Fibroblast News and Research

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

Conditionally reprogrammed cells help identify effective therapy for HPV-positive RRP

Using a newly discovered cell technology, Georgetown University Medical Center researchers were able to identify an effective therapy for a patient with a rare type of lung tumor. The single case study, reported in the September 27 issue of New England Journal of Medicine, provides a snapshot of the new technology's promising potential; however, researchers strongly caution that it could be years before validation studies are completed and regulatory approval received for its broader use.

28 Sep 2012

Enrollment complete in Boehringer Ingelheim’s nintedanib phase III studies for IPF

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that clinical trial enrollment has completed for two phase III studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of nintedanib (BIBF 1120), an investigational compound, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), being studied at a twice-daily oral dose.

27 Sep 2012

Boehringer Ingelheim completes enrollment in nintedanib Phase III trials for IPF

Boehringer Ingelheim is pleased to announce the last patients have been randomised into the Phase III sister trials assessing the efficacy and safety of nintedanib (150 mg twice daily) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

24 Sep 2012

Autologous skin grafts heal chronic foot ulcers

Scientists have successfully treated chronic diabetic foot ulcers using skin grafts grown from individual patient cell samples.

13 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

Morphological changes occur rapidly in response to cardiac injury

Cardiac injury leads to significant structural changes in the heart, including enlargement, excess formation of fibrous growth tissue, and abnormalities of the coronary vasculature. While associated factors have been targeted for therapeutic intervention, the results have been conflicting. Most studies have investigated these changes after six days of injury. However, advanced stages of remodeling have already begun by day seven following injury.

4 Sep 2012

Morphotek commences MORAb-004 Phase II metastatic soft tissue sarcoma trial

Morphotek, Inc. announced today that it has commenced a multi-center, Phase II study evaluating the safety and efficacy of MORAb-004 when combined with gemcitabine and docetaxel in the treatment of metastatic soft tissue sarcoma.

28 Aug 2012

Study uncovers new pathway that can treat depression

Depression takes a substantial toll on brain health. Brain imaging and post-mortem studies provide evidence that the wealth of connections in the brain are reduced in individuals with depression, with the result of impaired functional connections between key brain centers involved in mood regulation. Glial cells are one of the cell types that appear to be particularly reduced when analyzing post-mortem brain tissue from people who had depression.

16 Aug 2012

Glioblastoma patients with modified PTEN have resistance to EGFR inhibitors

Despite years of research, glioblastoma, the most common and deadly brain cancer in adults, continues to outsmart treatments targeted to inhibit tumor growth.

15 Aug 2012

Interface zone fibroblasts play key role in gastric cancer

Interface zone fibroblasts in gastric adenocarcinoma promote the invasion, migration, and proliferation of cancer cells, as well as prevent apoptosis, to a greater degree than normal or tumor zone fibroblasts, say researchers.

8 Aug 2012

Scientists identify key factor that drives resistance to cancer drug

Developing resistance to chemotherapy is a nearly universal, ultimately lethal consequence for cancer patients with solid tumors - such as those of the breast, prostate, lung and colon - that have metastasized, or spread, throughout the body. A team of scientists led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has discovered a key factor that drives this drug resistance - information that ultimately may be used to improve the effectiveness of therapy and buy precious time for patients with advanced cancer.

6 Aug 2012

Skin cell spray key to venous leg ulcer treatment

A spray consisting of a mixture of keratinocyte and fibroblast skin cells holds promise for treatment of venous leg ulcers, show results from a phase II randomized controlled trial published in The Lancet.

3 Aug 2012

Scientists discover critical molecular switch that regulates autophagy

The body has a built-in system known as autophagy, or 'self-eating,' that controls how cells live or die. Deregulation of autophagy is linked to the development of human diseases, including neural degeneration and cancer.

2 Aug 2012

Burn wound MSCs potential source for skin grafting

Study findings suggest that burn wound eschar-derived mesenchymal cells represent a population of multipotent stem cells, which could be a new resource for engineering approaches to heal burn wounds.

30 Jul 2012

Fusion of FGFR and TACC gene leads to glioblastoma

Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) have discovered that some cases of glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of primary brain cancer, are caused by the fusion of two adjacent genes.

26 Jul 2012

Study uses photodynamic therapy to ablate cardiac myocytes responsible for arrhythmias

University of Michigan heart researchers are shedding light on a safer method for steadying an abnormal heart rhythm that prevents collateral damage to healthy cells.

25 Jul 2012

Bristol-Myers Squibb reports results from brivanib plus sorafenib phase III trial on HCC

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported the result of the phase III BRISK-FL clinical trial of the investigational agent brivanib versus sorafenib as first-line treatment in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

20 Jul 2012

Manipulating retinal recipient microenvironment impacts photoreceptor cell transplantation

A research team in the United Kingdom has found that insulin-like growth factor (IGF1) impacts cell transplantation of photoreceptor precursors by manipulating the retinal recipient microenvironment, enabling better migration and integration of the cells into the adult mouse retina.

12 Jul 2012

Key difference between spinal regeneration in fish and mammals

Yona Goldshmit, Ph.D., is a former physical therapist who worked in rehabilitation centers with spinal cord injury patients for many years before deciding to switch her focus to the underlying science.

7 Jul 2012

Toxins and cell death: Interview with Professor Denise Montell

There are multiple kinds of cell death. Cells can undergo programmed cell death, which is a series of events that undergoes a predictable order at certain times during development.

6 Jul 2012