donor's bone marrow into the organ recipient. Researchers at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine are working with Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s department of organ transplantation to enroll qualifying subjects in a new research study that seeks to transplants stem cells from a kidney donor’s bone marrow into the recipient, with the hope of gradually eliminating the need for anti-rejection drugs. If research proves successful, it would mean a dramatic change in the post-transplant quality of life for the transplant recipient.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Key Bone Building Pathway Identified in Mice
Source: University of California, San Francisco
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, and Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have uncovered a biochemical signaling pathway that leads to the formation of abnormally large bones in mice. For humans, the discovery may provide clues to both childhood bone formation and osteoporosis –– the loss of bone in old age –– as well as a path to improved osteoporosis treatments. The research is detailed in a paper in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, and Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have uncovered a biochemical signaling pathway that leads to the formation of abnormally large bones in mice. For humans, the discovery may provide clues to both childhood bone formation and osteoporosis –– the loss of bone in old age –– as well as a path to improved osteoporosis treatments. The research is detailed in a paper in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Coverage of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Treatment of Muscular Dystrophy
Below is a summary of additional media coverage from various news sources of the recent announcement by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center that researchers successfully treated mice with muscular dystrophy using muscle stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells:
Technology Review, January 22, 2008:
"Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) have used embryonic stem cells from mice to grow muscle cells. These same cells, injected into mice with a mild form of muscular dystrophy, formed healthy, functional muscle fibers at the site of deteriorating tissue. Scientists say that the research, while still in its early stages, could eventually lead to a cell-based therapy for patients with muscular dystrophy and other muscle-related diseases. The research was recently published in the online edition of Nature Medicine."
The Times, January 21, 2008:
"Scientists in the US have successfully coaxed mouse embryonic stem cells to develop into muscle tissue and then transplanted those cells into animals bred with the genetic mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy. When the cells were injected into the bloodstream of the mice they migrated to the muscles to replenish them with healthy tissue and improved their function."
Dallas Business Journal, January 21, 2008 - 10:27 AM CST:
"Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have used embryonic cells to grow functioning muscle cells in mice that have a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This is the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy, according to a news release. The study, led by Dr. Rita Perlingeiro, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the hospital said."
BBC News, 21 January 2008, 00:04 GMT
"A new way to manipulate human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) offers hope of a treatment for muscular dystrophies.
The muscle-wasting conditions are caused by genetic mutations which block production of a key protein in cells. In theory, ESCs could be used to replace defective cells - but getting them to form muscle cells in sufficient quantity has proved difficult. Nature Medicine details US work using genetic manipulation to overcome the problem, with positive results in mice."
Technology Review, January 22, 2008:
"Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) have used embryonic stem cells from mice to grow muscle cells. These same cells, injected into mice with a mild form of muscular dystrophy, formed healthy, functional muscle fibers at the site of deteriorating tissue. Scientists say that the research, while still in its early stages, could eventually lead to a cell-based therapy for patients with muscular dystrophy and other muscle-related diseases. The research was recently published in the online edition of Nature Medicine."
The Times, January 21, 2008:
"Scientists in the US have successfully coaxed mouse embryonic stem cells to develop into muscle tissue and then transplanted those cells into animals bred with the genetic mutation that causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy. When the cells were injected into the bloodstream of the mice they migrated to the muscles to replenish them with healthy tissue and improved their function."
Dallas Business Journal, January 21, 2008 - 10:27 AM CST:
"Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have used embryonic cells to grow functioning muscle cells in mice that have a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This is the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy, according to a news release. The study, led by Dr. Rita Perlingeiro, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the hospital said."
BBC News, 21 January 2008, 00:04 GMT
"A new way to manipulate human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) offers hope of a treatment for muscular dystrophies.
The muscle-wasting conditions are caused by genetic mutations which block production of a key protein in cells. In theory, ESCs could be used to replace defective cells - but getting them to form muscle cells in sufficient quantity has proved difficult. Nature Medicine details US work using genetic manipulation to overcome the problem, with positive results in mice."
First U.S. Trial Transplants Stem Cells to Investigate Prevention of Leg Amputations
Source: Northwestern University
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
A Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researcher has launched the first U.S. trial in which a purified form of subjects' own adult stem cells was transplanted into their leg muscles with severely blocked arteries to try to grow new small blood vessels and restore circulation in their legs.
Date: January 22, 2008
Summary:
A Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine researcher has launched the first U.S. trial in which a purified form of subjects' own adult stem cells was transplanted into their leg muscles with severely blocked arteries to try to grow new small blood vessels and restore circulation in their legs.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Study: Stem cells may prevent amputations
Source: United Press International
Posted: January 21, 2008 1:06 PM EST
Summary:
Northwestern University researchers have launched the first U.S. trial in which stem cells are used to grow new blood vessels to prevent leg amputations.
Posted: January 21, 2008 1:06 PM EST
Summary:
Northwestern University researchers have launched the first U.S. trial in which stem cells are used to grow new blood vessels to prevent leg amputations.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Stem cell therapy eases muscular dystrophy: study
Source: Agence France Presse (AFP)
Posted: January 20, 2008 7:54 PM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports researchers improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy using embryonic stem cells:
"A treatment for muscular dystrophy may be within view after US scientists reported Sunday they used stem cell transplants to improve muscle function in mice afflicted with the disease."
The report explains how the treatment works:
"In the study, researchers report on a new technique which allowed them to coax embryonic mouse cells into becoming muscle cells that were injected directly into rodents with the Duchenne form of the disease...In order to do this the researchers manipulated a gene called Pax3 that is active in the earliest stages of stem cell development -- before the cells become, in other words, blood, bone, muscle or other specialised tissue in the body."
The results of the study, while only in mice, showed potential for the development of a human treatment for muscular dystrophy:
"In tests measuring muscle development, the muscles contracted with three times as much force as control mice who had the disease but had not been given the treatment. The results were in fact closer to normal mice, the study reported. And even after three months, there were no tumours."
Posted: January 20, 2008 7:54 PM ET
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports researchers improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy using embryonic stem cells:
"A treatment for muscular dystrophy may be within view after US scientists reported Sunday they used stem cell transplants to improve muscle function in mice afflicted with the disease."
The report explains how the treatment works:
"In the study, researchers report on a new technique which allowed them to coax embryonic mouse cells into becoming muscle cells that were injected directly into rodents with the Duchenne form of the disease...In order to do this the researchers manipulated a gene called Pax3 that is active in the earliest stages of stem cell development -- before the cells become, in other words, blood, bone, muscle or other specialised tissue in the body."
The results of the study, while only in mice, showed potential for the development of a human treatment for muscular dystrophy:
"In tests measuring muscle development, the muscles contracted with three times as much force as control mice who had the disease but had not been given the treatment. The results were in fact closer to normal mice, the study reported. And even after three months, there were no tumours."
Embryonic Stem Cells Create Healthy Muscle in Mice
Source: HealthDay News
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into muscle tissue, whihc may lead to new treatments for muscular dystrophy:
"Researchers have coaxed embryonic mouse stem cells to grow into healthy muscle tissue, in a feat that creates new possibilities for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD is the most common of nine types of muscular dystrophy, which is characterized by a lack of the protein dystrophin in voluntary muscles, such as those in the arms and legs. Dystrophin plays a key role in building and repairing muscle; without it, muscles deteriorate and lose function."
Another version of this story can be found here.
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into muscle tissue, whihc may lead to new treatments for muscular dystrophy:
"Researchers have coaxed embryonic mouse stem cells to grow into healthy muscle tissue, in a feat that creates new possibilities for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). DMD is the most common of nine types of muscular dystrophy, which is characterized by a lack of the protein dystrophin in voluntary muscles, such as those in the arms and legs. Dystrophin plays a key role in building and repairing muscle; without it, muscles deteriorate and lose function."
Another version of this story can be found here.
Stem cells help mice with muscular dystrophy: study
Source: Reuters
Posted: January 20, 2008 1:23pm ET
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers found that an embryonic stem cell therapy improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy:
" A therapy using embryonic stem cells helped restore muscle function in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of muscular dystrophy in children, U.S. researchers said on Sunday."
The researchers also point out the significance of this study:
"They said the study is the first to show that transplanted embryonic stem cells can restore muscle in genetically engineered mice with the disease."
Posted: January 20, 2008 1:23pm ET
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers found that an embryonic stem cell therapy improved muscle function in mice with muscular dystrophy:
" A therapy using embryonic stem cells helped restore muscle function in mice with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of muscular dystrophy in children, U.S. researchers said on Sunday."
The researchers also point out the significance of this study:
"They said the study is the first to show that transplanted embryonic stem cells can restore muscle in genetically engineered mice with the disease."
Stem-cell transplantation improves muscles in animal model of muscular dystrophy, researchers report
Source: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
Using embryonic stem cells from mice, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy – and more importantly, functioning – muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study represents the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy. The researchers' newly developed technique, which involves stringent sorting to preserve all stem cells destined to become muscle, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving the overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the researchers found.
Date: January 20, 2008
Summary:
Using embryonic stem cells from mice, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have prompted the growth of healthy – and more importantly, functioning – muscle cells in mice afflicted with a human model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The study represents the first time transplanted embryonic stem cells have been shown to restore function to defective muscles in a model of muscular dystrophy. The researchers' newly developed technique, which involves stringent sorting to preserve all stem cells destined to become muscle, avoids the risk of tumor formation while improving the overall muscle strength and coordination of the mice, the researchers found.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Embryos are cloned using skin cells DNA and egg together reached a stage that could produce stem cells.
Source: Bloomberg News
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Bloomberg News reports researchers successfully cloned human embryos using DNA from adult skin cells:
"Five human embryos were cloned using donated DNA from skin cells, a technique that may lead to treatments based on patients' own stem cells. Researchers said the DNA came from the skin of two men, while three women donated eggs. The research, led by Andrew French, the chief science officer of the closely held biotechnology company Stemagen Corp., is detailed in a report published today by the journal Stem Cells."
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Bloomberg News reports researchers successfully cloned human embryos using DNA from adult skin cells:
"Five human embryos were cloned using donated DNA from skin cells, a technique that may lead to treatments based on patients' own stem cells. Researchers said the DNA came from the skin of two men, while three women donated eggs. The research, led by Andrew French, the chief science officer of the closely held biotechnology company Stemagen Corp., is detailed in a report published today by the journal Stem Cells."
Leukemia-causing Cells Found
Source: University of Oxford
Date: 18 January 2008
Summary:
Scientists have discovered the cancer ‘stem cells’ that cause acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. A report of the research, which was led by Oxford University scientists, has been published in the journal Science. The breakthrough came through studying four-year-old identical twins Olivia, who has leukaemia, and Isabella, who is healthy. They found that both twins had abnormal ‘pre-leukaemia’ stem cells in their blood that can either lie dormant in the bone marrow or develop into full-blown leukaemia stem cells. The results were then confirmed with experiments using human cord blood cells.
Date: 18 January 2008
Summary:
Scientists have discovered the cancer ‘stem cells’ that cause acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. A report of the research, which was led by Oxford University scientists, has been published in the journal Science. The breakthrough came through studying four-year-old identical twins Olivia, who has leukaemia, and Isabella, who is healthy. They found that both twins had abnormal ‘pre-leukaemia’ stem cells in their blood that can either lie dormant in the bone marrow or develop into full-blown leukaemia stem cells. The results were then confirmed with experiments using human cord blood cells.
Stem cell research aims to tackle Parkinson’s disease
Source: European Science Foundation
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Scientists in Sweden are developing new ways to grow brain cells in the laboratory that could one day be used to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease, an international conference of biologists organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) was told.
Date: January 18, 2008
Summary:
Scientists in Sweden are developing new ways to grow brain cells in the laboratory that could one day be used to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease, an international conference of biologists organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF) was told.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
TV News Coverage of Stemagen Human Embryo Cloning Announcement
Below are links to videos of TV news coverage of the announcement by biotechnology company Stemagen, Inc. that it cloned a human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT):
"SoCal Lab Says It Cloned Human Embryos: Stemagen Says Technology Will Be Used To Create Stem Cells"
Source: NBC 11 Bay Area San Jose, CA
POSTED: 11:44 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:03 pm PST January 17, 2008
"Local Company Successfully Clones Human Embryos"
Source: 10News San Diego, CA
POSTED: 8:02 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:04 pm PST January 17, 2008
"SoCal Lab Says It Cloned Human Embryos: Stemagen Says Technology Will Be Used To Create Stem Cells"
Source: NBC 11 Bay Area San Jose, CA
POSTED: 11:44 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:03 pm PST January 17, 2008
"Local Company Successfully Clones Human Embryos"
Source: 10News San Diego, CA
POSTED: 8:02 am PST January 17, 2008
UPDATED: 12:04 pm PST January 17, 2008
Discovery of 'creator' gene for cerebral cortex points to potential stem cell treatments
Source: University of California, Irvine
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a gene that is specifically responsible for generating the cerebral cortex, a finding that could lead to stem cell therapies to treat brain injuries and diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Edwin Monuki, doctoral student Karla Hirokawa and their colleagues in the departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Developmental & Cell Biology found that a gene called Lhx2 serves as the long-sought cortical "creator" gene that instructs stem cells in the developing brain to form the cerebral cortex.
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
University of California, Irvine researchers have identified a gene that is specifically responsible for generating the cerebral cortex, a finding that could lead to stem cell therapies to treat brain injuries and diseases such as stroke and Alzheimer’s. Dr. Edwin Monuki, doctoral student Karla Hirokawa and their colleagues in the departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine and Developmental & Cell Biology found that a gene called Lhx2 serves as the long-sought cortical "creator" gene that instructs stem cells in the developing brain to form the cerebral cortex.
Researchers Determine Structure of Protein Involved in Spastic Paraplegia
Source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Date; January 17, 2008
Summary:
By piecing together the detailed structure of a molecule-munching enzyme, researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have revealed how it helps maintains cells' internal highways. The finding could one day lead to new treatments for a neurological disorder caused when the enzyme, known as spastin, malfunctions.
Date; January 17, 2008
Summary:
By piecing together the detailed structure of a molecule-munching enzyme, researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have revealed how it helps maintains cells' internal highways. The finding could one day lead to new treatments for a neurological disorder caused when the enzyme, known as spastin, malfunctions.
Scientists uncover role of cancer stem cell marker: controlling gene expression
Source: Thomas Jefferson University
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have made an extraordinary advance in the understanding of the function of a gene previously shown to be part of an 11-gene “signature” that can predict which tumors will be aggressive and likely to spread. The gene, USP22, encodes an enzyme that appears to be crucial for controlling large scale changes in gene expression, one of the hallmarks of cancer cells.
Date: January 17, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center in Philadelphia have made an extraordinary advance in the understanding of the function of a gene previously shown to be part of an 11-gene “signature” that can predict which tumors will be aggressive and likely to spread. The gene, USP22, encodes an enzyme that appears to be crucial for controlling large scale changes in gene expression, one of the hallmarks of cancer cells.
Stemagen First to Create Cloned Human Embryos From Adult Cells
Source: Stemagen Inc.
Posted: January 17, 2008 9:01 am ET
Summary:
Stemagen, a privately held embryonic stem cell research company, announced today it has become the first in the world to create, and meticulously document, a cloned human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Stemagen CEO Samuel H. Wood, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the publication and a donor of the cells from which the embryos were cloned, terms this achievement "a critical milestone in the development of patient-specific embryonic stem cells for human therapeutic use, potentially including developing treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases." Stemagen's research is exhaustively detailed in a paper published in today's issue of the highly regarded peer-reviewed scientific journal Stem Cells.
Posted: January 17, 2008 9:01 am ET
Summary:
Stemagen, a privately held embryonic stem cell research company, announced today it has become the first in the world to create, and meticulously document, a cloned human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Stemagen CEO Samuel H. Wood, M.D., Ph.D., a co-author of the publication and a donor of the cells from which the embryos were cloned, terms this achievement "a critical milestone in the development of patient-specific embryonic stem cells for human therapeutic use, potentially including developing treatments for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases." Stemagen's research is exhaustively detailed in a paper published in today's issue of the highly regarded peer-reviewed scientific journal Stem Cells.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Researchers identify mechanism that controls activation of stem cells during hair regeneration
Source: University of Southern California
Date: January 16, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Southern California have identified a novel cyclic signaling in the dermis that coordinates stem cell activity and regulates regeneration in large populations of hairs in animal models. The signaling switch involves bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) pathway, according to the study that will be published in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Nature.
Date: January 16, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Southern California have identified a novel cyclic signaling in the dermis that coordinates stem cell activity and regulates regeneration in large populations of hairs in animal models. The signaling switch involves bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) pathway, according to the study that will be published in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal Nature.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Coverage of University of Minnesota Creation of Rat Heart
Below is a summary of media coverage of the creation of a rat heart by University of Minnesota researchers using adult heart cels:
Canadian Press January 13, 2008: "Scientists create beating animal heart in lab; could help organ shortage"
"Researchers have brought a dead animal heart back to life in the lab by repopulating it with healthy cells, a feat they believe may someday allow them to grow new hearts and other organs for people desperate for transplants."
Reuters, January 13, 2008 2:41pm "Scientists create beating hearts in lab":
"U.S. researchers say they have coaxed hearts from dead rats to beat again in the laboratory and said the discovery may one day lead to customized organ transplants for people. ...Her study, which appeared on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, offers a way to fulfill the promise of using stem cells -- the body's master cells -- to grow tailor-made organs for transplant."
BBC News, 13 January 2008, 18:01 GMT: "'Spare part heart' beats in lab":
"The stripped-out shell of a heart has been made to work again - using brand new cells planted inside it.
Scientists removed all the muscle cells in a rat heart, leaving just a "scaffold" of other tissues such as blood vessels and valves. When the University of Minnesota team added heart cells, they quickly grew and produced a pumping action. It is hoped the Nature Medicine study will ultimately mean human or animal hearts can be crafted for transplant."
HealthDay News January 13, 2008: "Biotechnology Builds a New Heart":
"An organ-building biotechnology that could create transplantable hearts using stem cells from the recipients themselves has passed important laboratory tests, researchers report. The technique, called whole organ decellularization, has been used to create functioning heart tissue, according to a report in the Jan. 13 issue of Nature Medicine by a team at the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair."
New York Times, January 13, 2008: Researchers Create New Rat Heart in Lab:
"Medicine’s dream of growing new human hearts and other organs to repair or replace damaged ones received a significant boost on Sunday when University of Minnesota researchers reported success in creating a beating rat heart in a laboratory. Experts not involved in the Minnesota work called it “a landmark achievement” and “a stunning” advance. But they and the Minnesota researchers cautioned that the dream, if it is ever realized, is still at least 10 years away. ...The researchers removed all the cells from a dead rat heart, leaving the valves and outer structure as scaffolding for new heart cells injected from newborn rats. Within two weeks, the new cells formed a new beating heart that conducted electrical impulses and pumped a small amount of blood."
Canadian Press January 13, 2008: "Scientists create beating animal heart in lab; could help organ shortage"
"Researchers have brought a dead animal heart back to life in the lab by repopulating it with healthy cells, a feat they believe may someday allow them to grow new hearts and other organs for people desperate for transplants."
Reuters, January 13, 2008 2:41pm "Scientists create beating hearts in lab":
"U.S. researchers say they have coaxed hearts from dead rats to beat again in the laboratory and said the discovery may one day lead to customized organ transplants for people. ...Her study, which appeared on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, offers a way to fulfill the promise of using stem cells -- the body's master cells -- to grow tailor-made organs for transplant."
BBC News, 13 January 2008, 18:01 GMT: "'Spare part heart' beats in lab":
"The stripped-out shell of a heart has been made to work again - using brand new cells planted inside it.
Scientists removed all the muscle cells in a rat heart, leaving just a "scaffold" of other tissues such as blood vessels and valves. When the University of Minnesota team added heart cells, they quickly grew and produced a pumping action. It is hoped the Nature Medicine study will ultimately mean human or animal hearts can be crafted for transplant."
HealthDay News January 13, 2008: "Biotechnology Builds a New Heart":
"An organ-building biotechnology that could create transplantable hearts using stem cells from the recipients themselves has passed important laboratory tests, researchers report. The technique, called whole organ decellularization, has been used to create functioning heart tissue, according to a report in the Jan. 13 issue of Nature Medicine by a team at the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair."
New York Times, January 13, 2008: Researchers Create New Rat Heart in Lab:
"Medicine’s dream of growing new human hearts and other organs to repair or replace damaged ones received a significant boost on Sunday when University of Minnesota researchers reported success in creating a beating rat heart in a laboratory. Experts not involved in the Minnesota work called it “a landmark achievement” and “a stunning” advance. But they and the Minnesota researchers cautioned that the dream, if it is ever realized, is still at least 10 years away. ...The researchers removed all the cells from a dead rat heart, leaving the valves and outer structure as scaffolding for new heart cells injected from newborn rats. Within two weeks, the new cells formed a new beating heart that conducted electrical impulses and pumped a small amount of blood."
Identification of a novel neural stem cell type
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
As published in the upcoming issue of G&D, sesearchers from the Sloan-Kettering Institute, led by Dr. Lorenz Studer, have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. Scientists have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. In culture, neural stem cells (NSCs) can readily differentiate into neuronal and glial subtypes, but their ability to differentiate into region-specific neuronal cell types is limited. Dr. Studer and colleagues isolated and cloned a population of neural rosette cells (R-NSCs), which have an expanded neuronal subtype differentiation potential.
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
As published in the upcoming issue of G&D, sesearchers from the Sloan-Kettering Institute, led by Dr. Lorenz Studer, have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. Scientists have discovered a novel type of neural stem cell, which has a broader differentiation potential than previously identified neural stem cells. In culture, neural stem cells (NSCs) can readily differentiate into neuronal and glial subtypes, but their ability to differentiate into region-specific neuronal cell types is limited. Dr. Studer and colleagues isolated and cloned a population of neural rosette cells (R-NSCs), which have an expanded neuronal subtype differentiation potential.
By modifying a stem cell’s surface, researchers can steer cells where needed
Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
Now it appears that even stem cells can come with GPS. In a groundbreaking study, Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD, and colleagues in the Department of Dermatology at the Biomedical Research Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) harmlessly modified the surface of human mesenchymal stem cells (a type of adult stem cell that is the precursor of bone forming cells called osteoblasts), which directed the cells through the bloodstream into bone, where they matured into new bone cells. These findings will appear in the February print issue of Nature Medicine and on the journal’s website January 13.
Date: January 14, 2008
Summary:
Now it appears that even stem cells can come with GPS. In a groundbreaking study, Robert Sackstein, MD, PhD, and colleagues in the Department of Dermatology at the Biomedical Research Institute at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) harmlessly modified the surface of human mesenchymal stem cells (a type of adult stem cell that is the precursor of bone forming cells called osteoblasts), which directed the cells through the bloodstream into bone, where they matured into new bone cells. These findings will appear in the February print issue of Nature Medicine and on the journal’s website January 13.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Researchers Restart Rat Heart
Source: Associated Press
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
Researchers seeking new treatments for heart disease managed to grow a rat heart in the lab and start it beating. They took the hearts from eight newborn rats and removed all the cells. Left behind was a gelatin-like matrix shaped like a heart and containing conduits where the blood vessels had been. Scientists then injected cells back into this scaffold — muscle cells and endothelial cells, which line blood vessels.
Dr. Doris Taylor, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota, explains the result of the procedure:
"The muscle cells covered the matrix walls and lined up together, while the endothelial cells found their way inside to coat the blood vessels," she said.
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
Researchers seeking new treatments for heart disease managed to grow a rat heart in the lab and start it beating. They took the hearts from eight newborn rats and removed all the cells. Left behind was a gelatin-like matrix shaped like a heart and containing conduits where the blood vessels had been. Scientists then injected cells back into this scaffold — muscle cells and endothelial cells, which line blood vessels.
Dr. Doris Taylor, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Repair at the University of Minnesota, explains the result of the procedure:
"The muscle cells covered the matrix walls and lined up together, while the endothelial cells found their way inside to coat the blood vessels," she said.
U researchers grow a beating heart in a jar
Minneapolis Star Tribune
January 13, 2008 - 12:05 PM CST
Summary:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports researchers at the University of Minnesota have successfully grown a beating rat heart from adult heart stem cells:
"Researchers at the University of Minnesota have grown a beating heart in a jar. They used detergents to strip a rat heart of its own cells, leaving behind a white, three-dimensional scaffolding of connective tissue. They then infused it with living cardiac cells from newborn rats, which multiplied and grew into a fully functional heart -- a first in the field of tissue engineering." The researchers believe the first human application of this finding might be to treat heart defects in infants.
January 13, 2008 - 12:05 PM CST
Summary:
The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports researchers at the University of Minnesota have successfully grown a beating rat heart from adult heart stem cells:
"Researchers at the University of Minnesota have grown a beating heart in a jar. They used detergents to strip a rat heart of its own cells, leaving behind a white, three-dimensional scaffolding of connective tissue. They then infused it with living cardiac cells from newborn rats, which multiplied and grew into a fully functional heart -- a first in the field of tissue engineering." The researchers believe the first human application of this finding might be to treat heart defects in infants.
U of M researchers create beating heart in laboratory
Source: University of Minnesota
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
University of Minnesota researchers have created a beating heart in the laboratory. By using a process called whole organ decellularization, scientists from the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair grew functioning heart tissue by taking dead rat and pig hearts and reseeding them with a mixture of live cells. The research will be published online in the January 13 issue of Nature Medicine.
Date: January 13, 2008
Summary:
University of Minnesota researchers have created a beating heart in the laboratory. By using a process called whole organ decellularization, scientists from the University of Minnesota Center for Cardiovascular Repair grew functioning heart tissue by taking dead rat and pig hearts and reseeding them with a mixture of live cells. The research will be published online in the January 13 issue of Nature Medicine.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Hair has promise in nerve repairs: Protein keratin aids cell regeneration, WFU research says
Source: Winston-Salem Journal
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
The Winston-Salem Journal reports researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found that a protein found in human hair may enable nerve regeneration:
"Human hair could hold the key to accelerating the regeneration of nerve tissue that has been cut or damaged by trauma, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine said yesterday. ....The study, published in the current issue of Biomaterials, reported that the protein keratin found in human hair enhances nerve regeneration and improves nerve function - compared with current treatment options - in animal research. Keratin is believed to contain molecules that regulate cell behavior."
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
The Winston-Salem Journal reports researchers at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have found that a protein found in human hair may enable nerve regeneration:
"Human hair could hold the key to accelerating the regeneration of nerve tissue that has been cut or damaged by trauma, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine said yesterday. ....The study, published in the current issue of Biomaterials, reported that the protein keratin found in human hair enhances nerve regeneration and improves nerve function - compared with current treatment options - in animal research. Keratin is believed to contain molecules that regulate cell behavior."
Stem cells make bone marrow cancer resistant to treatment
Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have evidence that cancer stem cells for multiple myeloma share many properties with normal stem cells and have multiple ways of resisting chemotherapy and other treatments. A report on the evidence, published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, may explain why the disease is so persistent, the Johns Hopkins scientists say, and pave the way for treatments that overcome the cells’ drug resistance. Multiple myeloma affects bone marrow and bone tissue.
Date: January 11, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have evidence that cancer stem cells for multiple myeloma share many properties with normal stem cells and have multiple ways of resisting chemotherapy and other treatments. A report on the evidence, published in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research, may explain why the disease is so persistent, the Johns Hopkins scientists say, and pave the way for treatments that overcome the cells’ drug resistance. Multiple myeloma affects bone marrow and bone tissue.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Embryonic stem cell lines created without destroying embryo: study
Source: Agence France Presse (AFP)
January 10, 2008, 14:58 EST
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, successfully created embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
"In a bid to sidestep the ethical debate over the use of human embryos in medical research, scientists have developed a way to derive viable stem cell lines without harming the embryo. They did so by extracting a single cell from the embryo -- as in vitro fertilization clinics do when they test for genetic defects -- and introducing a common molecule called laminin to keep it in a stem cell, or pluripotent, state."
Below are links to more coverage of this news story from various news sources:
Los Angeles Times: "Stem cells created without destroying embryos"
Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology: "Advanced Cell reports new embryonic stem cell tech ready to go"
San Jose Mercury News: "Stem-cell firms hail advance"
San Francisco Chronicle: "Firm proves its stem cell work won't destroy embryos"
Washington Post: "Lab Cites Stem Cell Advance"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Embryos Survive stem cells' creation"
January 10, 2008, 14:58 EST
Summary:
Agence France Presse (AFP) reports Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, successfully created embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
"In a bid to sidestep the ethical debate over the use of human embryos in medical research, scientists have developed a way to derive viable stem cell lines without harming the embryo. They did so by extracting a single cell from the embryo -- as in vitro fertilization clinics do when they test for genetic defects -- and introducing a common molecule called laminin to keep it in a stem cell, or pluripotent, state."
Below are links to more coverage of this news story from various news sources:
Los Angeles Times: "Stem cells created without destroying embryos"
Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology: "Advanced Cell reports new embryonic stem cell tech ready to go"
San Jose Mercury News: "Stem-cell firms hail advance"
San Francisco Chronicle: "Firm proves its stem cell work won't destroy embryos"
Washington Post: "Lab Cites Stem Cell Advance"
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Embryos Survive stem cells' creation"
Creation of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Without Destruction of Embryos
Source: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc.
Posted: January 10, 2008 10:24 AM PST
Summary:
In an official company news release Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced the development of embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. together with colleagues announced today the development of five human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines without the destruction of embryos. These new results have the potential to end the ethical debate surrounding the use of embryos to derive stem cells. In fact, the NIH report to the President refers to this technology as one of the viable alternatives to the destruction of embryos."
Posted: January 10, 2008 10:24 AM PST
Summary:
In an official company news release Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced the development of embryonic stem cell lines without destroying embryos:
Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. together with colleagues announced today the development of five human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines without the destruction of embryos. These new results have the potential to end the ethical debate surrounding the use of embryos to derive stem cells. In fact, the NIH report to the President refers to this technology as one of the viable alternatives to the destruction of embryos."
Protein In Human Hair Shows Promise For Regenerating Nerves
Source: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Date: January 10, 2008
Summary:
A protein found in human hair shows promise for promoting the regeneration of nerve tissue and could lead to a new treatment option when nerves are cut or crushed from trauma. In the journal Biomaterials, scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported that in animal studies the protein keratin was able to speed up nerve regeneration and improve nerve function compared to current treatment options.
Date: January 10, 2008
Summary:
A protein found in human hair shows promise for promoting the regeneration of nerve tissue and could lead to a new treatment option when nerves are cut or crushed from trauma. In the journal Biomaterials, scientists from Wake Forest University School of Medicine reported that in animal studies the protein keratin was able to speed up nerve regeneration and improve nerve function compared to current treatment options.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
BERT tells ERNI it's time to grow a brain
Source: University College London
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
UCL (University College London) scientists have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and stem cell behaviour.
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
UCL (University College London) scientists have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and stem cell behaviour.
New insight into factors that drive muscle-building stem cells
Source: Cell Press
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
A report in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, provides new evidence explaining how stem cells known as satellite cells contribute to building muscles up in response to exercise. These findings could lead to treatments for reversing or improving the muscle loss that occurs in diseases such as cancer and AIDS as well as in the normal aging process, according to the researchers.
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
A report in the January issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, provides new evidence explaining how stem cells known as satellite cells contribute to building muscles up in response to exercise. These findings could lead to treatments for reversing or improving the muscle loss that occurs in diseases such as cancer and AIDS as well as in the normal aging process, according to the researchers.
BERT and ERNI proteins control brain development
Source: Public Library of Science
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at University College London have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and expanding our knowledge of stem cell behavior.
The new research published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology solves the puzzle of how vertebrates prioritize the order in which they begin to develop different sets of structures.
Date: January 8, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at University College London have discovered how two proteins called BERT and ERNI interact in embryos to control when different organ systems in the body start to form, deepening our understanding of the development of the brain and nervous system and expanding our knowledge of stem cell behavior.
The new research published this week in the open-access journal PLoS Biology solves the puzzle of how vertebrates prioritize the order in which they begin to develop different sets of structures.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Researchers use magnetism to target cells to animal arteries
Source: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have used magnetic fields and tiny iron-bearing particles to drive healthy cells to targeted sites in blood vessels. The research, done in animals, may lead to a new method of delivering cells and genes to repair injured or diseased organs in people.
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have used magnetic fields and tiny iron-bearing particles to drive healthy cells to targeted sites in blood vessels. The research, done in animals, may lead to a new method of delivering cells and genes to repair injured or diseased organs in people.
Scientists restore walking after spinal cord injury
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Spinal cord damage blocks the routes that the brain uses to send messages to the nerve cells that control walking. Until now, doctors believed that the only way for injured patients to walk again was to re-grow the long nerve highways that link the brain and base of the spinal cord. For the first time, a UCLA study shows that the central nervous system can reorganize itself and follow new pathways to restore the cellular communication required for movement.
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
Spinal cord damage blocks the routes that the brain uses to send messages to the nerve cells that control walking. Until now, doctors believed that the only way for injured patients to walk again was to re-grow the long nerve highways that link the brain and base of the spinal cord. For the first time, a UCLA study shows that the central nervous system can reorganize itself and follow new pathways to restore the cellular communication required for movement.
Forever young: Differentiation blocked in tumor stem cells
Source: Cell Press
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
A new comparison of normal stem cells and cancer stem cells reveals that the cancer stem cells are abnormally trapped at an early stage of development. The research, published by Cell Press in the January issue of Cancer Cell, significantly advances the understanding of glioma pathophysiology and provides new directions for design of therapeutic strategies that are targeted to specific types of tumors.
Date: January 7, 2008
Summary:
A new comparison of normal stem cells and cancer stem cells reveals that the cancer stem cells are abnormally trapped at an early stage of development. The research, published by Cell Press in the January issue of Cancer Cell, significantly advances the understanding of glioma pathophysiology and provides new directions for design of therapeutic strategies that are targeted to specific types of tumors.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Scientists move toward helping paralysis patients
Source: Reuters
Posted: January 6, 2008 1:13pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers have discovered injured brains and spinal cords can reorganize function to restore cellular communication to help patients with injuries regain mobility:
"Scientists have figured out how mice can regain some ability to walk after spinal cord injuries, and hope this insight can lead to a new approach to restoring function in people paralyzed by similar damage. The research, published on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, showed that the brain and spinal cord are able to reorganize functions after a spinal cord injury to restore communication at the cellular level needed for walking."
Posted: January 6, 2008 1:13pm EST
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers have discovered injured brains and spinal cords can reorganize function to restore cellular communication to help patients with injuries regain mobility:
"Scientists have figured out how mice can regain some ability to walk after spinal cord injuries, and hope this insight can lead to a new approach to restoring function in people paralyzed by similar damage. The research, published on Sunday in the journal Nature Medicine, showed that the brain and spinal cord are able to reorganize functions after a spinal cord injury to restore communication at the cellular level needed for walking."
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Biomedical Shape-Memory Polymers Developed
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Date: January 3, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing unique polymers, which change shape upon heating, to open blocked arteries, probe neurons in the brain and engineer a tougher spine. These so-called shape-memory polymers can be temporarily stretched or compressed into forms several times larger or smaller than their final shape. Then heat, light or the local chemical environment triggers a transformation into their permanent shape.
Date: January 3, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing unique polymers, which change shape upon heating, to open blocked arteries, probe neurons in the brain and engineer a tougher spine. These so-called shape-memory polymers can be temporarily stretched or compressed into forms several times larger or smaller than their final shape. Then heat, light or the local chemical environment triggers a transformation into their permanent shape.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Regenerating Nerves: A polymer studded with chemicals that resemble a common neurotransmitter can stimulate the growth of neurons.
Source: Technology Review
Date: January 2, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology announced that they have triggered the regrowth of nerve cells using a polymer coated with chemical structures that resemble acetylcholine, a common neurotransmitter. The research, which is the first to combine a neurotransmitter and a polymer, could one day lead to treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and spinal-cord injuries.
Date: January 2, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology announced that they have triggered the regrowth of nerve cells using a polymer coated with chemical structures that resemble acetylcholine, a common neurotransmitter. The research, which is the first to combine a neurotransmitter and a polymer, could one day lead to treatments for neurodegenerative diseases and spinal-cord injuries.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)