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.

LMU researchers show how genetic variant in people of African ancestry modulates immune cells

A genetic variant that is particularly prevalent in people of African ancestry confers protection against malaria. LMU researchers have now shown how it modulates the properties of white blood cells that play a major role in immune defenses and inflammation.

1 Jun 2017

Scientists identify new gene that prompts muscle stem cells to fuse together

A detour on the road to regenerative medicine for people with muscular disorders is figuring out how to coax muscle stem cells to fuse together and form functioning skeletal muscle tissues.

1 Jun 2017

New method combines organoid technology with bioengineering to build better brains

A few years ago, Jürgen Knoblich and his team at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA) have pioneered brain organoid technology. They developed a method for cultivating three-dimensional brain-like structures, so called cerebral organoids, in a dish.

1 Jun 2017

Brain's immune cells may play roles in neurodegenerative, psychiatric illnesses

Scientists have, for the first time, characterized the molecular markers that make the brain's front lines of immune defense--cells called microglia--unique.

31 May 2017

Cognitive tests can detect early Alzheimer's in people without symptoms, study suggests

Long before symptoms of Alzheimer's disease become apparent to patients and their families, biological changes are occurring within the brain. Amyloid plaques, which are clusters of protein fragments, along with tangles of protein known as tau, form in the brain and grow in number, eventually getting in the way of the brain's ability to function.

31 May 2017

Study sheds light on mechanisms that maintain gene activity in embryonic stem cells

Researchers from Turku, Finland, have discovered new information about the mechanisms which maintain gene activity in human embryonic stem cells.

31 May 2017

Jaw malformations in zebrafish could provide clues about hearing loss in mice and humans

Can a fish with a malformed jaw tell us something about hearing loss in mice and humans? The answer is yes, according to a new publication in Scientific Reports.

31 May 2017

Investigational compound inhibits cancer-specific mutations in mice

Many malignancies develop as a result of genetic alterations in individual cells. These gene mutations often cause altered proteins that give new, growth-promoting properties to the cell.

30 May 2017

Chemicals found in cigarettes harm fetal liver health, study shows

Chemicals found in cigarette smoke have been shown to damage fetal liver cells.

30 May 2017

Smoking during pregnancy damages liver tissue of developing fetus, study shows

A new stem cell study has shown the damaging impact cigarette smoke can have on the developing liver tissue of unborn fetuses. The study also revealed differences in the type of damage caused between male and female fetuses.

30 May 2017

Gene editing technology can introduce hundreds of unintended mutations, study shows

As CRISPR-Cas9 starts to move into clinical trials, a new study published in Nature Methods has found that the gene-editing technology can introduce hundreds of unintended mutations into the genome.

29 May 2017

New therapeutic approach could save diabetics from amputation by promoting wound healing

Diabetic patients frequently have lesions on their feet that are very difficult to heal due to poor blood circulation. In cases of serious non-healing infections, a decision to amputate could be made. A new therapeutic approach, presented recently in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology by Canadian researchers affiliated with the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre, could prevent these complications by promoting wound healing.

29 May 2017

Researchers use chemical array to find malignant cells within melanoma tumor

Melanoma is a particularly difficult cancer to treat once it has metastasized, spreading throughout the body. University of Illinois researchers are using chemistry to find the deadly, elusive malignant cells within a melanoma tumor that hold the potential to spread.

26 May 2017

Scientists discover receptor protein that promotes chronic heart failure

Researchers in Japan have identified a receptor protein on the surface of heart cells that promotes chronic heart failure.

26 May 2017

Study finds two genetic variants linked to bicuspid aortic valve development

Researchers are working to determine why the aortic valve doesn't form correctly in patients with the most common congenital heart defect: bicuspid aortic valve.

25 May 2017

Stem cell therapy using Helix transendocardial delivery system provides better results, study shows

BioCardia, Inc. today announced publication of a study in the International Heart Journal. According to the study, delivery of stem cell therapy to the heart using the Helix transendocardial delivery system results in superior cell delivery than either percutaneous intra-coronary infusion or direct injection in an open chest procedure.

24 May 2017