Parkinson's: Ask the Stem Cell Expert | Xianmin Zeng, Buck Institute For more information about CIRM-funded stem cell research related to Parkinson's research, see our fact sheet: http://www.cirm.ca.gov Dr. Xianmin Zeng, associate professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging answers your questions about Parkinson's disease and stem cell research. Zeng has a CIRM research grant to develop a stem cell treatment for Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder, which leads to tremors, slowness in movement, impaired balance, and stiffness. There is no cure for Parkinson's. And although drugs can help reduce symptoms, they eventually lose their effectiveness. Zeng has developed methods for transforming those stem cells into dopamine-producing nerve cells, the same cells that are lost in Parkinson's disease. The hope is that by transplanting these cells into the brain, they will replace the lost cells and restore function in the brain. By: CIRMTV … Continue reading →

Leprosy bacteria can force mature cells to function like potentially therapeutic stem cells, scientists have learned. Other types of infectious bacteria may have the same ability, it is believed. The discovery, reported in the journal Cell, could assist the development of new stem cell treatments, as well as help to combat infectious disease, say the researchers. Scientists have only recently learned how to reprogramme adult cells by turning back their developmental clock. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) made in this way behave like embryonic stem cells and have the potential to become any kind of living tissue. IPS cells are said to show great potential for future regenerative therapies. But now it is clear that bacteria achieved the same result long before molecular scientists. In the case of the leprosy bugs, however, the aim is not to improve health but to spread a deadly infection. Tests on mice showed that in the early stages of infection, the bacteria took cover from the body's immune defences by hiding in supporting cells within the nervous system. Once an infection was established, they reprogrammed the cells - known as Schwann cells - into stem cell-like cells. Being pluripotent, the transformed cells were … Continue reading →

Jan. 17, 2013 Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that hard-to-reach, drug-resistant leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that overexpress multiple pro-survival protein forms are sensitive -- and thus vulnerable -- to a novel cancer stem cell-targeting drug currently under development. The findings, published in the January 17 online issue of Cell Stem Cell, open the possibility that diseases like chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and some solid tumor cancers might -- in combination with other therapies -- be more effectively treated with this drug, and with a lower chance of relapse. Led by principal investigator Catriona H. M. Jamieson, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and director of stem cell research at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, the researchers found that a compound called sabutoclax appears to selectively target LSCs that express particular protein isoforms through alternatively splicing, a fundamental process in which a gene is able to code for multiple proteins. An emerging class of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) -- such as imitinib (Gleevec), gifitinib (Iressa) and sunitinib (Sutent) -- has become a popular anti-cancer treatment. However, current TKIs are not 100 percent effective. In cases of CML, for example, some … Continue reading →

Jan. 17, 2013 A discovery about the way in which bugs spread throughout the body could help to develop stem cell treatments. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have found that bacteria are able to change the make-up of supporting cells within the nerve system, called Schwann cells, so that they take on the properties of stem cells. Because stem cells can develop into any of the different cell types in the body -- including liver and brain cells -- mimicking this process could aid research into a range of degenerative conditions. Scientists made the discovery studying bacteria that cause leprosy, which is an infectious neurodegenerative disease. The study, carried out in mice, found that in the early stages of infection, the bacteria were able to protect themselves from the body's immune system by hiding in Schwann cells or glial cells. Once the infection was fully established, the bacteria were able to convert the Schwann cells to become like stem cells. Like typical stem cells, these cells were pluripotent, meaning they could then become other cell types, for instance muscle cells. This enabled the bacteria to spread to tissues in the body. The bacteria-generated stem cells also have another unexpected … Continue reading →

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/whz9kz/delving_into_stem) has announced the addition of the "Delving into Stem Cell Research and its Potential" report to their offering. Stem cells are primal cells found in all multi-cellular organisms that retain the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and can differentiate into a wide range of specialized cell types. As stem cells can be readily grown and transformed into specialized cells with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves through cell culture, their use in medical therapies has been proposed. In particular, embryonic cell lines, autologous embryonic stem cells generated through therapeutic cloning, and highly plastic adult stem cells from the umbilical cord blood or bone marrow are touted as promising candidates. There exists a widespread controversy over stem cell research that emanates from the techniques used in the creation and usage of stem cells. Human embryonic stem cell research is particularly controversial because, with the present state of technology, starting a stem cell line requires the destruction of a human embryo and/or therapeutic cloning. Challenges, barriers, benefits of stem cells, a look at the global approach to stem cell research, and an analysis of the leading players … Continue reading →