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Stem Cell Research News
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 Scientists
Discover Reservoir Where HIV-Infected Cells Can Lay-In-Wait
University of Michigan scientists have identified a new
reservoir for hidden HIV-infected cells that can serve as a
factory for new infections. The findings, which appear
online March 7 in Nature Medicine, indicate a new target for
curing the disease so those infected with the virus may
someday no longer rely on AIDS drugs for a lifetime.
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08 Mar 2010
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A
New Indicator Of Poor Prognosis In Node-Negative Colorectal
Cancer Patients
Tumor budding at the invasive tumor
front of colorectal cancer is recognized as an independent
prognostic factor significantly related to both lymph node
and distant metastasis. Several lines of evidence seem to
suggest that tumor buds may, to some extent, represent
malignant colorectal cancer stem cells because of their
potential for migration and re-differentiation locally and
at sites of metastasis.
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06 Mar 2010
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Challenging
The Theory Of Single Stem Cell For Blood Components
Components of the blood or hematopoietic system derive from
stem cell subtypes rather than one single stem cell that
gives rise to all the different kinds of blood cells
equally, said scientists from Baylor College of Medicine in
a report that appears in the current issue of the journal
Cell Stem Cell (http://www.
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06 Mar 2010
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New
Method Decodes Cell Movements, Accurately Predicts How Cells
Will Divide
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute have discovered a new method for predicting - with
up to 99 percent accuracy - the fate of stem cells.Using
advanced computer vision technology to detect subtle cell
movements that are impossible to discern with the human eye,
Professor Badri Roysam and his former student Andrew Cohen
'89 can successfully forecast how a stem cell will split and
what key characteristics the daughter cells will exhibit.
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03 Mar 2010
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M.
D. Anderson Develops Tool To Measure Severity Of Chronic
Graft-Vs.-Host Disease Symptoms
Researchers from The
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have
developed a new assessment tool to measure the severity of
symptoms that can complicate stem cell transplantation. The
tool assesses symptoms resulting from chronic
graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), and was presented with
supporting research at the 2010 Bone and Marrow Transplant
Tandem Meeting.
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03 Mar 2010
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Stanford
Scientists First To Identify Wide Variety Of Genetic
Splicing In Embryonic Stem Cells
Like homing in to an
elusive radio frequency in a busy city, human embryonic stem
cells must sort through a seemingly endless number of
options to settle on the specific genetic message, or
station, that instructs them to become more-specialized
cells in the body (Easy Listening, maybe, for skin cells,
and Techno for neurons?).
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02 Mar 2010
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Cord
Blood Registry Launches Industry-Leading Innovations For
Newborn Stem Cell Collection
Cord Blood Registry
(CBR), the global leader in the collection and preservation
of newborn stem cells from the umbilical cord, announced the
launch of its new stem cell collection system that saves a
greater number and diversity of a newborn's stem cells from
both the blood in the umbilical cord and the cord tissue
itself for a wider range of potential therapeutic uses.
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02 Mar 2010
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Researchers
Develop Tool To Measure Severity Of Chronic
Graft-Versus-Host Disease Symptoms
Researchers from
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have
developed a new assessment tool to measure the severity of
symptoms that can complicate stem cell transplantation. The
tool assesses symptoms resulting from chronic
graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), and was presented with
supporting research at the 2010 Bone and Marrow Transplant
Tandem Meeting.
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02 Mar 2010
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Notch-Blocking
Drugs Kill Brain Cancer Stem Cells, Yet Multiple Therapies
May Be Needed
Working with mice, Johns Hopkins
scientists who tested drugs intended to halt growth of brain
cancer stem cells a small population of cells within tumors
that perpetuate cancer growth conclude that blocking these
cells may be somewhat effective, but more than one targeted
drug attack may be needed to get the job done.
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26 Feb 2010
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Stem
Cell Therapy Removes Cell Receptor That Attracts HIV
UCLA AIDS Institute researchers successfully removed CCR5 a
cell receptor to which HIV-1 binds for infection but which
the human body does not need from human cells. Individuals
who naturally lack the CCR5 receptor have been found to be
essentially resistant to HIV.
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26 Feb 2010
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Stem
Cells Restore Sight In Mouse Model Of Retinitis Pigmentosa
An international research team led by Columbia University
Medical Center successfully used mouse embryonic stem cells
to replace diseased retinal cells and restore sight in a
mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa.
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26 Feb 2010
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The
Challenges And Opportunities Facing Stem Cell Scientists
The United States government's decision last year to lift
restrictions on federally-funded stem cell research has
helped the nation's stem-cell researchers concentrate on
science, but limitations remain - even under the new policy,
according to George Daley, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute
investigator at Children's Hospital Boston.
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22 Feb 2010
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Using
A Molecular Toolkit To Transform Skin Cells Into Stem Cells
In an effort to sidestep the ethical dilemma involved in
using human embryonic stem cells to treat diseases,
scientists are developing non-controversial alternatives: In
particular, they are looking for drug-like chemical
compounds that can transform adult skin cells into the stem
cells now obtained from human embryos.
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20 Feb 2010
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According
To UCSF Team, NIH Stem Cell Guidelines Should Be Modified
A UCSF team, led by bioethicist Bernard Lo, MD, recommends
that the National Institutes of Health ethics guidelines for
embryonic stem cell research be modified to better protect
the rights of individuals donating egg or sperm to patients
undergoing in vitro fertilization.
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20 Feb 2010
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Leukemia
Patient Saved By Cord Blood Says "Thank You" To Mother And
Baby He Will Never Know
A forty-three-year old man
from Sussex, England, whose life was saved by cord blood
donated by a mother and newborn baby he will never know said
he will always feel grateful to them.Philip Meehan was 40
when he discovered he had leukemia.
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15 Feb 2010
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Japan's
Public Television Films Louisiana's LifeSource Cryobank To
Feature In Documentary Series On Regenerative Medicine
NHK Global Media Services, Inc., Japan's only public
broadcasting television network visited Covington, Louisiana
to film, LifeSource Cryobank, LLC. LifeSource will be
featured in a documentary series on regenerative medicine to
be aired next month in Japan.
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15 Feb 2010
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Birth
Of Blood-Forming Stem Cells In Embryo Imaged By Biologists
Biologists at UC San Diego have identified the specific
region in vertebrates where adult blood stem cells arise
during embryonic development.Their discovery, which appears
in a paper in this week's early online edition of the
journal Nature, is a critical first step for the development
of safer and more effective stem cell therapies for patients
with leukemia, multiple myeloma, anemia and a host of other
diseases of the blood or bone marrow.
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15 Feb 2010
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Singapore
Scientists Identify Gene That Improves Quality Of
Reprogrammed Stem Cells
In the 7 Feb. 2010 issue of
the journal Nature, scientists at the Genome Institute of
Singapore (GIS), report that a genetic molecule, called
Tbx3, which is crucial for many aspects of early
developmental processes in mammals, significantly improves
the quality of stem cells that have been reprogrammed from
differentiated cells.
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09 Feb 2010
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Stanford
Scientists Make Stem Cells Pluripotent Using Virus-Free
Technique
Tiny circles of DNA are the key to a new
and easier way to transform stem cells from human fat into
induced pluripotent stem cells for use in regenerative
medicine, say scientists at the Stanford University School
of Medicine.
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09 Feb 2010
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Biocell
Center Furthers Its Commitment To Maternal Fetal Medicine
Biocell Center announced its further commitment to working
with maternal-fetal-medicine doctors by attending the
Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual
meeting."Biocell Center has been working with
perinatologists and Ob/Gyn doctors worldwide for several
years," said Kate Torchilin, CEO of Biocell Center
Corporation.
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09 Feb 2010
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Vivakor
Announces The Launch Of Its Second Generation VivaThermic
Cryovials Designed Specifically For Stem Cell Research
Vivakor, Inc. (OTCBB: VIVK) announced the development of its
second generation VivaThermic Cryovials. The VivaThermic 2.0
cryovials were specifically designed to facilitate improved
cryopreservation of induced Pluripotent Stem cells (iPS
cells) and protein-induced Pluripotent Stem cells (piPS).
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09 Feb 2010
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Histostem
Participates In Successful Stem Cell Treatment For Acute
Spinal Cord Injury In Dogs
Stem Cell Therapy
International, Inc. (OTCBB: SCII) announced that Histostem
Ltd. of South Korea ("Histostem") has participated in a
study resulting in the successful treatment of spinal cord
injury in dogs through the use of Multipotent Stem Cells
(MSCs) derived from Human Umbilical Cord Blood (HUCB).
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09 Feb 2010
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3-D
Scaffold Provides Clean, Biodegradable Structure For Stem
Cell Growth
Medical researchers were shocked to
discover that virtually all human embryonic stem cell lines
being used in 2005 were contaminated. Animal byproducts used
to line Petri dishes had left traces on the human cells.
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03 Feb 2010
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Stem
Cells Rescue Nerve Cells By Direct Contact
Scientists
at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have
shown how transplanted stem cells can connect with and
rescue threatened neurons and brain tissue. The results
point the way to new possible treatments for brain damage
and neurodegenerative diseases.
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03 Feb 2010
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National
Institutes Of Health Approves Wisconsin H1 Stem-Cell Line
For Continued Use In Federally Funded Research
The
WiCell Research Institute, a private nonprofit that has
advanced stem cell science at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison and served researchers around the world
since 1999, can continue to provide stem cell scientists one
of the earliest and most popular human embryonic stem cell (hESC)
lines in the field for their use in federally funded
research projects.
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02 Feb 2010
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New
Nanoscopic Material Enables Cartilage To Do What It Doesn't
Do Naturally
Northwestern University researchers are
the first to design a bioactive nanomaterial that promotes
the growth of new cartilage in vivo and without the use of
expensive growth factors. Minimally invasive, the therapy
activates the bone marrow stem cells and produces natural
cartilage.
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02 Feb 2010
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Translational
Regenerative Medicine Forum Sets Stage For Accelerating
Therapies To Patients
The Regenerative Medicine
Foundation has announced the first annual Translational
Regenerative Medicine Forum to be held April 6-8, 2010 at
the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem.The forum
seeks to advance the field of regenerative medicine and
health care innovation through the sharing of scientific
discoveries, clinical and corporate best practices and
business models.
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02 Feb 2010
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New
Form Of Stem Cell Communication Rescues Diseased Neurons
Investigators at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
(Sanford-Burnham, formerly Burnham Institute for Medical
Research), the Karolinska Institutet, Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center (BIDMC), Harvard Medical School and
Université Libre de Bruxelles have demonstrated in mouse
models that transplanted stems cells, when in direct contact
with diseased neurons, send signals through specialized
channels that rescue the neurons from death.
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02 Feb 2010
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Geisinger
Medical Center Becomes Region's Only Bone Marrow Collection
Site
Geisinger Medical Center (GMC) was recently
designated a National Marrow Donation Program (NMDP)
collection site, becoming the only site in the region to
collect bone marrow or blood stem cells from willing donors.
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02 Feb 2010
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Novel
Theory For Mammalian Stem Cell Regulation Proposed By
Linheng Li
Linheng Li, Ph.D., Investigator, together
with Hans Clevers, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Hubrecht
Institute in Utrecht, Netherlands, co-authored a prospective
review published by the journal Science that proposes a
model of mammalian adult stem cell regulation that may
explain how the coexistence of two disparate stem cell
states regulates both stem cell maintenance and
simultaneously supports rapid tissue regeneration.
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01 Feb 2010
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3-Year
Mission To Understand And Treat Neurodegenerative Disease
Project A.L.S. (New York, NY) and the Robert Packard Center
for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD)
announced that they will partner on P2 ALS, a $15 million
initiative designed to advance ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease)
research exponentially over the next three years.
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01 Feb 2010
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Leukaemia
Patients: Long-Term Outcome And Survival After Undergoing
Stem-Cell Or Marrow Transplant
The largest randomised
study comparing the effect of type of transplant on survival
is published Online First in The Lancet Oncology. It reports
that patients transplanted with peripheral blood stem cells
(PBSC) have no difference in survival compared with patients
given bone marrow after ten years.
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01 Feb 2010
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MS
Society Calls On Stem Cell Researchers For Grant
Applications
The MS Society has called for
researchers and scientists to come forward with research
projects investigating the potential benefit of stem cells
in multiple sclerosis (MS). A new partnership between the MS
Society and the UK Stem Cell Foundation has levered
£1million to be specifically ring-fenced for translational,
pre-clinical and clinical trials.
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31 Jan 2010
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Making
Complex Science Understandable And Entertaining
The
University of Utah Genetic Science Learning Center Web sites
that have brought millions of viewers fascinating animations
of the size and scale of cells, drug-addicted mice, and
other captivating lessons in genetics, have been honored by
the journal Science with the first Science Prize for Online
Resources in Education (SPORE) Award.
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30 Jan 2010
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Stem
Cell Breakthrough: Bone Marrow Cells Are The Answer
Using cells from mice, scientists from Iowa and Iran have
discovered a new strategy for making embryonic stem cell
transplants less likely to be rejected by a recipient's
immune system. This strategy, described in a new research
report appearing in the February 2010 print issue of The
FASEB Journal, involves fusing bone marrow cells to
embryonic stem cells.
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29 Jan 2010
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$3.75
Million Grant Advances Tissue Engineering Partnership
An award from the National Institute of Arthritis and
Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) will aid a
partnership between the University of Cincinnati (UC) and
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in finding new
ways to use adult stem cells to speed repair of
musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries.
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29 Jan 2010
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Disarming
Specialized Stem Cells Might Combat Deadly Ovarian Cancer
Eliminating cancer stem cells (CSCs) within a tumor could
hold the key to successful treatments for ovarian cancer,
which has been notoriously difficult to detect and treat,
according to new findings published this week in the journal
Oncogene by Yale School of Medicine researchers.
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29 Jan 2010
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Mouse
Skin Cells Turned Directly Into Neurons, Skipping IPS Stage
Even Superman needed to retire to a phone booth for a quick
change. But now scientists at the Stanford University School
of Medicine have succeeded in the ultimate switch:
transforming mouse skin cells in a laboratory dish directly
into functional nerve cells with the application of just
three genes.
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28 Jan 2010
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Fat
Tissue May Be A Source Of Valuable Blood Stem Cells, Study
Says
Bone marrow is a leading source of adult stem
cells, which are increasingly used for research and
therapeutic interventions, but extracting the cells is an
arduous and often painful process. Now, researchers have
found evidence that fat tissue, known as adipose tissue, may
be a promising new source of valuable and easy-to-obtain
regenerative cells called hematopoietic stem and progenitor
cells (HSPCs), according to a study prepublished online in
Blood, the official journal of the American Society of
Hematology.
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28 Jan 2010
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Blood
Will Tell Old Stem Cells How To Act Young
As you age,
your blood ages. Deep in your bone marrow, blood stem cells
keep churning out your blood cells, but the mix of blood
cell types goes awry, making you more prone to disease.
Joslin Diabetes Center scientists now have demonstrated that
in old mice exposed to certain proteins that are present in
blood from young mice, old blood stem cells begin to act
like young ones-and this process is driven by signals from
another type of cell nearby in the bone.
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28 Jan 2010
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2010
Louis-Jeantet Prize For Medicine
The 2010 Louis-Jeantet
Prize For Medicine is awarded to the French cardiologist
Michel Haissaguerre, professor of cardiology at the
University Victor-Segalen Bordeaux 2 and head of the
Department of Cardiac Arrhythmias of the University Hospital
of Bordeaux, and to the British biologist Austin Smith,
Medical Research Council professor at the Department of
Biochemistry and director of the Welcome Trust Centre for
Stem Cell Research at Cambridge University .
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28 Jan 2010
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Diabetes
Research: New Way To Grow Embryonic Stem Cells Holds Promise
Of Dramatic Reduction In Animal Use
A new method of
priming early embryos to form embryonic stem (ES) cells has
allowed ES cells to be derived from mice used in diabetes
research for the first time.This could dramatically reduce
the number of animals used to study the genetic basis of
type 1 diabetes and has the potential to do the same for
mouse models of other diseases too.
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28 Jan 2010
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March
Of Dimes Awards $250,000 Prize To Scientist Who Discovered
How To Reprogram Human Cells
The scientist who
reprogrammed adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells has
been chosen to receive the 2010 March of Dimes Prize in
Developmental Biology.Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD.of the
Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, San
Francisco, and Kyoto University, Japan, will be honored with
the 2010 March of Dimes Prize for his pioneering work that
has fundamentally altered the field of developmental biology
and will aid research into the prevention of birth defects.
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28 Jan 2010
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T.
Denny Sanford Donates $50 Million To Burnham Institute For
Medical Research
Burnham Institute for Medical
Research (Burnham) has announced that philanthropist T.
Denny Sanford has pledged $50 million to support and further
expand and accelerate the Institute's leading-edge medical
research.
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28 Jan 2010
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Production
Of Stem Cells For Clinical Trials Funded By Federal Grant
The long struggle to move the most versatile stem cells from
the laboratory to the clinic got another boost with an $8.8
million contract award to the Waisman Clinical
Biomanufacturing Facility at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison.
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28 Jan 2010
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Therapeutic
Potential Of Adult Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem
Cells In Prostate Cancer Bone Metastasis
UroToday.com
- In the December 1, 2009 issue of Clinical Cancer Research,
Dr. Diptiman Chandra and colleagues from the University of
Alabama report on the use of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal
stem cells to inhibit prostate cancer (CaP) metastasis in
bone.
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28 Jan 2010
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Osiris
Completes Enrollment In Stem Cell Trial For Type 1 Diabetes
Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OSIR) today announced that
it has achieved a $750,000 milestone payment from the
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) for completing
enrollment in a Phase II clinical trial evaluating Prochymal,
an adult mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy, as a treatment
for patients recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.
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26 Jan 2010
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NIGMS
Awards Contract To Expand Human Genetic Cell Repository
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
has awarded a $27 million, five-year contract to the Coriell
Institute for Medical Research in Camden, N.J., to continue
and expand operation of the NIGMS Human Genetic Cell
Repository (HGCR).
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26 Jan 2010
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Neuralstem
Announces First Patient Treated In ALS Stem Cell Trial
Neuralstem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: CUR) announced that the first
ALS patient was treated with its spinal cord stem cells
yesterday at the Emory ALS Center at Emory University, in
Atlanta, GA. A total of up to 18 patients is planned to be
treated in this first U.
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23 Jan 2010
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Differentiated
Cells Reprogrammed Into Pluripotent Stem Cells
In the
new issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, Singapore
scientists report the surprising discovery that a novel
transcription factor, Nr5a2, can replace one of the
classical reprogramming factors, Oct 4, to significantly
increase the efficiency of reprogramming differentiated stem
cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).
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23 Jan 2010
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Creating
Blood Vessel Cells From Stem Cells
New York Stem Cell
Foundation (NYSCF)-Druckenmiller Fellow, Daylon James, PhD,
of Weill Cornell Medial College, is lead author on a study
defining conditions for generating a plentiful supply of
endothelial (vessel lining) cells that are suitable for
therapeutic use.
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22 Jan 2010
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Study
Lays Groundwork For New Treatments For Cardiovascular
Disease And Other Conditions
In a significant step
toward restoring healthy blood circulation to treat a
variety of diseases, a team of scientists at Weill Cornell
Medical College has developed a new technique and described
a novel mechanism for turning human embryonic and
pluripotent stem cells into plentiful, functional
endothelial cells, which are critical to the formation of
blood vessels.
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22 Jan 2010
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Regulatory
Network Balances Stem Cell Maintenance, Differentiation
While much of the promise of stem cells springs from their
ability to develop into any cell type in the body, the
biological workings that control that maturation process are
still largely unknown.
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12 Jan 2010
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Delivering
Stem Cells Improves Major Bone Repair In Rats
A study
published this week reinforces the potential value of stem
cells in repairing major injuries involving the loss of bone
structure.The study shows that delivering stem cells on a
polymer scaffold to treat large areas of missing bone leads
to improved bone formation and better mechanical properties
compared to treatment with the scaffold alone.
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12 Jan 2010
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Biologists
Develop Efficient Genetic Modification Of Human Embryonic
Stem Cells
Biologists have developed an efficient way
to genetically modify human embryonic stem cells. Their
approach, which uses bacterial artificial chromosomes to
swap in defective copies of genes, will make possible the
rapid development of stem cell lines that can both serve as
models for human genetic diseases and as testbeds on which
to screen potential treatments, they say.
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10 Jan 2010
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Blocking
Inflammation Receptor Kills Breast Cancer Stem Cells
Scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive
Cancer Center have uncovered an important link between
inflammation and breast cancer stem cells that suggests a
new way to target cells that are resistant to current
treatments.
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06 Jan 2010
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Cold
Spring Harbor Protocols Features Analysis Of Microbes,
Immune Response
Metagenomics, the study of DNA
isolated from samples of naturally occurring microbial
populations, is rapidly growing. Improvements to cloning and
sequencing techniques are allowing researchers to study
microorganisms in environmental samples, and new knowledge
of species interactions and community dynamics is emerging.
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06 Jan 2010
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In
Response To Muscle Injury, MyoD Helps Stem Cells Proliferate
The master regulator of muscle differentiation, MyoD,
functions early in myogenesis to help stem cells proliferate
in response to muscle injury, according to researchers at
Case Western Reserve University.
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05 Jan 2010
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Targeting
The Protein CXCR1 Depletes Breast Cancer-Initiating Cells
Recent data suggest that many types of cancer, including
breast cancer, are initiated and maintained by a rare
population of cells within the tumor known as cancer stem
cells. These cells are thought also to contribute to tumor
spread (metastasis) and recurrence after treatment, meaning
that many researchers are seeking to develop approaches to
target them.
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05 Jan 2010
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Blocking
Inflammation Receptor Kills Breast Cancer Stem Cells
Scientists at the University of Michigan Comprehensive
Cancer Center have uncovered an important link between
inflammation and breast cancer stem cells that suggests a
new way to target cells that are resistant to current
treatments.
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05 Jan 2010
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Scripps
Research Team Develops Technique To Determine Ethnic Origin
Of Stem Cell Lines
An international team of
scientists led by researchers at The Scripps Research
Institute has developed a straightforward technique to
determine the ethnic origin of stem cells. The Scripps
Research scientists initiated the study-published in the
January 2010 edition of the prestigious journal Nature
Methods-because the availability of genetically diverse cell
lines for cell replacement therapy and drug development
could have important medical consequences.
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03 Jan 2010
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Umbilical
Cord Could Be New Source Of Plentiful Stem Cells, Say Pitt
Researchers
Stem cells that could one day provide
therapeutic options for muscle and bone disorders can be
easily harvested from the tissue of the umbilical cord, just
as the blood that goes through it provides precursor cells
to treat some blood disorders, said University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine researchers in the online version of the
Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology.
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18 Dec 2009
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Lack
Of Diversity In Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Revealed By U-M
Study
The most widely used human embryonic stem cell
lines lack genetic diversity, a finding that raises social
justice questions that must be addressed to ensure that all
sectors of society benefit from stem cell advances,
according to a University of Michigan research team.
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18 Dec 2009
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Stem-Cell
Activators Switch Function, Repress Mature Cells
In a
developing animal, stem cells proliferate and differentiate
to form the organs needed for life. A new study shows how a
crucial step in this process happens and how a reversal of
that step contributes to cancer.
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18 Dec 2009
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Opinion
Pieces Examine Issues Related To Breast Cancer Screening
Two recent opinion pieces examined issues related to
preventive screenings for breast cancer. Summaries appear
below.~ John Allen Paulos, New York Times Magazine:
President Obama "promised to restore science to its
'rightful place,'" and that "has partly occurred, as
evidenced by this month's release of 13 new human embryonic
stem-cell lines," Paulos, a professor of mathematics at
Temple University, writes in a Times Magazine opinion piece.
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16 Dec 2009
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Cardio3
BioSciences Completes Patient Enrolment In First Stage Of
Pivotal Trial Of C-Cure(R) In Heart Failure
Cardio3
BioSciences, a leading Belgian biotechnology company
specialising in cell-based therapies for the treatment of
cardiovascular diseases, announced that it has completed,
two months ahead of schedule, enrolment in the first stage
of its pivotal Phase II/III trial of C-Cure, a unique stem
cell therapy for heart failure.
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16 Dec 2009
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New
Ethical Questions Are Being Raised In Stem Cell Research
A groundbreaking discovery two years ago that turned
ordinary skin cells back into an embryonic or "pluripotent"
state was hailed as the solution to the controversial
ethical question that has plagued stem-cell science for the
past decade.
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12 Dec 2009
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Hebrew
University, American Researchers Show Genetic 'trigger' To
Stem Cell Differentiation
A gene which is essential
for stem cells' capabilities to become any cell type has
been identified by researchers at the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem and the University of California, San Francisco.
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11 Dec 2009
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Successful
Stem Cell Therapy For Treatment Of Eye Disease
Newly
published research, by investigators, at the North East
England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) in the journal STEM
CELLS reported the first successful treatment of eight
patients with "Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency" (LSCD) using the
patients' own stem cells without the need of suppressing
their immunity.
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11 Dec 2009
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Newly
Discovered Mechanism Allows Cells To Change State
Cells are not static. They can transform themselves over
time - but change can have dangerous implications. Benign
cells, for example, can suddenly change into cancerous
ones.That's one reason why scientists are trying to figure
out why and how cells can shed their old identity and take
on a new one.
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11 Dec 2009
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New
Skin Stem Cells Surprisingly Similar To Those Found In
Embryos
Scientists have discovered a new type of stem
cell in the skin that acts surprisingly like certain stem
cells found in embryos: both can generate fat, bone,
cartilage, and even nerve cells. These newly-described
dermal stem cells may one day prove useful for treating
neurological disorders and persistent wounds, such as
diabetic ulcers, says Freda Miller, an HHMI international
research scholar.
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11 Dec 2009
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Early
Defects In Intracellular Physical Transport System May Be
Driving Force Behind Severe Neuronal Dysfunction
Stem
cell derived neurons may allow scientists to determine
whether breakdowns in the transport of proteins, lipids and
other materials within cells trigger the neuronal death and
neurodegeneration that characterize Alzheimer's disease (AD)
and the rarer but always fatal neurological disorder,
Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC), according to a presentation that
Lawrence B.
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11 Dec 2009
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StemCells,
Inc. Welcomes Approval Of First Embryonic Stem Cell Lines
Under New NIH Guidelines
StemCells, Inc. (NASDAQ:
STEM) announced that it welcomes the approval yesterday by
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the first 13
human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines for use in NIH-funded
research under the NIH Guidelines for Human Stem Cell
Research adopted in July 2009.
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10 Dec 2009
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First
Ever Clinical Study Shows Dental Stem Cells Regrow Bone
In a statement today, StemSave(TM), Inc., the market leader
in the field of stem cell recovery and cryo-preservation
lauds research published in the November issue of the
European Cells and Materials Journal citing the
reconstruction of the human mandible bone with autologous
dental pulp stem cells.
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10 Dec 2009
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Nerve-Cell
Transplants Help Brain-Damaged Rats Fully Recover Lost
Ability To Learn
Nerve cells transplanted into
brain-damaged rats helped them to fully recover their
ability to learn and remember, probably by promoting
nurturing, protective growth factors, according to a new
study.
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10 Dec 2009
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"Mini"
Transplant May Reverse Severe Sickle Cell Disease
Results of a preliminary study by scientists at the National
Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins show that "mini" stem
cell transplantation may safely reverse severe sickle cell
disease in adults.
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10 Dec 2009
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Stem
Cell Based Treatment For Spinal Muscular Atrophy Receives
Orphan Drug Designation
California Stem Cell, Inc.
(CSC) and Families of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (FSMA)
announced that the FDA has granted orphan drug designation
to MOTORGRAFT™, a stem cell-derived motor neuron product,
for the treatment of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
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10 Dec 2009
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Autologous
Stem Cell Transplantation For Soft Tissue Sarcoma:
Insufficient Research Into Therapy
Due to a lack of
suitable studies, it is unclear whether patients with soft
tissue sarcoma can benefit from autologous haematopoietic
stem cell transplantation. With this type of therapy, some
of the patient's own (autologous) stem cells are removed at
a convenient time and generally re-implanted after a course
of high-dose chemotherapy.
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10 Dec 2009
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Supportive
Materials Will Help Regenerate Heart Tissue
Bioengineers from University of California, San Diego are
developing new regenerative therapies for heart disease that
could influence the way in which regenerative therapies for
cardiovascular and other diseases are treated in the future.
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10 Dec 2009
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Cedars-Sinai
Regenerative Medicine Institute To Supply Stem Cells To
Scientists Developing Treatments For Huntington's Disease
The Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute is to
provide stem cells to a five-member National Institutes of
Health consortium of researchers for development of
potential therapies to treat Huntington's disease.
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08 Dec 2009
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Alaska
'Personhood' Initiative Would Create 'Legal Quagmire,'
Editorial Says
A proposed ballot initiative in Alaska
would unleash a "legal quagmire" if it were to succeed at
its goal of granting constitutional rights beginning at
conception, according to an Anchorage Daily News editorial.
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08 Dec 2009
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Defibrotide
Improves Complete Response Rate In Patients With Severe Veno
Occlusive Disease Of The Liver
Defibrotide, a novel
drug which modulates the response of blood vessels to
injury, was markedly more effective than standard treatment
in post-stem cell transplant patients with hepatic
veno-occlusive disease, a life threatening toxicity of
transplant caused by blockages in tiny blood vessels of the
liver, according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute scientists.
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08 Dec 2009
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Study
On Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cell Mobilization
Presented At American Society Of Hematology Annual Meeting
On December 5, 2009
NeoStem, Inc. (NYSE Amex: NBS),
which is pioneering the pre-disease collection, processing
and long-term storage of adult stem cells for future medical
need and holds the exclusive, worldwide license to VSEL(TM)
technology that uses very small embryonic-like stem cells
isolated from peripheral blood, announced that an abstract
authored by NeoStem-affiliated scientists was presented in a
poster presentation at the prestigious American Society of
Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in New Orleans on December
5, 2009.
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08 Dec 2009
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Bortezomib
Shows Promise In Reducing GVHD And Reconstituting Immune
System In Some Patients
A drug that has become a
mainstay of multiple myeloma treatment may outperform
alternative therapies in re-establishing the immune system
of patients who have received stem cell transplants from
unrelated, partially matched donors, according to early
clinical trial results to be presented by Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute investigators at the American Society of
Hematology's (ASH) annual meeting on Sunday, Dec.
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07 Dec 2009
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Stem
Cells Battle For Space
The body is a battle zone.
Cells constantly compete with one another for space and
dominance. Though the manner in which some cells win this
competition is well known to be the survival of the fittest,
how stem cells duke it out for space and survival is not as
clear.
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07 Dec 2009
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High
Response Rate Experienced By Multiple Myeloma Patients
Treated With New 3-Drug Combination
A new three-drug
combination has shown in a phase 1/2 clinical trial that it
is a "highly effective regimen" in the treatment of patients
newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of white
blood cells in bone marrow, say researchers from Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute.
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07 Dec 2009
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Adult
Stem Cells Repair Heart Attack Damage
Adult stem
cells may help repair heart tissue damaged by heart attack
according to the findings of a new study to be published in
the December 8 issue of the Journal of the American College
of Cardiology.
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03 Dec 2009
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Univ.
Of Nebraska Board Of Regents Votes To Maintain Current
Embryonic Stem Cell Policy
The University of Nebraska
Board of Regents last week voted 4-4 not to restrict
embryonic stem cell research policy beyond current federal
and state limits, the New York Times reports. According to
the Times, the tie vote defeats a "rare effort" at a
university system to curtail stem cell research beyond state
and federal law.
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25 Nov 2009
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Umbilical
Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant May Help Lung, Heart
Disorders
Two separate studies published in the
current issue of Cell Transplantation (18:8), - now freely
available on-line at
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct - have
shown that transplanted human-derived umbilical cord blood
(UCB) stem cells transplanted in an animal model had
positive therapeutic effects on specific lung and heart
disorders the animal models.
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25 Nov 2009
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New
Discovery About The Formation Of New Brain Cells
The
generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a
peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells'
maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the
migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue,
reveals new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy published
in the journal Stem Cells.
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25 Nov 2009
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Versatility
Of Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells
For the first time,
scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in
amniotic fluid meet an important test of potential to become
specialized cell types, which suggests they may be useful
for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than
scientists originally thought.
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25 Nov 2009
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New
Discovery About The Formation Of New Brain Cells
The
generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a
peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells'
maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the
migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue,
reveals new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy published
in the journal Stem Cells.
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24 Nov 2009
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The
Indefinite Self Renewal Of Specialized Cells Without The
Need For Stem Cell Intermediates
Is the indefinite
expansion of adult cells possible without recourse to stem
cell intermediates? The team led by Michael Sieweke at the
Centre d'immunologie de Marseille Luminy (Université
Aix-Marseille 2 / CNRS / INSERM) has proved that this is the
case by achieving the ex vivo regeneration for several
months of macrophages, specialized cells in the immune
system.
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17 Nov 2009
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For
MRI Tracking Of Stem Cells, $1M In Stimulus Funds Awarded To
Rice, Texas Heart Institute
The National Institutes
of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at Rice University
and the Texas Heart® Institute (THI) a $1 million Challenge
Grant to refine cell-tracking nanotube technology that could
make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) up to 40 times more
sensitive than existing MRIs and help guide adult stem cells
within the human body to repair damaged hearts.
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12 Nov 2009
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A
Step Forward In Cell Reprogramming
There are
increasingly more research groups that try to discover the
mechanisms of cell differentiation in order to reprogramme
differentiated cells. On this occasion, investigators from
the CRG have described a process of cell reprogramming which
results in morphologically and functionally distinct cells
with a 100% efficiency rate.
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07 Nov 2009
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$11
Million NIH Grant For Stem Cell Research Awarded To Rhode
Island Hospital
Rhode Island Hospital has received an
$11 million grant to fund research that will lead to a
general understanding of stem cell biology and identify
unique approaches to tissue regeneration in lung and marrow
diseases.
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07 Nov 2009
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Advanced
Leukemia Successfully Treated With First Use Of Antibody And
Stem Cell Transplantation
For the first time,
researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have
reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver
targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell
transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and
pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no
other curative treatment options.
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07 Nov 2009
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Lung
Tissue Generated From Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists in Belgium have successfully differentiated human
embryonic stem cells (hESC) into major cell types of lung
epithelial tissue using a convenient air-liquid interface.
The technique, published in BioMed Central's open access
journal Respiratory Research, could provide an alternative
to lung transplants for patients with lung injury due to
chronic pulmonary disease and inherited genetic diseases
such as cystic fibrosis.
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04 Nov 2009
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Gladstone
And Stanford In Collaboration To Develop IPS Cells For
Cardiac Therapies
Scientists at the Gladstone
Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and Stanford
University School of Medicine will collaborate in a new
consortium funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute (NHLBI) to develop stem cell and regenerative
medicine therapies.
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04 Nov 2009
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Stem
Cell Therapy May Offer Hope For Acute Lung Injury
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College
of Medicine have shown that adult stem cells from bone
marrow can prevent acute lung injury in a mouse model of the
disease.Their results are reported online in the October
issue of the journal Stem Cells.
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29 Oct 2009
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Embryonic
Stem Cells Transformed Into Human Germ Cells
Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of
Health have discovered how to transform human embryonic stem
cells into germ cells, the embryonic cells that ultimately
give rise to sperm and eggs.
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29 Oct 2009
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News
From Plastic Surgery 2009
Plastic Surgery 2009
keeping you up-to-date on embargoed studies and other news
presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of
Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) held October 23-27 in Seattle.
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26 Oct 2009
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US
Doctor Heads To Brazil To Speak On Orthopedic Stem Cell
Therapy
Joseph Purita M.D., a well known Orthopedic
Surgeon from Florida has announced that plans are being made
with the Orthopedic Academies in Sao Paulo Brazil to present
his latest findings on the use of stem cells and plasma rich
platelet therapy in the treatment of certain bone and joint
problems.
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24 Oct 2009
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Growing
Cartilage From Stem Cells
Damaged knee joints might
one day be repaired with cartilage grown from stem cells in
a laboratory, based on research by Professor Kyriacos
Athanasiou, chair of the UC Davis Department of Biomedical
Engineering and his colleagues.
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22 Oct 2009
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$3.7
Million NIH Grant Will Fund Study On Stem Cells Derived From
ALS Patients
Johns Hopkins scientists have been
awarded a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of
Health (NIH) to learn more about the nerve and
muscle-wasting disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
using stem cells developed from ALS patients' skin.
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22 Oct 2009
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Developing
Heart Cells For Study And Treatment Of Cardiovascular
Disease
The Medical College of Wisconsin has been
awarded a five-year, $8 million, multi-investigator Program
Project Grant (PPG) from the National Institutes of Health
to understand how human pluripotent stem cells, defined as
cells which if left to their own designs can develop into
any of the more than 200 cell types in the human body, can
be channeled to exclusively become heart muscle cells.
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22 Oct 2009
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MSU
Becoming Center Of Excellence For Parkinson's Research
A team of researchers from Michigan State University and the
University of Cincinnati have been awarded a $6.2 million
Morris K. Udall Center of Excellence for Parkinson's disease
grant.The grant, from the National Institute for
Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes
of Health, makes MSU's College of Human Medicine a major
player in research of the degenerative disease.
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17 Oct 2009
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Fox
Chase Researchers Uncover Process That Determines The Fate
Of White Blood Cells
Like an unusually forceful
career counselor, the Id3 protein decides the fate of a
given white blood cell precursor, according to researchers
at Fox Chase Cancer Center. Their findings, published in the
journal Immunity, describe how Id3 directs blood cell
progenitors to become gamma-delta T cells.
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17 Oct 2009
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Penn
Study Finds Loss Of Tumor-Suppressor And DNA-Maintenance
Proteins Causes Tissue Demise
A study published in
the October issue of Nature Genetics demonstrates that loss
of the tumor-suppressor protein p53, coupled with
elimination of the DNA-maintenance protein ATR, severely
disrupts tissue maintenance in mice.
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17 Oct 2009
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Gladstone
And Partners Receive $3.7 Million For Huntington's Disease
Research
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has
awarded a "Grand Opportunity" grant of $3.7 million to a
consortium formed with the Gladstone Institute of
Neurological Disease (GIND) and the Taube-Koret Center for
Huntington's Disease Research to use stem cell technology to
better understand Huntington's disease (HD) and to develop
potential therapies.
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15 Oct 2009
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How
Stem Cells Yield Functional Regions In 'Gray Matter'
The cerebral cortex, the largest and most complex component
of the brain, is unique to mammals and alone has evolved
human specializations. Although at first all stem cells in
charge of building the cerebral cortex - the outermost layer
of neurons commonly referred to as gray matter - are created
equal, soon they irrevocably commit to forming specific
cortical regions.
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14 Oct 2009
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Bioengineered
Stem Cells May Offer New Hope For Pancreatic Cancer Patients
Research scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston, have developed a novel bioengineered treatment that
has shown promise in targeting pancreatic cancer without
causing damage to healthy noncancer cells, a typical problem
of chemotherapy.
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14 Oct 2009
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New
Legislation Would Codify NIH Guidelines On Stem Cell
Research, Funding, Washington Post Editorial Says
An
upcoming bill -- the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of
2009, by Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) -- would codify
President Obama's executive order "permitting federal
funding of such research within guidelines established by
the NIH and would require that they be reviewed
periodically," a Washington Post editorial states.
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14 Oct 2009
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NHLBI
Supports Consortium Exploring Stem-Cell-based Tools And
Treatments
Two teams led by Massachusetts General
Hospital (MGH) researchers, also members of the Harvard Stem
Cell Institute (HSCI), are among 18 groups receiving
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) grants for
the development of stem-cell based tools and treatments to
understand and treat cardiovascular and blood disorders.
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10 Oct 2009
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Stem
Cell Research At Einstein Recognized By Governor
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
hosted a roundtable discussion on stem cell research with
New York Governor David A. Paterson. Allen M. Spiegel, M.D.,
the Marilyn and Stanley M.
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10 Oct 2009
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Symposium
On Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Oct. 14 -15
With advancements in the field of stem cell research
accelerating, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
(NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will hold
its third Symposium on Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine
to review the latest findings in the field and examine
future directions.
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09 Oct 2009
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$16.7
Million Awarded To Hutchinson Center Scientists For Stem
Cell Research
The National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute has awarded a total of $16.7 million to Irwin
Bernstein, M.D., and Beverly Torok-Storb, Ph.D., both
members of the Clinical Research Division at Fred Hutchinson
Cancer Research Center.
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09 Oct 2009
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Strategy
For Mismatched Stem Cell Transplants Triggers Protection
Against Graft-vs.-Host Disease
A new technique being
tested in stem-cell transplants from imperfectly matched
donors has revealed a striking, unforeseen response that can
suppress graft-versus-host disease, a common and dangerous
complication of mismatched transplants, report scientists
from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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09 Oct 2009
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STEMCELL
Technologies Inc. Introduces MethoCult(R) Express For Cord
Blood Banks And Transplant Centers
STEMCELL
Technologies Inc. (STEMCELL), a Vancouver-based life
sciences company, announces the launch of MethoCult®
Express, an innovative methylcellulose-based medium
specifically formulated to allow enumeration of total
colony-forming cells after only 7 days of culture.
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09 Oct 2009
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Major
Improvements Made In Engineering Heart Repair Patches From
Stem Cells
University of Washington (UW) researchers
have succeeded in engineering human tissue patches free of
some problems that have stymied stem-cell repair for damaged
hearts.The disk-shaped patches can be fabricated in sizes
ranging from less than a millimeter to a half-inch in
diameter.
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08 Oct 2009
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Cancer
Patient Meets Bone Marrow Donor Who Saved Her Life
Rosalind Beard owes her life to a stranger, who volunteered
to be a donor for her life-saving bone marrow transplant. On
Oct. 4, Beard met her donor, Tim Crawford, and gave him a
long hug. Their emotional meeting occurred at Loyola
University Medical Center, where Beard underwent a
successful bone marrow transplant for Hodgkin's lymphoma.
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08 Oct 2009
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Leukemia
Cell Detection Enhanced By High-Sensitivity Bone Marrow
Aspiration Technology
Scientists have created a
viable technology to improve the detection of leukemia cells
in bone marrow.Superconducting Quantum Interference Device
(SQUID) enhanced the ability to rapidly quantify the amount
of nanoparticle bound tumor cells in a sample at least 10
fold, and increased sensitivity of minimal residual disease
measurements.
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08 Oct 2009
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Regulation
Of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Development Shown By MDC
Scientists
During cell division, whether
hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) will develop into new stem
cells (self-renewal) or differentiate into other blood cells
depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation.
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08 Oct 2009
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Tissue
Regeneration Promoted By Enhanced Stem Cells
Results:
MIT engineers have boosted stem cells' ability to regenerate
vascular tissue (such as blood vessels) by equipping them
with genes that produce extra growth factors (naturally
occurring compounds that stimulate tissue growth).
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06 Oct 2009
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Cholesterol
Important For Brain Development, Study
A new study by
an international team of researchers found that cholesterol
is important for the formation of brain cells, and they hope
the findings will help scientists cultivate
dopamine-producing cells outside the body.
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05 Oct 2009
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Umbilical
Cord Blood As A Readily Available Source For Off-The-Shelf,
Patient-Specific Stem Cells
Umbilical cord blood
cells can successfully be reprogrammed to function like
embryonic stem cells, setting the basis for the creation of
a comprehensive bank of tissue-matched, cord blood-derived
induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for off-the-shelf
applications, report researchers at the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies and the Center for Regenerative Medicine
in Barcelona, Spain.
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03 Oct 2009
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Cells
Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells Reverse Retinal
Degeneration
A new study reports that transplanted
pigment-containing visual cells derived from human embryonic
stem cells (hESCs) successfully preserved structure and
function of the specialized light-sensitive lining of the
eye (known as the retina) in an animal model of retinal
degeneration.
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02 Oct 2009
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Platelet
Recovery Treatments To Be Developed Using $16.8 Million
Grant
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of
the National Institutes of Health has awarded a $16.8
million, seven-year grant to launch a bicoastal research
partnership between Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research
Center/University of Washington Cancer Consortium and
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
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02 Oct 2009
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Cardiac
Stem Cell Trial Seeks To Treat Some Heart Attack Patients
Researchers at UCSF Medical Center have begun enrollment for
an early-stage clinical trial to evaluate the safety and
efficacy of an adult stem cell therapy for patients who have
just experienced their first acute myocardial infarction, or
heart attack.
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01 Oct 2009
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UK
Lab Finds New Natural Way To Collect Stem Cells - Through
Teeth
Pioneered by BioEDEN, tooth cell banking is a
safe, natural and wholly non-invasive method of collecting
and preserving precious stem cells which could hold the key
to children's health. BioEDEN, headquartered at Daresbury
Science & Innovation Centre near Warrington, is the world's
first company to collect, assess and cryogenically store
living tooth cells retrieved from children's baby or 'milk'
teeth.
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01 Oct 2009
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Scientists
Discover Clues To What Makes Human Muscle Age
A study
led by researchers at the University of California,
Berkeley, has identified critical biochemical pathways
linked to the aging of human muscle. By manipulating these
pathways, the researchers were able to turn back the clock
on old human muscle, restoring its ability to repair and
rebuild itself.
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01 Oct 2009
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New
England Cord Blood Bank Reports Increased Use Of Banked Stem
Cells
New England Cord Blood Bank, Inc. (NECBB), a
global cord blood processing and storage facility, announced
today that the company has seen a consistent and robust
increase in the cord blood units being used for transplants
within the past few years.
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29 Sept 2009
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ALS
Stem Cell Trial Gets FDA Go Ahead
The US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) said the first clinical trial to
test a new stem cell treatment for the fatal
neurodegenerative disease ALS (amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis) this month (ALS) can go ahead.
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29 Sept 2009
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$1.3
Million In Federal Awards For WPI To Continue Cardiac,
Vascular And Tuberculosis Research
Researchers at
Worcester Polytechnic Institute's (WPI) Life Sciences and
Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park have received a total
of $1.3 million in new awards from the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to
fund ongoing research in several areas of the life sciences,
including a study of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis,
work aimed at using adult stem cells to repair damaged
hearts, and a project that seeks to create engineered blood
vessels.
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26 Sept 2009
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Stem
Cell Applications And Research Highlight NJIT's First
Research Cafe
Stem cell researcher Treena Livingston
Arinzeh will discuss current stem cell applications at NJIT,
including the regeneration of bone and cartilage for bone
fracture and osteoarthritis treatments, spinal cord repair,
and liver regeneration at NJIT's first Research Café.
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26 Sept 2009
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2
Highly Prized NIH Director's Awards Won By Duke Biomedical
Scientists
Two Duke University Medical Center
scientists have won prestigious National Institutes of
Health Director's awards to pursue novel research.Tannishtha
Reya, Ph.D., an associate professor of pharmacology and
cancer biology, has won an NIH Director's Pioneer Award and
Michel Bagnat, Ph.
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25 Sept 2009
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Stem
Cell Panel Headed By Utah Ethicist
University of Utah
medical ethics expert Jeffrey R. Botkin will chair a federal
panel that will review scientists' requests to conduct
government-funded research using embryonic stem cells left
over from couples who used "test-tube fertilization" to have
babies.
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23 Sept 2009
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Stem
Cell Study Raises Hope For Bone Repair Pastes
New
stem cell studies at the University of Maryland Dental
School demonstrate that surgeons could one day routinely use
strong, moldable, and injectable pastes to regenerate needed
bone tissue to repair broken bones, fractures, genetic
defects, even combat bone wounds.
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23 Sept 2009
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Release
Of The Stem Cell Charter
The Canadian Stem Cell
Foundation is proud to announce the release of the Stem Cell
Charter and the world premiere of "Rock Star Scientists."The
work being done each day in stem cell research labs is
critically important to the future of humanity.
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22 Sept 2009
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Stem
Cell Transplantation Successfully Reverses Rare Genetic
Disease In Mouse Model
A recent study by Scripps
Research Institute scientists offers good news for families
of children afflicted with the rare genetic disorder,
cystinosis. In research that holds out hope for one day
developing a potential therapy to treat the fatal disorder,
the study shows that the genetic defect in mice can be
corrected with stem cell transplantation.
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18 Sept 2009
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Liver
Cancer Stem Cells Isolated Prior To Tumor Formation: Penn
State College Of Medicine Research
Penn State College
of Medicine researchers, in collaboration with colleagues at
the University of Southern California, have taken an
important step in understanding the role of stem cells in
development of liver cancer.
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18 Sept 2009
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Memories
Of The Way They Used To Be
A team of researchers from
the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine
and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla
have developed a safe strategy for reprogramming cells to a
pluripotent state without use of viral vectors or genomic
insertions.
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18 Sept 2009
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Indian
Stem Cell Trial To Broaden Diabetic Foot Inclusion Criteria
Fortis Healthcare, one of India's leading private hospital
groups, has announced it will broaden inclusion criteria for
its upcoming diabetic foot clinical trial. The study will
use stem cells derived from peripheral blood to treat
critical limb ischemia (diabetic foot).
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17 Sept 2009
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In Combination Treatment In Mice, Diabetes Drug Kills Cancer
Stem Cells
In a one-two punch, a familiar diabetes
drug reduced tumors faster and prolonged remission in mice
longer than chemotherapy alone, apparently by targeting
cancer stem cells, report Harvard Medical School researchers
in the Sept.
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15 Sept 2009
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Gladstone's Shinya Yamanaka Wins Lasker Award
Shinya
Yamanaka, MD, PhD, of the Gladstone Institute of
Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and Kyoto University, has won
the 2009 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for his
discovery of a method of reprogramming adult skin cells to
become embryonic-like stem cells.
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15 Sept 2009
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2009 Lasker Awards Recognize Promise Of Stem Cells -- Global
Market Could Top $700 Million
The recipients of The
2009 Lasker Awards, represent the dramatic advances achieved
in biotechnology research that have led to a revolutionary
cancer treatment and the tremendous promise of stem cell
therapy for regenerative medicine.
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15 Sept 2009
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Study On PLC Systems' TMR Therapy With Stem Cells Presented
At ESC 2009
PLC Systems Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board:
PLCSF), a company focused on innovative cardiac and vascular
medical device-based technologies, announced that a paper on
a clinical study utilizing its Transmyocardial Laser
Revascularization (TMR) therapy in conjunction with
autologous stem cells was presented at ESC Congress 2009,
the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, in
Barcelona, Spain.
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15 Sept 2009
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New Stem Cell Identification Technology Could Cure Breast
Cancer
GENova Biotherapeutics, Inc., ("GENova"),
released important information about its innovative method
for destroying breast cancer cells, using stem cell
technology.GENova's approach is based on cutting-edge
technology that enables us to identify the protein
expression in the original cancer stem cells that give rise
to tumors.
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12 Sept 2009
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Lung
Cancer Oncogene Holds Key To Turning Off Cancer Stem Cells
Scientists at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found
that the lung cancer oncogene PKCiota is necessary for the
proliferation of lung cancer stem cells. These stem cells
are rare and powerful master cells that manufacture the
other cells that make up lung tumors and are resistant to
chemotherapy treatment.
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09 Sept 2009
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Making
Stem Cells From Liposuction Leftovers Is Easier Say
Researchers
Writing in a new study, US researchers
said it was easier and just as safe to make stem cells from
fat cells freshly isolated from patients, for instance from
cells present in liposuction "leftovers", than it was to
make them from skin cells as other studies have done
recently.
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09 Sept 2009
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GeneX(R)
Used In Pioneering Stem Cell Research
Professor James
B. Richardson of the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic
Hospital, Oswestry, UK has been carrying out pioneering work
combining geneX with selected and culture expanded
Mesenchymal stem cells to treat fracture non-unions.
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08 Sept 2009
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Induced
Pluripotent Stem Cells Easily Converted From Liposuction
Leftovers: Stanford Study
Globs of human fat removed
during liposuction conceal versatile cells that are more
quickly and easily coaxed to become induced pluripotent stem
cells, or iPS cells, than are the skin cells most often used
by researchers, according to a new study from Stanford's
School of Medicine.
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08 Sept 2009
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Survival
Prolonged In Mouse Model Of Rare Brain Disease By
Transplanted Human Stem Cells
A new study finds
substantial improvement in a mouse model of a rare,
hereditary neurodegenerative disease after transplantation
of normal human neural stem cells. The research findings,
published by Cell Press in the September 4th issue of the
journal Cell Stem Cell, show that the transplanted cells
provided a critical enzyme that was missing in the brains of
the experimental mice and represent an important step toward
what may be a successful therapeutic approach for a
currently untreatable and devastating disease.
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05 Sept 2009
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Brain
Tissue In Traumatic Injuries Regenerated By Clemson
University Researcher
An injectable biomaterial gel
may help brain tissue grow at the site of a traumatic brain
injury, according to findings by a Clemson University
bioengineer.Research by assistant professor of
bioengineering Ning Zhang shows that the biomaterial gel
made up of both synthetic and natural sources has the
potential to spur the growth of a patient's own neural stem
cells in the body, structurally repairing the brain injury
site.
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03 Sept 2009
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Study
Results Promise Faster Recovery From Life-Threatening Blood
Cell Shortages
A key compound resupplies bone marrow
with fast-acting stem cells that can more quickly rekindle
blood cell production, according to a study published online
today in the journal Blood. While the study was in mice, in
the study authors say it has the potential to increase
survival among patients with life-threatening blood cell
shortages.
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03 Sept 2009
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USC
Researchers Receive $2.9 Million In Stem Cell Research
Funding
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of
the University of Southern California (USC) have been
awarded $2.9 million in grants from the California Institute
for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support research into
stem cell discoveries that lay the foundation for future
therapies.
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28 Aug 2009
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Protein
Delivery Improves Liver Stem Cell Engraftment
Researchers at INSERM (France) have engineered a chimeric
protein that increases cell survival, migration and
proliferation to improve stem cell engraftment. The results,
which appear in the September 2009 issue of Experimental
Biology and Medicine, show that TAT-Tpr-Met, a cell
permeable form of the hepatocyte growth factor receptor can
increase the number of hepatic stem cells integrated into
the liver of the mouse.
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25 Aug 2009
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Team
Grows Retina Cells From Skin-derived Stem Cells
A
team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison
School of Medicine and Public Health has successfully grown
multiple types of retina cells from two types of stem cells
suggesting a future in which damaged retinas could be
repaired by cells grown from the patient's own skin.
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25 Aug 2009
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Study
Finds Promise In Combined Transplant/Vaccine Therapy For
High-risk Leukemia
Two of the most powerful
approaches to cancer treatment -- a stem cell transplant and
an immune system-stimulating vaccine -- appear to reinforce
each other in patients with an aggressive, hard-to-control
form of leukemia, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists
have found.
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25 Aug 2009
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'Glow
In The Dark' Red Blood Cells Made From Human Stem Cells,
Australia
Victorian stem cell scientists from Monash
University have modified a human embryonic stem cell (hESC)
line to glow red when the stem cells become red blood cells.
The modified hESC line, ErythRED, represents a major step
forward to the eventual aim of generating mature, fully
functional red blood cells from human embryonic stem cells.
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25 Aug 2009
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Stemedica
Requests Pre-IND Meeting With FDA
Stemedica Cell
Technologies, Inc. USA, a leader in adult stem cell research
and manufacturing, has requested a pre-Investigational New
Drug (IND) meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration ("FDA") to discuss a proposed IND to use
Stemedica's proprietary line of allogeneic mesenchymal bone
marrow cells (adult human) as a treatment for ischemic
stroke.
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22 Aug 2009
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Insight
Into How Stems Cells Develop Into Other Types Of Cells
Scientists have uncovered a vital link in the chain of
events that gives stem cells their remarkable
properties.Researchers from the Wellcome Trust Centre for
Stem Cell Research at the University of Cambridge have
pinpointed the final step in a complex process that gives
embryonic stem cells their unique ability to develop into
any of the different types of cells in the body (from liver
cells to skin cells).
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22 Aug 2009
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Housekeeping
Gene Study Impacts Lesch Nyhan & Parkinson's
A study
from the Center for Molecular Genetics at the University of
California, San Diego School of Medicine shows that a gene
called HPRT plays an important role in setting the program
by which primitive or precursor cells decide to become
normal nerve cells in the human brain.
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21 Aug 2009
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Bio-Matrix
Scientific's Research Subsidiary, Entest BioMedical, Inc.,
Files Stem Cell Therapy Patent Application For Treatment Of
COPD
Bio-Matrix Scientific Group, Inc. (OTCBB: BMSN)
announced its majority owned subsidiary, Entest BioMedical
unit (OTCBB: ENTB), has filed a patent application for the
use of adipose derived stem cells in the treatment of
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
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21 Aug 2009
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Gentium
Reports Top Line Results From The Phase III Treatment Trial
Of Defibrotide For Severe Veno-Occlusive Disease
Gentium S.p.A. (NASDAQ: GENT) announced top-line results
from a historically controlled, multicenter, open label,
Phase III trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy
of 25 mg/kg/day of Defibrotide for the treatment of severe
veno-occlusive disease (sVOD) in hematopoietic stem cell
transplant (SCT) patients.
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21 Aug 2009
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Viability
Of Bone Marrow Stem Cells With Unique MRI Tracking Methods
Shown By TAU Researcher
There is no known cure for
neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's, Alzheimer's
and Parkinson's. But new hope, in the form of stem cells
created from the patient's own bone marrow, can be found -
and literally seen - in laboratories at Tel Aviv University.
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21 Aug 2009
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Safety
Phase Of Novel UM Stem Cell Trial Completed
Physicians at the University of Miami Miller School of
Medicine's Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute have
successfully completed the first safety phase of a novel
trial using stem cell injections into the heart muscle for
patients who have had a prior heart attack.
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20 Aug 2009
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Anti-T-Cell
Globulin Reduces Incidence Of Acute And Chronic
Graft-Versus-Host Disease In Transplant Patients
Giving patients undergoing blood stem cell transplantation
from an unrelated donor, standard graft-versus-host-disease
(GVHD) prophylaxis in combination with anti-T-cell globulin
(ATG), prevents both acute and chronic GVHD compared with
standard treatment alone, without compromising survival or
increasing relapse, notes an Article published Online First
and in the September edition of The Lancet Oncology.
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19 Aug 2009
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NIH
Director Collins Says Religion Will Not Influence Agenda
NIH Director Francis Collins on Monday said that his
evangelical Christian faith will not undercut his decisions
on medical science and research, the AP/Washington Post
reports. In an interview with the Associated Press on his
first day at work, Collins said, "The NIH director needs to
focus on science," adding, "I have no religious agenda for
the NIH.
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19 Aug 2009
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The
Control Of Living Cells With Light; Advances Could Enhance
Stem Cells' Power
University of Central Florida
researchers have shown for the first time that light energy
can gently guide and change the orientation of living cells
within lab cultures. That ability to optically steer cells
could be a major step in harnessing the healing power of
stem cells and guiding them to areas of the body that need
help.
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12 Aug 2009
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STAT3
Gene Regulates Cancer Stem Cells In Brain Cancer
In a
study published online in advance of print in Stem Cells,
Tufts researchers report that the STAT3 gene regulates
cancer stem cells in brain cancer. Cancer stem cells have
many characteristics of stem cells and are thought to be the
cells that drive tumor formation.
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11 Aug 2009
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Creation
Of Multiple Types Of White Blood Cells Directly From
Embryonic And Adult Stem Cells
In an advance that
could help transform embryonic stem cells into a
multipurpose medical tool, scientists at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison have transformed these versatile cells
into progenitors of white blood cells and into six types of
mature white blood and immune cells.
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11 Aug 2009
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Tumor
Suppressor Pulls Double Shift As Reprogramming Watchdog
A collaborative study by researchers at the Salk Institute
for Biological Studies uncovered that the tumor suppressor
p53, which made its name as "guardian of the genome", not
only stops cells that could become cancerous in their tracks
but also controls somatic cell reprogramming.
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11 Aug 2009
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Researchers
Make Stem Cells From Developing Sperm
The promise of
stem cell therapy may lie in uncovering how adult cells
revert back into a primordial, stem cell state, whose fate
is yet to be determined. Now, cell scientists at the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine have identified key
molecular players responsible for this reversion in fruit
fly sperm cells.
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07 Aug 2009
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Scientists
Find Cells Responsible For Bladder Cancer's Spread
Johns Hopkins scientists have tracked down a powerful set of
cells in bladder tumors that seem to be primarily
responsible for the cancer's growth and spread using a
technique that takes advantage of similarities between tumor
and organ growth.
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07 Aug 2009
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Data
Published In Cell Stem Cell Demonstrates Potent Anti-Cancer
Activity For OncoMed Pharmaceuticals' Lead Antibody
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage company
developing novel antibody therapeutics that target cancer
stem cells, announced the publication in Cell Stem Cell of
data demonstrating potent anti-cancer activity in colon and
breast cancer models for the company's first product
candidate, OMP-21M18, underlining the therapeutic potential
of targeting cancer stem cells to treat solid tumors.
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07 Aug 2009
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University
Of Miami Researchers Demonstrate How Stem Cell Line
Regenerates New Cardiac Cells
As the field of stem
cell based therapies has progressed, there have been
numerous questions about the exact way one of the most
promising lines of adult stem cells works to repair damaged
heart muscle.
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04 Aug 2009
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Stanford
Scientists Discover Bladder Cancer Stem Cell
Researchers at Stanford's School of Medicine have identified
the first human bladder cancer stem cell and revealed how it
works to escape the body's natural defenses."This is first
time we've found this 'don't eat me signal' in a stem cell
of a solid cancer," said Irving Weissman, MD, the Virginia &
D.
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04 Aug 2009
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Picks
For NIH Head, Surgeon General Side With Obama On
Reproductive Issues, Despite Faith
Francis Collins,
President Obama's pick to head NIH, and Regina Benjamin,
Obama's surgeon general nominee, have spoken publicly about
their religious beliefs but also have expressed views on
issues such as embryonic stem cell research that conflict
with church teachings, USA Today reports.
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04 Aug 2009
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