Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

ScienceDaily (July 12, 2012) Transcription factor Ajuba regulates stem cell activity in the heart during embryonic development. It is not unusual for babies to be born with congenital heart defects. This is because the development of the heart in the embryo is a process which is not only extremely complex, but also error-prone. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim have now identified a key molecule that plays a central role in regulating the function of stem cells in the heart. As a result, not only could congenital heart defects be avoided in future, but new ways of stimulating the regeneration of damaged hearts in adults may be opened up. It's a long road from a cluster of cells to a finished heart. Cell division transforms what starts out as a collection of only a few cardiac stem cells into an ever-larger structure from which the various parts of the heart, such as ventricles, atria, valves and coronary vessels, develop. This involves the stem and precursor cells undergoing a complex process which, in addition to tightly regulated cell division, also includes cell migration, differentiation and specialisation. Once the heart is complete, the stem … Continue reading →

Australian scientist Prof Alan Trounson is working on a cure for HIV using stem cells. Source: AP A WORLD-renowned Australian stem cell expert working on a cure for HIV says their research is about to progress to human trials. Professor Alan Trounson heads the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which is advancing towards a cure for conditions including HIV and diabetes. Prof Trounson, the former director of Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories in Melbourne, said the research institute's work towards a HIV cure was about to enter human trials. He said if the trials were successful further research would be needed to modify the technology so it could be affordably used where it is needed most, in Africa. "I want the HIV work to go globally because it shouldn't be restricted to patients in Western (countries)," Prof Trounson said. "We're going to have to modify some of that further research to get it into a suitable treatment that we can use in Africa. "I'm very hopeful that the industry will do that. "We have to try and make these as available to people as possible." Prof Trounson said the HIV research uses blood stem cells to mimic a gene … Continue reading →

A world-renowned Australian stem cell expert says it's crucial that any potential cures using the technology are available globally, particularly in developing countries. Professor Alan Trounson heads the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which is advancing towards a cure for conditions including HIV and diabetes. Prof Trounson, the former director of Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories in Melbourne, said the research institute's work towards a HIV cure was about to enter human trials. He said if the trials were successful further research would be needed to modify the technology so it could be affordably used where it is needed most, in Africa. 'I want the HIV work to go globally because it shouldn't be restricted to patients in Western (countries),' Prof Trounson told AAP. 'We're going to have to modify some of that further research to get it into a suitable treatment that we can use in Africa. 'I'm very hopeful that the industry will do that. 'We have to try and make these as available to people as possible.' Prof Trounson said the HIV research uses blood stem cells to mimic a gene mutation found in a small proportion of the population who are immune to the virus. … Continue reading →

Public release date: 6-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Brianna Deane bdeane@dentistry.ucla.edu 310-206-0835 University of California - Los Angeles The ability to control whether certain stem cells ultimately become bone cells holds great promise for regenerative medicine and potential therapies aimed at treating metabolic bone diseases. Now, UCLA School of Dentistry professor and leading cancer scientist Dr. Cun-Yu Wang and his research team have made a significant breakthrough in that direction. The scientists have discovered two key epigenetic regulating genes that govern the cell-fate determination of human bone marrow stem cells. Wang's new research is featured on the cover of the July 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, the affiliated journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. The groundbreaking study grew out of Wang's desire to better understand the epigenetic regulation of stem cell differentiation, in which the structure of genes is modified while the sequence of the DNA is not. He and his team found that KDM4B and KDM6B, two gene-activating enzymes, can promote stem cells' differentiation into bone cells by removing methyl markers from histone proteins. This process occurs through the activation of certain genes favoring a commitment to one lineage and the concurrent … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (July 9, 2012) The ability to control whether certain stem cells ultimately become bone cells holds great promise for regenerative medicine and potential therapies aimed at treating metabolic bone diseases. Now, UCLA School of Dentistry professor and leading cancer scientist Dr. Cun-Yu Wang and his research team have made a significant breakthrough in that direction. The scientists have discovered two key epigenetic regulating genes that govern the cell-fate determination of human bone marrow stem cells. Wang's new research is featured on the cover of the July 6 issue of Cell Stem Cell, the affiliated journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. The groundbreaking study grew out of Wang's desire to better understand the epigenetic regulation of stem cell differentiation, in which the structure of genes is modified while the sequence of the DNA is not. He and his team found that KDM4B and KDM6B, two gene-activating enzymes, can promote stem cells' differentiation into bone cells by removing methyl markers from histone proteins. This process occurs through the activation of certain genes favoring a commitment to one lineage and the concurrent deactivation of genes favoring other lineages. The findings imply that chemical manipulation of these gene-activating enzymes may … Continue reading →

A postdoctoral research fellow at Emory University falsifies stem cell research data. By Cristina Luiggi | July 9, 2012 Istockphoto A former postdoc in the Department of Medicine at Emory University was found guilty of falsifying data presented at national and laboratory meetings, in ongoing and pending National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, and in manuscripts submitted to five high-profile journals, according to a report by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI)published last Friday (July 6). Sinae Kim, who joined the lab of Emory stem cell biologist Young-sup Yoon in 2008 after a 1-year stint as a postdoc at a university in Seoul, Korea, fudged immunocytochemistry images and real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results by using data she had obtained from her previous human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research in Korea to confirm the generation, differentiation, and verification of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), the reported stated. Among her transgressions, Kim shared mouse and human iPSC cell lines with some of her lab mates that had supposedly been generated from the peripheral blood of coronary artery disease patients, when in fact she knew they were of other origin, the report stated. The falsified data affect 3 funded … Continue reading →

By Anne Holden on July 5, 2012 Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that environmental factors critically influence the growth of a type of stem cell called an iPS cell that is derived from adult skin cells. This discovery offers newfound understanding of how these cells form, while also advancing science closer to stem cell-based therapies to combat disease. Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD Researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Senior Investigator Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, have for the first time shown that protein factors released by other cells affect the reprogramming of adult cells into stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. The scientists who collaborated on this research with colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) announce their findings today online in Cell Stem Cell. In 2007, Dr. Yamanaka discovered a recipe of specific proteins to add to human skin cells as a way to induce them into becoming iPS cells which act very much like embryonic stem cells. Many see iPS cell technology as a new platform for drug discovery and the study of disease fundamentals while avoiding the ethical issues surrounding research involving embryonic stem cells. But questions remain about … Continue reading →

LABELLE, Fla.- Two-year old Madeline Conner was born with the inability to hear. But new advances in medical science could offer hope in the form of a stem cell research study. "I really wanted her in it. It was our one shot," said her mother, Stephanie Conner. Conner heard about a new FDA-approved stem cell study for hearing loss. She knew right away her little girl was the perfect candidate. "It's a group of ten kids and she's the first one and the only one so far," she said. The trial is a collaboration between Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston and the California-based Cord Blood Registry. "This is the first study FDA regulated looking at the safety and benefit of cord blood stem cells for treatment of acquired sensorineural hearing loss. Which is loss that has to do with the damage of the inner ear and nerve fibers that go to the brain," said Principal Investigator, Dr. Fakhri. Stem cells, saved from Madeline's own umbilical cord, were injected into her arm. "We expect that it will be safe. You are using your own blood stem cells as if it was your own transfusion," stated Dr. Fakhri. "It was actually … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (July 5, 2012) Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that environmental factors critically influence the growth of a type of stem cell -- called an iPS cell -- that is derived from adult skin cells. This discovery offers newfound understanding of how these cells form, while also advancing science closer to stem cell-based therapies to combat disease. Researchers in the laboratory of Gladstone Senior Investigator Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, have for the first time shown that protein factors released by other cells affect the "reprogramming" of adult cells into stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells. The scientists -- who collaborated on this research with colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) -- announce their findings July 5 online in Cell Stem Cell. In 2007, Dr. Yamanaka discovered a recipe of specific proteins to add to human skin cells as a way to induce them into becoming iPS cells -- which act very much like embryonic stem cells. Many see iPS cell technology as a new platform for drug discovery and the study of disease fundamentals -- while avoiding the ethical issues surrounding research involving embryonic stem cells. But questions remain about … Continue reading →

COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Osiris Therapeutics, Inc. (OSIR), announced today the expansion of its intellectual property protection around Prochymal (remestemcel-L). The United States Patent and Trademark Office recently granted Osiris two patents that cover multiple mechanisms of action related to cardiac tissue repair. Additionally, Osiris has enhanced its mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) patent estate with the issuance of patents across Europe and Australia covering stem cells expressing all therapeutically useful levels of cell surface receptors for TNF-alpha, a receptor essential to the cell's ability to counteract inflammation. These patents further support Osiris' considerable intellectual property position, which includes 48 issued U.S. patents around the production, composition, testing and use of the mesenchymal stem cell from both allogeneic and autologous sources. "These recent additions to Osiris patent estate, combined with the existing broad coverage of our pioneering MSC platform technology, reinforce our industry leading IP portfolio and bolster our dominant position regarding the manufacture and use of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of a broad range of diseases, said Chris Alder, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel of Osiris. We have invested significant time and resources building our intellectual property estate, and with the commercialization of Prochymal, we are preparing to take the … Continue reading →