Embryonic Stem Cell News and Research

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USPTO rejects WARF's stem cell patent claims

In what two consumer groups today praised as a victory for open scientific inquiry, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has rejected a controversial patent on human embryonic stem cells held by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).

4 May 2010

Researchers convert established human iPS cells, ES cells to base state of greater pluripotency

Whitehead Institute researchers have converted established human induced pluripotent stem cells and human embryonic stem cells to a base state of greater pluripotency.

4 May 2010

BioTime acquires ES Cell International

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of human stem cells and regenerative medicine, today announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Singapore company ES Cell International Pte Ltd.

3 May 2010

Scientist to receive 2010 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology

The scientist who reprogrammed adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells has been chosen to receive the 2010 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology.

3 May 2010

Study uncovers transcription control mechanism that is regulated by cancer-causing gene

A comprehensive new gene expression study in embryonic stem cells has uncovered a transcription control mechanism that is not only more pervasive than once thought but is also heavily regulated by the cancer-causing gene c-Myc.

30 Apr 2010

UC Irvine scientists receive CIRM grants for stem cell research

Two UC Irvine scientists will receive grants totaling more than $2.6 million to study the underlying biology of stem cells aimed at treating spinal cord injury, cancer and other disorders.

30 Apr 2010

BioTime to acquire Singapore-based company, ES Cell International

BioTime, Inc., a biotechnology company that develops and markets products in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine, today announced that it has agreed to acquire the Singapore-based company ES Cell International Pte Ltd.

30 Apr 2010

Geron reports net loss of $16.6M for first-quarter 2010

Geron Corporation today reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

29 Apr 2010

NIH approves federal funding for 13 more stem cell lines

The Washington Post: Thirteen more lines of human embryonic stem cells are officially eligible for federal funding, since being approved by the National Institutes of Health. The Obama administration announced shortly after the President took office that restrictions would be lifted on the use of federal funds for embryonic stem cell research.

29 Apr 2010

Slitrk5 gene linked to development of OCD-like behaviors

Researchers at the Ansary Stem Cell Institute and the Department of Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College discovered that mice missing a single gene developed repetitive obsessive-compulsive-like behaviors. The genetically altered mice, which behaved much like people with a certain type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), could help scientists design new therapies for this debilitating condition.

27 Apr 2010

New discovery links Slitrk5 gene to development of OCD-like behaviors

27 Apr 2010

New reprogramming strategies needed for production of iPSCs: Study

Scientists may be one step closer to being able to generate any type of cells and tissues from a patient's own cells. In a study that will appear in the journal Nature and is receiving early online release, investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), describe finding that an important cluster of genes is inactivated in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that do not have the full development potential of embryonic stem cells.

26 Apr 2010

Animal studies demonstrate safety profile of ACT's RPE cell therapy for SMD

Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. announced today that it has completed key animal studies in connection with its Phase I multicenter study using embryonic stem cell derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) cells to treat patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD), for which it filed an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November. The studies demonstrated an excellent safety profile with no safety signals such as tumors or ectopic tissues.

24 Apr 2010

Researchers produce stem cells from eggs of aging mice for regenerative medicine

Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have created stem cells from the eggs of aging mice that could be used for reproductive purposes and regenerative medicine. The study, published in April issue of Aging Cell, found that even though the eggs from older females were slightly less efficient at making stem cells than those from younger females, the capacity to create stem cells was sustained.

23 Apr 2010

NeoStem signs Collaborative Research Agreement with ImmuneRegen BioSciences

NeoStem, Inc., an international biopharmaceutical company with operations in the U.S. and China and ImmuneRegen BioSciences, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of IR BioSciences Holdings, Inc., announced today that they have entered into a Collaborative Research Agreement, focused on the development of an advanced, adult human stem cell product.

23 Apr 2010

CDI's iCell Cardiomyocytes named to MIT Technology Review's Annual 10 Emerging Technologies List

Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) today announced that CDI's development and commercialization of human cardiomyocytes for drug discovery and toxicity testing, based on the work of CDI co-founder and chief scientific officer, James A. Thomson, Ph.D., on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) technology, have been named to the MIT Technology Review's Annual 10 Emerging Technologies List.

21 Apr 2010

New p53 knockout rat model improves timelines for carcinogenicity screening

Sigma Life Science, the innovative biological products and services brand of Sigma-Aldrich, today introduced the world's first p53 'knockout' rat model, an important development that is expected to, due to the rat's closer physiological and metabolic similarity to humans, significantly improve timelines for carcinogenicity screening and reduce time to market for therapeutics.

19 Apr 2010

RSCRC scientists explore mysteries of human embryonic stem cells

At Rutgers' Stem Cell Research Center scientists are exploring the mysteries of human embryonic stem cells and their potential use in treating diseases, repairing damaged organs, and drug development. Center staff also offer a course in proper lab techniques in working with stem cells.

17 Apr 2010

Marker found in iPS cells correlates with levels of pluripotency: Researchers

Researchers in China are reporting that they have found a way to determine which somatic cells -- or differentiated body cells -- that have been reprogrammed into a primordial, embryonic-like state are the most viable for therapeutic applications.

17 Apr 2010

Researchers discover two synthetic small molecule drugs to prevent death of human stem cell

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have solved the decade-old mystery of why human embryonic stem cells are so difficult to culture in the laboratory, providing scientists with useful new techniques and moving the field closer to the day when stem cells can be used for therapeutic purposes.

13 Apr 2010