Scientists make electrically active motor neurons from iPS cells

Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: February 25, 2009

Summary:

Stem cells scientists at UCLA showed for the first time that human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be differentiated into electrically active motor neurons, a discovery that may aid in studying and treating neurological disorders. Additionally, the motor neurons derived from the iPS cells appeared to be similar in function and efficiency to those derived from human embryonic stem cells, although further testing needs to be done to confirm that. If the similarities are confirmed, the discovery may open the door for new treatments for neurological disorders using patient-specific cells. The study appears today in the early online edition of the journal Stem Cells.

Brain’s Reserve Cells Can Be Activated After Stroke

Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: 23 February 2009

Summary:

Scientists at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have found a way of activating the neuronal reserves in the brains of mice by switching off the signal that inhibits the formation of new nerve cells. New nerve cells are formed from stem cells in specific areas of the human brain. This process increases after a stroke, something that might explain the recovery that is often observed in patients, particularly in the first year following the onset of illness. In the present study, the scientists have demonstrated how a type of cell that does not give rise to new cells in the healthy brain is activated after a stroke in laboratory animals. The study is published in the February 22, 2009 issue of the journal Neuroscience.

Stem Cell Research Uncovers Mechanism for Type 2 Diabetes

Source: Burnham Institute for Medical Research
Date: February 12, 2009

Summary:

Taking clues from their stem cell research, investigators at the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) and Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have discovered that a signaling pathway involved in normal pancreatic development is also associated with type 2 diabetes. Their findings, published online January 9 in Experimental Diabetes Research, could provide a potential new target for therapy.

CBS News Feature story on MS Adult Stem Cell Trial

CBS News reports on the recent trial at Northwestern University using adult stem cells to treat multiple sclerosis in a feature entitled "Treating MS Symptoms With Stem Cells." For previous news coverage of this trial see the SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 01, 2009 entry "Coverage of Northwestern University Multiple Sclerosis Adult Stem Cell Study" below.

Don’t go changing: New chemical keeps stem cells young

Source: University of Bath
Date: 3 February 2009

Summary:

Scientists at the Universities of Bath and Leeds have discovered a chemical that stops stem cells from turning into other cell types, allowing researchers to use these cells to develop new medical treatments more easily. Stem cells have the ability to develop into many other cell types in the body, and scientists believe they have huge potential to treat diseases or injuries that don’t currently have a cure.

Professor Melanie Welham’s team at the University of Bath’s Department of Pharmacy & Pharmacology, collaborating with Professor Adam Nelson at the University of Leeds, have discovered a chemical that can be added to embryonic stem cells grown in the lab, allowing them to multiply without changing into other cell types. This breakthrough will help scientists produce large stocks of cells that are needed for developing new medical therapies. The research, supported by funding from the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, is published in the prestigious peer-reviewed Cell Press journal, Chemistry & Biology.

Coverage of Northwestern University Multiple Sclerosis Adult Stem Cell Study

Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by researchers at Northwestern University in which adult stem cells reversed symptoms of multiple sclerosis in mice:

Bloomberg News, January 31, 2009: "Dose of stem cells reverses some MS":

"A dose of their own stem cells "reset" the malfunctioning immune system of patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and, for the first time, reversed their disability, according to researchers at Northwestern University in Chicago. All 21 patients in the study had the "relapsing-remitting" form of the disease that makes their symptoms alternately flare up and recede. Three years after being treated, on average, 17 of the patients had improved on tests of their symptoms, 16 had experienced no relapse, and none had deteriorated, the study found."

Nature, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell trial shows promise: Multiple sclerosis treatment seems to reverse symptoms.":

"A stem-cell therapy appears to help some patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis recover, according to results from a preliminary study. In the new trial, the patients' immune cells were first destroyed and they were then injected with blood stem cells taken from their bone marrow. Seventeen of the 21 patients treated in his study improved, suffering fewer problems with their balance or vision, and none declined over the 2-4 years they took part in the study. This marks the first time a technique "has actually shown reversal" of neurologic loss caused by this disease, says Richard Burt of Northwestern University in Chicago, who led the study."

BBC News, 02:21 GMT, Friday, 30 January 2009: "MS stem-cell treatment 'success'":

"Stem-cell transplants may control and even reverse multiple sclerosis symptoms if done early enough, a small study has suggested. ...Stem cells were harvested from the patients and frozen while drugs were given to remove the immune cells or lymphocytes causing the damage. The stem cells were then transplanted back to replenish the immune system - effectively resetting it. Five patients in the study relapsed, but went into remission after receiving other therapy."

The Scotsman, 30 January 2009: "New stem cell treatment can reverse crippling MS":

"A NEW treatment for multiple sclerosis using stem cells could be used to reverse the effects of the disease, research revealed yesterday. A study of 21 patients with MS found that none saw their condition deteriorate while using the therapy – and the majority saw an improvement. The discovery gives new hope that stem cells offer a ground-breaking new method of tackling the debilitating disease, for which there was no cure. The latest research, published in The Lancet Neurology, focused on a technique known as "autologous non-myeloablative haemopoietic stem cell transplantation."

"Stem cells are taken from the patient's bone marrow. The patient's immune system is suppressed and their haemopoietic stem cells – which become blood cells – are put back. Such a technique effectively "resets" the immune system. The 11 women and ten men taking part in the new study, led by the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, suffered from a form of the condition known as relapsing-remitting MS."

New Scientist, 30 January 2009 11:57: "Multiple sclerosis 'reversed' with stem cell therapy":

"For the first time, some of the disability associated with the early stages of multiple sclerosis appears to have been reversed. The treatment works by resetting patients' immune systems using their own stem cells. While randomised clinical trials are still needed to confirm the findings, they offer new hope to people in the early stages of the disease who don't respond to drug treatment."

Daily Mail, 30th January 2009, 11:56 AM: "Stem cell injection offers fresh hope for MS sufferers":

"Stem cell injections can reverse the crippling effects of multiple sclerosis, a study published today says. Four out of five adults in the early stages of MS who were injected with stem cells taken from their bone marrow saw an improvement in symptoms after three years. The rest of the patients saw their condition stabilise."

United Press International, January 29, 2009 at 6:30 PM ET: "Stem cell transplant reverses early MS"

"U.S. medical scientists say they have used stem cell therapy to apparently reverse the neurological dysfunctions caused by early-stage multiple sclerosis. Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine said they transplanted early-stage multiple sclerosis patients' own immune stem cells into the patients' bodies, thereby "resetting" their immune systems."

Reuters, January 29, 2009 7:11pm EST: "Stem cell transplants show promise for MS: study":

"U.S. researchers have reversed multiple sclerosis symptoms in early stage patients by using bone marrow stem cell transplants to reset the immune system, they said... Some 81 percent of patients in the early phase study showed signs of improvement with the treatment, which used chemotherapy to destroy the immune system, and injections of the patient's bone marrow cells taken beforehand to rebuild it."

HealthDay News, January 29, 2009: "Stem Cell Transplants Help MS Victims: 'Resetting' overactive immune system in early stages of disease worked, study finds":

"Stem cell transplantation seems to stop and, in some cases, undo neurological damage in people with multiple sclerosis, a small study shows. The trial involved just 21 patients, but a larger, randomized trial is under way in the United States, Canada and Brazil. ...The technique used in this study, autologous non-myeloablative hemopoietic stem cell transplantation, 'resets' the immune system and is already used for secondary-progressive MS."

Stem Cell Transplant Reverses Early-Stage Multiple Sclerosis

Source: Northwestern University:
Date: January 30, 2009

Summary:

Researchers from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine appear to have reversed the neurological dysfunction of early-stage multiple sclerosis patients by transplanting their own immune stem cells into their bodies and thereby "resetting" their immune systems. The patients in the small phase I/II trial continued to improve for up to 24 months after the transplantation procedure and then stabilized. They experienced improvements in areas in which they had been affected by multiple sclerosis including walking, ataxia, limb strength, vision and incontinence. The study will be published online January 30 and in the March issue of The Lancet Neurology.

Geron Spinal Cord Trial Receives FDA Approval: Coverage Summary

Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of the recent announcement by Geron Corporation that it received federal regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin human clinical trials using human embryonic stem cells to attempt to treat spinal cord injuries:

Wall Street Journal, January 23, 2009:"First Embryonic Stem-Cell Trial Gets Approval From the FDA":

"In a watershed moment for one of the most contentious areas of science and American politics, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the way for the first-ever human trial of a medical treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. Geron Corp., a Menlo Park, Calif., biotechnology company, is expected to announce Friday that it received a green light from the agency to mount a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients. The announcement caps more than a decade of advances in the company's labs and comes on the cusp of a widely expected shift in U.S. policy toward support of embryonic stem-cell research after years of official opposition."

Associated Press, January 23, 2009: "US approves 1st stem cell study for spinal injury":

"A U.S. biotech company says it plans to start this summer the world's first study of a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells — a long-awaited project aimed at spinal cord injury. The company gained federal permission this week to inject eight to 10 patients with cells derived from embryonic cells, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif."

"The patients will be paraplegics, who can use their arms but can't walk. They will receive a single injection within two weeks of their injury. The study is aimed at testing the safety of the procedure, but doctors will also look for signs of improvement like return of sensation or movement in the legs, Okarma said."

"Whatever its outcome, the study will mark a new chapter in the contentious history of embryonic stem cell research in the United States — a field where debate spilled out of the laboratory long ago and into national politics."

New York Times, January 23, 2009: "F.D.A. Approves a Stem Cell Trial":

"In a research milestone, the federal government will allow the world’s first test in people of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells. Federal drug regulators said that political considerations had no role in the decision. Nevertheless, the move coincided with the inauguration of President Obama, who has pledged to remove some of the financing restrictions placed on the field by President George W. Bush. The clearance of the clinical trial — of a treatment for spinal cord injury — is to be announced Friday by Geron, the biotechnology company that first applied to the Food and Drug Administration to conduct the trial last March. The F.D.A. had first said no, asking for more data."

New Scientist, 14:09 23 January 2009: "Historic trial to treat spinal injury with stem cells":

"Patients with spinal cord injuries will be first humans to receive repair cells derived from embryonic stem cells. The first ever clinical trial using stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) received the go-ahead today from the US Food and Drug Administration. Geron Corporation, a company based in Menlo Park, California, hopes to mend the spines of patients paralysed from the chest down by injecting injury sites with stem cells that restore connections and repair damage."

The Times, January 23, 2009: "Stem-cell therapy gives hope to accident victims":

"Paralysed patients will this summer become the first people in the world to receive a therapy based on human embryonic stem cells, in a study that promises to open a new era for medicine, The Times has learnt. The first human trial of the technology, which has huge potential to cure disease yet is considered unethical by “pro-life” groups because it involves destroying embryos, will today be cleared to proceed by US regulators."

Reuters, January 23, 2009 2:32pm EST: "FDA allows first test of human stem cell therapy":

" The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for the first trial to see if human embryonic stem cells can treat people safely, a company involved in the controversial research on Friday. Geron Corp, a California biotechnology company, said it plans a clinical trial to try to use the stem cells to regrow nerve tissue in patients with crushed, but not severed, spinal cords."

United Press International, January 23, 2009: "FDA OKs embryonic stem-cell human trial":

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first-ever human trial of a medical treatment derived from embryonic stem cells. "...Geron, a California bio-technical company, was approved to begin a study of its stem-cell treatment for spinal cord injuries in up to 10 patients, ..."

Technology Review, January 23, 2009: "FDA Clears First Embryonic-Stem-Cell Therapy Trials":

"Geron, a California-based cell-therapy company that has been working with embryonic stem cells for the last decade, finally received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials of its cell-based therapy for spinal-cord injury. The trial is limited to eight patients with newly acquired spinal-cord injuries who will receive injections of the cell therapy, called GRNOPC1, within two weeks of their accident. GRNOPC1 is made by transforming embryonic stem cells into oligodendrocytes--a type of brain cell that wraps itself around neurons, forming a fatty insulation layer that allows electrical messages to be conducted throughout the nervous system. In many spinal-cord injuries, these cells are damaged, but the underlying nerve cells remain intact. These cells are then injected into the site of the injury, coating exposed nerves and restoring communication to the nervous system."

Los Angeles Times, January 24, 2009: "Stem cell therapy to be tested on spinal cord injuries: The FDA approves the first clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells, which now appear safe enough to use on humans.":

"Ushering in a new era in medicine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it had cleared the way for the world's first clinical trial of a therapy derived from human embryonic stem cells. By early summer, a handful of patients with severe spinal cord injuries will be eligible for injections of specialized nerve cells designed to enable electrical signals to travel between the brain and the rest of the body. When the cells were administered to rats that had lost control of their hind legs, they regained the ability to walk and run, albeit with a limp."

"As a Phase I trial, the study will primarily assess the safety of the treatment, which has been under development by Menlo Park, Calif.-based Geron Corp. for nearly a decade. But scientists, doctors and patients said they were most eager to see whether low doses of the cells would produce any therapeutic benefit. If so, it would help validate years of hope and investment in the nascent field of regenerative medicine. Besides patients with spinal cord injuries, stem cell therapies could ultimately benefit people with such intractable diseases as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and multiple sclerosis."

Television News Coverage:

CNBC News: "FDA Greenlights Testing of Geron's Stem Cell Treatment."

ABC News:"FDA Approves Stem Cell Study for Spinal Injuries."

CBS News, January 24, 2009: "New Stem Cell Breakthrough."

KABC-TV, Los Angeles: "Human stem cell research approved."

KGO-TV, San Francisco: "U.S. approves 1st stem cell spine study."

CBS2 LOS Angeles: "First Ever Human Embryonic Stem Cell Study OK'd"

KPIX-TV, San Francisco: "Geron's Stem-Cell Trial Spotlights Prospects"

CNN.com, Fri., January 23, 2009, updated 3:57 a.m. EST: "FDA approves human embryonic stem cell study":

"Federal regulators have cleared the way for the first human trials of human embryonic stem-cell research, authorizing researchers to test whether the cells are safe to use in spinal injury patients, the company behind the trials announced Friday. Embryonic stem cells are blank cells found in embryos, which have the ability to turn into any cell in the body. The tests could begin by summer, said Dr. Thomas Okarma, president and CEO of the Geron Corporation. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the trials, which will use human stem cells authorized for research by then-President George W. Bush in 2001. The patients will be those with the most severe spinal cord injuries, called complete spinal cord injuries."

News Hour, January 29, 2009: "Scientists Hope to Renew Stem Cell Advances."

Radio News Coverage:

NPR: Talk Of The Nation, January 23, 2009 : "FDA Approves Embryonic Stem Cell Trial In Humans":

"Biotech company Geron Corp. will conduct a human clinical trial on patients with spinal cord injuries, using a federally approved line of embryonic stem cells. The approval is the first of its kind in the world. Stem cell experts discuss the significance of the decision."

GERON RECEIVES FDA CLEARANCE TO BEGIN WORLD'S FIRST HUMAN CLINICAL TRIAL OF EMBRYONIC STEM CELL-BASED THERAPY

Source: Geron Corporation
Date: January 23, 2009

Summary:

In an official company news release, Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, announced it received federal regulatory approval to begin human clinical trials to treat patients with acute spinal cord injuries using human embryonic stem cells:

"Geron Corporation announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted clearance of the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury. The clearance enables Geron to move forward with the world's first study of a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based therapy in man. Geron plans to initiate a Phase I multi-center trial that is designed to establish the safety of GRNOPC1 in patients with "complete" American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade A subacute thoracic spinal cord injuries."

Stem cell treatment could fight AIDS

Source: Daily Telegraph
Last Updated: 17 January 2009 10:37 PM GMT

Summary:

The Daily Telegraph reports bone marrow stem cells improved the condition of patients with HIV after receiving the cells as part of a bone marrow transplant to treat lymphoma:

"Results of a preliminary trial have raised hopes of a new form of therapy for people suffering from Aids, which occurs in the latter stages of infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The scientists are planning further research to establish whether the treatment could even rid patients of HIV infection altogether. The technique involves isolating genes which curb the spread of HIV inside the body, introducing the genes into human stem cells in a laboratory, then transplanting the stem cells into a patient's bone marrow."

"In the first human trial, anti-HIV stem cells were transplanted into five Aids patients undergoing bone marrow replacement as part of treatment for a form of cancer known as lymphoma. Small quantities of the transplanted stem cells were able to grow and produce new white blood cells resistant to HIV, resulting in an improvement in the patients' conditions."

Bone Marrow Stem Cells Used To Regenerate Skin

Source: Artificial Organs
Date: January 14, 2009

Summary:

A new study suggests that adult bone marrow stem cells can be used in the construction of artificial skin. The findings mark an advancement in wound healing and may be used to pioneer a method of organ reconstruction. The study is published in Artificial Organs.* To investigate the practicability of repairing burn wounds with tissue-engineered skin combined with bone marrow stem cells, the study established a burn wound model in the skin of pigs, which is known to be anatomically and physiologically similar to human skin.

Engineering technology and biomedical theory methods were used to make artificial skin with natural materials and bone marrow derived stem cells. Once the artificial skin was attached to the patient and the dermal layer had begun to regenerate, stem cells were differentiated into skin cells. The cells are self-renewing and raise the quality of healing in wound healing therapy. When grafted to the burn wounds, the engineered skin containing stem cells showed better healing, less wound contraction and better development of blood vessels.

Embryonic Heart Cells Thrive Only In An Environment That's Just Right

Source: University of Pennsylvania
Date: January 7, 2009

Summary:

Cellular engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have determined that cardiomyocytes, the specialized cells that form the heart muscle, thrive when cultured in an environment that mimics their own elastic nature but falter, weaken or die when “grown” on stiffer or softer materials. The study’s methods and analyses demonstrate that individual heart cells, similar in character to those derived from embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, are affected by physical forces at the cellular level and require the proper myocardial environment to grow and potentially repair damaged heart muscle, a key goal of stem cell and cardiovascular research. It also highlights the need for stem cell science to focus on physical parameters such as fibrosis as well as the mechanics of microenvironments to optimize cell therapy and new muscle growth.

Converting Adult Somatic Cells To Pluripotent Stem Cells Using A Single Virus

Source: Boston University
Date: January 7, 2009

Summary:

A Boston University School of Medicine-led research team has discovered a more efficient way to create induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells, derived from mouse fibroblasts, by using a single virus vector instead of multiple viruses in the reprogramming process. The result is a powerful laboratory tool and a significant step toward the application of embryonic stem cell-like cells for clinical purposes such as the regeneration of organs damaged by inherited or degenerative diseases, including emphysema, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and Alzheimer's Disease.

“Scrawny” Gene Keeps Stem Cells Healthy

Source: Carnegie Institution
Date: January 6, 2009

Summary:

Stem cells are the body’s primal cells, retaining the youthful ability to develop into more specialized types of cells over many cycles of cell division. How do they do it? Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have identified a gene, named scrawny, that appears to be a key factor in keeping a variety of stem cells in their undifferentiated state. Understanding how stem cells maintain their potency has implications both for our knowledge of basic biology and also for medical applications. The results will be published in the January 9, 2009 print edition of Science.

Testes Stem Cell Can Change Into Other Body Tissues, Study Shows

Source: Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: January 5, 2009

Summary:

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at UC-San Francisco have succeeded in isolating stem cells from human testes. The cells bear a striking resemblance to embryonic stem cells — they can differentiate into each of the three main types of tissues of the body — but the researchers caution against viewing them as one and the same.

According to the study, the testes stem cells have different patterns of gene expression and regulation and they do not proliferate and differentiate as aggressively as human embryonic stem cells. The findings, published in the January issue of the journal Stem Cells, are in contrast to those reported in a recent Nature paper, which concluded that the cells were, in fact, as pluripotent as embryonic stem cells. Pluripotent cells can become any cell in the body and form tumors called teratomas when transplanted into mice.

Scientists Succeed Through Stem Cell Therapy In Reversing Brain Birth Defects

Source: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Date: December 28, 2008

Summary:

Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells. The work involved using mouse embryonic neural stem cells, which migrate in the brain, search for the deficiency that caused the defect, and then differentiate into becoming the cells needed to repair the damage.

In the researchers’ animal model, they were able to reverse learning deficits in the offspring of pregnant mice who were exposed to organophosphate (a pesticide) and heroin. This was done by direct neural stem cell transplantation into the brains of the offspring. The recovery was almost one hundred percent, as proved in behavioral tests in which the treated animals improved to normal behavior and learning scores after the transplantation. On the molecular level, brain chemistry of the treated animals was also restored to normal.

The researchers went one step further. Puzzled by the stem cells’ ability to work even in those cases where most of them died out in the host brain, the scientists went on to discover that the neural stem cells succeed before they die in inducing the host brain itself to produce large number of stem cells which repair the damage. This discovery, finally settling a major question in stem cell research, evoked great interest and was published earlier this year in one of the leading journals in the field, Molecular Psychiatry. The scientists are now in the midst of developing procedures for the least invasive method for administering the neural stem cells, which is probably via blood vessels, thus making the therapy practical and clinically feasible.

Recipe For Capturing Authentic Embryonic Stem Cells May Apply To Any Mammal, Study Suggests

Source: Cell Press
Date: December 26, 2008

Summary:

Researchers have what they think may be a basic recipe for capturing and maintaining indefinitely the most fundamental of embryonic stem cells from essentially any mammal, including cows, pigs and even humans. Two new studies reported in the December 26th issue of the journal Cell show that a cocktail first demonstrated to work in mice earlier this year, which includes inhibitory chemicals, also can be used to successfully isolate embryonic stem cells from rats.

Scientists reveal mechanism that triggers differentiation of embryo cells

Source: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Date: December 24, 2008

Summary:

The mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can develop into specific tissues has been discovered by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The discovery has significant consequences towards furthering research that will eventually make possible medical cell replacement therapy based on the use of embryonic cells. In a recent paper, published in the journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Professors Yehudit Bergman and Howard Cedar of the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School have deciphered the mechanism whereby embryonic cells stop being flexible and turn into more mature cells that can differentiate into specific tissues. Bergman is the Morley Goldblatt professor of Cancer Research and Experimental Medicine and Cedar is the Harry and Helen L. Brenner professor of Molecular Biology at the Medical School.

Researchers Derive First Embryonic Stem Cells From Rats

Source: University of Southern California
Date: December 24, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have, for the first time in history, derived authentic embryonic stem (ES) cells from rats. This breakthrough finding will enable scientists to create far more effective animal models for the study of a range of human diseases. The research will be published in the Dec. 26 issue of the journal Cell. The finding brings scientists much closer to creating “knockout” rats – animals that are genetically modified to lack one or more genes – for biomedical research. By observing what happens to animals when specific genes are removed, researchers can identify the function of the gene and whether it is linked to a specific disease.

Reprogrammed skin cells provide testing ground for new drugs

Source: Nature
Published online 22 December 2008

Summary:

Nature reports skin cells from a spinal muscular atrophy have been reprogrammed into stem cells that can be used as a model of the disease.

"Skin cells from a patient with a genetic disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have been reprogrammed into stem cells that can be used as a model of the disease. The research marks an important milestone in creating and using stem cells to understand disease processes and screen drugs. To build an improved model, researchers first took tissue-forming fibroblast cells from the skin of a deceased SMA patient. Then they reprogrammed these cells to become so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which behave just like the embryonic stem cells that are the progenitors of all the body's different cell types. Finally, the scientists developed a new method to turn those iPS cells into large numbers of motor neurons, the cell type affected in SMA."

University of Wisconsin-Madison stem-cell team replicates disease in lab dish

Below is a summary of media coverage from various sources of recent studies by University of Wisconsin-Madison in which researchers successfully replicated a disease in a lab dish:

Wisconsin State Journal, December 22, 2008: "University of Wisconsin-Madison stem-cell team replicates disease in lab dish":

A year after University of Wisconsin-Madison scientist James Thomson announced a new type of human embryonic stem cells, campus researchers have realized a major promise of the new cells: replicating a disease in a lab dish. A team led by neuroscientist Clive Svendsen used the new stem cells to create a model of spinal muscular atrophy, the most common genetic cause of infant mortality. Researchers at Harvard University and elsewhere have used the cells to simulate other diseases, but Svendsen is the first to do so and show how a disease process works, said a prominent scientist in the field."

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 21, 2008: "Stem cells give scientists a window on diseases":

"Using a simple skin biopsy from a young boy with a deadly genetic illness, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have provided the first demonstration that reprogramming can offer researchers an unprecedented view of human disease. The skin cells came from a boy with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA, an illness that is similar to Lou Gehrig's disease, but afflicts children. The disease kills motor neurons until muscles stop working. Children become immobile, dependent on respirators and feeding tubes, and eventually die. The boy, whose biopsy the scientists used, ultimately died of SMA at age 3. The UW scientists used the reprogramming technique pioneered last year by their UW colleague James Thomson and by Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University in Japan, and sent the boy's skin cells back to the embryonic state. They then grew the reprogrammed cells into motor neurons, the type damaged by the disease."

The Capital Times, December 21, 2008: "UW researchers watch disease unfold in lab dish":

"University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers have re-created the key traits of a devastating neurological disease in the lab using stem cells derived from an afflicted patient, a breakthrough that will allow scientists the opportunity to better study the ailment and develop new treatments for it. The findings, to be reported this week in the journal Nature, came out of UW-Madison stem cell biologist Clive Svendsen's lab and relate to spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. The team at UW-Madison and a group at the University of Missouri-Columbia created these disease-specific stem cells by genetically reprogramming skin cells from a patient with spinal muscular atrophy."

Patient-derived Induced Stem Cells Retain Disease Traits

Source: University of Wisconsin- Madison
Date: December 18, 2008

Summary:

When neurons started dying in Clive Svendsen's lab dishes, he couldn't have been more pleased.The dying cells – the same type lost in patients with the devastating neurological disease spinal muscular atrophy – confirmed that the University of Wisconsin-Madison stem cell biologist had recreated the hallmarks of a genetic disorder in the lab, using stem cells derived from a patient. By allowing scientists the unparalleled opportunity to watch the course of a disease unfold in a lab dish, the work marks an enormous step forward in being able to study and develop new therapies for genetic diseases. As reported this week in the journal Nature, Svendsen and colleagues at UW-Madison and the University of Missouri-Columbia created disease-specific stem cells by genetically reprogramming skin cells from a patient with spinal muscular atrophy, or SMA. In this inherited disease, the most common genetic cause of infant mortality, a mutation leads to the death of the nerves that control skeletal muscles, causing muscle weakness, paralysis, and ultimately death, usually by age two.

Scientists Develop Method For Generating Novel Types Of Stem Cells

Source: Scripps Research Institute
Date: December 18, 2008

Summary:

A team led by Scripps Research Institute scientists has for the first time developed a technique for generating novel types of rat and human stem cells with characteristics similar to mouse embryonic stem cells, currently the predominant type of stem cells used for creating animal models of human diseases in research. The technique potentially provides scientists with new sources of stem cells to develop drugs and treatments for human diseases. The study, which appears in the December 18 online version of Cell Stem Cell and the January 2009 print edition of the journal, provides proof of principle that alternative sources of stem cells can be created. The team, which included scientists from Scripps Research, Peking University, and the University of California, San Diego, conducted the studies to establish novel rat induced pluripotent stem cell lines (riPSCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (hiPSCs) by using a specific cocktail of chemicals combined with genetic reprogramming, a process whereby an adult cell is returned to its early embryonic state. Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into each of the more than 200 cell types of the adult body.

Single virus used to convert adult cells to embryonic stem cell-like cells

Source: Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
Date: December 15, 2008

Summary:

Whitehead Institute researchers have greatly simplified the creation of so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, cutting the number of viruses used in the reprogramming process from four to one. Scientists hope that these embryonic stem-cell-like cells could eventually be used to treat such ailments as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes. The earliest reprogramming efforts relied on four separate viruses to transfer genes into the cells’ DNA--one virus for each reprogramming gene (Oct4, Sox2, c-Myc and Klf4). Once activated, these genes convert the cells from their adult, differentiated status to an embryonic-like state.

However, this method poses significant risks for potential use in humans. The viruses used in reprogramming are associated with cancer because they may insert DNA anywhere in a cell’s genome, thereby potentially triggering the expression of cancer-causing genes, or oncogenes. For iPS cells to be employed to treat human diseases, researchers must find safe alternatives to reprogramming with such viruses. This latest technique represents a significant advance in the quest to eliminate the potentially harmful viruses.

Newly Discovered Esophagus Stem Cells Grow Into Transplantable Tissue, Penn Study Finds

Source: University of Pennsylvania
Date: December 15, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered stem cells in the esophagus of mice that were able to grow into tissue-like structures and when placed into immune-deficient mice were able to form parts of an esophagus lining. The investigators report their findings online this month in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Single adult stem cell can self renew, repair tissue damage in live mammal

Source: Source: American Society for Cell Biology
Date: December 14, 2008

Summary:

The first demonstration that a single adult stem cell can self-renew in a mammal was reported at the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) 48th Annual Meeting, Dec. 13-17, 2008 in San Francisco. The transplanted adult stem cell and its differentiated descendants restored lost function to mice with hind limb muscle tissue damage.

Transplanted Fat Cells Restore Function After Spinal Cord Injury

Source: Cell Transplantation
December 11, 2008

Summary:

Fat cells, plentiful and easily obtained from adipose tissues without discomfort and grown under culture conditions as de-differentiated fat cells (DFAT), have been for the first time shown to successfully differentiate into neuronal cells in in vivo tests. According to the study's lead researcher, Dr. Yuki Ohta of the Institute of Medical Science, St. Mariana University School of Medicine, Kawasaki, Japan, adipose-derived stem/stromal cells have in the past been shown to differentiate into neuronal cells in an in vitro setting. In their study, for the first time fat cells have been shown to successfully differentiate into neuronal cells in in vivo tests. The fat cells are grown under culture conditions that result in them becoming de-differentiated fat (DFAT) cells. This study was published in Cell Transplantation (Vol.17, No. 8.)

First functional stem-cell niche model created

Source: Stanford University
Date: December 10, 2008

Summary:

Like it or not, your living room probably says a lot about you. Given a few uninterrupted moments to poke around, a stranger could probably get a pretty good idea of your likes and dislikes, and maybe even your future plans. Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine employing a similar "peeping Tom" tactic to learn more about how stem cells develop have taken a significant step forward by devising a way to recreate the cells' lair — a microenvironment called a niche — in an adult animal. The research marks the first time that scientists have successfully recreated a functional stem-cell niche for further study.

Researchers Exploring Gene Therapy To Fight AIDS

Source: University of California - Davis
Date: December 5, 2008

Summary:

The apparent success of a case in which German doctors cured a man of AIDS using a bone marrow transplant comes as no surprise to Gerhard Bauer, a UC Davis stem cell researcher. Bauer has been working for more than 10 years on a similar cure for AIDS based on replacing the devastated immune system of an HIV-infected patient with stem cells that have been engineered to resist human immunodeficiency syndrome. Bauer plans to present the preliminary results of his latest research at the 50th annual meeting of the American Society for Hematology in San Francisco on Sunday, December 6, 2008, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Moscone Center. He and his UC Davis research team will present a poster detailing the development of a mouse model that allows pre-clinical testing of their new gene-therapy protocol, which they hope will pave the way for human clinical trials within five years.

Bone marrow-derived stem cells may offer novel therapeutic option for skin disorder

Source: American Society of Hematology
Date: December 4, 2008

Summary:

Stem cells derived from bone marrow may serve as a novel therapeutic option to treat a disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a disorder characterized by extraordinarily fragile skin, according to a study prepublished online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of Hematology. Researchers worked with a mouse model of RDEB-infused bone marrow cells to determine if they would increase production of the col7 protein and formation of anchoring fibrils, and improve survival in the mouse recipients. The research team used bone marrow cells enriched for hematopoietic (stem cells that can develop into most blood cell types) and progenitor cells to increase the concentration of cells with the capacity to produce col7. The team tested these cells against non-enriched stem cells to determine their benefit to the treated mice. Results of the study found that when injected into mice with RDEB, these specially selected marrow-derived stem cells diminished the disease process. They traveled to the diseased skin areas, increased protein and anchoring fibrils, prevented blister formation and extended survival.

Researchers provide definitive proof of where, how blood stem cells are created

Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: December 3, 2008

Summary:

Stem cell researchers at UCLA have proven definitively that blood stem cells are made during mid-gestational embryonic development by endothelial cells, the cells that line the inside of blood vessels. While the anatomic location in the embryo where blood stem cells originate has been well documented, the cell type from which they spring was less understood. The UCLA finding, published in the Dec. 4, 2008 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, puts to rest a long-standing controversy over whether blood stem cells were created, or born, in the endothelium or originated from another cell type in a nearby location.

A Novel Human Stem Cell-based Model of ALS Opens Doors for Rapid Drug Screening

Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: December 3, 2008

Summary:

Long thought of as mere bystanders, astrocytes are crucial for the survival and well-being of motor neurons, which control voluntary muscle movements. In fact, defective astrocytes can lay waste to motor neurons and are the main suspects in the muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To get to the root of this complicated relationship, researchers from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies for the very first time established a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-based system for modeling ALS. Their study confirmed that dysfunctional human astrocytes turn against their charges and kill off healthy motor neurons. But more importantly, treating the cultured cells with apocynin, a powerful anti-oxidant, staved off motor neuron death caused by malfunctioning astrocytes. Their findings, which appear in the Dec. 4 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, provide new insight into the toxic pathways that contribute to the demise of motor neurons in ALS and open up new possibilities for drug-screening experiments using human ALS in vitro models, as well as clinical interventions using astrocyte-based cell therapies.

New 'control knobs' for stem cells identified

Source: Tufts University
Date: December 3, 2008

Summary:

Natural changes in voltage that occur across the membrane of adult human stem cells are a powerful controlling factor in the process by which these stem cells differentiate, according to research published by Tufts University scientists in the November 17, 2008, issue of PLoS ONE. The Tufts researchers studied the changes in membrane potential (voltage across the membrane) shown by human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) obtained from donor bone marrow as the hMSCs were differentiating into fat and bone cells. They found that hyperpolarization (increased difference between the voltage in the interior and exterior of a cell) was characteristic of differentiated cells compared with undifferentiated cells and that hMSCs show different membrane potential profiles during bone vs. fat differentiation.

Scientists achieve repair of injured heart muscle in lab tests of stem cells

Source: Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Date: November 25, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have been able to effectively repair damaged heart muscle in an animal model using a novel population of stem cells they discovered that is derived from human skeletal muscle tissue. The research team — led by Johnny Huard, PhD — transplanted stem cells purified from human muscle-derived blood vessels into the hearts of mice that had heart damage similar to that which would occur in people who had suffered a heart attack. The transplanted myoendothelial cells repaired the injured muscle, stimulated the growth of new blood vessels in the heart and reduced scar tissue from the injury, thereby dramatically improving the function of the injured left ventricle. Results of this study are published in the Dec. 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Pure Insulin-producing Cells Produced In Mice

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: November 21, 2008

Summary:

Researchers from the Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (YLLSoM ) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have scored a breakthrough in developing an unlimited number of pure insulin-producing cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs)[1]. The cells, which have the same sub-cellular structures as the insulin-producing cells naturally found in the pancreas, were highly effective in treating diabetes in the mouse model.

Sweet success for new stem cell ID trick

Source: University of Manchester
Date: 20 November 2008

Summary:

Biomaterial scientists at the University of Manchester believe they have found a new way of isolating the ‘ingredients’ needed for potential stem cell treatments for nerve damage and heart disease. And the technique could also be used in the future to improve the efficiency of bone marrow transplants. Writing in the journal Stem Cells, the Manchester scientists report how the technique allows cells to be clearly identified depending on whether the antibodies bind themselves to the cells or not.

Neurons Derived From Embryonic Stem Cells Restore Muscle Function After Injury

Source: Dalhousie University
Date: November 20, 2008

Summary:

Dalhousie Medical School researchers have discovered that embryonic stem cells may play a critical role in helping people with nerve damage and motor neuron diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), regain muscular strength. The research team used embryonic stem cells from mice to grow motor neurons in the laboratory. They then transplanted the neurons into mouse nerves that were separated from the spinal cord. After separation, it would be expected that the nerves and muscles they control die. However, the Dalhousie group was the first in the world to find that the muscles not only were preserved by the transplantation, but they could produce about half their normal force to contract.

Human Trachea Created from Adult Stem Cells

Source: University of Bristol
Date: 19 November 2008

Summary:

The first tissue-engineered trachea (windpipe), utilising the patient’s own stem cells, has been successfully transplanted into a young woman with a failing airway. The bioengineered trachea immediately provided the patient with a normally functioning airway, thereby saving her life. These remarkable results provide crucial new evidence that adult stem cells, combined with biologically compatible materials, can offer genuine solutions to other serious illnesses. In particular, the successful outcome shows it is possible to produce a tissue-engineered airway with mechanical properties that permit normal breathing and which is free from the risks of rejection seen with conventional transplanted organs. The patient has not developed antibodies to her graft, despite not taking any immunosuppressive drugs. Lung function tests performed two months after the operation were all at the better end of the normal range for a young woman. The pan-European team from the universities of Barcelona, Bristol, Padua and Milan report on this pioneering work in an article published early online and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet.

Stem cells restore hearing, vision in animals

Source: Reuters
Posted: November 19, 2008 6:59am EST

Summary:

Reuters reports researchers have found that adult stem cells can restore hearing and vision in animals:

"Stem cells from tiny embryos can be used to restore lost hearing and vision in animals, researchers said Tuesday in what they believe is a first step toward helping people. One team repaired hearing in guinea pigs using human bone marrow stem cells, while another grew functioning eyes in tadpoles using frog cells. While there are no immediate uses for humans, they said their findings help describe some of the most basic biological processes underlying the development of hearing and sight, and may help in the development of the new field of regenerative medicine."

Researchers define ideal time for stem cell collection for Parkinson's disease therapy

Source: Thomas Jefferson University
Date: November 19, 2008

Summary:

Researchers have identified a stage during dopamine neuron differentiation that may be an ideal time to collect human embryonic stem cells for transplantation to treat Parkinson's disease, according to data presented at Neuroscience 2008, the 38th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Lorraine Iacovitti, Ph.D., professor and interim director of the Farber Institute for Neurosciences of Thomas Jefferson University, and her research team found that neural progenitor cells that express the gene Lmx1a are committed to the midbrain dopamine neuron lineage, but still retain proliferative capacity. Because of these characteristics, the stage at which Lmx1a is expressed may be ideal for transplantation.

Researchers to use patient's own stem cells to treat heart failure

Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
Date: November 17, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Utah are enrolling people in a new clinical trial that uses a patient's own stem cells to treat ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure. Patients enrolled in IMPACT-DCM will have their own bone marrow cells drawn (about 3 tablespoons worth), which will then be grown in a culture to expand the number of cells that will help the heart muscle and improve blood flow. Two weeks later, the patient's stem cells will be injected directly into the left ventricle of the heart during a minimally invasive surgery developed by Amit N. Patel, M.D., national principal investigator for the IMPACT-DCM trial and director of cardiovascular regenerative medicine at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

UCSF team moves in on mechanism in stem cell growth, possibly cancer

Source: University of California - San Francisco
Date: 13 November 2008

Summary:

A class of miniscule molecules called microRNAs has become a major focus of biomedical research. Now, UCSF scientists have identified multiple members of this class that enable embryonic stem cells to divide, and thus proliferate, much more rapidly than the mature, or specialized, cells of the adult body. The finding offers insight into a critical aspect of normal embryonic development -- the capacity of the early embryo to grow rapidly from a single fertilized cell to an entire embryo. It also suggests, the researcher say, that when these microRNAs function inappropriately they likely play a role in cancer.

Intraspinal implant of mesenchymal stem cells may not heal the demyelinated spinal cord

Source: Source: Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Date: November 12, 2008

Summary:

Multiple sclerosis is a disease caused by the loss of the myelinated sheath surrounding the nerve fibers of the spinal cord. Therapeutic hope for curing multiple sclerosis and other demyelinating diseases has included the possibility that stem cell transplants could help remyelinate the spinal cord. Accordingly, researchers from the University of Cambridge (UK) conducted experiments using animal models to see if the direct implantation of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) (derived from a different rat's adult bone marrow, i.e. allogenic) into the demyelinated rat spinal cord would be therapeutic and remyelinate the damaged area.

Stem Cells with Potential to Regenerate Injured Liver Tissue Identified

Source: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Date: November 12, 2008

Summary:

A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy. For the first time, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine led by Linda Greenbaum, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology, have demonstrated that cells expressing the marker can differentiate into both liver cells and cells that line the bile duct. In the future, this marker will allow for the isolation and expansion of these stem cells, which could then be used to help patients whose livers can no longer repair their own tissue.

Researchers find stem cells from monkey teeth can stimulate growth and generation of brain cells

Source: Emory University
Date: November 11, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. Findings from this study, available in the October issue of the journal Stem Cells, suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system.

Researchers identify key mechanism that regulates the development of stem cells into neurons

Source: University of Southern California
Date: November 10, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have identified a novel mechanism in the regulation and differentiation of neural stem cells. Researchers found that the protein receptor Ryk has a key role in the differentiation of neural stem cells, and demonstrated a signaling mechanism that regulates neuronal differentiation as stem cells begin to grow into neurons. The study will be published in the Nov. 11 issue of the journal Developmental Cell, and is now available online. The findings could have important implications for regenerative medicine and cancer therapies, says Wange Lu, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and the principal investigator on the study.

Researchers make brain tissues from stem cells

Source: Agence France Presse (AFP)
Posted: November 06, 2008 05:20 EST

Summary:

Agence France Presse (AFP) reports Japanese researchers created functioning human brain cells from embryonic stem cells:

"Japanese researchers said Thursday they had created functioning human brain tissues from stem cells, a world first that has raised new hopes for the treatment of disease. Stem cells taken from human embryos have been used to form tissues of the cerebral cortex, the supreme control tower of the brain, according to researchers at the government-backed research institute Riken. The tissues self-organised into four distinct zones very similar to the structure seen in human foetuses, and conducted neuro-activity such as transmitting electrical signals, the institute said. Research on stem cells is seen as having the potential to save lives by helping to find cures for diseases such as cancer and diabetes or to replace damaged cells, tissues and organs."

Below is a summary of additional news coverage of this story from various sources:

Reuters, Nov 6, 2008 3:24pm EST: "Scientists coax brain cells in mice to regenerate":

"Scientists have found a way to get damaged nerve cells in the brains of mice to repair themselves, a finding that may lead to new treatments for spinal cord and brain injuries. By turning off proteins that keep nerve cell growth in check, the researchers were able to stimulate regrowth in mice with damaged optic nerves..."

HealthDay News, November 6, 2008: "New Pathways Studied to Repair Nerves":

"Nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain can't be repaired now if they are severed or damaged, but two ways to get them to grow again are being proposed by separate groups of researchers. The basic idea of both approaches is to interfere with the built-in mechanisms that prevent nerve cell regeneration. One approach attacks it from the outside of nerve cells, the other from the inside."

Scientists confirm a molecular clipping mechanism behind stem cell development

Source: Rockefeller University
Posted: November 6, 2008

Summary:

Stem cells don’t just become a part of the liver or the brain in a flash; it takes a complex molecular choreography and requires that specific genes be switched on and off at specific times. Some of these genes are regulated through a process by which proteins in the cell nucleus, called histones, are chemically modified by small “chemical marks” such as acetyl or methyl groups. New research from Rockefeller University scientists now shows that during specific stages of differentiation in mouse embryonic stem cells, crucial marks can be removed by cutting off the end of the histone’s tail. The research, reported in the October 17 issue of Cell, identifies for the first time a clipping mechanism that scientists first hypothesized nearly 30 years ago. The finding offers new clues about differentiation of embryonic stem cells and raises questions about the potential effects of a new class of cancer treatments that specifically target histones.

Research sheds light on key trigger of embryonic stem cell differentiation

Source: Stanford University
Date: November 5, 2008

Summary:

Clusters of mouse embryonic stem cells called embryoid bodies more closely approximate true embryos in organization and structure than previously thought, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Harnessing the signals that influence the cells’ fate may help researchers more accurately direct the differentiation of embryonic stem cells for use in therapy. The researchers found that embryoid bodies have hallmarks of gastrulation - a remarkable developmental step that launches a hollow ball of cells toward becoming an organism with three distinct types of precursor cells. The scientists showed that this process is initiated by a single signaling pathway in embryoid bodies and in real embryos. Enhancing or blocking this signal affects what the cells become, the scientists found.

Scientists identify compounds for stem-cell production from adult cells

Source: Scripps Research Institute
Date: November 5, 2008

Summary:

Scientists screened known drugs and identified small molecules that could replace conventional reprogramming genes, which can have dangerous side effects. This new process offers a new way to generate stem cells from fibroblasts, a general cell type that is abundant and easily accessible from various tissues, including skin. The study was published in the November 6, 2008 edition (Volume 3, Issue 5) of the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Honeycomb to mend a broken heart

Source: New Scientist
Posted: 02 November 2008 18:00

Summary:

New Scientist reports researchers at Harvard and MIT have created a biodegradable patch containing stem cells that could repair damaged hearts:

"A biodegradable honeycomb laced with stem cells could help broken hearts mend themselves. The polymer patch could one day lay down a pathway in areas damaged by heart disease for cells to regenerate and regrow, while the mesh itself slowly disintegrates within the body."

New Regulatory Mechanism Discovered for Cell Identity and Behavior in Forming Organs

Source: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
Date: October 31, 2008

Summary:

Two proteins interact in a previously unknown molecular mechanism that may have broad implications in future studies looking the causes of defective organs in fetuses, metastatic cancers and other diseases, according to researchers at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center. Reporting their work in the Nov. 1 Genes & Development, the researchers said the mechanism coordinates cell identity and behavior in the forming organs of embryos.

Stem cell therapies for heart disease -- one step closer

Source: University of Bristol
Date: October 30, 2008

Summary:

New research from the University of Bristol brings stem cell therapies for heart disease one step closer. The findings reveal that our bodies' ability to respond to an internal 'mayday' signal may hold the key to success for long-awaited regenerative medicine. Researchers at the Bristol Heart Institute have discovered how our bodies initiate DIY rescue and repair mechanisms when blood supply is inadequate, for example in diabetic limbs or in the heart muscle during heart attack. Their findings also provide a practical step to advance progress in stem cell therapies.

Geron Scientists and Collaborators Demonstrate Activity of Pancreatic Islet-like Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Diabetes

Source: Geron Corporation
Date: October 28, 2008

Summary:

Geron Corporation today announced the publication of data showing the successful engraftment of human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived pancreatic islet-like clusters (ILCs) in diabetic mice. After transplantation, the ILCs continued to express important pancreatic islet proteins, responded to high levels of glucose in the blood, and extended the survival of recipient animals. The research, conducted by Geron scientists and collaborators at the University of Alberta, has been published online in advance of print in Cell Proliferation.

Gene find sheds light on motor neuron diseases like ALS

Source: University of Rochester
Date: October 22, 2008

Summary:

Scientists have identified a gene in mice that plays a central role in the proper development of one of the nerve cells that goes bad in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and some other diseases that affect our motor neurons. The study is the result of a collaboration by scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center who normally focus on the eye, working together with a developmental neuroscientist at Harvard who focuses on the cerebral cortex. The work appears in the Oct. 23 issue of the journal Neuron. The work centers on corticospinal neurons, crucial nerve cells that connect the brain to the spinal cord.

Swamping Bad Cells With Good In ALS Animal Models Helps Sustain Breathing

Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: October 19, 2008

Summary:

Johns Hopkins researchers report that transplanting a new line of stem cell-like cells into rat models of the disease clearly shifts key signs of neurodegenerative disease in general and ALS in particular - slowing the animals' neuron loss and extending life. The new work supports the hypothesis that artificially outnumbering unhealthy cells with healthy ones in targeted parts of the spinal cord preserves limb strength and breathing and can increase survival. An account of the work appears online in Nature Neuroscience.

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Mass-Production Of 'Embryonic' Stem Cells From A Human Hair

Source: Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Date: October 17, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have successfully reprogrammed adult human cells called keratinocytes -- attached to a single hair -- into induced pluripotent stem cells, which by all appearances looked and acted like embryonic stem cells. And, the researchers have boosted reprogramming efficiency more than 100-fold, while cutting the time it takes in half. Their method, published ahead of print in the Oct. 17, 2008 online edition of Nature Biotechnology, not only provides a practical and simple alternative for the generation of patient- and disease-specific stem cells, which had been hampered by the low efficiency of the reprogramming process, but also spares patients invasive procedures to collect suitable starting material, since the process only requires a single human hair.

Researchers uncover new links between stem cells, aging and cancer

Source: University of Michigan
Date: October 16, 2008

Summary:

Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It's a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.

Pinpointing Key Biochemical Pathways Involved In Generating Large Numbers Of Heart Cells From Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc.
Date: October 15, 2008

Summary:

Researchers from VistaGen Therapeutics, together with Dr. Gordon Keller and his team of scientists from Toronto's McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have successfully identified key biochemical pathways involved in directing embryonic stem (ES) cells to become heart cells. The research was published recently in the online edition of the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology, in a paper entitled "Notch signaling re-specifies the hemangioblast to a cardiac fate."

Forsyth Scientists Trigger Cancer-Like Response from Embryonic Stem Cells

Source: The Forsyth Institute
Date: October 13, 2008

Summary:

Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, working with collaborators at Tufts and Tuebingen Universities, have discovered a new control over embryonic stem cells’ behavior. The researchers disrupted a natural bioelectrical mechanism within frog embryonic stem cells and trigged a cancer-like response, including increased cell growth, change in cell shape, and invasion of the major body organs. This research shows that electrical signals are a powerful control mechanism that can be used to modulate cell behavior.

New Properties Of Skin Stem Cells

Source: Karolinska Institutet
Date: 13 October 2008

Summary:

Recent research from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet reveals completely new properties of the skin's stem cells - discoveries that contradict previous findings. The studies, which are published in Nature Genetics, show amongst other things, that hair follicle stem cells can divide actively and transport themselves through the skin tissue.

Stem Cell Sentry Sounds The Alarm To Maintain Balance Between Cancer And Aging

Source: University of Michigan
Date: October 13, 2008

Summary:

Four genes previously implicated in the control of cancer have been shown by University of Michigan scientists to play key roles in the aging process and stem-cell regulation. It’s a case of genetic multiple personalities: Four genes that suppress tumor formation also regulate the ability of adult stem cells to replace worn-out tissues, as well as the shut-down of stem cells during aging. The genes switch on and off in a coordinated fashion as cells age to reduce the risk of cancer. In the process, they also shut down stem-cell function in aging tissues, reducing their capacity to regenerate. The findings, reported in the Oct. 17 edition of the journal Cell, clarify and highlight the links between cancer, aging and stem-cell function by revealing some of their shared genetic pathways.

Stem cells may act as "Trojan horse" to deliver gene therapy to injured central nervous system

Source: Methodist Neurological Institute
Date: October 13, 2008

Summary:

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) researchers at - The Methodist Hospital in Houston - have shown that transplanted bone marrow stem cells can attach themselves to injured areas in the brain or spinal cord, possibly providing a way to deliver future gene therapy. According to Dr. Stanley H. Appel’s study published in the Oct. 14, 2008, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, these "Trojan horse" cells may improve the ability to deliver gene therapy to the brain and spinal cord.

Landmark study unlocks stem cell, DNA secrets to speed therapies

Source: Florida State University
Date: October 10, 2008

Summary:

In a groundbreaking study led by an eminent molecular biologist at Florida State University, researchers have discovered that as embryonic stem cells turn into different cell types, there are dramatic corresponding changes to the order in which DNA is replicated and reorganized. The findings bridge a critical knowledge gap for stem cell biologists, enabling them to better understand the enormously complex process by which DNA is repackaged during differentiation -- when embryonic stem cells, jacks of all cellular trades, lose their anything-goes attitude and become masters of specialized functions. As a result, scientists now are one significant step closer to the central goal of stem cell therapy, which is to successfully convert adult tissue back to an embryo-like state so that it can be used to regenerate or replace damaged tissue. Such therapies hold out hope of treatments or cures for cancer, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and a host of other devastating disorders.

Eliminating Viral Vector In Stem Cell Reprogramming

Source: Gladstone Institutes
Date: October 9, 2008

Summary:

Scientists in the lab of Shinya Yamanaka MD, PhD, of Kyoto University and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have taken another step forward in improving the possibilities for the practical application of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology. have eliminated the need for a viral vector in the stem cell reprogramming process In a report in Science, they showed the ability to reprogram adult cells into iPS cells without viral integration into the genome which lays to rest concerns that the reprogramming event might be dependent upon viral integration into specific genomic loci that could mediate the genetic switch.

A key mechanism regulating neural stem cell development is uncovered

Source: Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal
Date: October 8, 2008

Summary:

A research team at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM), funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness – Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), discovered a novel mechanism that regulates how neural stem cells of the retina generate the appropriate cell type at the right time during normal development. These findings, published today in the renowned journal Neuron, could influence the development of future cell replacement therapies for gene

Scientists pinpoint key proteins in blood stem cell replication

Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: October 8, 2008

Summary:

A family of cancer-fighting molecules helps blood stem cells in mice decide when and how to divide, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Blocking the molecules' function spurs the normally resting cells to begin proliferating strangely - making too much of one kind of cell and not enough of another. Many types of human blood cancers involve a similar disruption in the expression of that same family of molecules.

Scientists identify a molecule that coordinates the movement of cells

Source: Rockefeller University
Date: October 2, 2008

Summary:

Even cells commute. To get from their birthplace to their work site, they sequentially attach to and detach from an elaborate track of exceptionally strong proteins known as the extracellular matrix. Now, in research to appear in the October 3 issue of Cell, scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Rockefeller University show that a molecule, called ACF7, helps regulate and power this movement from the inside - findings that could have implications for understanding how cancer cells metastasize.

The role of stem cells in renewing the cornea

Source: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Date: October 2, 2008

Summary:

A group of researchers in from EPFL and Lausanne University Hospitals (CHUV) led by professor Yann Barrandon has published a study appearing in the Oct 1 advance online edition of the Journal Nature that shows how the cornea uses stem cells to repair itself. Using mouse models they demonstrate that everyday wear and tear on the cornea is repaired from stem cells residing in the corneal epithelium, and that more serious repair jobs require the involvement of other stem cells that migrate from the limbus, a region between the cornea and the conjunctiva, the white part of the eye.

Reversible 3-D cell culture gel invented

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: September 28, 2008

Summary:

Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, has invented a unique user-friendly gel that can liquefy on demand, with the potential to revolutionize three-dimensional (3D) cell culture for medical research. As reported in Nature Nanotechnology (Y.S. Pek, A. C. A. Wan, A. Shekaran, L. Zhuo and J. Y. Ying, "A Thixotropic Nanocomposite Gel for Three-Dimensional Cell Culture"), IBN's novel gel media has the unique ability to liquefy when it is subjected to a moderate shear force and rapidly resolidifies into a gel within one minute upon removal of the force. This phenomenon of reverting between a gel and a liquid state is known as thixotropy.

Another key feature of IBN's gel is the ease with which researchers can transfer the cultured cells from the matrix by pipetting the required amount from the liquefied gel. Unlike conventional cell culture, trypsin is not required to detach the cultured cells from the solid media. As trypsin is an enzyme that is known to damage cells, especially in stem cell cultures, the long-term quality and viability of cells cultured using IBN's thixotropic gel would improve substantially without the exposure to this enzyme. Researchers are also able to control the gel's stiffness, thus facilitating the differentiation of stem cells into specific cell types.

Important new step toward producing stem cells for human treatment

Source: Harvard University
Date: September 25, 2008

Summary:

A team of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) scientists has taken an important step toward producing induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that are safe to transplant into patients to treat diseases. Excitement over the ability of researchers to create this form of stem cell by inserting four genes into adults cells has thus far been tempered by the fact that the genes have been inserted using retroviruses, which have the potential to turn on cancer genes and trigger tumor growth. But today Konrad Hochedlinger and HSCI colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital and Joslin Diabetes Center report having created mouse iPS cells using harmless adenoviruses that ultimately disappear from the new cells and therefore do not integrate into their DNA like the retroviruses.

Key Advance In Treating Spinal Cord Injuries Found In Manipulating Stem Cells

Source: University of Rochester Medical Center
Date: September 18, 2008

Summary:

Manipulating embryo-derived stem cells prior to transplantation may hold the key to overcoming a critical obstacle to using stem cell technology to repair spinal cord injuries, scientists have shown. Research from a team of scientists from the University of Rochester Medical Center and the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, published today in the online Journal of Biology, may lead to improved spinal cord repair methods that pave the way for victims of paralysis to recover the use of their bodies without the risk of transplant-induced pain syndromes.

Different stem cell types defined by exclusive combinations of genes working together

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: September 18, 2008

Summary:

In the new issue of Cell Stem Cell, scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore report that the same transcription factor, which is crucial for the survival of different stem cell types, can behave differently. This study clearly showed for the first time that different types of stem cells are defined by exclusive combinations of genes working together, and this is under the influence of a single key stem cell factor (called Sall4).

The finding is timely since other researchers have recently revealed that specific genetic recipes can be used to turn non-stem cells into different stem cells that can be useful clinically. This finding reveals important insights about how scientists may be able to manipulate and engineer different stem cells for the treatment of human degenerative disorders. Understanding the behaviour of transcription factors, a class of gene regulators, helps pave the way for important advancements in stem cell technology and clinical research.

Scientists turn human skin cells into insulin-producing cells

Source: University of North Carolina
Date: September 17, 2008

Summary:

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have transformed cells from human skin into cells that produce insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes. The breakthrough may one day lead to new treatments or even a cure for the millions of people affected by the disease, researchers say.

The approach involves reprogramming skin cells into pluripotent stem cells, or cells that can give rise to any other fetal or adult cell type, and then inducing them to differentiate, or transform, into cells that perform a particular function – in this case, secreting insulin. Several recent studies have shown that cells can be returned to pluripotent state using "defined factors" (specific proteins that control which genes are active in a cell), a technique pioneered by Dr. Shinya Yamanaka, a professor at Kyoto University in Japan. However, the UNC study is the first to demonstrate that cells reprogrammed in this way can be coaxed to differentiate into insulin-secreting cells. Results of the study are published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Scientists identify genes capable of regulating stem cell function

Source: Forsyth Institute
Date: September 17, 2008

Summary:

Scientists from The Forsyth Institute, Boston, MA, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the University of Utah School of Medicine have developed a new system in which to study known mammalian adult stem cell disorders. This research, conducted with the flatworm planaria, highlights the genetic similarity between these invertebrates and mammals in the mechanisms by which stem cell regulatory pathways are used during adult tissue maintenance and regeneration. It is expected that this work may help scientists pursue pharmacological, genetic, and physiological approaches to develop potential therapeutic targets that could repair or prevent abnormal stem cell growth which can lead to cancer.

Muscle stem cell identity confirmed by Stanford researchers

Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Date: September 17, 2008

Summary:

A single cell can repopulate damaged skeletal muscle in mice, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who devised a way to track the cell's fate in living animals. The research is the first to confirm that so-called satellite cells encircling muscle fibers harbor an elusive muscle stem cell. Identifying and isolating such a cell in humans would have profound therapeutic implications for disorders such as muscular dystrophy, injury and muscle wasting due to aging, disuse or disease.

Engineered stem cells carry promising ALS therapy

Source: University of Wisconsin
Date: September 16, 2008

Summary:

Using adult stem cells from bone marrow as "Trojan horses"to deliver a nurturing growth factor to atrophied muscles, Wisconsin scientists have successfully slowed the progression of ALS in rats. The work, published this week (Sept. 16) in the journal Molecular Therapy, provides a tantalizing hint that the approach may provide a new therapy for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Embryonic stem cells might help reduce transplantation rejection

Source: University of Iowa
Date: September 15, 2008

Summary:

Researchers have shown that immune-defense cells influenced by embryonic stem cell-derived cells can help prevent the rejection of hearts transplanted into mice, all without the use of immunosuppressive drugs. The University of Iowa and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center finding has implications for possible improvements in organ and bone marrow transplantation for humans. The study results appeared Friday in the online journal PLoS ONE.

DNA "Tattoos" Link Adult, Daughter Stem Cells...

Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
Date: September 11, 2008

Summary:

Unlike some parents, adult stem cells don’t seem to mind when their daughters get a tattoo. In fact, they’re willing to pass them along. Using the molecular equivalent of a tattoo on DNA that adult stem cells (ASC) pass to their “daughter” cells in combination with gene expression profiles, University of Utah. researchers have identified two early steps in adult stem cell differentiation—the process that determines whether cells will form muscle, neurons, skin, etc., in people and animals. The U of U researchers, led by Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and anatomy, identified 259 genes that help defined the earliest steps in the differentiation of adult stem cells in planarians—tiny flatworms that have the uncanny ability to regenerate cells and may have much to teach about human stem cell biology. The findings, reported in the Sept. 11 issue of Cell Stem Cell establish planarians as an excellent model for studying adult stem cells in a live animal, rather than a laboratory culture dish.

Stem cell regeneration repairs congenital heart defect

Source: Mayo Clinic
Date: September 11, 2008


Mayo Clinic investigators have demonstrated that stem cells can be used to regenerate heart tissue to treat dilated cardiomyopathy, a congenital defect. Publication of the discovery was expedited by the editors of Stem Cells and appeared online in the "express" section of the journal's Web site. The study expands on the use of embryonic stem cells to regenerate tissue and repair damage after heart attacks and demonstrates that stem cells also can repair the inherited causes of heart failure.

Scientists isolate cancer stem cells

Source: University of Oklahoma
Date: September 11, 2008

Summary:

After years of working toward this goal, scientists at the OU Cancer Institute have found a way to isolate cancer stem cells in tumors so they can target the cells and kill them, keeping cancer from returning. A research team at the University of Oklahoma led by Courtney Houchen, M.D., and Shrikant Anant, Ph.D., discovered that a particular protein only appears in stem cells. Until now, researchers knew of proteins that appeared in both regular cancer cells and stem cells, but none that just identified a stem cell. The group has already begun work to use the protein as a target for a new compound that once developed would kill the stem cells and kill the cancer. By targeting the stem cells, scientists and physicians also would be able to stop the cancer from returning.

Human embryonic stem cell secretions minimized tissue injury after heart attack

Source: Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Date: September 9, 2008

Summary:

A novel way to improve survival and recovery rate after a heart attack was reported in the journal Stem Cell Research by scientists at Singapore's Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) and Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI) and The Netherlands' University Medical Center Utrecht. This method, developed in laboratory research with pigs, is the first non-cell based therapeutic application of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). It entails using secretions from stem cells.

In their studies with pigs, the researchers found that the administration of secretion from stem cells minimized heart injury by enhancing reperfusion therapy (angioplasty and cardiac bypass surgery) and reducing tissue death by another 60%. Heart function was also markedly improved, the scientists report in the paper, published in the June 2008 issue of the journal. By demonstrating the efficacy of this secretion in an experimental pig model, currently the best approximation to a human heart attack patient undergoing reperfusion therapy, the researchers say that they have addressed the longstanding problem of reperfusion injury in the most clinically relevant experimental setting.

Hadassah Hospital Study Shows That Neural Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells Reduce Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Symptoms

Source: Hadasit
Date: September 8, 2008

Summary:

Hadassah University Hospital and Hadasit, the technology transfer company of Hadassah Medical Organization, announced today that scientists at Hadassah University Hospital have discovered a new application for human embryonic stem cells. They have demonstrated for the first time that transplanted neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells can reduce the clinical symptoms in animals with a form of multiple sclerosis.

Scientists reveal changes to embryonic stem cells caused by Down syndrome

Source: Queen Mary, University of London
Date: 4 September 2008

Summary:

Scientists investigating the mechanisms of Down Syndrome (DS) have revealed the earliest developmental changes in embryonic stem cells caused by an extra copy of human chromosome 21 – the aberrant inheritance of which results in the condition. Their study is published online today (Thursday 4 September) in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

Lead by Dean Nizetic, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Biology at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, the team utilised embryonic stem cells from a previously genetically engineered species of mice carrying a copy of human chromosome 21. They discovered that extra chromosome 21 - a genetic state known as trisomy 21 - disturbs a key regulating gene called NRSF or REST, which in turn disturbs the cascade of other genes that control normal development at the embryonic stem cell stage. Furthermore, they identified one gene (DYRK1A) on human chromosome 21, whose overdose in trisomy (DS), is responsible for the observed effects.

Hearing Restoration May Be Possible With Cochlear Repair After Transplant Of Human Cord Blood Cells

Source: Cell Transplantation Center
Date: September 3, 2008

Summary:

Hearing loss due to cochlear damage may be repaired by transplanting human umbilical cord hematopoietic stem cells. This study, using animal models of chemical and auditory cochlear damage, found that when transplanted stem cells migrated to the damaged area, "surprisingly few" transplanted cells were necessary to help repair sensory hair cells and neurons. Researchers say transplanting umbilical cord stem cells provides hope for the repair of human hearing impairments rising from cochlear damage.

Sangamo BioSciences Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Trial of Treatment for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Source: Sangamo BioSciences, Inc.
Date: September 3, 2008

Summary:

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. announced that it has opened a Phase 2 clinical trial (SB-509-801) to evaluate its drug, SB-509, in subjects with ALS, a progressive, degenerative motor-neuron disease for which there are limited treatment options and no cure. Sangamo's drug, SB-509, is an injectable formulation of a plasmid encoding a zinc finger DNA-binding protein transcription factor (ZFP TF(TM)) designed to upregulate the expression of the gene encoding vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A). SB-509 is also in three additional Phase 2 clinical trials for diabetic neuropathy and stem cell mobilization. VEGF-A has been shown to have nerve protection properties as well as promoting nerve, blood vessel and muscle growth.

Two studies involving cardiac cell transplantation have shown an evolving role for bone marrow cells in cardiac cell therapy

Source: Cell Transplantation: The Regenerative Medicine Journal
Date: September 3, 2008

Summary:

Two studies involving cardiac cell transplantation have shown an evolving role for bone marrow cells in cardiac cell therapy. The implantation of heart muscle cells and subsequent restoration of cardiac function was enhanced when bone marrow cells were implanted along with the cardiomyocytes. Researchers also found that mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow provided an advantage over fetal amniotic fluid derived cells when differentiating into appropriate cells for cardiac cell transplantation and repair.

New stem cell tools to aid drug development

Source: Durham University
Date: September 2, 2008

Summary:

Scientists have designed, developed and tested new molecular tools for stem cell research to direct the formation of certain tissue types for use in drug development programmes. A collaborative team of scientists from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) have developed two synthetic molecules which can be used to coax stem cells to 'differentiate' - that is, transform into other forms of tissue. Their use could also help reduce the number of animals used in laboratory research. The team's results are published in the current issue of the scientific journal, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry.