Source: Geron Corporation
Date: June 12, 2008
Summary:
In an official company news release, Geron Corporation, a biotechnology company in the field of stem cell research, reported its embryonic stem cell therapy to treat heart failure evaded attack by the immune system:
"Geron Corporation announced the presentation of research studies indicating that GRNCM1, the company's human embryonic stem cell (hESC)–based therapeutic for the treatment of heart failure, evades direct attack by the human immune system in vitro. The data presented at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting indicate that, unlike whole organ transplants, cell therapies derived from hESCs may provoke only minimal immune reactions suggesting that rejection may be controlled or prevented by short courses of low–dose immunosuppressive drugs. The work also suggests that patient–specific hESC lines may not be needed to prevent immune rejection."
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
A tiny key to lock blood cells' fate
Source: Broad Institute
Date: June 9, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have wondered for decades how two very different types of blood cells —platelets and red blood cells — arise from the exact same precursor cell. In work described in the June issue of Developmental Cell, a team of Boston area researchers has unearthed a tiny and unexpected answer: a small snippet of nucleic acid called microRNA-150. This new methodology, called plate-based capture, allows researchers to analyze microRNAs by capturing and immobilizing them in a small plastic dish. Lu and his colleagues used this technique to monitor how microRNA levels change as MEPs mature. They observed the most dramatic change in the levels of miR-150, a surprising result because miR-150 was previously thought to be unique to immune cells. Nevertheless, the researchers’ data pointed to an important role for miR-150 in this stage of blood cell development.
Date: June 9, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have wondered for decades how two very different types of blood cells —platelets and red blood cells — arise from the exact same precursor cell. In work described in the June issue of Developmental Cell, a team of Boston area researchers has unearthed a tiny and unexpected answer: a small snippet of nucleic acid called microRNA-150. This new methodology, called plate-based capture, allows researchers to analyze microRNAs by capturing and immobilizing them in a small plastic dish. Lu and his colleagues used this technique to monitor how microRNA levels change as MEPs mature. They observed the most dramatic change in the levels of miR-150, a surprising result because miR-150 was previously thought to be unique to immune cells. Nevertheless, the researchers’ data pointed to an important role for miR-150 in this stage of blood cell development.
Stem cell discovery sheds light on placenta development
Source: University of Florida
Date: June 9, 2008
Summary:
Researchers studying embryonic stem cells have explored the first fork in the developmental road, getting a new look at what happens when fertilized eggs differentiate to build either an embryo or a placenta. By manipulating a specific gene in a mouse blastocyst — the structure that develops from a fertilized egg but is not yet an actual embryo — scientists with the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Institute and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute caused cells destined to build an embryo to instead change direction and build the cell mass that leads to the placenta.
Date: June 9, 2008
Summary:
Researchers studying embryonic stem cells have explored the first fork in the developmental road, getting a new look at what happens when fertilized eggs differentiate to build either an embryo or a placenta. By manipulating a specific gene in a mouse blastocyst — the structure that develops from a fertilized egg but is not yet an actual embryo — scientists with the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Institute and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute caused cells destined to build an embryo to instead change direction and build the cell mass that leads to the placenta.
Human cells used to cure brain disease in mice
Source: Nature
Published online 4 June 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.875
Corrected online: 9 June 2008
Summary:
Nature reports injections of human brain cells have treated abnormal brain development in mice with fatal brain disorders:
"Human brain cells have been used to correct abnormal brain development in mice with fatal brain disorders, offering hope for treating a range of neurological disorders including some deadly childhood genetic diseases. Those behind the new treatment hope that human clinical trials could be just a few years away. The treatment uses human glial progenitor cells — cells that can differentiate into the glial cells that, among other things, make up myelin. Myelin, a protein that insulates the long 'arms' of nerve cells, called axons, helps the conduction of neural signals throughout the nervous system."
Published online 4 June 2008 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news.2008.875
Corrected online: 9 June 2008
Summary:
Nature reports injections of human brain cells have treated abnormal brain development in mice with fatal brain disorders:
"Human brain cells have been used to correct abnormal brain development in mice with fatal brain disorders, offering hope for treating a range of neurological disorders including some deadly childhood genetic diseases. Those behind the new treatment hope that human clinical trials could be just a few years away. The treatment uses human glial progenitor cells — cells that can differentiate into the glial cells that, among other things, make up myelin. Myelin, a protein that insulates the long 'arms' of nerve cells, called axons, helps the conduction of neural signals throughout the nervous system."
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Caution On Stem Cell Therapy: Single Organs May Contain Several Types Of Adult Stem Cells
Source: University of Utah Health Sciences
Date: June 9, 2008
Summary:
A single organ may contain more than one type of adult stem cell -- a discovery that complicates prospects for using the versatile cells to replace damaged tissue as a treatment for disease, according to a new study from the laboratory of geneticist Mario Capecchi, the University of Utah's Nobel Laureate.
Date: June 9, 2008
Summary:
A single organ may contain more than one type of adult stem cell -- a discovery that complicates prospects for using the versatile cells to replace damaged tissue as a treatment for disease, according to a new study from the laboratory of geneticist Mario Capecchi, the University of Utah's Nobel Laureate.
Friday, June 06, 2008
Brain Stem Cells Can Be Awakened, Say Scientists
Source: Schepens Eye Research Institute
Date: June 6, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have identified specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when activated, can transform into neurons (nerve cells) and repair damaged brain tissue. Their findings were recently published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
Date: June 6, 2008
Summary:
Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have identified specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when activated, can transform into neurons (nerve cells) and repair damaged brain tissue. Their findings were recently published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
Adult stem cell findings offer new hope for Parkinson's cure
Source: Griffith University / Research Australia
Date: June 6, 2008
Summary:
Research released today provides evidence that a cure for Parkinson's disease could lie just inside the nose of patients themselves. The Griffith University study published today in the journal Stem Cells found that adult stem cells harvested from the noses of Parkinson's patients gave rise to dopamine-producing brain cells when transplanted into the brain of a rat.
Date: June 6, 2008
Summary:
Research released today provides evidence that a cure for Parkinson's disease could lie just inside the nose of patients themselves. The Griffith University study published today in the journal Stem Cells found that adult stem cells harvested from the noses of Parkinson's patients gave rise to dopamine-producing brain cells when transplanted into the brain of a rat.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Human Stem Cells Cure Fatal Myelin Deficiency In Mice And Could One Day Help Children
Source: Medical News Today
Article Date: 5 June 2008 - 12:00 PDT
Summary
Medical News Today reports researchers have used human adult neural stem cell to grow myelin in mice:
"Scientists in the US have used human cells that behave like stem cells to help "shiverer" mice grow myelin around their nerve fibres and thereby avoid an inevitable early death and poor quality of life; the researchers hope their finding will one day lead to treatments for similar neurological conditions in humans, and children especially."
Article Date: 5 June 2008 - 12:00 PDT
Summary
Medical News Today reports researchers have used human adult neural stem cell to grow myelin in mice:
"Scientists in the US have used human cells that behave like stem cells to help "shiverer" mice grow myelin around their nerve fibres and thereby avoid an inevitable early death and poor quality of life; the researchers hope their finding will one day lead to treatments for similar neurological conditions in humans, and children especially."
Brain Stem Cells Reverse Myelin Deficiency in Mice
Source: HealthDay News
Date: June 5, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers treated a congenital brain disorder in mice with neural stem cells:
"Researchers report they have used neural stem cells to correct a congenital brain disorder in mice. Dr. Steven Goldman, of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, and his colleagues used a type of neural stem cell called "glial progenitor cells" (GPCs), derived from human fetuses, to correct both behavioral and physiological abnormalities in a mouse model of a myelin-deficiency disorder."
Date: June 5, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers treated a congenital brain disorder in mice with neural stem cells:
"Researchers report they have used neural stem cells to correct a congenital brain disorder in mice. Dr. Steven Goldman, of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, and his colleagues used a type of neural stem cell called "glial progenitor cells" (GPCs), derived from human fetuses, to correct both behavioral and physiological abnormalities in a mouse model of a myelin-deficiency disorder."
New technology enhances therapeutic potential of cord blood stem cells
Source: Rush University Medical Center
Date: June 5, 2008
Summary:
A CD26 Inhibitor increases the efficiency and responsiveness of umbilical cord blood for bone marrow transplants and may improve care for blood cancer patients according to research from Rush University Medical Center being presented at the 6th Annual International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium, June 6-7 in Los Angeles. Kent W. Christopherson II, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and researcher in the Sections of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Rush, is researching a CD26 Inhibitor, a small molecule enzyme inhibitor that enhances directional homing of stem cells to the bone marrow by increasing the responsiveness of donor stem cells to a natural homing signal. Homing is the process by which the donor stem cells find their way to the bone marrow. It is the first and essential step in stem cell transplantation.
Date: June 5, 2008
Summary:
A CD26 Inhibitor increases the efficiency and responsiveness of umbilical cord blood for bone marrow transplants and may improve care for blood cancer patients according to research from Rush University Medical Center being presented at the 6th Annual International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium, June 6-7 in Los Angeles. Kent W. Christopherson II, PhD, assistant professor of medicine and researcher in the Sections of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Rush, is researching a CD26 Inhibitor, a small molecule enzyme inhibitor that enhances directional homing of stem cells to the bone marrow by increasing the responsiveness of donor stem cells to a natural homing signal. Homing is the process by which the donor stem cells find their way to the bone marrow. It is the first and essential step in stem cell transplantation.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Human stem cells help brain-impaired mice
Source: Reuters
Posted: June 4, 2008 5:46 PM ET
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers treated mice with brain injuries using human neural stem cells:
"Injecting human stem cells into the brains of mice helped them recover almost fully from a neurological condition similar to a group of childhood diseases in people, researchers said on Wednesday. Some, but not all, of the mice in the study made major improvements after a one-time injection of stem cells, leading the scientists to express hope that the same approach might be tried in children within just a couple of years. The treatment, in essence, fixed defective wiring throughout the brain and spinal cord, the researchers said."
Posted: June 4, 2008 5:46 PM ET
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers treated mice with brain injuries using human neural stem cells:
"Injecting human stem cells into the brains of mice helped them recover almost fully from a neurological condition similar to a group of childhood diseases in people, researchers said on Wednesday. Some, but not all, of the mice in the study made major improvements after a one-time injection of stem cells, leading the scientists to express hope that the same approach might be tried in children within just a couple of years. The treatment, in essence, fixed defective wiring throughout the brain and spinal cord, the researchers said."
Human Stem Cell Transplant Helps Brain-Impaired Mice
Source: HealthDay News
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports human neural stem cell transplants improved functioning in mice with multiple sclerosis:
"Mice with a congenital brain disorder improved after receiving human neural stem cell transplants, a U.S. study finds. The mice lacked myelin, a substance that plays a critical role in the transmission of electrical signals between nerve cells. When myelin is missing or damaged, electrical signals aren't properly transmitted. These "shiverer" mice typically die within months of birth."
The study compared previous research using cell transplants to restore destroyed myelin with results found in the current study:
"Previous research has examined the use of cell transplantation for restoring absent or lost myelin to diseased nerve fibers. But, until now, no transplantation of human neural stem cells or of their derivatives (glial progenitor cells) had been successful in test animals. In this new study, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center and a number of other universities (Cornell, UCLA and Baylor) created a new method for harvesting and purification of human fetal glial progenitor cells. They also developed a new cell delivery strategy that uses multiple injection sites to encourage widespread and dense take-up of the transplanted cells through the central nervous system. When the researchers used these new approaches, the transplanted cells took hold throughout the brain and spinal cord, and the mice showed robust, efficient and functional myelination. Some of the mice showed neurological improvement and a fraction of them were save by the procedure."
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports human neural stem cell transplants improved functioning in mice with multiple sclerosis:
"Mice with a congenital brain disorder improved after receiving human neural stem cell transplants, a U.S. study finds. The mice lacked myelin, a substance that plays a critical role in the transmission of electrical signals between nerve cells. When myelin is missing or damaged, electrical signals aren't properly transmitted. These "shiverer" mice typically die within months of birth."
The study compared previous research using cell transplants to restore destroyed myelin with results found in the current study:
"Previous research has examined the use of cell transplantation for restoring absent or lost myelin to diseased nerve fibers. But, until now, no transplantation of human neural stem cells or of their derivatives (glial progenitor cells) had been successful in test animals. In this new study, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center and a number of other universities (Cornell, UCLA and Baylor) created a new method for harvesting and purification of human fetal glial progenitor cells. They also developed a new cell delivery strategy that uses multiple injection sites to encourage widespread and dense take-up of the transplanted cells through the central nervous system. When the researchers used these new approaches, the transplanted cells took hold throughout the brain and spinal cord, and the mice showed robust, efficient and functional myelination. Some of the mice showed neurological improvement and a fraction of them were save by the procedure."
Researchers Discover Synthetic Chemicals that Create Pluripotent Stem Cells from Adult Cells
Source: The Scripps Research Institute
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
LA JOLLA, CA, June 4, 2008—Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute report that they have significantly improved upon a revolutionary technique that uses genes to turn skin cells from an adult back into pluripotent stem cells. In the June 5, 2008 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, investigators describe for the first time how they identified and used small, drug-like chemicals to help coax mouse brain cells back into pluripotent stem cells in a way that reduced some of the major drawbacks of the technique developed two years ago by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka to produce pluripotent stem cells, once derived only from embryos, from adult cells. The new findings provide a safer, more efficient method to reprogram cells, paving the way for clinical testing of reprogrammed stem cells.
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
LA JOLLA, CA, June 4, 2008—Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute report that they have significantly improved upon a revolutionary technique that uses genes to turn skin cells from an adult back into pluripotent stem cells. In the June 5, 2008 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, investigators describe for the first time how they identified and used small, drug-like chemicals to help coax mouse brain cells back into pluripotent stem cells in a way that reduced some of the major drawbacks of the technique developed two years ago by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka to produce pluripotent stem cells, once derived only from embryos, from adult cells. The new findings provide a safer, more efficient method to reprogram cells, paving the way for clinical testing of reprogrammed stem cells.
Neurologically Impaired Mice Improve After Receiving Human Stem Cells
Source: Cell Press / Cell Stem Cell
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
Scientists report a dramatic success in what may be the first documented rescue of a congenital brain disorder by transplantation of human neural stem cells. The research, published by Cell Press in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, may lead the way to new strategies for treating certain hereditary and perinatal neurological disorders.
The researchers found that the new transplant procedure resulted in infiltration of human glial progenitor cells throughout the brain and spinal cord. The engrafted mice exhibited robust, efficient and functional myelination. Most notably, many of the mice displayed progressive, neurological improvement and a fraction of the mice were actually rescued by the procedure. "The neurological recovery and survival of the mice receiving transplants was in sharp contrast to the fate of their untreated controls, which uniformly died by five months," explains Dr. Goldman. Upon histological examination well over a year after the procedure, the white matter of the surviving mice had been essentially re-myelinated by human cells.
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
Scientists report a dramatic success in what may be the first documented rescue of a congenital brain disorder by transplantation of human neural stem cells. The research, published by Cell Press in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, may lead the way to new strategies for treating certain hereditary and perinatal neurological disorders.
The researchers found that the new transplant procedure resulted in infiltration of human glial progenitor cells throughout the brain and spinal cord. The engrafted mice exhibited robust, efficient and functional myelination. Most notably, many of the mice displayed progressive, neurological improvement and a fraction of the mice were actually rescued by the procedure. "The neurological recovery and survival of the mice receiving transplants was in sharp contrast to the fate of their untreated controls, which uniformly died by five months," explains Dr. Goldman. Upon histological examination well over a year after the procedure, the white matter of the surviving mice had been essentially re-myelinated by human cells.
Human Stem Cells Show Promise Against Fatal Children's Diseases
Source: University of Rochester Medical Center
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have used human stem cells to dramatically improve the condition of mice with a neurological condition similar to a set of diseases in children that are invariably fatal, according to an article in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell. With a one-time injection of stem cells just after birth, scientists were able to repair defective wiring throughout the brain and spinal cord – the entire central nervous system – of mutant “shiverer mice,” so called because of the way they shake and wobble. The work marks an important step toward the day when stem cells become an option for the treatment of neurological diseases in people.
Neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center injected a type of fetal human stem cell known as glial stem cells into newborn mice born with a condition that normally claims their lives within about 20 weeks of birth, after a lifetime of seizures and other serious consequences. While most of the 26 mice that received transplanted glial stem cells still died, a group of six lived far beyond their usual lifespan, and four appeared to be completely cured – a first for shiverer mice. The scientists plan to gather more evidence before trying the approach in sick children.
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
Scientists have used human stem cells to dramatically improve the condition of mice with a neurological condition similar to a set of diseases in children that are invariably fatal, according to an article in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell. With a one-time injection of stem cells just after birth, scientists were able to repair defective wiring throughout the brain and spinal cord – the entire central nervous system – of mutant “shiverer mice,” so called because of the way they shake and wobble. The work marks an important step toward the day when stem cells become an option for the treatment of neurological diseases in people.
Neuroscientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center injected a type of fetal human stem cell known as glial stem cells into newborn mice born with a condition that normally claims their lives within about 20 weeks of birth, after a lifetime of seizures and other serious consequences. While most of the 26 mice that received transplanted glial stem cells still died, a group of six lived far beyond their usual lifespan, and four appeared to be completely cured – a first for shiverer mice. The scientists plan to gather more evidence before trying the approach in sick children.
Enzyme plays key role in cell fate
Source: Baylor College of Medicine
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
The road to death or differentiation follows a similar course in embryonic stem cells, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Dr. Thomas Zwaka, assistant professor in the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center (STaR) at BCM, and his colleagues at BCM found an “overlap between the pathways that drive cell death and cell differentiation” in a group of enzymes called caspases.
Date: June 4, 2008
Summary:
The road to death or differentiation follows a similar course in embryonic stem cells, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Dr. Thomas Zwaka, assistant professor in the Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine Center (STaR) at BCM, and his colleagues at BCM found an “overlap between the pathways that drive cell death and cell differentiation” in a group of enzymes called caspases.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Finding clues for nerve cell repair
Source: Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital
Date: June 3, 2008
Summary:
A new study at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University identifies a key mechanism for the normal development of motor nerve cells (motor neurons) - cells that control muscles. This finding is crucial to understanding and treating a range of conditions involving nerve cell loss or damage, from spinal cord injury to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides invaluable insight into these vital processes by understanding the mechanisms involved in normal development of selected types of spinal cord motor nerve cells.
Date: June 3, 2008
Summary:
A new study at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University identifies a key mechanism for the normal development of motor nerve cells (motor neurons) - cells that control muscles. This finding is crucial to understanding and treating a range of conditions involving nerve cell loss or damage, from spinal cord injury to neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The study, published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides invaluable insight into these vital processes by understanding the mechanisms involved in normal development of selected types of spinal cord motor nerve cells.
Damaged brains helped by stem cell therapy
Source: United Press International
Posted: June 3, 2008 at 2:10 PM EDT
Summary:
United Press International reports researchers have discovered how neural stem cells might be able to repair damaged brains:
U.S. medical scientists say they have found a way in which neuronal stem cells in the adult brain might be used in treating brain injuries. According to some experts, newly born adult neuronal brain stem cells could help repair brain injuries, but first a way must be found to regulate the manner in which they are created -- a process known as neurogenesis.
The study also found that hypothermia can control the growth of new nerve cells:
"According to the study, neurogenesis can be regulated through induced hypothermia. In rat subjects, a mild decrease in body temperature was found to substantially decrease the proliferation of newly-born neurons, the researchers said."
Posted: June 3, 2008 at 2:10 PM EDT
Summary:
United Press International reports researchers have discovered how neural stem cells might be able to repair damaged brains:
U.S. medical scientists say they have found a way in which neuronal stem cells in the adult brain might be used in treating brain injuries. According to some experts, newly born adult neuronal brain stem cells could help repair brain injuries, but first a way must be found to regulate the manner in which they are created -- a process known as neurogenesis.
The study also found that hypothermia can control the growth of new nerve cells:
"According to the study, neurogenesis can be regulated through induced hypothermia. In rat subjects, a mild decrease in body temperature was found to substantially decrease the proliferation of newly-born neurons, the researchers said."
Stem Cells Correct Defect in Child’s Fatal Skin Disease
Source: Columbia University Medical Center
Date: June 3, 2008
Summary;
Researchers and clinicians have paved the way toward a cure for a young boy's genetic and fatal skin disease, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), by using a cord blood and bone marrow transplant.
Date: June 3, 2008
Summary;
Researchers and clinicians have paved the way toward a cure for a young boy's genetic and fatal skin disease, recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), by using a cord blood and bone marrow transplant.
Researchers identify gene that regulates glucose levels
Source: University of Southern California
Date: June 3, 2008
Summary:
In an effort to understand how genes work, a collaborative study which includes the University of Southern California (USC) has identified a gene that regulates glucose levels. The results, which will be published in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and is currently available online, may provide further understanding of the underlying causes of diabetes.
Date: June 3, 2008
Summary:
In an effort to understand how genes work, a collaborative study which includes the University of Southern California (USC) has identified a gene that regulates glucose levels. The results, which will be published in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation and is currently available online, may provide further understanding of the underlying causes of diabetes.
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