Stem Cell Research with Professor Francisco Figueiredo (Newcastle University) Durham CELLS (Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences) with the support of the Wellcome Trust organised a lecture with Professor Francisco Figueiredo from Newcastle University about... By: DurhamUniversity … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Research with Professor Francisco Figueiredo (Newcastle University) Q A Durham CELLS (Centre for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences) with the support of the Wellcome Trust organised a lecture with Professor Francisco Figueiredo ... By: DurhamUniversity … Continue reading →

2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge - Tom Varner I was challenged to do the 2014 ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) Ice Bucket Challenge. I did not donate to the ALS Association because of their support of embryonic stem cell research. Instead, I... By: tvtv3 … Continue reading →

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge - Why I'm Not Doing It [COD: Black Ops 2 MSMC Streaks] A video explaing why I'm not doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I'd encourage you to find organizations that don't use embryonic stem cell research: Mayo Clinic and John Paul II Research... By: JudgmentAwaits … Continue reading →

Scientists who hoped to replicate the results of potentially groundbreaking stem-cell research have been unsuccessful to date, researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, said Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Detailed in two papers published in the journal Nature in January, the research was initially heralded as a breakthrough in the field of stem-cell biology, but was later met with skepticism after other institutions attempts to mirror its results failed. The authors of the papers and Nature retracted them in June. Now, the center behind the papers says its recent efforts to confirm certain aspects of the research have failed. Researchers have conducted 22 experiments thus far, but we could not confirm the emergence of cells in the conditions described in [lead researcher Haruko Obokatas] papers, Riken said in a statement cited by Agence France-Presse. The center anticipates it will continue trying to confirm certain aspects of the research until next March, AP said. The two papers published in Nature described a simple process for producing stem cells using an acid-based solution. Researchers said they successfully created pluripotent embryonic stem cells -- cells that can be grown into any kind of cell, including human organ … Continue reading →

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5 TOKYO - Researchers in Japan said Wednesday they have been unable to replicate experiments that were hailed earlier this year as a "game-changer" in the quest to grow transplant tissue, amid claims evidence was faked. In a scandal that rocked Japan's scientific establishment, Riken -- the research institute that sponsored the study -- launched an independent experiment in April to verify research published by scientist Haruko Obokata and her colleagues earlier this year. But the failure to replicate the experiment casts further doubt on the existence of stem cell-like cells, what the researchers called Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency (STAP) cells. "Researchers have conducted 22 experiments thus far, but we could not confirm the emergence of cells in the conditions described in (Obokata's) papers," Riken said in an interim report issued Wednesday. Obokata since July has been trying in tandem with independent teams to reproduce her own results. The researchers will continue their experiments under more diverse conditions while also considering data obtained by Obokata herself, Shinichi Aizawa, a special adviser at Riken, told a lengthy press conference. Obokata was feted after unveiling findings that appeared to show a straightforward way to re-program adult … Continue reading →

Manila: A Philippine Catholic bishop Wednesday urged donors to research on Lou Gehrigs Disease to ensure that their money does not go to unethical studies involving stem cells. The pastoral guidance was issued as more Filipinos take part in the viral fundraising ice bucket challenge for Lou Gehrigs Disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Archbishop Socrates Villegas said donors must make a clear and unequivocal declaration that their donation is made on condition that none of it is applied to research that involves the use of embryonic stem cells in vitro. Catholics who participate in the challenge and who make donations to this research must also demand of fund-raisers and organizers an assurance that none of the donations made will be applied to researches that are ethically reproved, he added. Villegas said that as long as the research was ethical, the Church would even encourage Catholics to donate, noting, The importance of ALS research cannot be overstated. Research must proceed, for so many suffer. Several top government officials, business leaders and other Filipino personalities have recently taken up the ALS ice bucket challenge, drenching themselves in cold … Continue reading →

Stem cell technology pioneer,DefiniGEN Ltdhas joined the Pfizer-inspired European Bank for induced pluripotent stem cells (EBiSC) consortium. The consortium comprises 26 partners, and has been newly-formed with support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). DefiniGen, a Cambridge University spin-out that has raised millions, represents one of the first commercial opportunities to arise from the universitys expertise in stem cells and is based on the research of Dr Ludovic Vallier, Dr Tamir Rashid and Professor Roger Pedersen of the universitys Anne McLaren Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine. The EBiSC iPS cell bank will act as a central storage and distribution facility for human iPS cells, to be used by researchers across academia and industry in the study of disease and the development of new therapeutics. DefiniGENs role will be to validate EBiSC iPS cell lines by generating liver hepatocyte cells for toxicology, disease modelling, and regenerative medicine applications. Dr Marcus Yeo, CEO of DefiniGEN, said: We are delighted to be a part of this ground-breaking consortium which will provide a crucial platform resource to enable the realisation of the full potential of iPS technology. Conceptualised and coordinated by Pfizer Ltd in Cambridge, … Continue reading →