Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

European researchers discover that embryonic stem cell properties are impacted by the laboratory conditions used to grow them. In their groundbreaking study, a European team of researchers evaluated embryonic stem cells grown in a pure undifferentiated state. The use of next generation sequencing technology enabled them to analyse gene expression (i.e. transcriptome) and chromatin modifications (i.e. epigenome). The study is presented in the journal Cell. The results pinpoint key differences between pure stem cells and embryonic stem cells grown in laboratory settings. What allows embryonic stem cells to stay pluripotent? Researchers have been investigating this mystery for some time. Now a team of researchers from Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom provide key answers, giving us information we need to know about how cells are controlled and what is the optimal way to grow them. The findings overturn previous reports suggesting that embryonic stem cells are both unstable and primed to differentiate. This information could help lead to the development of new and effective treatments. Researchers from Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences (NCMLS) and Radboud University in the Netherlands, as well as the Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research, Stem Cell Institute and the University of Cambridge … Continue reading →

Cancer charity For A Cure Foundations radio ad promoting stem cell research has won this months round of the radio industrys 2013 Siren Awards, organised by Commercial Radio Australia. The ad promoting stem cell research for the For A Cure Foundation has won the overall and singlecategories in round one of the 2013 Siren Awards. JayGrey Sydney creative team Gav Chimes and Tommy Cehak created the ad. The team said in a release, Its a powerful thing but theres little awareness about it. Theres a lot ofmisunderstanding when it comes to stem cell research. For this reason, the general public doesnt think ortalk about it, and remain largely unaware of the benefits. We wanted to wake people up by reframing theissue and focusing on the suffering that can be alleviated. Other finalists included a radio ad for Ikea called Gas Leak written by Tim Green andKaren Ferry of The Monkeys which picked up a Highly Commended award.SBS were awarded a Highly Commended for Bite Me Vietnam written byDavid Roberts and Tim Chenery from Sydney agency Us. The winner of the campaign category was Chocolatte/Mango/Cafe Au Lait for Bannister Downs Dairy Milk, created by production agency Writing by Steve Browning in … Continue reading →

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Monday announced $9.8 million in grants to 19 stem cell research projects in the state. The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee had selected the recipients at its grant review meeting last Tuesday in Farmington. "Connecticut's continued support of stem cell research has allowed for exciting and innovative research to take place right here in our state," Malloy said in a statement. "The research projects funded by these grants allow scientists to do revolutionary work that puts Connecticut at the forefront of bioscience industry." Of the 19 grants, 13 grants totaling $7.25 million were awarded to Yale scientists, five went to University of Connecticut researchers, and one went to a collaboration between Wesleyan and UConn scientists. The largest grant, $1.8 million, was awarded to D. Eugene Redmond of Yale. Redmond has focused on cellular repair in the nervous system and how it relates to Parkinson's disease. UConn's Stormy Chamberlain, an assistant professor of genetics and developmental biology at the UConn Health Center, received a $450,000 grant to develop new therapies for Prader-Willi syndrome and Angelman Syndrome, both rare genetic disorders. Children born with Prader-Willi Syndrome have difficulty feeding and develop poor muscle tone, and starting about … Continue reading →

The emerging field of stem cell nutrition has the potential to eclipse the massive antioxidant supplement business according to the boss of the Californian firm responsible for creating a completely new category in nutritional supplements. Ray Carter Jr, CEO of Stemtech International, was speaking to NutraIngredients-USA after signing a multi-million dollar deal with Australian biotech firm Marinova to include its proprietary Fucoidan ingredients in Stemtechs new SE2 supplement. The next generation of Stemtechs best-selling StemEnhance supplement, SE2 also includes a concentrate of blue-green algae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA), the herb Polygonum multiflorum and the fungus Cordyceps sinensis. Adult stem cells, tissue maintenance and repair SE2 helps increase the number of adult stem cells or master cells that are released into the bloodstream before migrating into tissues where they reproduce and become new healthy cells, effectively helping the body renew and repair itself, claimed Carter. Stemtech products have already generated more than $200m in sales since 2005, he added: Stem cell nutrition addresses a brand new way to support health [and]has the potential to eclipse the massive antioxidant supplement business. When consumers first heard the words stem cell, they were inundated with media reports about the controversy and promise of embryonic stem … Continue reading →

HARTFORD Nineteen Connecticut-based researchers have been awarded $9.8 million in stem cell research funds, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced in a statement today. Connecticuts continued support of stem cell research has allowed for exciting and innovative research to take place right here in our state, Malloy said. The research projects funded by these grants allow scientists to do revolutionary work that puts Connecticut at the forefront of bioscience industry. The awards were made by the State of Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee at its grant review meeting week in Farmington. The projects funded by these grants will advance the clinical use of stem cells to treat some of the most debilitating diseases and injuries, stated Department of Public Health Commissioner and Advisory Committee Chairperson Dr. Jewel Mullen. The research conducted as a result of these grants brings hope to people coping with difficult health conditions. Eighty-eight stem cell funding applications were accepted for consideration in January 2012. The Connecticut Stem Cell Research Peer Review Committee reviewed these applications in accordance with National Institutes of Health guidelines and provided to the Advisory Committee its recommendations with respect to the scientific merits of each application. List of Connecticut-Based Researchers See the … Continue reading →

Featured Article Main Category: Stroke Also Included In: Stem Cell Research;Neurology / Neuroscience Article Date: 17 Jun 2012 - 6:00 PDT Current ratings for: 'Stroke Treatment Using Stem Cells Shows Early Promise In Controversial Trial' 4 (1 votes) The hope is that the treatment, by repairing damaged brain tissue, will one day help stroke patients regain some movement and ability to speak. Even small improvements can make a big difference to a person who has been robbed of the ability to wash, dress and feed themselves. The PISCES trial (Pilot Investigation of Stem Cells in Stroke) study, which is based in Scotland at the Institute of Neurological Sciences, Southern General Hospital, Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS Board, is the first in the world to evaluate genetically engineered neural stem cells in people with disabling ischemic stroke. The researchers presented the interim results at the 10th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSR), which took place from 13 to 16 June 2012, in Yokohama, Japan. The lead investigator of the trial is Professor Keith Muir, SINAPSE Professor of Clinical Imaging, Division of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Glasgow. He told the press: "We remain pleased and … Continue reading →

News | Health The achievement, with an 'optic cup' that contains multiple layers of photoreceptors, raises hopes for repairs of damaged eyes in the clinic By David Cyranoski and Nature magazine | June 15, 2012| The human eye is a complex structure but the cues to build it come from inside the growing cells. Image: Dougal Waters/Getty From Nature magazine A stem-cell biologist has had an eye-opening success in his latest effort to mimic mammalian organ development in vitro. Yoshiki Sasai of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CBD) in Kobe, Japan, has grown the precursor of a human eye in the lab. The structure, called an optic cup, is 550 micrometres in diameter and contains multiple layers of retinal cells including photoreceptors. The achievement has raised hopes that doctors may one day be able to repair damaged eyes in the clinic. But for researchers at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Yokohama, Japan, where Sasai presented the findings this week, the most exciting thing is that the optic cup developed its structure without guidance from Sasai and his team. The morphology is the truly extraordinary thing, says Austin Smith, director of the Centre … Continue reading →

Unveilling stem cells LAWRENCE SERETSE Correspondent Cryo-Save, the European company that intends to establish the first stem cell bank in Botswana says stem cells do not have just one function. They can themselves become or create other types of cells such as blood cells, brain cells, tissue cells, muscle cells and the like. Stem cells can be found in every person but they are much more numerous in the body of a foetus. There are three types of stem cell banking namely, the baby stem cell banking which is the preservation and storage of cord blood and umbilical cord tissue. Adult stem cell banking is the preservation and storage of peripheral blood (from blood stream for bone marrow transplants) and fatty tissue stem cells. The reproductive cell banking deals with the preservation and storage of eggs and sperm for future fertility treatments or artificial insemination purposes. Studying stem cells helped humans understand how they transform into the dazzling array of specialised cells that make us what we are. Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancer and birth defects, are caused by problems that occur somewhere in this process. A better understanding of normal cell development has allowed … Continue reading →

* European Parliament debating funding for 2014 to 2020 * Scientists fear cuts to embryonic stem cell research * Experts say cutting funds would hold back entire field LONDON, June 15 (Reuters) - Leading scientists, biomedical research bodies and patient groups urged the European Parliament on Friday to maintain vital European Union funding for studies using embryonic stem cells. Hailing the field as "one of the most exciting and promising" in modern biomedical research, the group said they feared research grants currently under review may be under threat from pro-life European parliamentarians who say public funds should not be spent on embryonic stem cell work. "(EU) Commission funding must be available to continue to support scientists investigating all types of stem cells - including human embryonic stem cells - with potential to make advances in regenerative medicine," they wrote in an open letter released by the Wellcome Trust, a charitable health foundation. The European Parliament is currently debating the future outline of Horizon (Euronext: HOR.NX - news) 2020, the EU's programme for research and innovation which will run from 2014 to 2020. Draft rules provide for stem cell research funding, including embryonic stem cells but some member states have been … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2012) Six new human embryonic stem cell lines derived at the University of Michigan have just been placed on the U.S. National Institutes of Health's registry, making the cells available for federally-funded research. U-M now has a total of eight cell lines on the registry, including five that carry genetic mutations for serious diseases such as the severe bleeding disorder hemophilia B, the fatal brain disorder Huntington's disease and the heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which causes sudden death in athletes and others. Researchers at U-M and around the country can now begin using the stem cell lines to study the origins of these diseases and potential treatments. Two of the cell lines are believed to be the first in the world bearing that particular disease gene. The three U-M stem cell lines now in the registry that do not carry disease genes are also useful for general studies and as comparisons for stem cells with disease genes. In all, there are 163 stem cell lines in the federal registry, most of them without major disease genes. Each of the lines was derived from a cluster of about 30 cells removed from a donated five-day-old embryo roughly … Continue reading →