Stem Cells News and Research

RSS

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.

IBN scientists harness ultrasmall peptides to repair spinal disc damage

New ultrasmall peptides that can be used as building blocks for a wide range of regenerative applications such as spinal disc replacement and cartilage repair have been developed by scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute. These peptides spontaneously assemble in water to form hydrogels, which resemble collagen, a major component of connective tissues found in cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone and skin.

12 Sep 2011

NIH awards $12.8 million renewal grant for Louisville adult stem cell research project

At the time when Dr. Roberto Bolli received word that he was awarded a $12.8 million grant renewal from the National Institutes of Health for one research project, five patients in another of his clinical trials at the University of Louisville have reached the successful endpoint of their participation.

9 Sep 2011

Novel solution for purifying stem cell mixtures

Stem cells show great potential to enable treatments for conditions such as spinal injuries or Lou Gehrig's disease, and also as research tools. One of the greatest problems slowing such work is that researchers have found major complications in purifying cell mixtures, for instance to remove stem cells that can cause tumors from cells developed for use in medical treatments.

9 Sep 2011

New method for making synthetic collagen

In a significant advance for cosmetic and reconstructive medicine, scientists at Rice University have unveiled a new method for making synthetic collagen. The new material, which forms from a liquid in as little as an hour, has many of the properties of natural collagen and may prove useful as a scaffold for regenerating new tissues and organs from stem cells.

9 Sep 2011

Theraplex unveils new line of aesthetics skin care products

The Theraplex Company, makers of the theraplex line of medical moisturizers, unveiled a new line of aesthetics skin care products called theraesthetics at the recent Cosmetic Bootcamp in Aspen, Colorado.

8 Sep 2011

Glioma stem cells can change their metabolic state at will, finds study

The metabolic state of glioma stem cells, which give rise to deadly glioblastomas, is significantly different from that of the brain cancer cells to which they give birth, a factor which helps those stem cells avoid treatment and cause recurrence later.

7 Sep 2011

New bone marrow-derived stem cell therapy can benefit patients with degenerative disc disease

Neurosurgery researchers at UC Davis Health System have used a new, leading-edge stem cell therapy to promote the growth of bone tissue following the removal of cervical discs -- the cushions between the bones in the neck -- to relieve chronic, debilitating pain.

7 Sep 2011

Study on effects of adult stem cell treatments in patients with Hereditary Ataxia

The Journal of Translational Medicine reports on a new study in which 30 patients with Hereditary Ataxia showed statistically significant improvements in functionality and quality of life after being treated with a combination of cord blood-derived stem cell treatments and physical therapy.

7 Sep 2011

Pancreatic mesenchyme plays central role in the formation of mature beta cells

A somewhat mysterious soft tissue found in the fetus during early development in the womb plays a pivotal role in the formation of mature beta cells the sole source of the body's insulin. This discovery, made by scientists at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Texas A&M University, may lead to new ways of addressing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

7 Sep 2011

Researchers use ultrasound to improve quality of blood stem cell transplant

Transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells is an effective treatment for patients with malignant blood diseases. The composition and quality of the transplanted cells are crucial to the outcome. Researchers from Lund University, Sweden, have now developed a method to improve the quality of the transplanted cells using ultrasound for cell separation.

7 Sep 2011

Brown fat may help curb obesity: Study

Australian scientists have pioneered a way to grow in the laboratory “brown fat” - a wondrous tissue that burns energy to generate heat - a breakthrough which they claim could be the latest weapon in the battle against obesity.

6 Sep 2011

Golden Meditech launches Taiwan representative office

Golden Meditech Holdings Limited, which embodies a leading medical devices enterprise, a major brand name in haematology hospital and the largest stem cell cord blood banking operator in China, is pleased to announce the launch of its Taiwan representative office today.

6 Sep 2011

Positive topline data from 4SC's resminostat Phase II trial on Hodgkin's Lymphoma

4SC AG, a discovery and development company of targeted small molecule drugs for autoimmune diseases and cancer, today announced positive topline data from its Phase II SAPHIRE trial with resminostat, its oral pan HDAC inhibitor, in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

6 Sep 2011

Mesoblast receives EMA clearance to initiate Revascor Phase 2 trial for heart attacks

Global regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, today announced that it had received clearance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to begin a 225-patient multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe for its lead cardiovascular product Revascor(TM) in conjunction with angioplasty and stent procedures to prevent heart failure after a major heart attack.

5 Sep 2011

Australia’s Mesoblast receives nod to start first European trial of allogeneic stem cell treatment for heart attacks

Global regenerative medicine company, Mesoblast Limited, (ASX: MSB), today announced that it had received clearance from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to begin a 225-patient multi-center Phase 2 clinical trial in Europe for its lead cardiovascular product Revascor™ in conjunction with angioplasty and stent procedures to prevent heart failure after a major heart attack. Revascor™ is an allogeneic, or “off-the-shelf”, adult stem cell product derived from Mesoblast's proprietary Mesenchymal Precursor Cell (MPC) platform technology which is being developed for use in a range of cardiovascular diseases including congestive heart failure, chronic angina, and heart attacks (acute myocardial infarction).

5 Sep 2011

Stem cell therapy for baldness

Researchers have found that molecular signals from stem cells within the skin's fatty layer trigger hair growth in mice. This could mean new treatments for baldness in people.

5 Sep 2011

Scientists identify human colon stem cells and grow them in lab-plates

Human colon stem cells have been identified and grown in a lab-plate for the first time. This achievement, made by researchers of the Colorectal Cancer Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and published in Nature Medicine, is a crucial advance towards regenerative medicine.

5 Sep 2011

Researchers inject cultured red blood cells created from HSCs into human donor

For the first time, researchers have successfully injected cultured red blood cells (cRBCs) created from human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) into a human donor, according to study results published today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology.

3 Sep 2011

Exercise triggers influential stem cells to become bone instead of fat

McMaster researchers have found one more reason to exercise: working out triggers influential stem cells to become bone instead of fat, improving overall health by boosting the body's capacity to make blood.

3 Sep 2011

Health care politics: Perry's stem cell controversy, presidential contenders and health law; Biden Medicare fact check

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who recently underwent an experimental injection of his own adult stem cells to relieve back pain, pushed a bill through the Legislature in June that paves the way for a company co-owned by his doctor to become the first state-approved "bank" to store and cultivate such cells for medical treatment that fact illustrates two aspects of his record that are drawing increasing attention as he pursues the presidency: his enthusiasm for ideas that are sometimes outside the scientific mainstream and what critics view as his willingness to use the levers of state government to benefit friends and political benefactors.

3 Sep 2011