Progenitor Cells News and Research

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Bone marrow may be source of new egg-cell generation

Last year a group of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers announced surprising findings that female mice - contrary to longstanding theories of mammalian reproductive physiology - retained the ability to make new egg cells or oocytes into adulthood.

27 Jul 2005

Revolutionary finding on female reproductive function

Previously unrecognized stem cells found in the bone marrow and blood of mice can "restock" a depleted ovary with new egg cells within weeks, according to new research published in this week's issue of the journal Cell.

27 Jul 2005

Data directly support a pathogenetic model of acute leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is frequently caused by genetic alterations that affect transcription factors, such as AML1-ETO and mutations affecting genes involved in signal transduction pathways, such as FLT3.

15 Jul 2005

Novel way in which the brain size of developing mammals may be regulated

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers have discovered a novel way in which the brain size of developing mammals may be regulated. They have identified a signaling pathway that controls the orientation in which dividing neural progenitor cells are cleaved during development.

14 Jul 2005

Researchers clarifiy role of Notch protein in T-cell development

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have recently clarified the role of the Notch protein in T-cell development. T cells are required for many aspects of immunity, including fighting viral infections, providing cancer surveillance, and regulating multiple aspects of the immune response.

6 Jul 2005

Functional analysis of human hematopoietic stem cell gene expression using zebrafish

What do you get when you mix RNA chips and zebrafish? A new two-stage method for studying human gene expression differs in human stem cells and progenitor cells, according to a new article in the open access journal PLoS Biology.

6 Jul 2005

Scientists discover identifying markers for primitive blood-forming stem cells - simplifies cell identification

Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have discovered the biological equivalent of a grocery store bar code on the surface of primitive, blood-forming stem cells in mice. Called hematopoietic stem cells, they give rise to all the different types of specialized cells found in blood.

30 Jun 2005

Jumping genes help detemine uniqueness of individual brains

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies may have found one explanation for the puzzling variety in brain organization and function: mobile elements, pieces of DNA that can jump from one place in the genome to another, randomly changing the genetic information in single brain cells.

15 Jun 2005

US scientists find "mother of all brain stem cells"

Scientists at the University of Florida have been able grow brain cells in the laboratory.

14 Jun 2005

Researchers discover how microRNA are involved in the development of heart muscle

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how a small molecule of RNA called microRNA - a chemical cousin of DNA - helps fine tune the production of a key protein involved in the early development of heart muscle.

12 Jun 2005

New predictor for blood transplant success

The success of blood stem cell transplants used to treat diseases such as leukemia, Hodgkin’s lymphoma and aplastic anemia may soon become more predictable, thanks to a discovery made by researchers at the University of British Columbia.

11 May 2005

Research suggests potential new strategies for fighting age-related vascular disease

Declining function of cells that help repair the inner lining of blood vessels, known as endothelial progenitor cells, rather than a dwindling supply of the cells, may underlie the increased risk of atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases as people grow older, according to a new study (PDF) in the May 3, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

4 May 2005

Researchers insert engineered human stem cells into the spinal cords of ALS-afflicted rats

Unveiling a delivery method that may one day help surgeons treat the deadly neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have inserted engineered human stem cells into the spinal cords of ALS-afflicted rats.

19 Apr 2005

Discovery that sheds new light upon the growth and development of human natural killer (NK) cells

Scientists here have made a major discovery that sheds new light upon the growth and development of human natural killer (NK) cells, powerful but somewhat mysterious components of the body’s immune system that are the first line of defense against cancer and infectious diseases.

23 Mar 2005

ViaCell and Genzyme announce collaboration - ViaCell announces patent issuance

ViaCell and Genzyme Corporation announced today that the two companies entered into a collaboration related to diabetes.

15 Mar 2005

First evidence of cardiac progenitor cells

The first evidence of cardiac progenitor cells – rare, specialized stem cells located in the newborn heart of rats, mice and humans – has been shown by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. The cells are capable of differentiation into fully mature heart tissue.

10 Feb 2005

Researchers have discovered an ample source of stem cells in an uncharted part of the umbilical cord

The study, published in the February issue of Stem Cells, outlines how researchers discovered that the jelly-like connective tissue surrounding the blood vessels of the human umbilical cord, the so-called "Wharton's Jelly," is rich in mesenchymal progenitor cells – cells that generate bone, cartilage and other tissues – and can be harvested to generate an abundant supply in a short amount of time.

9 Feb 2005

Scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons

After years of trial and error, scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons, critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

30 Jan 2005

Aastrom Biosciences responds to article regarding contaminated stem cell lines

Aastrom Biosciences responded today to the publication in the Sunday online edition of Nature Medicine of findings by California researchers that indicate that certain lines of human embryonic stem cells have been contaminated through the use of mice feeder cells.

25 Jan 2005

Research leads to new antiangiogenic drugs

Scientists have uncovered critical information that may lead to an urgently needed method for effective monitoring of antiangiogenic cancer therapies.

17 Jan 2005