Fibroblast News and Research

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Fibroblasts are connective tissue cells which secrete an extracellular matrix rich in collagen and other macromolecules.

Basic fibroblast growth factor can protect endplate in motor neurons of injured spinal cord

In current studies, the degeneration and protection measures in the distal end of the injured spinal cord and target organ muscle effector have scarcely been investigated. The distal end of the spinal cord and neuromuscular junction may develop secondary degenera-tion and damage following spinal cord injury because of the loss of neural connections.

7 Sep 2013

Non-adherent bone marrow cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells could differentiate into neuronal-like cells

It is widely believed that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells are highly adherent fibroblastic cells, defined as colony-forming unit-fibroblasts. Nevertheless, a few reports have shown that the non-adherent bone marrow cells can give rise to colony-forming unit-fibroblasts in vitro, and possess a certain differentiation potential.

6 Sep 2013

FIBRO-TARGETS project aims to identify mechanisms involved in MIF, define therapeutic approaches

Unravelling the mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis will lead to the discovery of therapeutic target candidates for various cardiac diseases. FIBRO-TARGETS brings together eleven European expert teams from six different countries both from public research institutes and European biotechs.

5 Sep 2013

Blind mole-rats live underground in low-oxygen environments, are long-lived and resistant to cancer

Like naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus gaber), blind mole-rats (of the genus Spalax) live underground in low-oxygen environments, are long-lived and resistant to cancer. A new study demonstrates just how cancer-resistant Spalax are, and suggests that the adaptations that help these rodents survive in low-oxygen environments also play a role in their longevity and cancer resistance.

4 Sep 2013

Debiopharm starts Debio 1347 phase I study in patients with advanced solid tumors

Debiopharm Group, the Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the development of prescription drugs that target unmet medical needs including oncology, today announced the start of a phase I, open label multicenter study of a selective FGFR 1, 2, 3 inhibitor, Debio 1347 (CH5183284) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

2 Sep 2013

Researchers discover role played by epigenetic factors in senescence and age-related diseases

One way cells promote tumor suppression is through a process called senescence, an irreversible arrest of proliferation. Senescence is thought to be associated with normal aging, but is also a protective measure by the body against run-away cell replication.

31 Aug 2013

'Helper cells' improve survival rate of transplanted stem cells, finds study

Like volunteers handing out cups of energy drinks to marathon runners, specially engineered "helper cells" transplanted along with stem cells can dole out growth factors to increase the stem cells' endurance, at least briefly, Johns Hopkins researchers report.

28 Aug 2013

New technique may convert cells from heart disease patients into heart muscle cells

Researchers have developed a new technique that might one day be used to convert cells from heart disease patients into heart muscle cells that could act as a personalized treatment for their condition.

23 Aug 2013

Osteoarthritis research: an interview with Dr Deborah Mason, Cardiff University

Osteoarthritis is an extremely common condition affecting about 8 million people in the UK. The elderly are particularly susceptible, with up to 45% of people over 65 years, having the disease.

14 Aug 2013

Brain tumor cells in arrested development contribute to cell variety that protects cancer

A program that pushes immature cells to grow up and fulfill their destiny as useful, dedicated cells is short-circuited in the most common and deadly form of brain tumor, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report this week in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

8 Aug 2013

Columbia researchers identify 18 new genes that drive glioblastoma multiforme

A team of researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center has identified 18 new genes responsible for driving glioblastoma multiforme, the most common-and most aggressive-form of brain cancer in adults. The study was published August 5, 2013, in Nature Genetics.

6 Aug 2013

New finding suggests potential to improve safety, performance of reprogrammed cells

The enormous promise of regenerative medicine is matched by equally enormous challenges. But a new finding by a team of researchers led by Weill Cornell Medical College has the potential to improve both the safety and performance of reprogrammed cells.

2 Aug 2013

NIH expands CRIC study to identify risk factors for progression of early stage CKD

Researchers from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort study are embarking on another five years of work to identify risk factors for progression of early stage chronic kidney disease, better understand the importance of reduced kidney function in older persons, and learn what role CKD may play in other illnesses that require hospitalization. CRIC is supported by the National Institutes of Health.

30 Jul 2013

Study may lead to personalized treatments for mitochondrial energy disorders

Researchers have identified a master network of signaling molecules that acts like a "fuse box" to regulate the cellular effects of defective energy flow in mitochondrial respiratory chain diseases—a diverse set of difficult-to-treat genetic-based energy disorders.

25 Jul 2013

Discovery provides evidence that genetic defect responsible for Down syndrome can be suppressed

Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are the first to establish that a naturally occurring X chromosome "off switch" can be rerouted to neutralize the extra chromosome responsible for trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by cognitive impairment.

18 Jul 2013

p53 restoration of function drug candidate: an interview with Dr. Wayne Danter, MD, FRCPC President and CEO of Critical Outcome Technologies

COTI-2 is a computer-designed small molecule that was discovered by our artificial intelligence drug discovery platform called CHEMSAS.

8 Jul 2013

FGF21 endocrine hormone which reduces glucose levels also protects against cardiac diseases in mice

A research group has found that FGF21, an endocrine factor which reduces glucose levels, protects against cardiac diseases in mice. The research, published online on the journal Nature Communications, was led by Francesc Villarroya, professor from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the UB and Director of the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), affiliated centre with the campus of international excellence BKC.

18 Jun 2013

Mount Sinai researchers produce cells that resemble hematopoietic stem cells

By transferring four genes into mouse fibroblast cells, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have produced cells that resemble hematopoietic stem cells, which produce millions of new blood cells in the human body every day.

14 Jun 2013

Novel abnormalities in FGFR gene identified in a spectrum of cancers

Novel abnormalities in the FGFR gene, called FGFR fusions, were identified in a spectrum of cancers, and preliminary results with cancer cells harboring FGFR fusions suggested that some patients with these cancers may benefit from treatment with FGFR inhibitor drugs, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

10 Jun 2013

Researchers solve two longstanding challenges in liver tissue engineering

Prometheus, the mythological figure who stole fire from the gods, was punished for this theft by being bound to a rock. Each day, an eagle swept down and fed on his liver, which then grew back to be eaten again the next day.

3 Jun 2013