Transplant News and Research

RSS

Scientists reprogram mature blood cells from mice into blood-forming HSCs

Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital have reprogrammed mature blood cells from mice into blood-forming hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), using a cocktail of eight genetic switches called transcription factors. The reprogrammed cells, which the researchers have dubbed induced HSCs (iHSCs), have the functional hallmarks of HSCs, are able to self-renew like HSCs, and can give rise to all of the cellular components of the blood like HSCs.

30 Apr 2016

Safety tips to prevent slips and falls among seniors

May is National Trauma Awareness Month, and this year the American Trauma Society is raising awareness about senior safety and falls with "Safe Steps for Seniors." The Stony Brook Trauma Center is taking steps to shed light on the matter to help prevent serious injuries from occurring.

29 Apr 2016

Increasing number of sickest liver transplant candidates delisted from wait list, study finds

The sickest liver transplant candidates should be first in line when a donor liver becomes available, but transplant centers are increasingly removing these individuals from the waiting list, considering them "too sick to transplant," an analysis of nationwide transplant data finds. The study appears online as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print publication.

29 Apr 2016

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

A University of Wisconsin-Madison neuroscientist has inserted a genetic switch into nerve cells so a patient can alter their activity by taking designer drugs that would not affect any other cell. The cells in question are neurons and make the neurotransmitter dopamine, whose deficiency is the culprit in the widespread movement disorder Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2016

Study links age-related changes in human pancreas to diabetes development

A Stanford-led national collaboration to procure and analyze human pancreatic tissue from deceased donors illustrates how the organ's function changes as we age, and could point the way toward new diabetes treatments.

29 Apr 2016

Outbreak of tropical parasitic infection observed for first time in the Arctic

An outbreak of an intestinal parasite common in the tropics, known as Cryptosporidium, has been identified for the first time in the Arctic. The discovery was made in Nunavik, Quebec, by a team from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, in collaboration with the Nunavik Department of Public Health, Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec and Health Canada. The discovery, which was documented in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, could have long-term implications for the health of children in Nunavik and Nunavut's communities.

29 Apr 2016

Musashi-2 protein regulates function, development of blood stem cells

Researchers at McMaster University's Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute have made significant steps forward in understanding the stem cells of the human blood system after discovering how a key protein allows for better control and regeneration of these cells.

28 Apr 2016

Researchers test potential positive effects of micro-injury in mice modeled with AD

Researchers testing the potential positive effects of "micro-injury" by brief insertion of a small needle into the hippocampal region of mice modeled with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have found that the procedure not only stimulated the hippocampus into regenerative activity, but also reduced β-amyloid plaques, a hallmark of AD.

27 Apr 2016

Series of routine tests may not be beneficial to patients with age-related disorder

A series of tests physicians routinely order to help diagnose and follow their patients with an elevated antibody level that is a marker for cancer risk, often do not benefit the patient but do increase health care costs, pathologists report.

27 Apr 2016

Acute liver failure after massive hepatectomy improves with liver cell transplantation

Liver failure often occurs after an extensive hepatectomy, which is the surgical resection of the liver. While liver cell transplantation is a useful therapy for acute liver failure after massive hepatectomy, when cells are transplanted through liver portal veins raises the risk of embolization, such as the formation and movement of a blood clot, often with fatal consequences.

26 Apr 2016

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Studying a new type of pinhead-size, lab-grown brain made with technology first suggested by three high school students, Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed a key way in which Zika virus causes microcephaly and other damage in fetal brains: by infecting specialized stem cells that build its outer layer, the cortex.

25 Apr 2016

Cancer survivors at risk of death after organ transplant

People who had cancer before receiving an organ transplant were more likely to die of any cause, die of cancer or develop a new cancer than organ recipients who did not previously have cancer, a new paper has found. However, the increased risk is less than that reported in some previous studies.

22 Apr 2016

Microtubules affect mechanics of beating heart, study finds

On top of the meaning and mystery that humans heap on the heart, it is first and foremost, a muscle. And one that beats about once a second for a person's entire life, with no rest. Given its vital importance, it's ironic researchers have only recently made direct observations of its subcellular parts in motion.

22 Apr 2016

Pediatric researchers develop minimally invasive techniques to treat plastic bronchitis

Pediatric researchers have devised an innovative, safe and minimally invasive procedure that helps relieve rare but potentially life-threatening airway blockages occurring in children who had surgery for congenital heart defects.

22 Apr 2016

Novel gene therapy can improve symptoms of Bubble Boy disease in young adults

Adolescents and young adults with a severe inherited immunodeficiency disorder improved following treatment with novel gene therapy developed at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health. The results of this study appear today in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

21 Apr 2016

Study shows beneficial effect of hNSC transplantation for TBI

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity, often causing lifelong disability for those who survive. Treatment is limited to supportive care, but stem cell therapy has received recent attention as a way to promote recovery for injuries to the central nervous system (CNS). In this study, researchers transplanted human neural stem cells (hNSCs) into the brains of mice modeled with TBI to investigate whether the hosts' immune systems and the stem cells acting in concert would enhance repair.

20 Apr 2016

Study shows women may face decreased kidney damage from ischemia reperfusion injury

After a kidney transplant, women may experience decreased kidney damage from ischemia reperfusion injury compared to men due to the impact of gender-specific hormones, suggests a new preclinical study and an analysis of patient data published online in the Journal of Clinical Investigation from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

19 Apr 2016

Transplanted human islets prevent hypoglycemic events in Type 1 diabetes patients

Northwestern Medicine researchers are co-investigators in a breakthrough clinical trial that found transplanted human islets prevent hypoglycemic events and provide excellent glycemic control for patients with Type 1 diabetes with severe hypoglycemia.

19 Apr 2016

Animal study links female resilience to renal ischemia with protective effects of estrogen

Kidney transplantation outcomes are adversely affected by ischemia-reperfusion injury, which occurs as a result of blood flow restrictions during the reperfusion stage of transplant surgery.

19 Apr 2016

Study: British adults agree to donate heart, kidney and lungs, but not eyes for transplant

Despite a shortage of corneas for transplant purposes, new research reveals that eyes are the one body part we are least likely to donate.

19 Apr 2016

Transplant News and Research

Scientists reprogram mature blood cells from mice into blood-forming HSCs

Safety tips to prevent slips and falls among seniors

Increasing number of sickest liver transplant candidates delisted from wait list, study finds

Dopamine neuron transplants controlled by designer drug may fight Parkinson's disease in mice

Study links age-related changes in human pancreas to diabetes development

Outbreak of tropical parasitic infection observed for first time in the Arctic

Musashi-2 protein regulates function, development of blood stem cells

Researchers test potential positive effects of micro-injury in mice modeled with AD

Series of routine tests may not be beneficial to patients with age-related disorder

Acute liver failure after massive hepatectomy improves with liver cell transplantation

Lab-grown mini-brains shed light on health crisis posed by Zika virus in fetal brains

Cancer survivors at risk of death after organ transplant

Microtubules affect mechanics of beating heart, study finds

Pediatric researchers develop minimally invasive techniques to treat plastic bronchitis

Novel gene therapy can improve symptoms of Bubble Boy disease in young adults

Study shows beneficial effect of hNSC transplantation for TBI

Study shows women may face decreased kidney damage from ischemia reperfusion injury

Transplanted human islets prevent hypoglycemic events in Type 1 diabetes patients

Animal study links female resilience to renal ischemia with protective effects of estrogen

Study: British adults agree to donate heart, kidney and lungs, but not eyes for transplant

Improving healthcare sustainability through carbon data

Managing vibration in IVF laboratories

A New Approach to Preventing Bladder Cancer Recurrence

Latest News