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.

Researchers reveal important signaling pathway in breast cancer

Researchers at Kanazawa University report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America that a particular signaling pathway in breast-cancer tumors causes cancer cells to divide symmetrically, expanding the tumor. Inhibiting the pathway by drugs could become a strategy for eliminating the cancer cells.

24 Jan 2019

Training heart cells in culture to mimic human cardiac tissue

Engineering researchers have developed a “training” device that can be used to grow cardiac tissue and measure how effectively it beats.

24 Jan 2019

3D printing may aid in the treatment of osteoarthritis

In a Journal of Orthopedic Research study, scientists used 3D printing to repair bone in the joints of mini-pigs, an advance that may help to treat osteoarthritis in humans.

24 Jan 2019

Bifacial stem cells appear to be responsible for the formation of wood

So-called bifacial stem cells are responsible for one of the most critical growth processes on Earth - the formation of wood.

23 Jan 2019

Researchers discover how body initiates repair mechanisms that limits damage to myelin sheath

Diseases such as multiple sclerosis are characterized by damage to the 'myelin sheath', a protective covering wrapped around nerve cells akin to insulation around an electrical wire.

22 Jan 2019

TPU scientists develop new implants that double the rate of bone lengthening in kids

The implants developed by TPU scientists passed preclinical trials In the Ilizarov Orthopedic Center. These implants form part of the Ilizarov system variation applied for lengthening and correcting the deformations of long tubular bones in children.

22 Jan 2019

Behavioral experiments confirm that additional neurons improve brain function

Most neurons in the human brain are generated from neural stem cells during embryonic development. After birth, a small reservoir of stem cells remains in the brain that keeps on producing new neurons throughout life.

18 Jan 2019

UCLA researchers demonstrate new technique to develop cancer-fighting T cells

A study by UCLA researchers is the first to demonstrate a technique for coaxing pluripotent stem cells -- which can give rise to every cell type in the body and which can be grown indefinitely in the lab -- into becoming mature T cells capable of killing tumor cells.

18 Jan 2019

Newly developed biological system lets cells to create self-curving cornea

Scientists at Newcastle University have developed a biological system which lets cells form a desired shape by moulding their surrounding material - in the first instance creating a self-curving cornea.

18 Jan 2019

Blood vessels can now be created perfectly in a petri dish

Researchers have now successfully created perfect blood vessels in the labs and this may be a huge step in benefitting people with diabetes and other conditions. The report of the procedure appears in a study titled, “Human blood vessel organoids as a model of diabetic vasculopathy,” published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

17 Jan 2019

Stem cell-based approach to diabetes offers hope for treatment

Researchers developed a new stem-cell based approach to treating diabetes that improves how recipients respond to fluctuating glucose levels in the blood.

17 Jan 2019

New project finds how endocrine disruptors interfere with thyroid functions

Endocrine disruptors are a class of chemicals used to produce materials commonly found in everyday life, such as some plastics, tin cans, electrical and household appliances, cosmetics, pesticides, etc.

17 Jan 2019

How Patch Clamp Technology Can Benefit Ion Channel Research

Learn how patch clamp technology meets high-throughput to benefit ion channel research in this interview with Tim and James, Nanion.

From Nanion Technologies 16 Jan 2019

Researchers cultivate vascular organoids that perfectly mimic human blood vessels

For the first time, researchers have successfully cultivated “vascular organoids” in a petri dish that perfectly mimic real human blood vessels.

16 Jan 2019

Breast cancer cells in mice coaxed to turn into harmless fat cells

As cancer cells respond to cues in their microenvironment, they can enter a highly plastic state in which they are susceptible to transdifferentiation into a different type of cell.

16 Jan 2019

LifeTime receives fund to develop a plan to embed its vision for healthier future

Our body's cells are constantly changing. But which of these changes are healthy developments and which lead to serious diseases? This is what LifeTime, a new transnational and interdisciplinary initiative of leading European researchers, aims to discover.

16 Jan 2019

Researchers identify MANF as a rejuvenating factor in parabiosis

Older mice who are surgically joined with young mice in order to share a common bloodstream get stronger and healthier, making parabiosis one of the hottest topics in age research. Publishing in Nature Metabolism, researchers from the Buck Institute report that MANF (mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor) is one of the factors responsible for rejuvenating the transfused older mice.

16 Jan 2019

Study suggests key role for glial cells in Parkinson's disease

A team of scientists led by Prof. Antonella Consiglio from the IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona, and Prof. Angel Raya from the Center of Regenerative Medicine of Barcelona have discovered that defective versions of human brain cells called astrocytes are linked to the buildup of a toxic protein that is one the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease.

16 Jan 2019

Multiple sclerosis could benefit from stem cell therapy

Patients with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) have benefited from an experimental stem cell therapy. MS is an autoimmune disease where the central nervous system is affected. It is severely debilitating and means a slow and progressive death for the patients.

16 Jan 2019

Study points to potential new biomarker and drug target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Research led by stem cell scientists at Harvard University points to a potential new biomarker and drug target for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neurological disease that is extremely difficult to diagnose and treat.

16 Jan 2019