Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

Stem cell research has become one of the biggest issues dividing the scientific and religious communities around the world. At the core of the issue is one central question: When does life begin? At this time, to get stem cells that are reliable, scientists either have to use an embryo that has already been conceived or else clone an embryo using a cell from a patient's body and a donated egg. Either way, to harvest an embryo's stem cells, scientists must destroy it. Although that embryo may only contain four or five cells, some religious leaders say that destroying it is the equivalent of taking a human life. Inevitably, this issue entered the political arena. In 1996, Congress passed a rider to the federal appropriations bill called the Dickey-Wicker amendment. Representatives Jay Dickey and Roger Wicker proposed banning the use of federal monies for any research in which a human embryo is created or destroyed. Federal monies are a primary source of funding for stem cell research. The amendment has been renewed every year since that time. In 2001, President George W. Bush further restricted federal stem cell research. In an executive order, Bush stated that federal funds could only … Continue reading →

Although cancer cell lines provide information about cancer biology, their adaptation to the in vitro environment often results in biological properties that differ in crucial ways from de novo cancer cells. Members of this Research Program have developed a novel mouse model system that reliably permits individual cancer cells isolated directly from patients tumors to be transplanted orthotopically to the same organ or tissue in immunodeficient mice; cells are assayed for the ability to form a new tumor. Members of the program have prospectively identified a minority population of cancer cells in epithelial and hematopoietic malignancies, called cancer stem or initiating cells. The cancer stem cells have the unique ability to drive the growth (through self-renewing cell divisions) and spread of a malignancy in the mouse model system. The prospective isolation of cancer stem cells enables critical regulatory processes of these cells to be studied directly. This should result in the discovery of new therapeutic targets that can be exploited to develop novel and more effective cancer treatments. The specific goals of the Program and how the expertise of the Program members will facilitate their achievement are listed below. Goal 1. To investigate potential pathways critical for self renewal, spread … Continue reading →

HIV/AIDS vs. THE CALIFORNIA STEM CELL AGENCY: Disease-a-week Challenge # 13 So little attention is paid to HIV/AIDS nowadays, one might be forgiven for thinking it cured. But is it? To date, only one (1) person has been cured of HIV-AIDS. One million Americans have HIV/AIDS todayas do more than thirty million world citizensmany of them children, who caught the disease from their mothers breast milk. https://www.aids.gov/... They are not cured. It might be said that HIV/AIDS is controllable now, for those with the resources to pay for it. A therapy called ART (Anti-Retroviral Therapy) can keep HIV patients alive. As long as the 30-40 pills are taken every day, in the right order and at the right time, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is survivable. But without the pills, (and they are not cheap) HIV advances to the death sentence of AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). HIV can be lived with; AIDS cannot. The disease is only managed, not cured. Even the remedy itself carries major risks. People on long-term ART may face cancer, heart and lung disease, osteoporosis, and other life-threatening maladies. And the one cured person, Timothy Ray Brown, better known as the Berlin patient? https://en.wikipedia.org/... Residing in Berlin, … Continue reading →

ORLANDO, Fla. (CNS) Declaring that stem-cell research does not present a conflict between science and religion, the U.S. bishops overwhelmingly approved a statement June 13 calling the use of human embryos in such research "gravely immoral" and unnecessary. In the last vote of the public session of their June 12-14 spring general assembly in Orlando, the bishops voted 191-1 in favor of the document titled "On Embryonic Stem-Cell Research: A Statement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops." "It now seems undeniable that once we cross the fundamental moral line that prevents us from treating any fellow human being as a mere object of research, there is no stopping point," the document said. "The only moral stance that affirms the human dignity of all of us is to reject the first step down this path." Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., introduced the document on behalf of Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, who was not at the Orlando meeting. Consideration of the stem-cell document came after an intense and complicated debate at the meeting over a 700-page liturgical translation. Archbishop Naumann thanked those involved in the liturgical debate for "making stem-cell … Continue reading →

Abstract Introduction Aromatic (ar-) turmerone is a major bioactive compound of the herb Curcuma longa. It has been suggested that ar-turmerone inhibits microglia activation, a property that may be useful in treating neurodegenerative disease. Furthermore, the effects of ar-turmerone on neural stem cells (NSCs) remain to be investigated. We exposed primary fetal rat NSCs to various concentrations of ar-turmerone. Thereafter, cell proliferation and differentiation potential were assessed. In vivo, nave rats were treated with a single intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of ar-turmerone. Proliferative activity of endogenous NSCs was assessed in vivo, by using noninvasive positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and the tracer [18F]-fluoro-L-thymidine ([18F]FLT), as well as ex vivo. In vitro, ar-turmerone increased dose-dependently the number of cultured NSCs, because of an increase in NSC proliferation (P … Continue reading →

New research from Uppsala University shows promising progress in the use of stem cells for treatment of spinal cord injury. The results, which are published in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, show that human stem cells that are transplanted to the injured spinal cord contribute to restoration of some sensory functions. Traffic accidents and severe falls can cause ruptures of nerve fibers that enter/exit the spinal cord. Most commonly, these avulsion injuries affect the innervation of the arm and hand, and lead to paralysis, loss of sensation and cause chronic pain. Surgical interventions can help the patient regain some muscle function, but there is currently no treatment able to restore sensory functions. The reason for this is the emergence of a "barrier" at the junction between the ruptured nerve fibers and the spinal cord which prevents them from growing into the spinal cord and restore lost nerve connections. In a new study the PhD students Jan Hoeber, Niclas Knig and Carl Trolle, working in Dr.Elena Kozlova's research group transplanted human stem cells to an avulsion injury in mice with the aim to restore a functional route for sensory information from peripheral tissues into the spinal cord. The results show that … Continue reading →

Take a tour of USC's stem cell research center Visit USC on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/usc Learn more about the University of Southern California: http://www.usc.edu Director Andy McMahon leads a tour of the Eli and Edythe Broad CIRM... By: USC … Continue reading →

Download Translational Stem Cell Research PDF Download PDF here: http://bit.ly/1HR8Y8V. By: Ariane Sumpter … Continue reading →

Download Applications of Flow Cytometry in Stem Cell Research and Tissue Regeneration PDF Download PDF here: http://bit.ly/1HR8Y8V. By: Ariane Sumpter … Continue reading →

Short on Stem Cell Research Hey guys!! Leon from international junkies here! This is our first post ever, and I know we probably should have uploaded our introduction video first, but we hope you like this. My friend,... By: International Junkies … Continue reading →