Embryonic Stem Cells News and Research

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Study finds differences and similarities between iPSCs and cancer cells

UC Davis investigators have found new evidence that a promising type of stem cell now being considered for a variety of disease therapies is very similar to the type of cells that give rise to cancer. The findings suggest that although the cells -- known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) -- show substantial promise as a source of replacement cells and tissues to treat injuries, disease and chronic conditions, scientists and physicians must move cautiously with any clinical use because iPSCs could also cause malignant cancer.

29 Sep 2012

BioTime forms new wholly owned subsidiary

BioTime, Inc., an Alameda-based company engaged in research and development of innovative new products in the field of regenerative medicine utilizing stem cells and related technology, announced today that it has formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, BioTime Acquisition Corporation, to pursue opportunities and acquire assets and businesses in the fields of stem cells and regenerative medicine.

29 Sep 2012

Researchers discover way to detect and eliminate troublemaking stem cells

Mayo Clinic researchers have found a way to detect and eliminate potentially troublemaking stem cells to make stem cell therapy safer. Induced Pluripotent Stem cells, also known as iPS cells, are bioengineered from adult tissues to have properties of embryonic stem cells, which have the unlimited capacity to differentiate and grow into any desired types of cells, such as skin, brain, lung and heart cells.

28 Sep 2012

Elevated c-Myc expression amplifies gene activity in tumor cells of multiple cancer types

For a cancer patient, over-expression of the MYC oncogene is a bad omen. Scientists have long known that in tumor cells, elevated levels of MYC's protein product, c-Myc, are associated with poor clinical outcomes, including increased rates of metastasis, recurrence, and mortality. Yet decades of research producing thousands of scientific papers on the subject have failed to consistently explain precisely how c-Myc exerts its effects across a broad range of cancer types. Until now, that is.

28 Sep 2012

New understanding about function of MYC proteins

Scientists may have discovered why a protein called MYC can provoke a variety of cancers. Like many proteins associated with cancer, MYC helps regulate cell growth. A study carried out by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and colleagues found that, unlike many other cell growth regulators, MYC does not turn genes on or off, but instead boosts the expression of genes that are already turned on.

28 Sep 2012

Study finds new regulator for heart formation

A new regulator for heart formation has been discovered by studying how embryonic stem cells adjust the packaging of their DNA. This approach to finding genetic regulators, the scientists say, may have the power to provide insight into the development of any tissue in the body - liver, brain, blood and so on.

28 Sep 2012

Cell Banker 3 cryopreservation solution effectively preserves iPSCs

In a study to determine the best cryopreservation (freezing) solution to maintain induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, a team of researchers from Japan compared 12 kinds of commercially prepared and readily available cryopreservation solutions and found that "Cell Banker 3" out-performed the other 11 solutions by allowing iPS cells to be preserved for a year at -80 degrees C in an undifferentiated state.

26 Sep 2012

New technique can identify cell-secreted proteins

Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a new technique to identify the proteins secreted by a cell. The new approach should help researchers collect precise data on cell biology, which is critical in fields ranging from zoology to cancer research.

26 Sep 2012

Scientists identify unique molecular signature in iPSCs that show promise in regenerative medicine

Salk scientists have identified a unique molecular signature in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), "reprogrammed" cells that show great promise in regenerative medicine thanks to their ability to generate a range of body tissues.

20 Sep 2012

EMD Millipore announces global licensing agreement for AJ's iPS cell patent portfolio

EMD Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, and iPS Academia Japan, Inc. today announced a global licensing agreement for AJ's induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell patent portfolio.

18 Sep 2012

Researchers obtain first detailed and complete picture of PRC2 protein

The first detailed and complete picture of a protein complex that is tied to human birth defects as well as the progression of many forms of cancer has been obtained by an international team of researchers led by scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).

18 Sep 2012

New stem cell differentiation study could help scientists better understand genetic basis of CVD

The fate of an embryonic stem cell, which has the potential to become any type of body cell, is determined by a complex interaction of genes, proteins that bind DNA, and molecules that modify those genes and proteins.

15 Sep 2012

Researchers turn skin cells into embryonic Sertoli-like cells

Using a stepwise trans-differentiation process, Whitehead Institute researchers have turned skin cells into embryonic Sertoli-like cells.

7 Sep 2012

LIN28 protein can bind directly to thousands of messenger RNAs

A study led by researchers at the UC San Diego Stem Cell Research program and funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) looks at an important RNA binding protein called LIN28, which is implicated in pluripotency and reprogramming as well as in cancer and other diseases.

6 Sep 2012

Converting blood cells to a stem cell state: an interview with Elias Zambidis, M.D., Ph.D.

The primitive stem cell state we created is called an “induced pluripotent stem cell” (iPSC). iPSC are a new, unique, and artificially-created type of stem cell that were first described in 2006 by a Japanese scientist named Shinya Yamanaka.

4 Sep 2012

Appeals Court upholds federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research

Family Research Council (FRC) expressed disappointment in today's Appeals Court ruling that upholds the Obama administration's efforts to use taxpayer funds for human embryonic stem cell research.

27 Aug 2012

Scientists develop reliable method to convert adult blood cells into iPSCs

Johns Hopkins scientists have developed a reliable method to turn the clock back on blood cells, restoring them to a primitive stem cell state from which they can then develop into any other type of cell in the body.

24 Aug 2012

Blood cells returned to stem cell state by Johns Hopkins researchers

22 Aug 2012

Study on sea lamprey may indicate how potentially deleterious genes can be controlled

Research on a unique vertebrate called the sea lamprey shows that more than a thousand genes are shed during its early development.

22 Aug 2012

Mof protein plays a key role in epigenetics of stem cells

How do stem cells preserve their ability to become any type of cell in the body? And how do they "decide" to give up that magical state and start specializing? If researchers could answer these questions, our ability to harness stem cells to treat disease could explode. Now, a University of Michigan Medical School team has published a key discovery that could help that goal become reality.

22 Aug 2012