Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

A new research has identified that 'megakaryocytes' or 'megacells' are responsible for playing a critical role in adult stem cell transplant. Hematopoietic stem cells differentiate to generate megakaryocytes in bone marrow and the study has shown that the hematopoietic stem cells (the parent cells) could be directly controlled by their own progeny (megakaryocytes). The results had suggested that megakaryocytes might be used clinically to facilitate adult stem cell regeneration and to expand cultured cells for adult stem cell transplants. Researchers at Stowers Institute for Medical Research had discovered that megakaryocytes had directly regulated the function of murine hematopoietic stem cells-adult stem cells that had formed the blood and immune cells and that had constantly renewed the body's blood supply. These cells could also develop into all types of blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Because of their remarkable ability to renew themselves and differentiate into other cells, hematopoietic stems cells have been used to treat many diseases and conditions. The transplantation of isolated human hematopoietic stem cells has been used in the treatment of anemia, immune deficiencies and other diseases, including cancer. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.(ANI) Read more here: Progeny … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Kansas City, Mo. - While megakaryocytes are best known for producing platelets that heal wounds, these mega cells found in bone marrow also play a critical role in regulating stem cells according to new research from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. In fact, hematopoietic stem cells differentiate to generate megakaryocytes in bone marrow. The Stowers study is the first to show that hematopoietic stem cells (the parent cells) can be directly controlled by their own progeny (megakaryocytes). The findings from the lab of Stowers Investigator Linheng Li, Ph.D., described in the Oct. 19 issue of the journal Nature Medicine, could cause researchers to rethink what they know about the workings of megakaryocytes and potentially lead to new treatments for patients recovering from chemotherapy or organ transplantation. Our results suggest that megakaryocytes might be used clinically to facilitate adult stem cell regeneration and to expand cultured cells for adult stem cell transplants, says Meng Zhao, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Stowers and lead author on the study. Stowers researchers discovered that megakaryocytes directly regulate the function of murine hematopoietic stem cellsadult stem cells that form blood and immune cells and that constantly … Continue reading →

Stem Cells, Blindness And Why The Media Loves Miracle Cures Scientists researching the safety of stem cells have found the cells can help improve sight in patients with vision impairments. Follow Sebastian Martinez: http://www.twitter.com/sebastiansings... By: Newsy Science … Continue reading →

Following recent media coverage, we would like to clarify our stance on stem cell research. Firstly, I want to be absolutely clear that we are not against stem cell research. We champion environmentally responsible and socially just solutions, including scientific and technical innovation. Here's an explanation on why we challenge 'patents on life'. All of Greenpeace's campaigns are grounded in science. The debate that we have had over many years is not over stem cell science but rather about what we call 'patents on life' where biological material and their progeny can become owned by companies. Understanding patents rather than stem cells is what's important. Drug companies patent drugs so they can get a return on their investment: they are given a monopoly on selling the drug for 20 years or more. Beginning in the US in the 1980s, a series of controversial decisions were taken to extend the patenting system to include biological material such as genes, cells, plants, GMOs and so on. We were concerned that patents on such cells would encourage the commercialization of human embryos and could restrict scientific openness. This is because this system of patenting, what are essentially 'scientific discoveries' rather than 'inventions', has … Continue reading →

14 hours ago by Vicky Just Naive-like stem cells could potentially be used to treat dementia or reduce organ transplants Scientists from our university and Berlin have identified a type of human stem cell that appears to be "nave-like" able to develop into any type of cell. The discovery of this cell type could potentially have a large impact on our understanding of how humans develop and on the field of regenerative medicine. The human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that scientists currently study in the lab are able to develop into several different types of cell but are already pre-determined to some extent. Published in the top scientific journal Nature, researchers from the Max Delbrck Centre for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, Germany and our university have for the first time discovered human ESCs that appear to behave like "nave" cells able to develop into any type of cell. These nave-like cells, only previously found in mice, are easy to grow in the lab and could have huge potential for regenerating damaged tissues in the body, potentially leading to treatments for diseases such as dementia or reducing the need for organ transplantation. Professor Laurence Hurst from our Department of Biology & … Continue reading →

Breakthrough in diabetes stem cell research Doctors Jon LaPook and Holly Phillips join "CBS This Morning: Saturday" to discuss the week's top medical news including a breakthrough in diabetes research ... By: CBS This Morning … Continue reading →

Dr. Deepak Srivastava, a leading biomedical research policy expert, will discuss "Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine and Policy Impediments to the New Future" at Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy Oct. 21. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Who: Dr. Deepak Srivastava, the Baker Institute's nonresident scholar for biomedical research policy and the Younger Family Director and senior investigator at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease. Neal Lane, the Malcolm Gillis University Professor, senior fellow in science and technology policy at Rice's Baker Institute for Public Policy and a professor of physics and astronomy, will give introductory remarks. Stem cells and regenerative medicine are exciting and emerging fields of biomedical research, according to event organizers. Proposed applications include treating conditions such as blindness, diabetes and heart disease. Regenerative medicine could also help heal failing organ systems and replace damaged tissue. While these fields hold great promise for medicine, external factors limit and, in some cases, stall research, organizers said. Ethical controversies surrounding human embryonic stem cells, policy issues affecting federal and state funding and regulation, and economic pressures all play a role in determining the future of research. In his presentation, Srivastava will … Continue reading →

Vadodara city scientists''Stem Cell' research could be boon for diabetics - Tv9 Gujarati Vadodara: Stem cell research done by scientists based in the city may prove to be a boon for those diabetics, who are on insulin. The research aims to use stem cells extracted from body fat... By: Tv9 Gujarati … Continue reading →

LONDON (AP) - An experimental treatment for blindness that uses embryonic stem cells appears to be safe, and it improved vision in more than half of the patients who got it, two early studies show. Researchers followed 18 patients for up to three years after treatment. The studies are the first to show safety of an embryonic stem cell treatment in humans for such a long period. Its a wonderful first step but it doesnt prove that (stem cells) work, said Chris Mason, chair of regenerative medicine at University College London, who was not part of the research. He said it was encouraging the studies proved the treatment is safe and dispelled fears about stem cells promoting tumor growth. Embryonic stem cells, which are recovered from embryos, can become any cell in the body. They are considered controversial by some because they involve destroying an embryo and some critics say adult stem cells, which are derived from tissue samples, should be used instead. Scientists have long thought about transforming them into specific types of cells to help treat various diseases. In the new research, scientists turned stem cells into retinal cells to treat people with macular degeneration or Stargardts macular … Continue reading →

Since the success in 1998 by the University of Wisconsins James Thomson in deriving human embryonic stem cells from embryos, the stem cell research field has exploded. The discovery by Japans Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD,in 2006, of how to transform ordinary adult skin cells into cells that, like embryonic stem cells, are capable of developing into any cell in the human body, has revolutionized stem cell research. At top, Robert Blelloch, MD, PhD, performs stem cell research. Above,Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, a scientist at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes, UCSF and Kyoto University, was recognized for a revolutionary achievement in the field of stem cell science with a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2012. In between and since, there has been major progress in scientists understanding of stem cells. Today, fueled in part by the robust research enterprise at UCSF, the field is burgeoning.Yamanaka, a senior investigator at the UCSF-affiliated Gladstone Institutes and a professor of anatomy at UCSF, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with John B. Gurdon of the Gurdon Institute in Cambridge, England, in 2012. In about 125 labs of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regeneration Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCSF one … Continue reading →