Stem Cells News and Research

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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.

Discovery of new gene that stimulates the release of calcium in cells

International research collaborators have identified a new family of proteins, TPC2 (two-pore channels), that facilitates calcium signaling from specialized subcellular organelles.

22 Apr 2009

First human study of pioneering 'cell bandage' technology

A company co-founded by Professor Anthony Hollander has raised over £1.6 million to fund trials, including the first human study, of its pioneering 'cell bandage' technology, which aims to save thousands of patients from the type of knee surgery that currently leads to premature osteoarthritis.

22 Apr 2009

Scientists challenge current views on how genes are controlled in mammals

Scientists at the Omics Science Center (OSC) of the RIKEN Yokohama Institute in Japan - along with researchers from McGill University and other institutions worldwide - are challenging current notions of how genes are controlled in mammals.

22 Apr 2009

Discovery of 12 proteins associated with pediatric multiple sclerosis

A group of 12 proteins associated with pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) have been discovered for the first time by a team of neurology and pathology researchers at Stony Brook University Medical Center.

22 Apr 2009

Cells from human blood can morph into stem cells

In a recent study, U.S. researchers have reprogrammed cells found in circulating blood into cells that are molecularly and functionally indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells, a revolutionary achievement that provides a readily accessible source of stem cells and an alternative to harvesting embryonic stem cells.

21 Apr 2009

Stem cell therapy used to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

A team of Utahns is collaborating on a stem cell therapy to fight amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

21 Apr 2009

Human foetal stem cells can effectively be used to treat back leg ischaemic ulcers

Treatment of chronic wounds is a continuing clinical problem and socio-economic burden with diabetic foot ulcers alone costing the NHS £300 million a year.

20 Apr 2009

New therapy for pancreatic cancer achieves tumor remission and prevents recurrence

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, but researchers may have found a combination therapy to reduce cancer stem cells and stop pancreatic cancer growth. Results will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009.

20 Apr 2009

Scientists use RNA to reprogram 1 cell type into another

For the past decade, researchers have tried to tweak cells at the gene and nucleus level to reprogram their identity.

16 Apr 2009

New nucleotide could revolutionize epigenetics

Anyone who studied a little genetics in high school has heard of adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine - the A,T,G and C that make up the DNA code.

16 Apr 2009

New clues to how stem cells form

An Emory University study shows some of the first direct evidence of a process required for epigenetic reprogramming between generations – a finding that could shed more light on the mechanisms of fertilization, stem-cell formation and cloning.

16 Apr 2009

Researchers use stroke patient's own stem cells in trial for first time

For the first time in the United States, a stroke patient has been intravenously injected with his own bone marrow stem cells as part of a research trial at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston.

15 Apr 2009

A new method for bone-marrow-derived liver stem cells isolation and proliferation

Great interest has been aroused in the identification and isolation of liver stem cells from bone marrow cells.

15 Apr 2009

Type 1 diabetes controlled by stem cell transplants therapy

Scientists in the United States have found that stem cell transplants enabled people with type 1 diabetes to manage for as long as four years without needing insulin injections and to maintain good glycemic control - such patients typically need daily insulin therapy to control their diabetes.

15 Apr 2009

Stem cell transplantation helps patients with diabetes become insulin free

The majority of patients with type 1 diabetes who underwent a certain type of stem cell transplantation became insulin free, several for more than three years, with good glycemic control, and also increased C-peptide levels, an indirect measure of beta-cell function, according to a study in the April 15 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association.

14 Apr 2009

Scientists discover way to jumpstart bone's healing process

Rarely will physicians use the word "miraculous" when discussing patient recoveries.

14 Apr 2009

Three medical centers awarded funds to study generation of cardiac muscle cells

The American Heart Association, with support from the Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation, has awarded funding for three research centers to study the development and mechanisms of generating new cardiac muscle cells.

13 Apr 2009

Therapeutic effect of imatinib improved with addition of chloroquine

The therapeutic effects of the blockbuster leukemia drug imatinib may be enhanced when given along with a drug that inhibits a cell process called autophagy, researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

13 Apr 2009

Enhancing the effects of imatinib mesylate used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia

Individuals with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) are first treated with a drug known as imatinib mesylate.

13 Apr 2009

Creating ideal neural cells for clinical use

Investigators at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have developed a protocol to rapidly differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into neural progenitor cells that may be ideal for transplantation.

13 Apr 2009