Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

Public release date: 11-Feb-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Tara Womersley tara.womersley@ed.ac.uk 44-131-650-9836 University of Edinburgh A discovery using stem cells from a patient with motor neurone disease could help research into treatments for the condition. The study used a patient's skin cells to create motor neurons - nerve cells that control muscle activity - and the cells that support them called astrocytes. Researchers studied these two types of cells in the laboratory. They found that a protein expressed by abnormalities in a gene linked to motor neurone disease, which is called TDP-43, caused the astrocytes to die. The study, led by the University of Edinburgh and funded by the Motor Neurone Disease Association, provides fresh insight into the mechanisms involved in the disease. Although TDP-43 mutations are a rare cause of motor neurone disease (MND), scientists are especially interested in the gene because in the vast majority of MND patients, TDP-43 protein (made by the TDP-43 gene) forms pathological clumps inside motor neurons. Motor neurons die in MND leading to paralysis and early death. This study shows for the first time that abnormal TDP-43 protein causes death of astrocytes. The researchers, however, found that the damaged astrocytes … Continue reading →

Published Sunday, February 10, 2013, 8:13 AM Updated Sunday, February 10, 2013, 8:13 AM Irish Stem Cell Foundation warns the public to be aware of scams Photo by Google Images Stem Cell therapies offer a source of hope for many patients who otherwise have run out of options. However, lured by the promise of hope, many patients around the world have fallen victim to scam clinics. Now, the Irish Stem Cell Foundation is looking to push forward efforts that would help educate the public not only about stem cell therapies, but also the scams that are becoming too common. Dr. Stephen Sullivan, the chief officer a the ISCF, said that presently, there are only nine safe and effective treatments for illnesses that use stem cells. He added that many trials are underway. "These [therapies] are for two cancers of the blood (leukaemia and lymphoma), some rare blood disorders and two conditions related to the cornea (the front of the eye) and the skin," he told Health and Living. Dr. Sullivan understands the importance of educating the public so that they are informed when making decisions about which therapies to engage in. "There is misinformation floating around," Dr. Sullivan said. "Scam … Continue reading →

Since long before Ponce de Leon embarked on his infamous quest, man has been searching for the mythical fountain of youth. The latest quest, in the name of science, is stem-cell research. The idea is that you take a stem cell, inject it into a human and hope that it knows what to do and how to function. Thus, it will cure illness, restore tissue and prolong life. The miracle cure. Stem cells are truly magical in that they potentially contain the DNA for every structure in the body. The key is to unlock the code and tell the cell what to do and how to do it. In the field of cardiology, institutions, medical centers and pharmaceutical companies are banking on selling the public on stem cells. Billions of dollars, public relations and marketing are at stake. Unfortunately, the promises that have been made give people the false expectation that stem cells will save them and reverse the damage that unhealthy living has caused. Stem cells are complex. The process of teaching them to go to the correct tissue, express the correct DNA and incorporate themselves into healthy tissue is daunting at best. It is important to understand that … Continue reading →

Custom byline text: Helen Puttick Health Correspondent It is hoped the discovery at Edinburgh University will help drive forward the bid to use stem cells to repair damaged tissue and reverse incurable conditions. Dr Sally Lowell, a research fellow based in the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine where the work was carried out, said while experts can already manipulate stem cells to grow other cell types there were often problems with the results. She said: "By understanding how stem cells take the first step in the right direction we hope we can push them more uniformly in the direction we want them to go." The Edinburgh University team has spent more than three years trying to find out how the cells begin transforming themselves and has identified a protein which kick-starts the process. Now they have found the protein, researchers can watch how it affects stem cells in real time to gain a better understanding of how it works. Producing more stem cells of the desired type is helpful for testing drugs as well as creating new therapies for degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and liver disease. Contextual targeting label: Link: Breakthrough … Continue reading →

Feb. 7, 2013 A natural trigger that enables stem cells to become any cell-type in the body has been discovered by scientists. Researchers have identified a protein that kick-starts the process by which stem cells can develop to into different cells in the body, for instance liver or brain cells. Their discovery could help scientists improve techniques enabling them to turn stem cells into other cell types in the laboratory. These could then be used to test drugs or help create therapies for degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis and liver disease. Scientists from the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, who studied embryonic stem cells in mice, also developed a technique enabling them to highlight the presence of the key protein -- Tcf15 -- in the cells. This means that researchers can identify which cells have the protein and watch how it affects stem cells in real time to gain a better understanding of how it works. The study, published in the journal Cell Reports, was funded by the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Dr Sally Lowell, from the MRC Centre for Regenerative … Continue reading →

PITTSTON, ME--(Marketwire - Feb 8, 2013) - YaFarm Technologies, Inc. (OTC Pink: YFRM) (YaFarm, or the Company) announced today that the Integrative Stem Cell Institute (ISCI), a premier provider of point-of-care, stem cell- based therapies, is initiating design and development of a new, world-class cell processing and culture laboratory in Cancun, Mexico. The Institute has begun construction of a class 10,000, ISO 7 clean room for the processing of autologous, mesenchymal cells for point-of-care therapies. "This lab is critical for the Institute," says Juan Castillo-Plaza, MD, founder of the ISCI. "As part of our commitment to patient safety, and our on-going clinical studies and research, we will be able to draw, process and then inject the patient's cells within the same facility." The ISCI lab is part of a 2,000 sq ft facility that is housed in the Hospital Galenia in Cancun, Mexico. "This will be one of the most advanced laboratories in world," continues Castillo. The ISCI has brought in experts from around the world to both design the layout of the libratory space as well as develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) to assure the highest possible standards for quality assurance and quality control. An essential element of the … Continue reading →

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Stem Cell Research Also Included In: Biology / Biochemistry Article Date: 07 Feb 2013 - 12:00 PST Current ratings for: Stem Cell Differentiation Is Triggered By A Key Protein 2.5 (2 votes) 1 (1 votes) The team, from the Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh in the UK, describe their findinds in the 7 February issue of Cell Reports. Senior author Sally Lowell, who leads the Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation group at the Centre, says in a statement that their finding "gives us better insight into the crucially important first step stem cells take to differentiate into other cell types." "Understanding how and when this happens could help to improve the way in which we are able to control this process," she adds. In degenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease, liver disease, multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease, specialized cells become useless or die off. Stem cells are cells that have not yet become specialized, they have the potential to become any cell of the body. One goal of stem cell research is to find ways of using stem cells to create new cells to replace those wasted … Continue reading →

Acidhedz Discussion Zone ep 2 - Genetic Manipulation The notion of manipulating our DNA, our genes. The very building blocks of what, and who, we are. Stem Cell research. Seeking Perfection? Super humans? There are many issues that the idea of genetic manipulation brings up. Let's discuss them. acidbathproductions.biz By: Ryan Murphy … Continue reading →

Feb. 6, 2013 Mature cells can be reprogrammed to pluripotency and thus regain the ability to divide and differentiate into specialized cell types. Although these so-called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) represent a milestone in stem cell research, many of the biochemical processes that underlie reprogramming are still not understood. Scientists from the EMBL Hamburg and from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Mnster, Germany now shed new light on this process. In a study published February 6 in Nature Cell Biology, the scientists describe important details about the structure of the transcription factor Oct4, known to play a crucial role in the reprogramming of terminally differentiated cells. The study broadens the knowledge about the reprogramming of cells and may pave the way for medical applications in the field of regenerative medicine and drug discovery. The transcription factor Oct4 is a protein that binds to DNA and controls the genes involved in reprogramming the cells. The team at EMBL Hamburg has now been able to resolve the crystal structure of Oct4 using high-intensity X-ray beams. In particular, their analysis focused on a previously unexplored linker sequence between two DNA binding elements of the protein. "The uniqueness of … Continue reading →

A Catholic View: The Science of Stem Cells. Finding Cures and Protecting Life Michigan Catholic Conference video published May 29, 2012 In an effort to communicate the relationship between stem cell research and the Catholic Church's teaching on human life, this 12-minute DVD was distributed to every registered Catholic home in Michigan. The video explains the differences between adult and embryonic stem cell research. While adult stem cell treatments are acceptable, the Catholic Church finds embryonic stem cell research and therapies as morally unacceptable. Patient testimonials and interviews with adult stem cell researchers are featured. By: StemGenics … Continue reading →