Stem Cell Connectivity {Duke University Research} A Duke University team has discovered how stem cells build long, slender structures that may ferry signals from one place to another, connecting the stem cell to the critical information it... By: Duke University … Continue reading →

IMAGE:Human mammary stem-like cell apportions aged mitochondria asymmetrically between daughter cells. Mitochondria were labeled age-selectively red 51 hours prior to imaging, leaving mitochondria that are younger unlabelled. The daughter cell... view more Credit: Julia Dhla Tissue stem cells, that continuously renew our tissues, can divide asymmetrically to produce two types of daughter cells. One will be the new stem cell, where as the other will give rise to the differentiating cells of the tissue. A study jointly lead by laboratories in the Institute of Biotechnology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) investigated whether stem cells may also use asymmetric cell division to reduce accumulation of cellular damage. Damage buildup can cause stem cell exhaustion that results in reduced tissue renewal and aging. Researchers developed a novel approach to follow cellular components, such as organelles, age-selectively during cell division. "We found that stem cells segregate their old mitochondria to the daughter cell that will differentiate, whereas the new stem cell will receive only young mitochondria" says Pekka Katajisto, a Group leader and Academy research fellow at BI. Mitochondria appear to be particularly important for stem cells, as other analyzed organelles were not similarly age-discriminated, and since inhibition of normal mitochondrial quality … Continue reading →

Contact Information Available for logged-in reporters only Newswise Stem cells hold great promise for treating a number of diseases, in part because they have the unique ability to differentiate, specializing into any one of the hundreds of cell types that comprise the human body. Harnessing this potential, though, is difficult. In some cases, it takes up to seven carefully orchestrated steps of adding certain growth factors at specific times to coax stem cells into the desired cell type. Even then, cells of the intestine, liver and pancreas are notoriously difficult to produce from stem cells. Writing in Cell Stem Cell April 2, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered why. It turns out that the chromosomes in laboratory stem cells open slowly over time, in the same sequence that occurs during embryonic development. It isnt until certain chromosomal regions have acquired the open state that they are able to respond to added growth factors and become liver or pancreatic cells. This new understanding, say researchers, will help spur advancements in stem cell research and the development of new cell therapies for diseases of the liver and pancreas, such as type 1 diabetes. Our ability to … Continue reading →

Brazilian researchers at D'OR Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) have taken what they describe as an important step toward using the implantation of stem cell-generated neurons as a treatment for Parkinson's disease. Using an FDA approved substance for treating stomach cancer, Rehen and colleagues were able to grow dopamine-producing neurons derived from embryonic stem cells that remained healthy and functional for as long as 15 months after implantation into mice, restoring motor function without forming tumors. Parkinson's, which affect as many 10 million people in the world, is caused by a depletion of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain. Current treatments include medications and electrical implants in the brain which causes severe adverse effects over time and fail to prevent disease progression. Several studies have indicated that the transplantation of embryonic stem cells improves motor functions in animal models. However, until now, the procedure has shown to be unsafe, because of the risk of tumors upon transplantation. To address this issue, the researchers tested for the first time to pre-treat undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells with mitomycin C, a drug already prescribed to treat cancer. The substance blocks the DNA replication and … Continue reading →

IMAGE:Images are of mitochondria from iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons. The neuron on the left is from a "normal " or control iPSC line; the neuron on the right was derived from... view more Based on research in fruit flies, it has long been suspected that the most common mutation linked to both sporadic and familial Parkinson's disease (PD) wreaks its havoc by altering the function of mitochondria in neurons that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine. Using stem cells derived from patients who have PD, scientist at the Buck Institute have confirmed that finding in human cells for the first time. In research published in the April 2nd early online edition of Stem Cell Reports, Buck researchers also provide a valuable tool for testing potential treatments for the progressive, incurable neurodegenerative disease. "If we can find existing drugs or develop new ones that prevent damage to the mitochondria we would have a potential treatment for PD," said Buck faculty Xianmin Zeng, PhD, lead scientist on the study. "This is the first time we can show a real and observable change in mitochondria in human cells affected by a PD mutation," she said. Mitochondria are energy-producing organelles found in large numbers in most cells … Continue reading →