Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

ScienceDaily (July 20, 2012) To date, few fundamentals have been known about the most common gland in the body, the sweat glands that are essential to controlling body temperature, allowing humans to live in the worlds diverse climates. Now, in a tour de force, researchers at The Rockefeller University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have identified, in mice, the stem cell from which sweat glands initially develop as well as stem cells that regenerate adult sweat glands. In their study, published in Cell, the scientists devised a strategy to purify and molecularly characterize the different kinds of stem cell populations that make up the complex sweat duct and glands of the skin. With this information in hand, they studied how these different populations of stem cells respond to normal tissue homeostasis and to different types of skin injuries, and how the sweat glands differ from their close cousins, the mammary glands. No sweat. Researchers in Elaine Fuchs's lab identified four different types of paw-skin progenitor cells that are responsible for homeostasis and wound repair. This image shows that the sweat ductal and epidermal progenitors (in red) proliferate and repair an epidermal scratch wound; the sweat gland progenitors (in blue … Continue reading →

A quiescent hematopoietic stem cell (white) engages in a molecular dialog with a preosteoblast (blue). The communication takes place via Flamingo (shown in red) and Frizzled (green), which are found at the interface between the two. Credit: Courtesy of Ryohichi Sugimura, Stowers Institute for Medical Research Not all adult stem cells are created equal. Some are busy regenerating worn out or damaged tissues, while their quieter brethren serve as a strategic back-up crew that only steps in when demand shoots up. Now, researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have identified an important molecular cue that keeps quiescent mouse hematopoietic (or blood-forming) stem cells from proliferating when their services are not needed. Publishing in the July 20, 2012 issue of Cell, the team led by Stowers Investigator Linheng Li, Ph.D., report that Flamingo and Frizzled 8, a tag team best known for its role in establishing cell polarity, are crucial for maintaining a quiescent reserve pool of hematopoietic stem cells in mouse bone marrow. Their finding adds new insight into the mechanism that controls the delicate balance between long-term maintenance of stem cells and the requirements of ongoing tissue maintenance and regeneration. "Hematopoietic stem cells daily produce billions of … Continue reading →

CARLSBAD, CA--(Marketwire -07/18/12)- International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO), http://www.internationalstemcell.com, a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic and research products, announced today that Co-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Andrey Semechkin PhD has published a letter to shareholders. The letter addresses recent corporate governance and operational changes, as well as providing an update on ISCO's Research and Development accomplishments, challenges and 2012 - 2013 major milestones and information on both the Lifeline Skin Care's and Lifeline Cell Technology's recent activities. The full text of the letter can be found at http://www.internationalstemcell.com/2012_Shareholder_Letter About International Stem Cell Corporation International Stem Cell Corporation is focused on the therapeutic applications of human parthenogenetic stem cells (hpSCs) and the development and commercialization of cell-based research and cosmetic products. ISCO's core technology, parthenogenesis, results in the creation of pluripotent human stem cells from unfertilized oocytes (eggs). hpSCs avoid ethical issues associated with the use or destruction of viable human embryos. ISCO scientists have created the first parthenogenic, homozygous stem cell line that can be a source of therapeutic cells for hundreds of millions of individuals of differing genders, ages and racial background with minimal immune rejection after transplantation. hpSCs offer the potential to create the … Continue reading →

Human neural stem cells. Courtesy UC Irvine radiation oncology professor Charles Limoli. Human neural stem cells restored memory in mice with brain symptoms similar to Alzheimers disease, UC Irvine scientists reported Tuesday, opening the door to eventual treatment for human sufferers. The announcement, made at an Alzheimers science conference in Vancouver, involves versatile though still largely mysterious neural stem cells grown in the lab by StemCells Inc., of Newark, Ca. The cells, researchers at UCI and elsewhere have shown, can become many types of cells once injected into the body restoring limb movement in mice with crushed spines, halting blindness in rats and, now, improving memory and brain function in mice bred to exhibit the kinds of impairment seen in Alzheimers. Youve probably heard about the God particle scientists have been working on, said Martin McGlynn, president and CEO of StemCells Inc. This isnt quite the God cell, but its an incredibly fascinating biological agent. Over the past 12 to 18 months, scientists including Frank LaFerla, director of UCI MIND, worked on a treatment involving injection of the human neural stem cells into the brains of two kinds of mouse models those bred to model the effects of Alzheimers, and … Continue reading →

(Phys.org) -- An international team of researchers led by renowned stem cell scientist Professor Martin Pera has discovered a novel marker that plays an important role in our understanding of how cancer develops in the liver, pancreas and oesophagus. The study, published in the journal Stem Cell, adds to our understanding of the role of stem and next stage progenitor cells in tissue regeneration and in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. While stem cells are known to reside in organs such as the liver and pancreas, they are difficult to isolate. The new findings show that an antibody developed by the team can be used to capture the stem cells. Professor Pera, program leader for Stem Cells Australia and Chair of Stem Cell Sciences at the University of Melbourne, said the antibody was able to detect progenitor cells in disease states such as cirrhosis of the liver, and in cancers such as pancreatic adenocarcinoma and oesophageal carcinoma. By being able to identify these cells, we hope to be able to learn more about their role in tissue regeneration and in cancer especially in the diagnosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer, he said. Cancers of the liver, pancreas and oesophagus … Continue reading →

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire -07/17/12)- Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (SSS.V) ("SCT" or the "Company") a life sciences development company of stem cell-related therapeutics, today announced a reminder that its annual general meeting and corporate update will be held in the Offices of McCarthy Tetrault LLP, Toronto Dominion Bank Tower, 66 Wellington Street West, 53rd Floor, J.J. Robinette Boardroom, Toronto, ON M5K 1E6, on Wednesday, July 18, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Interested shareholders, unable to attend the meeting in person, can listen to the proceedings live via conference call. Mr. David Allan, Executive Chairman of Stem Cell Therapeutics, will host a question and answer session following the corporate update. Conference call participants wishing to ask a question will be instructed by the operator on how to do so at this time. Details to listen live: About Stem Cell Therapeutics Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. (SSS.V) is a Canadian commercialization receptor company in the business of developing stem cell-based therapeutics through partnerships with research institutions or technology transfer organizations. SCT has extensive expertise and experience in the stem cell biotechnology sector based on the intellectual property of Dr. Sam Weiss in stem cell research. SCT continues to develop and build upon this existing … Continue reading →

Regulation of gene expression is essential to make sure cell maturation occurs as it should. European research is taking an integrated perspective on how selected steps in liver and blood cell differentiation can be modulated. Gene regulation mechanisms are active at every level of development, from the passage of stem cell through to differentiated cell. On from there to maintenance of identity of the mature, functioning cell, regulation is maintained through cellular memory mechanisms. The "Integrated approaches to study gene regulation during cellular differentiation" (Integer) project is aiming to investigate all levels of gene regulation with a multidisciplinary and integrated approach to research. Specifically, during cell differentiation study, regulation of trans-acting factors and genetic material has come under the microscope. Protocols established by Integer include 4C or 3C ChIP sequencing and RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) sequencing. For visualising intra-nuclear associations, cryo-FISH imaging techniques were used. Appropriate cell lines were established for the planned genomic work and, to analyse the sequencing data, software tools were refined and optimised. The main achievement of the Integer project to date is the characterisation of binding patterns in differentiating liver and red blood cells. Several novel genes were identified that are regulated by these factors. … Continue reading →

THE discovery of a unique marker on stem cells from the gut, liver and pancreas could eventually allow scientists to diagnose cancer earlier and develop new treatments, a Melbourne scientist says. Professor Martin Pera from Stem Cells Australia and an international team developed an antibody that identifies and isolates the marker, which sits on the outer surface of stem cells and another type of cell called a progenitor. These cells are particularly hard to find in the pancreas and liver. By identifying the markers, the cells can be isolated and extracted for study in the laboratory, where scientists can observe what happens to the cells during the disease process and in repair and regeneration. Prof Pera, who is also chair of Stem Cell Sciences at the University of Melbourne, said the number of cells with the marker expanded during pancreatic and esophageal cancer, and liver cirrhosis. "It may well be that they are precursors of the cancers," Prof Pera told AAP. He said if the marker could be found in the blood of cancer patients, it could allow sufferers to be diagnosed earlier and provide new approaches to treatment, which could involve developing drugs to target the marker on cancer … Continue reading →

Public release date: 16-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation NEW YORK, NY (July 16, 2012) A team of scientists at The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Laboratory led by Scott Noggle, PhD, NYSCFCharles Evans Senior Research Fellow for Alzheimer's Disease, has developed the first cell-based model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) by reprogramming skin cells of Alzheimer's patients to become brain cells that are affected in Alzheimer's. This will allow researchers to work directly on living brain cells suffering from Alzheimer's, which until now had not been possible. Andrew Sproul, PhD, a postdoctoral associate in Dr. Noggle's laboratory, will present this work on Thursday, July 19 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) held in Vancouver. Dr. Noggle and his team reprogrammed skin cell samples taken from twelve patients diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's and from healthy, genetically related individuals into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which can differentiate into any cell type. The team of scientists used these iPS cells to create cholinergic basal forebrain neurons, the brain cells that are affected in Alzheimer's. These cells recapitulate the features and cellular-level functions of patients suffering from Alzheimer's, a devastating … Continue reading →

CORALVILLE, Iowa Former GOP Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum returned to Eastern Iowa Wednesday to offer his support for a Coralville research program that will use adult stem cells to find cures for diseases. Called Give Cures, the program aims to raise money for the John Paul II Stem Cell Research Institute. Santorum announced Wednesday that he will serve as the National Spokesman for the program and urged those in attendance to pray for the programs success, donate, and encourage their church to put up fliers to start a second collection for the program. There is an ethical way of doing this, Santorum said. Of providing stem cells for research necessary for therapy and treatment, and its not as dynamic or as sexy as stem cell research but it solves a category of diseases, cancer being one of them. Why dont we pursue that? Previously, stem cell research has typically been focused on embryonic stem cells, which some conservatives, including Santorum, call unethical due to a process that involves the creation, treatment, and destruction of human embryos. Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, said his organization will partner with the group to spread awareness of the institutes … Continue reading →