Monthly Archives: February 2012

Boris family gift propels stem cell therapies and one-stop patient care Newswise — HAMILTON, ON (Feb. 6, 2012) – A Hamilton family is giving McMaster University $30 million to accelerate the university’s innovations in health research, education and care. “McMaster University has proven its ability to fast forward discoveries from the lab bench to the patients’ bedside, it made perfect sense to make this investment in this world class university,” said Les Boris, on behalf of his parents’ Marta and Owen Boris Foundation. His sister Jackie Work added: “The Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine is ranked among the top 20 medical schools in the world. This is the best place to commit to the future.” The funding was announced in a ceremony at the University today. Of the total, $24 million is designated to establish The Boris Family Centre in Human Stem Cell Therapies, which will speed the commercial development of discoveries at the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute. The six-year-old institute has had several major breakthroughs, including the ability to turn human skin into blood. The funds will establish two senior research chairs, one in blood stem cells and the other in neuro stem cells; set … Continue reading →

Washington, Feb 7 (ANI): Scientists have found that an adult stem cell present in muscle is responsive to exercise - a discovery that could lead to new therapeutic techniques to treat injured muscle and prevent or restore muscle loss with age. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in skeletal muscle have been known to be important for muscle repair in response to non-physiological injury, predominantly in response to chemical injections that significantly damage muscle tissue and induce inflammation. University of Illinois researchers, led by kinesiology and community health professor Marni Boppart, investigated whether MSCs also responded to strain during exercise, and if so, how. "Since exercise can induce some injury as part of the remodeling process following mechanical strain, we wondered if MSC accumulation was a natural response to exercise and whether these cells contributed to the beneficial regeneration and growth process that occurs post-exercise," said Boppart, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I. The researchers found that MSCs in muscle are very responsive to mechanical strain. They witnessed MSC accumulation in muscle of mice after vigorous exercise. Then, they determined that although MSCs don't directly contribute to building new muscle … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Feb. 6, 2012) — University of Illinois researchers determined that an adult stem cell present in muscle is responsive to exercise, a discovery that may provide a link between exercise and muscle health. The findings could lead to new therapeutic techniques using these cells to rehabilitate injured muscle and prevent or restore muscle loss with age. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in skeletal muscle have been known to be important for muscle repair in response to non-physiological injury, predominantly in response to chemical injections that significantly damage muscle tissue and induce inflammation. The researchers, led by kinesiology and community health professor Marni Boppart, investigated whether MSCs also responded to strain during exercise, and if so, how. "Since exercise can induce some injury as part of the remodeling process following mechanical strain, we wondered if MSC accumulation was a natural response to exercise and whether these cells contributed to the beneficial regeneration and growth process that occurs post-exercise," said Boppart, who also is affiliated with the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the U. of I. The researchers found that MSCs in muscle are very responsive to mechanical strain. They witnessed MSC accumulation in muscle of mice after vigorous … Continue reading →