Source: Wiley-Blackwell
Date: May 31, 2008
Summary:
According to some experts, newly born neuronal stem cells in the adult brain may provide a therapy for brain injury. But if these stem cells are to be utilized in this way, the process by which they are created, neurogenesis, must be regulated. A new study, led by Laurence Katz, Co-Director of the Carolina Resuscitation Research Group at the University of the North Carolina School of Medicine, suggests a way in which this might be achieved. According to the research, 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, a discovery that marks a major step forward for the development of neuronal stem cell-based brain therapies.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Skin Morphed Into Stem Cells, Now With Sickle Cell Mutations
Source: Bloomberg News
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
Bloomberg News reports researchers have created stem cells with a genetic mutation for sickle cell anemia:
" Researchers for the first time say they've made stem cells with a disease-causing mutation -- in this case, sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder that affects mostly people of African descent. ...Scientists from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine used a two-year-old method for giving adult skin cells the unlimited potential of those from a human embryo. To create the mutation, they modified the technique by adding an extra gene to a four-gene combination that reprogrammed the cells to their more primitive state. The extra gene boosted the efficiency of the process as much as 70-fold, making more stem cells in less time."
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
Bloomberg News reports researchers have created stem cells with a genetic mutation for sickle cell anemia:
" Researchers for the first time say they've made stem cells with a disease-causing mutation -- in this case, sickle cell anemia, a genetic blood disorder that affects mostly people of African descent. ...Scientists from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine used a two-year-old method for giving adult skin cells the unlimited potential of those from a human embryo. To create the mutation, they modified the technique by adding an extra gene to a four-gene combination that reprogrammed the cells to their more primitive state. The extra gene boosted the efficiency of the process as much as 70-fold, making more stem cells in less time."
Researchers develop human stem cell line containing sickle cell anemia mutation
Source: Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have established a human cell-based system for studying sickle cell anemia by reprogramming somatic cells to an embryonic stem cell like state. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have established a human cell-based system for studying sickle cell anemia by reprogramming somatic cells to an embryonic stem cell like state. Publishing online in Stem Cells on May 29, the team describes a faster and more efficient method of reprogramming cells that might speed the development of stem cell therapies.
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have established a human cell-based system for studying sickle cell anemia by reprogramming somatic cells to an embryonic stem cell like state. Researchers at Johns Hopkins have established a human cell-based system for studying sickle cell anemia by reprogramming somatic cells to an embryonic stem cell like state. Publishing online in Stem Cells on May 29, the team describes a faster and more efficient method of reprogramming cells that might speed the development of stem cell therapies.
Researchers Develop Stem Line With Sickle Cell Mutation
Source: HealthDay News
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers at John Hopkins University have developed a stem cell line with a sickle cell anemia mutation containing cells with properties of embryonic stem cells:
"Using a faster and more efficient method of reprogramming adult stem cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state, Johns Hopkins researchers developed a human stem cell line containing the mutation associated with sickle cell anemia... Using this new method, the researchers created embryonic-like stem cells that contained the mutation that causes sickle cell anemia."
Date: May 29, 2008
Summary:
HealthDay News reports researchers at John Hopkins University have developed a stem cell line with a sickle cell anemia mutation containing cells with properties of embryonic stem cells:
"Using a faster and more efficient method of reprogramming adult stem cells to an embryonic stem cell-like state, Johns Hopkins researchers developed a human stem cell line containing the mutation associated with sickle cell anemia... Using this new method, the researchers created embryonic-like stem cells that contained the mutation that causes sickle cell anemia."
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
New insights into cellular reprogramming revealed by genomic analysis
Source: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Date: May 28, 2008
Summary:
The ability to drive somatic, or fully differentiated, human cells back to a pluripotent or “stem cell” state would overcome many of the significant scientific and social challenges to the use of embryo-derived stem cells and help realize the promise of regenerative medicine. Recent research with mouse and human cells has demonstrated that such a transformation (“reprogramming”) is possible, although the current process is inefficient and, when it does work, poorly understood. But now, thanks to the application of powerful new integrative genomic tools, a cross-disciplinary research team from Harvard University, Whitehead Institute, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has uncovered significant new information about the molecular changes that underlie the direct reprogramming process. Their findings are published online in the journal Nature.
Date: May 28, 2008
Summary:
The ability to drive somatic, or fully differentiated, human cells back to a pluripotent or “stem cell” state would overcome many of the significant scientific and social challenges to the use of embryo-derived stem cells and help realize the promise of regenerative medicine. Recent research with mouse and human cells has demonstrated that such a transformation (“reprogramming”) is possible, although the current process is inefficient and, when it does work, poorly understood. But now, thanks to the application of powerful new integrative genomic tools, a cross-disciplinary research team from Harvard University, Whitehead Institute, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard has uncovered significant new information about the molecular changes that underlie the direct reprogramming process. Their findings are published online in the journal Nature.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Team identifies new cancer stem cell driving metastatic tumors
Source: Weill Cornell Medical College / New York- Presbyterian Hospital
Date: May 27, 2008
Summary:
The molecular profile of cancer stem cells that initiate metastatic colon tumors is significantly different from those responsible for primary tumors, according to new research from a team at Weill Cornell Medical College. Cancer researchers have long believed that a protein called CD133 identifies a population of cancer stem cells (so-called CD133+ cells), the only subset of cells that are responsible for tumor initiation. But in the experiment, in which immunocompromised mice were injected with human metastatic colon cancer, the Weill Cornell team discovered that cancer cells that do not express CD133 can also spur metastatic disease. The findings were released as a special "highlighted" article in the May 22 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Date: May 27, 2008
Summary:
The molecular profile of cancer stem cells that initiate metastatic colon tumors is significantly different from those responsible for primary tumors, according to new research from a team at Weill Cornell Medical College. Cancer researchers have long believed that a protein called CD133 identifies a population of cancer stem cells (so-called CD133+ cells), the only subset of cells that are responsible for tumor initiation. But in the experiment, in which immunocompromised mice were injected with human metastatic colon cancer, the Weill Cornell team discovered that cancer cells that do not express CD133 can also spur metastatic disease. The findings were released as a special "highlighted" article in the May 22 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Monday, May 26, 2008
VANCOUVER RESEARCHERS PIONEER SAFE PATHWAY TO SLOW ALS USING STEM CELLS
Source: The University of British Columbia
Date: May 26, 2008
Summary:
A unique pilot study has established a safe pathway for using bone-marrow stem cells to slow down and potentially treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease without cure. The study, published in the journal, Muscle & Nerve and led by Dr. Neil Cashman, professor of neurology at The University of British Columbia and director of the ALS program at Vancouver Coastal Health and VCH Research Institute, tested the use of a growth factor stimulant in ALS patients and found that bone-marrow stem cells became activated with no adverse effects to patients.
Date: May 26, 2008
Summary:
A unique pilot study has established a safe pathway for using bone-marrow stem cells to slow down and potentially treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease without cure. The study, published in the journal, Muscle & Nerve and led by Dr. Neil Cashman, professor of neurology at The University of British Columbia and director of the ALS program at Vancouver Coastal Health and VCH Research Institute, tested the use of a growth factor stimulant in ALS patients and found that bone-marrow stem cells became activated with no adverse effects to patients.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Transfusable blood from a stem cell
Source: Riken Research
Date: May 23, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the RIKEN BioResource Center in Tsukuba have established several cell lines that produce functional red blood cells (RBCs) from mouse embryonic stem cells1. The technique may pave the way for production of human donor red blood cells in vitro, lessening the need for blood donation.
Date: May 23, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the RIKEN BioResource Center in Tsukuba have established several cell lines that produce functional red blood cells (RBCs) from mouse embryonic stem cells1. The technique may pave the way for production of human donor red blood cells in vitro, lessening the need for blood donation.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Researchers discover mechanism that turns normal blood cells to cancerous ones
Source: University of California - Los Angeles
Date: May 22, 2008
Summary:
Stem cell researchers at UCLA have identified a type of leukemia stem cell and uncovered the molecular and genetic mechanisms that cause normal blood cells to become cancerous. The discovery may lead to the development of new therapies that target these leukemia stem cells, attacking the disease at its very root and killing the early cells that give rise to mature cancer cells. The study appears in the May 22, 2008 issue of the journal Nature.
Date: May 22, 2008
Summary:
Stem cell researchers at UCLA have identified a type of leukemia stem cell and uncovered the molecular and genetic mechanisms that cause normal blood cells to become cancerous. The discovery may lead to the development of new therapies that target these leukemia stem cells, attacking the disease at its very root and killing the early cells that give rise to mature cancer cells. The study appears in the May 22, 2008 issue of the journal Nature.
Embryonic stem cells are self-sufficient
Source: Medical Research Council
Date: 22 May 2008
Summary:
Scientists have shown for the first time that embryonic stem (ES) cells are able to self-renew without the natural chemicals that scientists have so far used to maintain them and grow stem cell lines. This discovery contradicts previously held views and could have wide-ranging implications for stem cell research. It is hoped the findings, from the Cambridge team lead by Medical Research Council Professor Austin Smith and published in Nature, will lead to a better biological understanding of ES cells and more straightforward translation to the human system of detailed work done only in mouse ES cells to date.
Date: 22 May 2008
Summary:
Scientists have shown for the first time that embryonic stem (ES) cells are able to self-renew without the natural chemicals that scientists have so far used to maintain them and grow stem cell lines. This discovery contradicts previously held views and could have wide-ranging implications for stem cell research. It is hoped the findings, from the Cambridge team lead by Medical Research Council Professor Austin Smith and published in Nature, will lead to a better biological understanding of ES cells and more straightforward translation to the human system of detailed work done only in mouse ES cells to date.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Neural Cell Transplants May Help Those With Parkinson's Disease
Source: Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Date: May 21, 2008
Summary:
Researchers publishing their studies in CELL TRANSPLANTATION are seeking new ways to treat Parkinson's disease using cell transplantation in animal models. Recent studies are aimed at finding ways to track the progress of transplanted cells and monitor motor and behavioral changes in test animals. The survival of transplanted cells in the microenvironment to which they are directed, and their ability to be efficacious in the presence of tracking tools, is of prime importance.
Date: May 21, 2008
Summary:
Researchers publishing their studies in CELL TRANSPLANTATION are seeking new ways to treat Parkinson's disease using cell transplantation in animal models. Recent studies are aimed at finding ways to track the progress of transplanted cells and monitor motor and behavioral changes in test animals. The survival of transplanted cells in the microenvironment to which they are directed, and their ability to be efficacious in the presence of tracking tools, is of prime importance.
Stem Cell Study Sheds New Light on Cell Mechanism
Source: University of Southern California
Date: May 21, 2008
Summary:
Research from the University of Southern California (USC) has discovered a new mechanism to allow embryonic stem cells to divide indefinitely and remain undifferentiated. The study, which will be published in the May 22 issue of the journal Nature, also reveals how embryonic stem cell multiplication is regulated, which may be important in understanding how to control tumor cell growth.
Date: May 21, 2008
Summary:
Research from the University of Southern California (USC) has discovered a new mechanism to allow embryonic stem cells to divide indefinitely and remain undifferentiated. The study, which will be published in the May 22 issue of the journal Nature, also reveals how embryonic stem cell multiplication is regulated, which may be important in understanding how to control tumor cell growth.
Many paths, few destinations: How stem cells decide what they'll be
Source: Children's Hospital Boston
Date: May 21, 2008
Summary:
How does a stem cell decide what specialized identity to adopt – or simply to remain a stem cell? A new study suggests that the conventional view, which assumes that cells are “instructed” to progress along prescribed signaling pathways, is too simplistic. Instead, it supports the idea that cells differentiate through the collective behavior of multiple genes in a network that ultimately leads to just a few endpoints – just as a marble on a hilltop can travel a nearly infinite number of downward paths, only to arrive in the same valley. The findings, published in the May 22 issue of Nature, give a glimpse into how that collective behavior works, and show that cell populations maintain a built-in variability that nature can harness for change under the right conditions. The findings also help explain why the process of differentiating stem cells into specific lineages in the laboratory has been highly inefficient.
Date: May 21, 2008
Summary:
How does a stem cell decide what specialized identity to adopt – or simply to remain a stem cell? A new study suggests that the conventional view, which assumes that cells are “instructed” to progress along prescribed signaling pathways, is too simplistic. Instead, it supports the idea that cells differentiate through the collective behavior of multiple genes in a network that ultimately leads to just a few endpoints – just as a marble on a hilltop can travel a nearly infinite number of downward paths, only to arrive in the same valley. The findings, published in the May 22 issue of Nature, give a glimpse into how that collective behavior works, and show that cell populations maintain a built-in variability that nature can harness for change under the right conditions. The findings also help explain why the process of differentiating stem cells into specific lineages in the laboratory has been highly inefficient.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Stem Cells Might Contribute To Vascular Disease
Source: Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Physician-scientists believe that stem cells might play a harmful role in the body's reaction to trauma following common vascular surgery, like angioplasty. They are currently studying how stem cells implant themselves in the wall of arteries and grow out of control.
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Physician-scientists believe that stem cells might play a harmful role in the body's reaction to trauma following common vascular surgery, like angioplasty. They are currently studying how stem cells implant themselves in the wall of arteries and grow out of control.
Nonsignaling glial cells can direct synapse formation in the forging of neural networks
Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Brain cells known as neurons process information by joining into complex networks, transmitting signals to each other across junctions called synapses. But “neurons don’t just connect to other neurons,” emphasizes Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D., “in a lot of cases, they connect to very specific partners, at particular spots.” Dr. Huang, a professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), leads a team that has identified molecules guiding this highly specific neuronal targeting in the developing brains of mice. The researchers report in PLoS Biology that in some cases, these molecular guides -- non-signaling brain cells known as glia -- form a kind of scaffold. This scaffold, in turn, directs the growth of nerve fibers and their connections between specific types of neurons.
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Brain cells known as neurons process information by joining into complex networks, transmitting signals to each other across junctions called synapses. But “neurons don’t just connect to other neurons,” emphasizes Z. Josh Huang, Ph.D., “in a lot of cases, they connect to very specific partners, at particular spots.” Dr. Huang, a professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), leads a team that has identified molecules guiding this highly specific neuronal targeting in the developing brains of mice. The researchers report in PLoS Biology that in some cases, these molecular guides -- non-signaling brain cells known as glia -- form a kind of scaffold. This scaffold, in turn, directs the growth of nerve fibers and their connections between specific types of neurons.
Protein key to neuro-regeneration
Source: The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England, University College London, the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan and Cancer Research UK, have for the first time identified a protein that is key to the regeneration of damage in the peripheral nervous system and which could with further research lead to understanding diseases of our peripheral nervous systems and provide clues to methods of repairing damage in the central nervous system, according to a paper published this week in the Journal of Cell Biology.
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England, University College London, the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan and Cancer Research UK, have for the first time identified a protein that is key to the regeneration of damage in the peripheral nervous system and which could with further research lead to understanding diseases of our peripheral nervous systems and provide clues to methods of repairing damage in the central nervous system, according to a paper published this week in the Journal of Cell Biology.
Scientists discover a molecular scaffold that guides connections between brain cells
Source: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have identified molecules guiding this highly specific neuronal targeting in the developing brains of mice. The researchers report in PLoS Biology that in some cases, these molecular guides -- non-signaling brain cells known as glia -- form a kind of scaffold. This scaffold, in turn, directs the growth of nerve fibers and their connections between specific types of neurons. As they learn through research like this how the brain develops its complex wiring, the scientists hope they can clarify what goes wrong in disorders like autism.
Date: May 20, 2008
Summary:
Researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have identified molecules guiding this highly specific neuronal targeting in the developing brains of mice. The researchers report in PLoS Biology that in some cases, these molecular guides -- non-signaling brain cells known as glia -- form a kind of scaffold. This scaffold, in turn, directs the growth of nerve fibers and their connections between specific types of neurons. As they learn through research like this how the brain develops its complex wiring, the scientists hope they can clarify what goes wrong in disorders like autism.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Working bladders grown from progenitor cells
Source: Reuters
Posted: May 19, 2008 2:35pm EDT
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers have created bladders from progenitor cells:
"Months after being implanted into research animals, "neo-bladders" created from progenitor cells appear to function much like natural bladders, researchers have shown. Stem cells become progenitor cells on the way to becoming specialized cells forming particular types of tissue. Neo-bladders are created by removing bladder progenitor cells during bladder biopsies, growing the cells in culture and then seeding them onto a biodegradable bladder-shaped scaffold made out of collagen or other material."
Posted: May 19, 2008 2:35pm EDT
Summary:
Reuters reports researchers have created bladders from progenitor cells:
"Months after being implanted into research animals, "neo-bladders" created from progenitor cells appear to function much like natural bladders, researchers have shown. Stem cells become progenitor cells on the way to becoming specialized cells forming particular types of tissue. Neo-bladders are created by removing bladder progenitor cells during bladder biopsies, growing the cells in culture and then seeding them onto a biodegradable bladder-shaped scaffold made out of collagen or other material."
Neural cell transplants may help those with Parkinson's disease
Source: Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair
Date: May 19, 2008
Summary:
The current issue of CELL TRANSPLANTATION (Vol. 17:4) features a number of publications by researchers seeking new ways to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurological disease characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor and slowed physical movements related to insufficient levels of dopamine (DA) in the basal ganglia of the brain, by using primate models to examine the potential therapy role of transplanted cells.
Date: May 19, 2008
Summary:
The current issue of CELL TRANSPLANTATION (Vol. 17:4) features a number of publications by researchers seeking new ways to treat Parkinson’s disease (PD), a neurological disease characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor and slowed physical movements related to insufficient levels of dopamine (DA) in the basal ganglia of the brain, by using primate models to examine the potential therapy role of transplanted cells.
Preclinical Data Demonstrate Ability to Regenerate an Entire Bladder with Tengion Neo-Bladder Replacement™
Source: Tengion, Inc.
Date: May 19, 2008
Summary:
Tengion, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of neo-organs and neo-vessels, presented preclinical efficacy data for its Tengion Neo-Bladder Replacement™ at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Orlando, Florida on May 18, 2008.
Date: May 19, 2008
Summary:
Tengion, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of neo-organs and neo-vessels, presented preclinical efficacy data for its Tengion Neo-Bladder Replacement™ at the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Orlando, Florida on May 18, 2008.
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