Stem Cells News and Research

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Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. In addition, in many tissues they serve as a sort of internal repair system, dividing essentially without limit to replenish other cells as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.

Two potent small molecules appear to suppress tumor growth in multiple cancers

City of Hope scientists have identified and developed two potent small molecules that appear to suppress tumor growth in multiple cancers even when other treatments cease to work, possibly due to the development of drug resistance.

16 Jun 2020

UCLA receives nearly $14 million NIH grant to investigate immunotherapy to destroy HIV

UCLA researchers and colleagues have received a $13.65 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to investigate and further develop an immunotherapy known as CAR T, which uses genetically modified stem cells to target and destroy HIV.

16 Jun 2020

Study finds drivers of healthy gut maintenance

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found two genes that regulate the differentiation of stem cells in the small intestine, offering valuable insight into how the body develops and maintains a healthy gut.

15 Jun 2020

BCG vaccination strengthens the immune system

A tuberculosis vaccine developed 100 years ago also makes vaccinated persons less susceptible to other infections. While this effect has been recognized for a long time, it is not known what causes it.

15 Jun 2020

Diluting blood plasma helps achieve age-reversing effects in mice

In 2005, University of California, Berkeley, researchers made the surprising discovery that making conjoined twins out of young and old mice -- such that they share blood and organs -- can rejuvenate tissues and reverse the signs of aging in the old mice.

15 Jun 2020

Remdesivir prevents replication of SARS-CoV-2 in human intestinal organoids

A new German study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in June 2020 shows that the drug remdesivir can reduce the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in human intestinal organoids.

14 Jun 2020

Prodigiosin-based nanoformulation selectively disrupts cancer cells

Together with colleagues from the University of Palermo, KFU employees offer a nano preparation based on biocompatible halloysite nanotubes and bacterial pigment prodigiosin; the latter is known to selectively disrupt cancer cells without damaging the healthy ones.

12 Jun 2020

Human cardiac organoids for modeling physiological conditions during a heart attack

In the U.S., someone has a heart attack every 40 seconds, and yet researchers have not had a model that fully mimics what occurs in the human heart after a heart attack.

12 Jun 2020

Texas Heart Institute and 7 Hills Pharma receive $1.9 million to improve stem cell transplants

The Texas Heart Institute and 7 Hills Pharma received a $1.9 million, Phase II STTR (R42) grant from the National Heart Lung Blood Institute to advance further their lead product 7HP349, a novel integrin activator, to define the optimal dosing schedule for cord blood transplant along with a focus on development and production of a formulation that meets safety standards for filing an IND application with the FDA.

12 Jun 2020

MGH researchers identify key mechanism in X chromosome inactivation

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have identified a key mechanism in X chromosome inactivation, a phenomenon that may hold clues that lead to treatments for certain rare congenital disorders.

12 Jun 2020

Engineered natural killer cells show promise for treating a form of leukemia

Using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and deleting a key gene, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have created natural killer cells - a type of immune cell - with measurably stronger activity against a form of leukemia, both in vivo and in vitro.

12 Jun 2020

Researchers use human stem cell models to analyze degeneration in glaucoma

More than 3 million Americans have glaucoma, a serious eye condition causing vision loss. Using human stem cell models, researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine found they could analyze deficits within cells damaged by glaucoma, with the potential to use this information to develop new strategies to slow the disease process.

11 Jun 2020

Fish oil may be an effective treatment for depression, study shows

A study published in Molecular Psychiatry shows that patient-derived adult stem cells can be used to model major depressive disorder and test how a patient may respond to medication.

11 Jun 2020

New method uses human embryonic stem cells to generate 3D assembly of cells

Scientists from the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the Hubrecht Institute in The Netherlands, have developed a new model to study an early stage of human development, using human embryonic stem cells.

11 Jun 2020

A lead compound can significantly reduce or eliminate toxoplasmosis and malaria

Toxoplasma gondii infection is one of the most frequent parasitic infections of humans. This parasite is present in the brain of an estimated two billion people--about 40 percent of all humans on earth. It is endemic throughout the world, causing water and food-borne epidemics that result in toxoplasmosis.

10 Jun 2020

The 2019 3Rs prize awarded to two pieces of novel research

The 2019 3Rs prize has been jointly awarded to Dr Francesca Nunn and Dr Marta Shahbazi for papers describing research that reduces the number of chickens and mice respectively. The 3Rs prize is awarded by the NC3Rs and sponsored by GSK.

10 Jun 2020

Texas A&M scientists develop 2D nanosheets to advance cancer treatment

Scientists in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University are developing new ways to advance the field of regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. They are developing a 2D nanosheet that is 1,000 times smaller than a strand of hair.

10 Jun 2020