Adult cells transformed into early-stage nerve cells, bypassing the pluripotent stem cell stage
May 2, 2013 by admin · Leave a Comment
A University of Wisconsin-Madison research group has converted skin cells from people and monkeys into a cell that can form a wide variety of nervous-system cells — without passing through the do-it-all stage called the induced pluripotent stem cell, or iPSC.
Scientists find antibody that transforms bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells
April 23, 2013 by admin2 · Leave a Comment
In a serendipitous discovery, scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way to turn bone marrow stem cells directly into brain cells.
Reinventing drug discovery using a new stem-cell based drug screening technology
April 19, 2013 by admin · Leave a Comment
Using a new stem-cell based drug screening technology with the potential to reinvent and greatly reduce the cost of the way new pharmaceuticals are developed, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have found a compound more effective in protecting the neurons killed in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – Lou Gehrig’s disease – than two drugs that failed in human clinical trials after hundreds of millions of dollars had been invested in them.
Cells forged from human skin show promise in treating MS, myelin disorders
February 7, 2013 by admin · Leave a Comment
A study out today in the journal Cell Stem Cell shows that human brain cells created by reprogramming skin cells are highly effective in treating myelin disorders, a family of diseases that includes multiple sclerosis and rare childhood disorders called pediatric leukodystrophies.
Researchers turn one form of neuron into another in the brain
January 20, 2013 by admin · Leave a Comment
A new finding by Harvard stem cell biologists turns one of the basics of neurobiology on its head – demonstrating that it is possible to turn one type of already differentiated neuron into another within the brain.
Stem cells may hold promise for Lou Gehrig’s disease
January 10, 2013 by admin · Leave a Comment
Apparent stem cell transplant success in mice may hold promise for people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The results of the study were released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.
Stowers study hints that stem cells prepare for maturity much earlier than anticipated
December 28, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Unlike less versatile muscle or nerve cells, embryonic stem cells are by definition equipped to assume any cellular role. Scientists call this flexibility “pluripotency,” meaning that as an organism develops, stem cells must be ready at a moment’s notice to activate highly diverse gene expression programs used to turn them into blood, brain, or kidney cells.
Study reveals insights that could aid in therapeutic use of mesenchymal stem cells
November 15, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are a newly emerging cellular therapy being tested in approximately 250 clinical trials worldwide to help repair damaged tissues, such as injured heart muscle following a heart attack. The problem is that when culture-expanded MSCs are injected into the circulation, they have trouble gaining access to the inflamed tissues—exactly where their help is needed.
Researchers at the doorstep of stem cell therapies for MS, other myelin disorders
October 25, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
When the era of regenerative medicine dawned more than three decades ago, the potential to replenish populations of cells destroyed by disease was seen by many as the next medical revolution. However, what followed turned out not to be a sprint to the clinic, but rather a long tedious slog carried out in labs across the globe required to master the complexity of stem cells and then pair their capabilities and attributes with specific diseases.
Stem cells from muscle tissue may hold key to cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases
October 14, 2012 by admin · Leave a Comment
Scientists at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have taken the first steps to create neural-like stem cells from muscle tissue in animals. Details of the work are published in two complementary studies published in the September online issues of the journals Experimental Cell Research and Stem Cell Research.
