Human Embryos News and Research

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Stem cells show promise in treating blindness

A medical breakthrough was reported Monday in the journal The Lancet wherein the results of a therapy using human embryonic stem cells in two legally blind patients was described.

24 Jan 2012

Researchers produce chimeric monkeys with six distinct genomes

Researchers have produced the world's first chimeric monkeys. The bodies of these monkeys, which are normal and healthy, are composed of a mixture of cells representing as many as six distinct genomes.

6 Jan 2012

“Gold standard” stem cells for clinical testing

British researchers claim to have created stem cells of a “gold standard” quality that could lead to a new wave of treatments for degenerative diseases. Taken from human embryos, they could be available to researchers before the end of next year for eventual use in clinical trials, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

7 Dec 2011

Established human embryonic cell lines vary from newly derived stem cell lines

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.

2 Dec 2011

Embryonic stem cell therapy patents knocked back in Europe

The European Union's highest court ruled Tuesday that scientists cannot patent stem cell techniques that use human embryos for research, a decision some scientists said could threaten major medical advances if it prevents biotech companies from turning a profit.

20 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: Screening for prostate cancer, stem cell research and free coverage for Iowa lawmakers

As a practicing internist, I need all the help I can get in diagnosing the many diseases that threaten the life and well-being of my patients. So perhaps you'll understand why I'm angered by the reckless new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (a panel of primary care experts) that I don't use the prostate-specific antigen to screen men older than 40 for prostate cancer.

13 Oct 2011

Skin cell to liver cell shows promise for genetic liver disease

In a new scientific breakthrough, researchers have taken skin cells from a patient with liver disease and turned them into replacement liver cells. Although the procedure is years before it can be used in humans, but if approved, it could launch a new era of personalized therapies for serious genetic disorders.

13 Oct 2011

Thriving stem cells created by cloning technique

In a breakthrough that has been debated and awaited for long, scientists have finally derived colonies of embryonic stem cells from human embryos created using cloning technology.

6 Oct 2011

Embryonic stem cell therapy for incurable Stargardt eye disease

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26 Sep 2011

Scientists convert human skin cells into forebrain neurons

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have for the first time directly converted human skin cells into functional forebrain neurons, without the need for stem cells of any kind.

5 Aug 2011

Roadmap to overcome obstacles for using induced pluripotent stem cells

The possibility of developing stem cells from a patient's own skin and using them to treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and cancer has generated tremendous excitement in the stem cell research community in recent years. Such therapies would avoid the controversial need for using stem cells derived from human embryos, and in theory, also bypass immunological problems inherent in using cells from one person to treat another.

5 Aug 2011

Arabidopsis thaliana helps scientists to solve puzzles in human health

A tiny plant called Arabidopsis thaliana just helped scientists unearth new clues about the daily cycles of many organisms, including humans. This is the latest in a long line of research, much of it supported by the National Institutes of Health, that uses plants to solve puzzles in human health.

14 Jul 2011

Induced pluripotent cells may make embryonic stem cells unnecessary

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.

6 Jul 2011

Research addresses chromosomal imbalance in embryos

Joint research between the University of Kent's Professor Darren Griffin, London Bridge Fertility Centre and BlueGnome Ltd has addressed chromosomal imbalance in embryos, a condition that is currently the major cause of pregnancy loss in IVF.

4 Jul 2011

Legislation that slows human embryonic stem cell research will also harm iPS cells study

Any legislation that slows human embryonic stem cell research is likely to also seriously harm the study of induced pluripotent stem cells, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, the Mayo Clinic and the University of Michigan.

10 Jun 2011

Stem cell pluripotency depends on E-cadherin molecule

Researchers of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have discovered what enables embryonic stem cells to differentiate into diverse cell types and thus to be pluripotent. This pluripotency depends on a specific molecule - E-cadherin - hitherto primarily known for its role in mediating cell-cell adhesion as a kind of "intracellular glue".

27 May 2011

Longer looks: Stem cells, vaccinating against addictive drugs, the GOP's budget hatchet man

Krista and Tatiana are not like most other sets of twins. They are connected at their heads, where their skulls merge under a mass of shaggy brown bangs. The girls run and play and go down their backyard slide, but whatever they do, they do together, their heads forever inclined toward each other's, their neck muscles strong and sinuous from a never-ending workout. Twins joined at the head — the medical term is craniopagus — are extremely rare.

27 May 2011

ISCO enrolls first U.S.-based donor to establish clinical-grade human parthenogenetic stem cell bank

International Stem Cell Corporation has now enrolled the first U.S.-based donor in its program to establish a bank of clinical-grade human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) capable of being immune-matched to millions of patients.

19 May 2011

Scientists make human stem cells without working on human embryos

Stem cell research courts both controversy and support in the community- depending on your viewpoint.

17 May 2011

Viewpoints: Dem representatives on health spending; Star Tribune praises IPAB; NY Times on stem cells

When the debate over the fiscal 2012 budget began, the country — or, more accurately, the media — was focused on Rep. Paul Ryan's proposal. Introduced on behalf of the Republican House majority, our colleague's plan puts the interests of wealthy corporations first by slashing Medicare and Medicaid and spending trillions on a new corporate tax cut. Indeed, cutting is all it seems to do. ... That's not a jobs plan — that's an economic death sentence.

4 May 2011