Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

Released: 2/11/2014 6:00 PM EST Source Newsroom: City of Hope Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise DUARTE, Calif. Despite continual advances in the treatment of brain tumors, infants and children diagnosed with medulloblastoma a fast-growing tumor in the cerebellum portion of the brain still face significant challenges overcoming this disease. One particularly tricky obstacle is the blood-brain barrier, which prevents cancer drugs from passing into the brain and attacking the tumor. Margarita Gutova, M.D., an assistant research professor in City of Hopes Department of Neurosciences, may have found a way to bypass that hurdle using neural stem cells. Neural stem cells offer a novel way to overcome this obstacle because they can cross the blood-brain-barrier, migrate to and selectively target tumor cells throughout the brain, Gutova said. The cells also can be engineered to help deliver anti-cancer agents directly to the tumor site, effectively targeting cancer cells while minimizing harm to surrounding normal tissue. Five foundations Alexs Lemonade Stand Foundation, Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation (PCRF), The Matthew Larson Foundation for Pediatric Brain Tumors and two anonymous foundations have announced grants totaling $450,000 in support of Gutovas work, allowing her to continue her preclinical studies of this novel treatment … Continue reading →

Scientists have recently discovered an innovative method that changes how stem cells will be produced. Stem cell technology has been around for quite a while, but many patients are wary to participate, and doctors are hesitant to perform procedures involving stem cells because of the controversy over how they are obtained. Generally, the embryonic stem cell is the easiest type to obtain. This is where the controversy lies because human embryos are destroyed in the harvesting process. Now, scientists and researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Japan have found a way to transform cells into stem cells a method that does not cause harm to embryos. It was recently discovered that stem cells could be produced by using the patients own blood. The procedure is relatively fast, causing a vast number of cells to be produced in a short period of time. The following procedure has been tested only on mice thus far but has proven to be successful. The procedure involves soaking blood cells in acid for a half an hour, causing a severe shock to the cells. They are then taken out of the acid, set out and stimulated for several days in order to … Continue reading →

Stem Cells in Facioscapuloumeral Muscular Dystrophy research Dr. Gabsang Lee of Johns Hopkins Medical School speaks about human induced pluripotent stem cell research at the FSH Society's Mid-Atlantic Patient Meeting, ... By: FSH Society … Continue reading →

Batten Disease: Spotlight on Stem Cell Research - Ann Tsukamoto (Part 3 of 4) Ann Tsukamoto, Ph.D. spoke at the "Spotlight on Batten Disease," an educational event presented at the CIRM Governing Board meeting on August 1... By: Fedora Innska … Continue reading →

A new study, published today in the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces, has found a new method for growing human embryonic stem cells, that doesn't rely on supporting human or animal cells. Traditionally, these stem cells are cultivated with the help of proteins from animals, which rules out use in the treatment of humans. Growing stem cells on other human cells risks contamination with pathogens that could transmit diseases to patients. The team of scientists led by the University of Surrey and in collaboration with Professor Peter Donovan at the University of California have developed a scaffold of carbon nanotubes upon which human stem cells can be grown into a variety of tissues. These new building blocks mimic the surface of the body's natural support cells and act as scaffolding for stem cells to grow on. Cells that have previously relied on external living cells can now be grown safely in the laboratory, paving the way for revolutionary steps in replacing tissue after injury or disease. Dr Alan Dalton, senior lecturer from the Department of Physics at the University of Surrey said: "While carbon nanotubes have been used in the field of biomedicine for some time, their use in human … Continue reading →

A recent breakthrough in stem cell research has been made with the discovery of a new, simple method to create stem cells. The current method used to create stem cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells, was developed in Japan in 2006. The new method, called stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP), was also developed in Japan. STAP cells were created by Haruko Obokata, a stem-cell biologist working at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan. Obokata noticed that when cells were squeezed through a capillary tube, they would shrink to a size similar to the size of a stem cell. This led her to wonder if cells could revert to a pluripotent state when subjected to external stress. Obokata subjected cells to a multitude of stressors, but three in particular had the most effect: a bacterial toxin, an acidic pH, and physical squeezing of the cells. The next step was testing each method to see if it was, in fact, reverting the cells to a pluripotent state. Obokata injected stressed cells that were tagged with fluorescence into mouse embryos. Since pluripotent cells can differentiate to become any kind of cell, the mouse embryo was expected to be completely fluorescent. … Continue reading →

Piscataway, NJ (PRWEB) February 06, 2014 Mahendra Rao, MD, PhD, the Director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has agreed to be a keynote speaker at the 12th edition of the New Jersey Symposium Biomaterials Science. Dr. Rao is internationally renowned for his research involving human embryonic stem cells and other somatic stem cells. He has worked in the stem cell field for more than 20 years with stints in academia, government and regulatory affairs, and industry. Dr. Rao will address the role of biomaterials for stem cell therapies in a session devoted to scientific breakthroughs leading to clinical applications. Along with Dr. Rao, the 12th edition of the New Jersey Symposium on Biomaterials Science will feature a roster of presentations by 30 leading scientists, many with global reputations for their work in academia and industry in the areas of biomaterials, bioengineering and clinical practice. Detailed information about the symposium and registration links will be found at http://www.njbiomaterials.org/biomaterials-symposia.htm. The New Jersey Center for Biomaterials (NJCBM) was founded in 1997. Based at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, the center spans academia, industry and government. Staffed by biomaterial scientists, the Center works … Continue reading →

Batten Disease: Spotlight on Stem Cell Research - Stephen Huhn (Part 2 of 4) Stephen Huhn, M.D., F.A.C.S., F.A.A.P. spoke at the "Spotlight on Batten Disease," an educational event presented at the CIRM Governing Board m... By: Fedora Innska … Continue reading →

Stem cell transplantation could potentially restore vision among people with age-related macular degeneration but scientists dont have the evidence yet, say several eye researchers. Still, the public is welcome to learn about stem cell research at the 19th annual Vision Research Symposia this week. Hosted by Retina Consultants of Southwest Florida with Schepens Eye Research Institute/Massachusetts Eye and Ear, researchers will discuss clinical studies underway for stem cell transplantation and where it needs to go before it can become a reality. Patients always do ask but we havent quite gotten there yet, said Dr. Paul Raskauskas, a retinal specialist with Retina Consultants. Two identical events with researchers from Schepens are Friday at the Hilton Naples, 5111 U.S. N., and Saturday at Harborside Event Center, 1375 Monroe Street, Fort Myers. Both three-hour events are from 9 a.m. to noon. The Naples event is booked out but on-site registration is possible for the Fort Myers event. There is no charge to the public. For more information, visit http://www.MassEyeAndEar.org/symposia. An affiliate of Harvard Medical School, Schepens is engaged in extensive eye disease research and the focus with stem cells is treatment for age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Age-related macular degeneration is the … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Discovery From Blood and Acid Stem Cells have been created in a laboratory by dipping blood cells into acid. The discovery has been made by Japanese scientist, Dr. Haruko Obokata, and has... By: TheLipTV … Continue reading →