Feature Channels: Stem Cells

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Released: 8-Dec-2011 7:00 AM EST
Scientists Use Animal-Free Reagents to Create Clinical Grade Neurons from Skin Cells
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Using a specially designed facility, UCLA stem cell scientists have taken human skin cells, reprogrammed them to be pluripotent and then differentiated them into neurons, using animal origin-free reagents and feeder conditions throughout the process.

Released: 5-Dec-2011 3:30 PM EST
Researchers Use Stem Cells to Gain New Insight Into Severe Childhood Form of Epilepsy
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Team investigating causes of Dravet syndrome presents new approach to understanding the syndrome to American Epilepsy Society.

30-Nov-2011 11:45 AM EST
How the Bioweapon Ricin Kills
Institute of Molecular Biotechnology

A key protein that controls how the deadly plant poison and bioweapon ricin kills, has finally been identified by researchers at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Austria. The discovery was made using a revolutionary new technology that combines stem cell biology and modern screening methods.

29-Nov-2011 9:00 AM EST
Not All Cellular Reprogramming Is Created Equal
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Tweaking the levels of factors used during the reprogramming of adult cells into induced pluriopotent stem (iPS) cells can greatly affect the quality of the resulting iPS cells, according to Whitehead Institute researchers. This finding explains at least in part the wide variation in quality and fidelity of iPS cells created through different reprogramming methods.

Released: 1-Dec-2011 8:00 AM EST
Bush Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Different from Newly Derived Stem Cell Lines
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Established human embryonic cell lines, including those approved for federal research funding under former President George W. Bush, are different than newly derived human embryonic stem cell lines, according to a study by UCLA stem cell researchers.

28-Nov-2011 2:25 PM EST
New Approach to Graft-versus-Host Disease Treatment Results in Sustained Improvement for Some Patients
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have used IL-2, an immune system stimulant, as an immune system suppressor to treat a common, often debilitating side effect of donor stem cell transplantation in cancer patients. The effect, in some cases, was profound.

Released: 29-Nov-2011 12:30 PM EST
Body Rebuilding: Researchers Regenerate Muscle in Mice
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)

Using reprogrammed cells and microthreads, scientists at WPI and CellThera open the door for a new clinical therapy to treat major muscle trauma.

Released: 28-Nov-2011 2:40 PM EST
Scientists Engineer Blood Stem Cells to Seek out and Attack Melanoma
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Researchers from UCLA’s cancer and stem cell centers have demonstrated for the first time that blood stem cells can be engineered to create cancer-killing T-cells that seek out and attack a human melanoma. The researchers believe this approach could be useful in 40 percent of Caucasians with this malignancy.

Released: 15-Nov-2011 10:50 AM EST
New Heart Cells Increase by 30 Percent After Stem Cell Infusion, UB Research Shows
University at Buffalo

UB research establishes that new heart cells can be regenerated in a stem cell therapy potentially applicable to patients suffering from heart dysfunction arising from insufficient blood flow to the heart. This is being presented today (Nov. 15) at the American Heart Association annual meeting.

14-Nov-2011 7:00 PM EST
UCLA Stem Cell Scientists Uncover Mechanism that Regulates Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Metabolism
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Human pluripotent stem cells, which can develop into any cell type in the body, rely heavily on glycolysis, or sugar fermentation, to drive their metabolic activities.

Released: 14-Nov-2011 5:00 PM EST
Fetal Stem Cells May Help Maternal Heart Recover From Injury
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have discovered the therapeutic benefit of fetal stem cells in helping the maternal heart recover after heart attack or other injury. The research marks a significant advancement in cardiac regenerative medicine.

Released: 14-Nov-2011 9:55 AM EST
Stem Cell Study Helps Clarify the Best Time for Therapy to Aid Heart Attack Survivors
Mayo Clinic

A research network led by a Mayo Clinic physician found that stem cells obtained from bone marrow delivered two to three weeks after a person has a heart attack did not improve heart function. This is the first study to systematically examine the timing and method of stem cell delivery and provides vital information for the field of cell therapy.

Released: 9-Nov-2011 10:00 AM EST
Stem Cell–Associated Proteins Can Identify Origins of Pediatric Tumors
Allen Press Publishing

Sarcomas are cancerous tumors of the soft tissue and bone. Although they are rare in children, they present a medical challenge when they occur. Diagnosis and treatment of a group of malignancies known as pediatric undifferentiated soft tissue sarcomas are difficult because their cell of origin is unknown. Finding ways to differentiate tumors will lead to better diagnosis and more specific therapies.

7-Nov-2011 8:00 AM EST
Novel Surface Triples Stem-Cell Growth in Culture
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

By irradiating typical polystyrene lab plates with ultraviolet (UV) waves, Whitehead Institute and MIT scientists have created a surface capable of tripling the number of human embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that can be grown in culture by current methods.

Released: 2-Nov-2011 1:15 PM EDT
Fruit Fly Intestine May Hold Secret to the Fountain of Youth
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

One of the few reliable ways to extend an organism's lifespan, be it a fruit fly or a mouse, is to restrict calorie intake. Now, a new study in fruit flies is helping to explain why such minimal diets are linked to longevity and offering clues to the effects of aging on stem cell behavior.

26-Oct-2011 10:35 AM EDT
Age No Longer Should be a Barrier to Stem Cell Transplantation for Older Patients with Blood Cancers
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

Age alone no longer should be considered a defining factor when determining whether an older patient with blood cancer is a candidate for stem cell transplantation. That’s the conclusion of the first study summarizing long-term outcomes from a series of prospective clinical trials of patients age 60 and over who were treated with the mini-transplant, a “kinder, gentler” form of allogeneic (donor cell) stem cell transplantation developed at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The findings are published Nov. 2 in JAMA.

18-Oct-2011 11:00 AM EDT
Surgeons Develop Simultaneous Tissue and Stem Cell Transplant Technique
American College of Surgeons (ACS)

New method shows promise in eliminating the need for long-term anti-rejection drugs, particularly for hand and face transplants.

Released: 13-Oct-2011 2:25 PM EDT
New Method Isolates Best Brain Stem Cells to Treat MS
University at Buffalo

The prospect of doing human clinical trials with stem cells to treat diseases like multiple sclerosis may be growing closer, say scientists at UB and U of R who have developed a more precise way to isolate stem cells that will make myelin.

Released: 12-Oct-2011 10:00 AM EDT
“Stimulated” Stem Cells Stop Donor Organ Rejection
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a way to stimulate a rat’s stem cells after a liver transplant as a means of preventing rejection of the new organ without the need for lifelong immunosuppressant drugs. The need for anti-rejection medicines, which carry serious side effects, is a major obstacle to successful long-term transplant survival in people.

Released: 11-Oct-2011 7:00 AM EDT
Researchers Develop New Way to Screen for Brain Cancer Stem Cell Killers
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Researchers with UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed and used a high-throughput molecular screening approach that identifies and characterizes chemical compounds that can target the stem cells that are responsible for creating deadly brain tumors.

Released: 5-Oct-2011 3:00 PM EDT
Research Indicates That Adult Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells May be Viable Treatment for Spinal Cord Injury Repair
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Research shows that adult human mesenchymal stem cells may have an important role in the treatment and repair of spinal cord injuries.

Released: 28-Sep-2011 9:00 AM EDT
Correcting Sickle Cell Disease with Stem Cells
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Using a patient’s own stem cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins have corrected the genetic alteration that causes sickle cell disease (SCD), a painful, disabling inherited blood disorder that affects mostly African-Americans. The corrected stem cells were coaxed into immature red blood cells in a test tube that then turned on a normal version of the gene.

22-Sep-2011 8:00 AM EDT
Mice Stem Cells Guided Into Myelinating Cells by the Trillions
Case Western Reserve University

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found a way to rapidly produce pure populations of cells that grow into the protective myelin coating on nerves in mice. Their process opens a door to research and potential treatments for multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy and other demyelinating diseases afflicting millions of people worldwide.

Released: 22-Sep-2011 8:35 AM EDT
Cedars-Sinai Opens New Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Core Production Facility
Cedars-Sinai

Regenerative Medicine Institute’s Stem Cell Core Facility to Produce Cells for Research Supported by National Institutes of Health and California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Released: 20-Sep-2011 12:00 PM EDT
Scientists Turn Back the Clock on Adult Stem Cells Aging
Georgia Institute of Technology

Researchers have shown they can reverse the aging process for human adult stem cells, which are responsible for helping old or damaged tissues regenerate. The findings could lead to medical treatments that may repair a host of ailments that occur because of tissue damage as people age.

Released: 12-Sep-2011 2:40 PM EDT
Gene Therapy Kills Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Boosts Chemotherapy
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Gene therapy delivered directly to a particularly stubborn type of breast cancer cell causes the cells to self-destruct, lowers chance of recurrence and helps increase the effectiveness of some types of chemotherapy, researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reported in the Sept. 13 edition of Cancer Cell.

9-Sep-2011 12:40 PM EDT
Study Reveals Critical Similarity Between Two Types of Do-It-All Stem Cells
University of Wisconsin–Madison

In a study published today (Sunday, Sept. 11), researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison report the first full measurement of the proteins made by both types of stem cells. In a study that looked at four embryonic stem cells and four IPS cells, the proteins turned out to be 99 percent similar, says Joshua Coon, an associate professor of chemistry and biomolecular chemistry who directed the project.

Released: 6-Sep-2011 11:00 AM EDT
Stowers Scientists Successfully Expand Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells in Culture
Stowers Institute for Medical Research

All stem cells—regardless of their source—share the remarkable capability to replenish themselves by undergoing self-renewal. Yet, so far, efforts to grow and expand scarce hematopoietic (or blood-forming) stem cells in culture for therapeutic applications have been met with limited success.

Released: 1-Sep-2011 10:40 AM EDT
Exercise Triggers Stem Cells to Become Bone, Not Fat
McMaster University

McMaster researchers have found one more reason to exercise: working out triggers influential stem cells to become bone instead of fat, improving overall health by boosting the body’s capacity to make blood.

Released: 31-Aug-2011 12:30 PM EDT
Bone Marrow Stem Cell Therapy Safe for Acute Stroke
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Using a patient’s own bone marrow stem cells to treat acute stroke is feasible and safe, according to the results of a ground-breaking Phase I trial at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).

Released: 29-Aug-2011 8:00 AM EDT
New Research Validates Clinical Importance of Leukemia Stem Cells and Paves the Way for Personalized Treatment
University Health Network (UHN)

Research published today focuses on patients and shows that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) contains rare cells with stem cell properties, called leukemia stem cells (LSC), that are better at predicting clinical outcome than the majority of AML cells, showing for the first time that LSCs are significant not just in experimental models but also in patients.

Released: 22-Aug-2011 7:00 AM EDT
Stem Cell Research Offers New Hope for Unlocking the Secrets of Bipolar Disorder
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

New stem cell lines developed from the skin of adults living with bipolar disorder are providing researchers at the University of Michigan Health System an unprecedented opportunity to delve into the genetic and biological underpinnings of the devastating mood disorder.

17-Aug-2011 12:15 PM EDT
Cancer Stem Cells Made, Not Born
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

New findings by scientists at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Whitehead Institute point to a decentralized society in tumors, with cancer cells able to interconvert between different types. These results have potential implications for the treatment of tumors, in particular, that attacking cancer stem cells alone may not be enough to fight cancer.

Released: 17-Aug-2011 8:00 AM EDT
Cells Derived from Pluripotent Stem Cells Are Developmentally Immature and May Pose Challenges in Clinical Use, Disease Modeling
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Stem cell researchers at UCLA have discovered that three types of cells derived from human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells are similar to each other, but are much more developmentally immature than previously thought when compared to those same cell types taken directly from human tissue.

Released: 8-Aug-2011 7:45 PM EDT
Stem Cell Researchers Uncover Reason Why the Adult Human Heart Cannot Regenerate Itself
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Stem cell researchers at UCLA have uncovered for the first time why adult human cardiac myocytes have lost their ability to proliferate, perhaps explaining why the human heart has little regenerative capacity.

Released: 26-Jul-2011 12:40 PM EDT
Microscopes Borrow Tricks from Astronomy to See Deep Into Living Tissues
University of California, Santa Cruz

Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are developing new microscope technologies to enable biologists to see deep within living tissues and observe critical processes involved in basic biology and disease.

Released: 18-Jul-2011 12:15 PM EDT
Cancer Stem Cells Recruit Normal Stem Cells to Fuel Ovarian Cancer
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found that a type of normal stem cell fuels ovarian cancer by encouraging cancer stem cells to grow.

Released: 15-Jul-2011 8:40 AM EDT
Precision Gene Targeting in Stem Cells Corrects Disease-Causing Mutations
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Using two methods, Whitehead researchers have manipulated targeted genes in both human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. In one case, scientists employed proteins known as ZFNs to change a single base pair in the genome, allowing them either to insert or remove mutations known to cause early-onset Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Released: 15-Jul-2011 8:30 AM EDT
New Technique Boosts Efficiency of Blood Cell Production From Human Stem Cells
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Researches near goal of using a patient's own cells to make stem cells that can replace lost or diseased tissue.

7-Jul-2011 10:30 AM EDT
Stem Cell Treatment May Restore Cognitive Function in Patients with Brain Cancer
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

1) Cranial radiotherapy is known to lead to cognitive dysfunction; 2) Stem cells conformed to ethical guidelines.

Released: 7-Jul-2011 2:15 PM EDT
"Unnatural" Chemical Allows Researchers to Watch Protein Action in Brain Cells
Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Researchers at the Salk Institute have been able to genetically incorporate "unnatural" amino acids, such as those emitting green fluorescence, into neural stem cells, which then differentiate into brain neurons with the incandescent "tag" intact.

Released: 7-Jul-2011 2:00 PM EDT
“Pure” Human Blood Stem-Cell Discovery Opens Door to Expanding Cells for More Clinical Use
University Health Network (UHN)

For the first time since stem cells were discovered here 50 years ago, scientists have isolated a human blood stem cell in its purest form – as a single stem cell capable of regenerating the entire blood system. This breakthrough opens the door to harnessing the power of these life-producing cells to treat cancer and other debilitating diseases more effectively.

5-Jul-2011 11:10 AM EDT
Stem Cells Know Where They Want to Go
McMaster University

This study showed that pluripotent cells are not all equal. The researchers discovered the fate – or destination – of human pluripotent stem cells is encoded by how their DNA is arranged, and this can be detected by specific proteins on the surface of the stem cells.

6-Jul-2011 4:00 PM EDT
A Drugstore within: Mesenchymal Stem Cells Protect and Heal
Case Western Reserve University

Mesenchymal stem cells were hailed as key to growing new organs, but have proven to be potent defenders and healers in the body. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and elsewhere find the cells appear effective against a growing list of diseases and conditions.

Released: 5-Jul-2011 3:00 PM EDT
Moving Beyond Embryonic Stem Cells: Encouragement on the Horizon
Mayo Clinic

For nearly two decades, the medical world and the American public have grappled with the lightning-rod topic of stem cells, in particular the controversy surrounding cells from human embryos. But when researchers four years ago successfully “reprogrammed” adult body cells to become stem cells, some thought the ethical debate was nearly over. Those redirected cells, known as induced pluripotent cells, or iPS cells, show potential as therapy.

Released: 29-Jun-2011 9:00 AM EDT
Nervous System Stem Cells Can Replace Themselves, Give Rise to Variety of Cell Types, Even Amplify
Johns Hopkins Medicine

A Johns Hopkins team has discovered in young adult mice that a lone brain stem cell is capable not only of replacing itself and giving rise to specialized neurons and glia – important types of brain cells – but also of taking a wholly unexpected path: generating two new brain stem cells.

   
Released: 27-Jun-2011 6:00 PM EDT
Scientists Discover New Airway Stem Cell
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

Researchers at UCLA have identified a new stem cell that participates in the repair of the large airways of the lungs, which play a vital role in protecting the body from infectious agents and toxins in the environment.

27-Jun-2011 9:00 AM EDT
Tiny Cell Patterns Reveal the Progression of Development and Disease
Columbia Technology Ventures

Columbia engineers develop new bioengineering approach to study stem cell function and factors that could lead to birth defects and disease.

Released: 20-Jun-2011 11:20 AM EDT
Device Could Improve Harvest of Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood
 Johns Hopkins University

A graduate student team has invented a system to significantly boost the number of stem cells collected from a newborn’s umbilical cord and placenta, so that many more patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood disorders can be treated.

14-Jun-2011 2:40 PM EDT
Researchers Engineer the Environment for Stem Cell Development to Control Differentiation
Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications

New research shows that systematically controlling the local and global environments during stem cell development helps to effectively direct their differentiation. These findings could help in manufacturing large quantities of stem cells for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the future.



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