Somatic Cells News and Research

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Growing eggs and sperm to treat infertility

Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles, have reported, in the journal Cell Reports, the mechanism of how the very early precursor or stem cells which eventually give rise to the germ cells, eggs and sperm, are formed over the course of development. This could help create eggs and sperms under laboratory conditions to help infertile people who don’t have sperms, or eggs, for instance.

9 Feb 2020

"Jumping genes" within eggs determine their survival

Females are born with a finite supply of eggs and with age the genetic quality of the eggs decline say researchers from Carnegie Institute. The study from researchers Marla Tharp, Safia Malki, and Alex Bortvin was published in the latest issue of Nature Communications. The study was titled, “Maximizing the ovarian reserve in mice by evading LINE-1 genotoxicity.”

16 Jan 2020

Advancement in reconstitution of the blood system from human pluripotent stem cells

The reconstitution of the blood system in humans holds great therapeutic potential to treat many disorders, like blood cancers, sickle-cell anemia and others.

31 Dec 2019

Chemical reprogramming of granulosa cells to form functional oocytes

By introducing a chemical cocktail to granulosa cells, researchers in China induced the cells to transform into functional oocytes in mice.

26 Dec 2019

Machine learning successfully replicates cell architecture

A new study reports the use of machine learning to help form complex cell architectures from pluripotent stem cells.

21 Nov 2019

Researchers unveil ultrastructure of focal adhesion scaffold in pluripotent stem cells

Focal adhesions are known as signaling platforms broadcasting the information of the biochemical and physical qualities of the extracellular matrix into intracellular signaling cascades.

25 Oct 2019

Pluripotent stem cells help advance understanding of how Huntington's disease develops

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal hereditary disease for which there is no cure. A novel study from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, using pluripotent stem cells advances understanding of how the disease develops and may help pave the way for identifying pathways for future treatments.

21 Oct 2019

Findings shed light on molecular reasons for early miscarriage

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have uncovered a chromosome-wide mechanism that keeps the gene expression of sex chromosomes in balance in our cells.

3 Oct 2019

A new perspective on evolution provided by fly testes

The male testes are important areas for biological innovation, as well as being a factory for sperm. In exciting new biological research a team of scientists has found that the testes are also a hotspot for the production ofnew genes.

19 Aug 2019

Researchers identify chemical compounds that increase stability of haploid cell

Since the emergence of molecular genetics more than fifty years ago, scientists have tried to isolate haploid mammalian cells, that is, cells with half the number of chromosomes contained in somatic cells. Haploid cells are a powerful genetic tool to analyze gene function.

17 Jul 2019

Researchers develop simple, quick technique for gene editing in rice blast fungus

CRISPR/Cas9 is now a household name associated with genetic engineering studies.

24 May 2019

Two new epigenetic regulators maintain self-renewal of embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem cells have the ability to self-renew, and, being pluripotent have the potential to create almost any cell type in the body.

19 Apr 2019

Researchers develop new technology to mass produce cerebral cortex neurons

Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI, President Pann Ghill Suh) announced on Mar. 4 that its research team led by principal researcher Yoichi Kosodo developed a technology to mass produce cerebral cortex neurons utilizing Induced pluripotent Stem Cells.

28 Mar 2019

Researchers track effects of epigenetic marks carried by sperm chromosomes

As an organism grows and responds to its environment, genes in its cells are constantly turning on and off, with different patterns of gene expression in different cells. But can changes in gene expression be passed on from parents to their children and subsequent generations?

20 Mar 2019

Newly discovered compound shows potential for treating Parkinson's disease

A joint research group centered around Professor Hideyuki Okano and Associate Professor Jun Kohyama, Department of Physiology of the Keio University School of Medicine, together with a research group of Eisai Co., Ltd. has identified a compound that has the potential to be a treatment for Parkinson's disease by using dopaminergic neurons differentiated from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from patients with familial Parkinson's disease.

19 Oct 2018

Scientists discover key insights into how sperm and egg cells are formed

Key insights into how sperm and egg cells are formed have been discovered by scientists, shedding light on the earliest stages of their development.

4 Oct 2018

Researchers develop rapid, cost-effective method to create human cortical organoids

Writing in the current online issue of the journal Stem Cells and Development, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine describe development of a rapid, cost-effective method to create human cortical organoids directly from primary cells.

7 Sep 2018