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Stem Cell Research News
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 Gene
Directs Stem Cells To Build The Heart
Researchers have shown that they can put mouse embryonic stem
cells to work building the heart, potentially moving medical
science a significant step closer to a new generation of heart
disease treatments that use human stem cells. |
03
July 2008 |
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New
Technique Produces Genetically Identical Stem Cells
Adult cells of mice created from genetically reprogrammed cells
- so-called induced pluripotent stem (IPS) stem cells - can be
triggered via drug to enter an embryonic-stem-cell-like state,
without the need for further genetic alteration. |
02
July 2008 |
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Potential
Role Of Stem Cells In The Treatment Of Incontinence And Pelvic
Prolapse
ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - The potential role of stem cells in
the treatment of incontinence and pelvic prolapse has been a
subject of much attention. A group from Torrance, CA reported on
their promising experience using muscle derived stem cells (MDSC)
grown on scaffolds of small intestinal submucosal (SIS) to
stimulate repair of the vaginal wall in rats (Abstract #1369). |
02
July 2008 |
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454
Sequencing At The Forefront Of Bone Marrow And Stem Cell Therapy
Research
The Blood Centre Linz, Austria has purchased a Genome Sequencer
FLX System from Roche, for use in research on rejection
reactions in Bone Marrow and Stem Cell transplantation. Using
conventional Sanger sequencing it can take weeks to analyse
large DNA regions. |
30
June 2008 |
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Stem
Cell Research To Be The Focus Of Town Hall Meeting At UCSB
Top scientists will present the current the state of research on
stem cells at a UC Santa Barbara-sponsored town hall meeting
July 18 from 2-4 p.m. in the Hatlen Theater.The goal of the
meeting, which is free and open to the public, is to raise
public awareness about stem cell research in the Santa Barbara
community. |
30
June 2008 |
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Ronin
An Alternate Control For Embryonic Stem Cells
Like the masterless samurai for whom it is named, the protein
Ronin chooses an independent path, maintaining embryonic stem
cells in their undifferentiated state and playing essential
roles in genesis of embryos and their development, said Baylor
College of Medicine researchers who reported on this novel
cellular regulator in the current issue of the journal Cell. |
28
June 2008 |
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New
Book Debates The Moral Status Of The Human Embryo With Special
Regard To Stem Cell Research And Therapy
Stem cell research and the potential use of human embryonic stem
cells in clinical therapy is a controversial issue which splits
both scientific and public opinion. The current conflict over
embryonic stem cells throughout the world deals particularly
with the ethical implications of this promising, but delicate
subject and the scientific manipulation of human life in its
early stages of development. |
26
June 2008 |
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Adult
Stem Cell Therapy For Erectile Dysfunction
ORLANDO, FL (UroToday.com) - Dr. Tom Lue discussed autologous
stem cell use for ED. He discussed that ability for the
planarian species to regenerate any part of its body, but the
salamander can only regenerate a limb. |
26
June 2008 |
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Mesenchymal
Stem Cells: A Therapeutic Treatment For Severe And Acute
Graft-Versus-Host Disease
A phase II multicenter study performed within the European Group
for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) Mesenchymal Stem
Cell Expansion Consortium, shows that mesenchymal stem cells
provide a therapeutic potential for the treatment of acute
steroid-refractory GvHD (graft-versus-host disease). |
23
June 2008 |
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Neurological
Disorders: A Focus On Cord Blood Stem Cells As A Potential
Treatment Option
Today there are more than 600 known disorders and conditions
that affect the nervous system and for many of them treatment
options are extremely limited. In addition to the physical and
mental toll these conditions take on patients, their families
and caregivers, they also have an enormous economic impact,
resulting in hundreds of billions of dollars annually in medical
expenses and lost productivity. |
23
June 2008 |
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New
Source Of Heart Stem Cells Discovered
Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston are continuing to
document the heart's earliest origins. Now, they have pinpointed
a new, previously unrecognized group of stem cells that give
rise to cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells. |
23
June 2008 |
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5
Top Young Clinical Investigators Receive Damon Runyon Cancer
Research Foundation Awards
The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named 5 new Damon
Runyon Clinical Investigators at its May 2008 Clinical
Investigator Award Committee review. The recipients of this
prestigious, three-year award are outstanding early career
physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research
at major research centers under the mentorship of the nation's
leading scientists and clinicians. |
23
June 2008 |
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European
Research Aimed At Retaining Its Competitive Edge In The Field Of
'Regenerative Medicine'
14 Member Organisations* of the European Science Foundation have
launched a key initiative to keep Europe at the forefront of
regenerative medicine; broadly defined as the development of
stem cell therapies to restore lost, damaged, or ageing cells
and tissues in the human body. |
20
June 2008 |
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Australian
Stem Cell Research Forges Ahead
Australian stem cell scientists will build on the recent
discovery that stem cells can be made from skin cells in a new
collaborative research program, Victorian Innovation Minister
Gavin Jennings and NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research
Verity Firth announced at the BIO International Convention. |
20
June 2008 |
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Beike
Biotech Opens Comprehensive Stem Cell Storage And Processing
Facility In China
Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in
providing safe and effective stem cell applications for medical
treatment, has commenced outfitting its 21,500 square foot
comprehensive medical stem cell storage and processing facility
in eastern China. |
20
June 2008 |
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Adult
Stem Cells Improve Fracture Healing
Adult stem cells improve healing of broken bones and could
eventually serve as a new treatment for the 10 to 20 percent of
fractures that fail to heal, according to a new study. The
results were presented at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual
Meeting in San Francisco, by Froilan Granero-Molto, PhD,
research associate of the University of North Carolina. |
17
June 2008 |
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Ohio
Governor Vetoes Stimulus Package Provision Prohibiting Use Of
Funds For Stem Cell Research Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D) on
Thursday signed an economic stimulus package (HB
554) into law but line-item vetoed a provision that would
have prohibited $100 million in state biomedical funds from
being used for research on human cloning, the
Old
Muscle Given New Pep By Stem Cell Researchers
Old muscle got a shot of youthful vigor in a stem cell
experiment by bioengineers at the University of California,
Berkeley, setting the path for research on new treatments for
age-related degenerative conditions such as muscle atrophy or
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. |
17
June 2008 |
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Molecule
That Nudges Nerve Stem Cells To Mature Created By UT
Southwestern Researchers
Inspired by a chance discovery during another experiment,
researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have created a
small molecule that stimulates nerve stem cells to begin
maturing into nerve cells in culture. |
17
June 2008 |
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Wealth
Of Genomic Hotspots Discovered In Embryonic Stem Cells
In a paper published in Cell, Singapore scientists at the
Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the National University
of Singapore (NUS) unveil an atlas that showing the location of
"genomic hotspots" of essential protein "switches"
(transcription factors) that are critical for maintaining the
embryonic stem (ES) cell state. |
16
June 2008 |
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La.
House Approves Ban On Funding For Research Involving Somatic
Cell Nuclear Transfer The Louisiana House on Wednesday voted
89-1 to pass a Senate-approved measure (HB
370) that would prohibit the use of state or federal funds
for research involving human somatic cell nuclear transfer,
sometimes referred to as therapeutic cloning by supporters, the
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16
June 2008 |
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Putting
The Breaks On Cancer Cells
MRC scientists have discovered a mechanism that prevents cells
from transforming into cancer cells. As cells age they enter a
state called senescence, a kind of suspended animation that
allows a cell to keep functioning but prevents it from changing. |
13
June 2008 |
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Cardiogenesis
Announces Preliminary Clinical Results With The PHOENIX System
Combining TMR + Stem Cells
Cardiogenesis Corporation (Pink Sheets: CGCP), a leading
developer of surgical products for cardiac revascularization,
today announced a scientific presentation that describes the use
of the PHOENIX delivery system combining transmyocardial
revascularization (TMR) with autologous bone marrow derived stem
cells. |
13
June 2008 |
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Stem
Cell Discovery Sheds Light On Placenta Development
Researchers studying embryonic stem cells have explored the
first fork in the developmental road, getting a new look at what
happens when fertilized eggs differentiate to build either an
embryo or a placenta. |
10
June 2008 |
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Brazil's
Biotech Firms: From Imitators To Innovators In Health-Related
Products
Brazil is in the midst of a transition from imitator to
innovator in health-related products, according to the most
comprehensive analysis to date of barriers and opportunities
facing that country's health biotech industry. |
09
June 2008 |
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When
Forming Opinions About Stem Cell Research The Public Largely
Ignore Scientific Information
When forming attitudes about embryonic stem cell research,
people are influenced by a number of things. But understanding
science plays a negligible role for many people.That's the
surprising finding from a team of University of
Wisconsin-Madison communications researchers who have spent the
past two years studying public attitudes toward embryonic stem
cell research. |
09
June 2008 |
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Awakening
Brain Stem Cells
MA-Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have identified
specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for
awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when
activated, can transform into neurons (nerve cells) and repair
damaged brain tissue. |
09
June 2008 |
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Adult
Stem Cell Findings Offer New Hope For Parkinson's Cure
Research released today provides evidence that a cure for
Parkinson's disease could lie just inside the nose of patients
themselves.The Griffith University study published in the
journal Stem Cells found that adult stem cells harvested
from the noses of Parkinson's patients gave rise to
dopamine-producing brain cells when transplanted into the brain
of a rat. |
08
June 2008 |
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More
Than One Kind Of Adult Stem Cell In Guts
A single organ may contain more than one type of adult stem cell
- a discovery that complicates prospects for using the versatile
cells to replace damaged tissue as a treatment for disease,
according to a new study from the laboratory of geneticist Mario
Capecchi, the University of Utah's Nobel Laureate. |
08
June 2008 |
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Brain
Stem Cells Can Be Awakened, Say Schepens Scientists
Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have identified
specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for
awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when
activated, can transform into neurons (nerve cells) and repair
damaged brain tissue. |
07
June 2008 |
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Neurologically
Impaired Mice Improve After Receiving Human Stem Cells
Scientists report a dramatic success in what may be the first
documented rescue of a congenital brain disorder by
transplantation of human neural stem cells. The research,
published by Cell Press in the June issue of the journal Cell
Stem Cell, may lead the way to new strategies for treating
certain hereditary and perinatal neurological disorders. |
07
June 2008 |
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Progress
Of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research Impacted By Public Funding
Bolstered by supportive policies and public research dollars,
the United Kingdom, Israel, China, Singapore and Australia are
producing unusually large shares of human embryonic stem cell
research, according to a report from the Georgia Institute of
Technology in the June 2008 issue Cell Stem Cell. |
07
June 2008 |
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New
Technology Enhances And Expands "Homing"and Therapeutic
Potential Of Cord Blood Stem Cells In Bone Marrow Transplants
A CD26 Inhibitor increases the efficiency and responsiveness of
umbilical cord blood for bone marrow transplants and may improve
care for blood cancer patients according to research from Rush
University Medical Center being presented at the 6th Annual
International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium,
June 6-7 in Los Angeles. |
06
June 2008 |
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"Lab
On The Lake" To Kick Off World Stem Cell Summit
Stem cell enthusiasts will be able to enjoy Lab on the Lake, a
public forum and festival as part of the 2008 World Stem Cell
Summit organized by the Genetics Policy Institute, University of
Wisconsin-Madison Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Center and
WiCell. |
06
June 2008 |
|
19
Mo. Republicans Form Committee That Aims To Protect Embryonic
Stem Cell Research
Nineteen "prominent" Missouri Republicans, including former U.S.
Sen. John Danforth, recently launched a campaign committee aimed
at protecting human embryonic stem cell research in the state,
the
La.
Senate Approves Ban On Funding For Research Involving Somatic
Cell Nuclear Transfer
The Louisiana Senate on Tuesday voted 36-0 to approve a measure
(HB
370) that would prohibit the use of state or federal funds
for research involving human somatic cell nuclear transfer, the
Enzyme
Plays Key Role In Cell Fate
The road to death or differentiation follows a similar course in
embryonic stem cells, said researchers at Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online in the
journal Cell Stem Cell. |
06
June 2008 |
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Mesoblast
Limited (ASX:MSB) Announce United States FDA Clears Phase 2
Trial For Congestive Heart Failure
Australia's regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited (ASX:MSB)(USOTC:MBLTY)(PINK:MEOBF),
announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration
(US FDA) had cleared an Investigational New Drug (IND)
submission by its US-based sister company, Angioblast Systems
Inc. |
06
June 2008 |
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Policy
Environments May Shape International Progress Of Human Embryonic
Stem Cell Research
Biomedical research may be substantially hampered by drawn out
debates, conflicting legislation and restrictive policies. A new
analysis, published by Cell Press in the June issue of Cell
Stem Cell, investigates the influence of policy environments
on the progression of research related to human embryonic stem
cells (hESC) and offers new insight into the international
development of this often ethically controversial field. |
06
June 2008 |
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Potential
Treatment For Fatal Children's Diseases Using Human Stem Cells
Scientists have used human stem cells to dramatically improve
the condition of mice with a neurological condition similar to a
set of diseases in children that are invariably fatal, according
to an article in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem
Cell. |
06
June 2008 |
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Human
Stem Cells Cure Fatal Myelin Deficiency In Mice And Could One
Day Help Children
Scientists in the US have used human cells that behave like stem
cells to help "shiverer" mice grow myelin around their nerve
fibres and thereby avoid an inevitable early death and poor
quality of life; the researchers hope their finding will one day
lead to treatments for similar neurological conditions in
humans, and children especially. |
05
June 2008 |
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Timer
Genes Control Brain Size
Experiments using fruit flies have helped a team at the MRC
National Institute for Medical Research to identify genes that
control how large the developing brain becomes. Within the
growing brain, stem cells divide to produce more and more
neurons until an upper limit is reached. |
04
June 2008 |
|
Timer
Genes Control Brain Size
Experiments using fruit flies have helped a team at the MRC
National Institute for Medical Research to identify genes that
control how large the developing brain becomes. Within the
growing brain, stem cells divide to produce more and more
neurons until an upper limit is reached. |
04
June 2008 |
|
Timer
Genes Control Brain Size
Experiments using fruit flies have helped a team at the MRC
National Institute for Medical Research to identify genes that
control how large the developing brain becomes. Within the
growing brain, stem cells divide to produce more and more
neurons until an upper limit is reached. |
04
June 2008 |
|
Phase
2 Data Shows Maribavir Markedly Reduced Rate Of Cytomegalovirus
Infection And Disease In Bone Marrow Transplant Patients
ViroPharma Incorporated (Nasdaq: VPHM) announced the publication
of results of its previously described Phase 2 study showing
that maribavir, when used as prophylaxis, reduced the rate of
cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation and was well tolerated when
compared to placebo in allogeneic stem cell, or bone marrow,
transplant patients. |
02
June 2008 |
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Argos
Therapeutics Presents Data On The Mechanism Of Immunosuppression
By Soluble CD83 At The American Transplant Congress
Argos Therapeutics announced the presentation of data on the
immunosuppressive properties of its soluble CD83 (sCD83) protein
at the 2008 American Transplant Congress, held May 31 - June 4
in Toronto, Ontario. |
02
June 2008 |
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New
Stem Cell Therapy May Aid The Repair Of Damaged Brains
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. |
02
June 2008 |
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Johns
Hopkins Researchers Develop Human Stem Cell Line Containing
Sickle Cell Anemia Mutation
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. |
30
May 2008 |
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Viropharma
Announces Completion Of Enrollment In Phase 3 Study Of Maribavir
In Stem Cell Transplant Patients
ViroPharma Incorporated (Nasdaq: VPHM) announced that it
completed enrollment in its pivotal Phase 3 study of maribavir
in stem cell transplant patients. This international Phase 3
study is evaluating the efficacy, safety and tolerability of
prophylactic use of maribavir administered orally for up to 12
weeks for the prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in
recipients of allogeneic stem cell transplants (SCT). |
30
May 2008 |
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Genomic
Analysis Reveals New Insights Into Cellular Reprogramming
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. |
30
May 2008 |
|
Brainstorm
Cell Therapeutics Chief Scientist, Dr. Daniel Offen, To Present
Results From New Parkinson's Study At International Stem Cell
Meeting
BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB: BCLI), a leading
developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics,
announced that Dr. Daniel Offen, the Company's Chief Scientist,
will present results of a most recent study in the Parkinson's
disease project, under the title: "Human Bone Marrow Stem Cells
Induced To Secrete Neurotrophic Factors As A New Strategy For
Autologous Cell Therapy In Neurodegenerative Diseases", the
lecture will be given at the Second International Stem Cell
Meeting: "The Potency of Stem Cells" to be held from May 27-29,
2008 in Tel-Aviv in conjunction with the ILSI-Biomed Israel 2008
Conference. |
28
May 2008 |
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Weill
Cornell Team Identifies New Cancer Stem Cell Driving Metastatic
Tumors
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. |
28
May 2008 |
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Bone
Repair Using Patient's Stem Cells Comes Closer
Hitherto it has been difficult to induce adult human stem cells
to produce bone, e.g. in order to repair bone tissue.
Researchers at the University of Twente have shown that if the
enzyme PKA is previously activated in the stem cells in the lab,
following implantation this results in substantial bone
formation. |
27
May 2008 |
|
Method
To Duplicate Primitive Stem Cells And Prevent Cell
Differentiation Discovered At USC
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 is 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. |
22
May 2008 |
|
MDC
Statement On MPs' Vote To Allow Creation Of Hybrid Embryos For
Research
MPs have started voting on a series of reforms to the 1990
embryology laws. The measures which are part of the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill, are aimed at updating
laws in line with scientific advances. |
21
May 2008 |
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MS
Society Calls On MPs To Support New Avenues Of Research, UK
The MS Society has called on MPs to throw their weight behind
the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, which will be
debated in the House of Commons. In a letter addressed to every
Member of Parliament, the MS Society is among seven charities
asking politicians to support the Bill, which if approved could
open new avenues of research into conditions such as multiple
sclerosis (MS). |
21
May 2008 |
|
UK
MPs To Vote On Hybrid Embryos
As part of a two-day series of reforms to update the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Bill in line with scientific
advances, members of the UK parliament's House of Commons are
voting later today, Monday, on whether stem cell researchers
should be allowed to use hybrid human and animal embryos. |
19
May 2008 |
|
FDA
Delays Application For First Human Trial Of Embryonic Stem Cells
The company
Geron on Wednesday announced that it has received oral
notice from
FDA that the agency is delaying a decision on the company's
application for the first clinical trial using human embryonic
stem cells in humans,
Embryonic
Pathway Delivers Stem Cell Traits
Studies of how cancer cells spread have led to a surprising
discovery about the creation of cells with adult stem cell
characteristics, offering potentially major implications for
regenerative medicine and for cancer treatment. |
19
May 2008 |
|
Muscle-Derived
Stem Cells Prove Effective In Reparing Sphincter Damage To
Restore Continence
Transplantation of muscle-derived stem cells may provide a safe
and effective treatment for patients suffering from urinary
incontinence following a surgical procedure. Two studies
presented at the 103rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American
Urological Association (AUA), show that patients with
incontinence resulting from iatrogenic sphincter damage may
benefit from this therapy. |
19
May 2008 |
|
UC
Davis Children's Hospital Researchers Identify Adult Bladder
Stem Cells
Researchers at UC Davis Children's Hospital have identified the
potential stem cells that become the bladder, adding to the body
of research that already has identified stem cells that can
regenerate many of the body's other organs. |
19
May 2008 |
|
New
Role Found For A Cardiac Progenitor Population
In a discovery that could one day lead to an understanding of
how to regenerate damaged heart tissue, researchers at the
University of California, San Diego have found that parent cells
involved in embryonic development of the epicardium - the cell
layer surrounding the outside of the heart - give rise to three
important types of cells with potential for cardiac repair. |
16
May 2008 |
|
BBVA
Foundation International Study On Attitudes To Stem Cell
Research
Unlike most scientific and technological advances, which tend to
take their place silently in society, biotechnology often finds
itself the center of public debate and regulatory attention, due
partly to the moral issues posed by many of its applications. |
16
May 2008 |
|
Science
Briefs From Weill Cornell Medical College
Stem Cells Might Contribute to Vascular Disease - Stem Cells
Might Cause More Damage After Vascular SurgeryPhysician-scientists
believe that stem cells might play a harmful role in the body's
reaction to trauma following common vascular surgery, like
angioplasty. |
16
May 2008 |
|
Demonstrating
How Embryonic Stem Cells Develop Into Tissue-Specific Cells
While it has long been known that embryonic stem cells have the
ability to develop into any kind of tissue-specific cells, the
exact mechanism as to how this occurs has heretofore not been
demonstrated. |
13
May 2008 |
|
Skeletal
Muscle Development Responds To Nutrient Availability
A new study finds that restricted nutrient availability prevents
muscle stem cells from growing into mature muscle cells. The
research, published by Cell Press in the May issue of the
journal Developmental Cell, provides exciting new
information about how developing muscle cells sense and respond
to nutrient levels. |
13
May 2008 |
|
