PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 1-May-2014 Contact: Mary Beth O'Leary moleary@cell.com 617-397-2802 Cell Press Researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on May 1st have successfully coaxed stem cells made from the skin cells of infertile men into producing sperm cell precursors. These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) produced sperm precursors following transplantation into the testes of mice. The findings help to explain a genetic cause of male infertility and offer a window into basic sperm biology. The approach also holds considerable potential for clinical application, the researchers say. "Our results are the first to offer an experimental model to study sperm development," said Renee Reijo Pera of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and Montana State University. "Therefore, there is potential for applications to cell-based therapies in the clinic, for example, for the generation of higher quality and numbers of sperm in a dish. "It might even be possible to transplant stem-cell-derived germ cells directly into the testes of men with problems producing sperm," she added. However, getting to that point will require considerable study to ensure the safety and practicality. Infertility affects 10% to 15% of couples. Moreover, as the researchers note, genetic causes of … Continue reading →

Stem cell therapy | irish stem cells http://www.arthritistreatmentcenter.com So what's going on in Ireland when it comes to arthritis... coming up next... First signs of arthritis cure seen by Irish researchers The first signs... By: Nathan Wei … Continue reading →

Home > News > technology-news Washington, May 1 : In a pioneering work, researchers at Columbia Engineering have successfully grown fully functional human cartilage from human stem cells derived from bone marrow tissue. "We have been able to generate fully functional human cartilage from mesenchymal stem cells by mimicking in vitro the developmental process of mesenchymal condensation," explained Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, the Mikati Foundation professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering. This could have clinical impact, as this cartilage can be used to repair a cartilage defect, or in combination with bone in a composite graft grown in lab for more complex tissue reconstruction, he informed. The general approach to cartilage tissue engineering has been to place cells into a hydrogel and culture them in the presence of nutrients and growth factors and sometimes also mechanical loading. But using this technique with adult human stem cells has invariably produced mechanically weak cartilage. So Vunjak-Novakovic and her team wondered if a method resembling the normal development of the skeleton could lead to a higher quality of cartilage. They came up with a new approach - by inducing the mesenchymal stem cells to undergo a condensation stage as they do in the body … Continue reading →