Embryonic Stem Cells News and Research

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First license to begin research involving therapeutic cloning

A special licensing committee of the UK Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority (HFEA) met on June 16 in London to decide whether to grant a license to scientists at The Center for Life at Newcastle University.

20 Jun 2004

Application from the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life to make human embryonic stem cells

The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) is currently considering a licence application from the Newcastle Fertility Centre at Life to make human embryonic stem cells using cell nuclear transfer - a technique also known as therapeutic cloning.

16 Jun 2004

74 percent of Americans support call for the Bush White House to lift restrictions on stem cell research

By a decisive margin of 74-21 percent, Americans support former First Lady Nancy Reagan’s call for the Bush White House to lift restrictions on stem cell research in order to look for possible treatments for the Alzheimer’s disease that afflicted former President Ronald Reagan prior to his recent death

16 Jun 2004

Significant vaccine advance for Parkinson’s disease therapy

Scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha and Columbia University Medical Center in New York have discovered a new vaccine approach that successfully prevents the death of brain cells in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.

15 Jun 2004

New embryonic stem cells technology

An MIT team has developed new technology that could jump-start scientists' ability to create specific cell types from human embryonic stem cells, a feat with implications for developing replacement organs and a variety of other tissue engineering applications.

14 Jun 2004

Synthetic skin from human embryonic stem cells

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology team has developed new technology that could jump-start scientists' ability to create specific cell types from human embryonic stem cells, a feat with implications for developing replacement organs and a variety of other tissue engineering applications.

14 Jun 2004

Conflicting views on embryonic and adult stem cells complicate research in stem cell therapeutics

Though there has been considerable biological and political debate over the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) vs. adult stem cells (ASCs) as therapies for tissue engineering and organ transplants, inherent benefits and drawbacks in both techniques compel them to coexist and complement each other.

10 Jun 2004

₤16.5 million investment in stem cell research

A ₤16.5 million investment in stem cell research was announced today, 27th May, promising to speed the development of new treatments and cures from the laboratory to the clinic. In total, 57 multidisciplinary research grants have been awarded as part of the new monies allocated via the 2002 Government Spending Review to the UK Research Councils.

27 May 2004

International adult stem cell 'retraining' project starts in Birmingham

An exciting research project to utilise the body's own stem cells to regenerate areas of tissue damage is uniting scientists in Birmingham, London and Ontario, Canada. The University of Birmingham is leading a three year study with long term aims of helping stroke, Parkinsons and diabetes patients.

27 May 2004

Researchers have identified the first gene linked to the productivity of the stem cells that produce sperm in mammals

Researchers have identified the first gene linked to the productivity of the stem cells that produce sperm in mammals. The discovery was made by applying the latest laboratory methods to a strain of mice restored from embryos frozen since the early 70s.

23 May 2004

Centre for Life opens with the UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines

The UK’s first two human embryonic stem cell lines, developed separately by researchers at King’s College London and the Centre for Life in Newcastle, are to be deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank. The deposit coincides with the official opening of the Bank by Health Minister, Lord Warner, today (Wednesday 19 May 2004).

19 May 2004

Embryonic stem cells may hold the key to regenerating damaged heart muscle

Embryonic stem cells may hold the key to regenerating damaged heart muscle, when transplanted within a 3-dimensional scaffold into the infracted heart, according to a new study coming out in June in the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation.

14 May 2004

New studies put spotlight on replicative capacity of beta cells

Researchers at Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have discovered that insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas that are attacked in type 1 diabetes are replenished through duplication of existing cells rather than through differentiation of adult stem cells.

5 May 2004

New hope for advances in treatment methods for AIDS, Alzheimer's and age-related blindness

Pharmaceutical science leaders from the FDA, research institutions and top pharmaceutical companies will gather at the 2004 AAPS National Biotechnology Conference, AAPS' spring annual meeting.

4 May 2004

Transplanted bone-marrow cells could regenerate nerve cells in the brain

Findings of a preliminary study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggest that transplanted adult bone-marrow cells could regenerate nerve cells in the brains of human stem-cell recipients. These early findings, if confirmed in future research, have implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

29 Apr 2004

Scientists get new motor neurons to migrate through the spinal cord

In experiments with rodents, Johns Hopkins scientists have used properly directed stem cells to successfully overcome what is thought to be a basic hurdle in restoring function to severely damaged central nervous systems

28 Apr 2004

Stem cell personal space determines their future

Johns Hopkins scientists report that restricting the shape and personal space of human stem cells from bone marrow is more important than any known molecular signal in determining the cell type they become.

16 Apr 2004

New method to induce embryonic stem cells to develop into bone marrow and blood cells

Researchers at Northwestern University have devised a method to induce embryonic stem cells to develop into bone marrow and blood cells. Injecting the stem cells into the bone marrow cavity of mice whose bone marrow cells had been depleted restored production of blood cells, including cells of the immune system, which normally are created in the bone marrow.

6 Apr 2004

Embryonic stem cells attached to a gel matrix instead of suspended in solution

30 Mar 2004

New storage method amplifies cells available for science

Like many other kinds of cells used in biomedical research, human embryonic stem cells are stored and transported in a cryopreserved state, frozen to -320 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of their liquid nitrogen storage bath. But when scientists thaw the cells for use in the lab, less than 1 percent awake from their frigid slumber and assume their undifferentiated state. This 'blank slate' form is characteristic of stem cells and essential for the basic science required before the promising cells are ready for the clinic.

30 Mar 2004