Stem cell transplant was viable and effective in halting or reversing degenerative disc disease of the spine, a meta-analysis of animal studies showed, in a development expected to open up research in humans. Recent developments in stem cell research have made it possible to assess its effect on intervertebral disc (IVD) height, Mayo Clinic researchers reported in a scientific poster today at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. "This landmark study draws the conclusion in pre-clinical animal studies that stem cell therapy for disc degenerative disease might be a potentially effective treatment for the very common condition that affects people's quality of life and productivity," said the senior author, Wenchun Qu, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Dr. Qu said not only did disc height increase, but stem cell transplant also increased disc water content and improved appropriate gene expression. "These exciting developments place us in a position to prepare for translation of stem cell therapy for degenerative disc disease into clinical trials," he said. The increase in disc height was due to restoration in the transplant group of the nucleus pulposus structure, which refers to the jelly-like substance in the disc, … Continue reading →

With the thorough understanding of stem cell biology and the advent of targeted therapeutics for cancer, stem cell-based therapeutic strategies are being increasingly explored for the treatment of various cancer types.Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cancer Therapy sheds light on current stem cell based targeted therapies for cancer, by focusing on the application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in various cancers with emphasis on a number of aspects that are critical to the success of future stem cell based therapies for cancer. Sections of this publicationare devoted to developing stem cell based therapies for cancer with the main focus on tumoritrophic properties of stem cells, engineering targeted therapeutics, utilization of imaging techniques and the recent combination studies utilizing currently employed therapeutics with stem cells.Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cancer Therapyinforms readers about critical and cutting edge stem cell therapies for cancer and also enables them to appreciate the vast plain of unresolved questions in stem cell research for cancer therapeutics. Read the original here: Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cancer Therapy: Khalid Shah ... … Continue reading →

15 hours ago This photo shows Dr. Sean Morrison, Director of the Children's Research Institute and senior author of the study, right, and Dr. Robert A.J. Signer, a postdoctoral research fellow and the study's first author. Credit: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center For the first time, researchers have shown that an essential biological process known as protein synthesis can be studied in adult stem cells something scientists have long struggled to accomplish. The groundbreaking findings from the Children's Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern (CRI) also demonstrate that the precise amount of protein produced by blood-forming stem cells is crucial to their function. The discovery, published online today in Nature, measures protein production, a process known as translation, and shows that protein synthesis is not only fundamental to how stem cells are regulated, but also is critical to their regenerative potential. "We unveiled new areas of cellular biology that no one has seen before," said Dr. Sean Morrison, Director of the Children's Research Institute, Professor of Pediatrics, and the Mary McDermott Cook Chair in Pediatric Genetics at UT Southwestern Medical Center. "No one has ever studied protein synthesis in somatic stem cells. This finding not only tells us … Continue reading →

Scientists from the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed a new gel-based material that could allow stem cells to fill in the gaps in teeth and bones. This advance in tissue engineering comes from an examination of embryonic development. The researchers have essentially created a material that mimics the physical conditions under which tissue forms naturally specifically, the gel shrinks. Tissue engineers have been wrestling with the difficulties of coaxing human cells to form three-dimensional structures in the lab, but the combination of growth factors and artificial gene activation cant quite get us there. The bio-inspired gel developed at SEAS could be the first step in solving those problems. This is the first approach that has taken a process called mesenchymal condensation into account. Mesenchymal condensation is a process involving two tissue layers in embryos where organ formation takes place. A layer of undifferentiated connective tissue cells (mesenchyme) and an epithelium exchange biochemical signals, which causes the mesenchymal cells to contract and form a small knot right where the new organ tissue is supposed to develop (see the image at the top). Mesenchymal cells are a type of stem cell that can develop into bone, enamel, … Continue reading →