By Noimot Olayiwola Staff Reporter Researchers and scientists in the field of both embryonic and adult stem cells research in the Middle East were yesterday urged to be more open to collaboration and networking among themselves in order to build on their already acquired and existing strengths for the betterment of the future use of stem cells in curing genetic diseases in the region. Stem cells are ‘unspecialised’ cells that are able to divide and produce copies of themselves and having the potential to differentiate, that is, to produce other cell types in the body. Speaking on how to further expand the scope of stem cell research in the region during a panel discussion yesterday at the ongoing Qatar International Conference on Stem Cell Science and Policy, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar’s Dr Jeremie Arash Rafii Tabrizi said there was the need for the region’s researchers in the field of stem cells to know each other and come together to network and form collaborations. “I believe that each and everyone in the field within this region has built some sort of strength while conducting their individual researches, so I will suggest that we all come together to put heads … Continue reading →

Harvard scientists are challenging traditional medical logic that dictates that women are born with a finite amount of eggs.  The scientists said they have discovered the ovaries of young women harbor rare stem cells that are in fact capable of producing new eggs. If properly harnessed, those stem cells may someday lead to new treatments for women suffering from infertility due to cancer or other diseases – or for those who are simply getting older, according to the researchers.  Lead researcher Jonathan Tilly of Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital has co-founded a company, OvaScience Inc., to try to develop the findings into fertility treatments. The idea that women are born with all the egg cells – called oocytes – they’ll ever have has been called into question by past research, which found egg-producing stem cells in adult mice. In this latest study, Harvard researchers, in collaboration with Japanese scientists, used donated frozen ovaries from 20 year olds and ‘fished out’ the purported stem cells.   The researchers inserted a gene into the stem cells, which caused them to glow green.  If the cells produced eggs, those would glow green, too. The researchers first watched through a microscope as new eggs grew … Continue reading →

A long-held belief about women and fertility is that each woman has a set amount of eggs in her lifetime and that when those eggs are depleted at menopause, so are her chances at having a biological child. However, research out of Massachusetts General Hospital questioning that view. Using stem cells taken from human ovaries, scientists have produced early-stage eggs, which brings up all sorts of questions about possible new methods for treating infertility. Nicholas Wade, writing in the New York Times, adds, "The ability to isolate stem cells from which eggs could be cultivated would help not only with fertility but also with biologists’ understanding of how drugs and nutrition affect the egg cells." RELATED: Gecko Foot Glue; When Alcohol Is a Health Food Jonathan Tilly, the director of Mass General's Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology and leader of the new research, had reported in 2004 that ovarian stem cells in mice could create new eggs "similar to how stem cells in male testes produce sperm throughout a man’s life." His new study attempted to prove this with humans. Researchers took healthy ovaries from patients having sex reassignment surgery, and injected stem cells from the ovaries into human ovarian tissue grafted … Continue reading →

SALT LAKE CITY — Researchers may have found a use for the chemical that causes the stench in bad breath, stink bombs, and flatulence. This smelly substance known as Hydrogen Sulphide has been used in helping to convert stem cells from human teeth into liver cells. The scientists conducting the investigation and research in the Journal of Breath Research claim that the gas increased the purity of the stem cells. The goal is that the liver cells produced from the stem cells could be used for repair if the organ was damaged. Hydrogen Sulphide is produced by bacteria, and is toxic in large amounts. A group in China has reportedly tested the gas on rats to enhance the survival of mesenchymal stem cells taken from the bone marrow. Researchers from the Nippon Dental University were investigating stem cells from dental pulp — the material in the middle of the tooth. The dental pulp was taken from patients undergoing a routine tooth extraction. Dr. Ken Yaegaki, the lead author of the study, told the BBC why the dental pulp was so effective. "High purity means there are less 'wrong cells' that are being differentiated to other tissues, or remaining as stem … Continue reading →