28-07-2009 18:23 Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have reversed Alzheimers-like symptoms in mouse models of the disease with injections of neural stem cells. The first author, Mathew Blurton-Jones, has a Training grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The lead author, Frank LaFerla, has a SEED grant and an Early Translational grant from CIRM. Excerpt from: Neural Stem Cells Reverse Alzheimer's-Like Symptoms - Video … Continue reading →

28-07-2009 18:23 Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have reversed Alzheimers-like symptoms in mouse models of the disease with injections of neural stem cells. The first author, Mathew Blurton-Jones, has a Training grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The lead author, Frank LaFerla, has a SEED grant and an Early Translational grant from CIRM. Excerpt from: Neural Stem Cells Reverse Alzheimer's-Like Symptoms - Video … Continue reading →

The Hindu Prof. Shinya Yamanaka of Centre for iPS Cell Research and Application, Japan, delivering a lecture in New Delhi on Friday. Photo: R.V.Moorthy Renowned Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka, who achieved a major breakthrough in the emerging area of stem cell research by creating a possible alternative to embryonic stem cells in 2007, expressed confidence here on Friday that drugs would be available soon for diseases for which therapies are yet to be found. Delivering a lecture on “New Era of Medicine with iPS Cells” organised jointly by Cell Press and TNQ Books and Journals, Prof. Yamanaka said the cells -- “induced pluripotent stem cells [iPS Cells]'' -- developed by him and his team would not only help overcome the ethical issues surrounding use of embryonic stem cells for treatment of diseases like spinal cord injuries, Type I diabetes or macular diseases but also help in development of drugs for conditions like motor neuron disease. Embryonic stem cell therapy is considered important as it offers immense possibilities for treatment of a wide range of diseases and conditions since the cells proliferaterapidly and are pluripotent or possess the capability to differentiate into any type of cell, said Prof. Yamanaka. But it … Continue reading →

Morning After The Morning's Trash In my last post, I focused on flaws in the medical device approval process. The Union of Concerned Scientists’ “FDA at a Crossroads” meeting also covered problems with drug approval. This is perhaps no better illustrated than by the disappointing decision by Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius’ to deny the emergency contraceptive, Plan B, over-the-counter status for women under the age of 17. This was a particular disappointment to many because President Obama had promised that decisions at the FDA would be made based on science, rather than politics. Some of us, naively, hoped that “change we can believe in” was real, having forgotten that the Tooth Fairy wasn’t. Two of the speakers at the recent FDA at a Crossroads meeting were formerly at the FDA; both left because of political pressures. Dr. David Ross, was an FDA reviewer for Ketek (an antibiotic). In a Congressional hearing, Dr. Ross testified that he had been pressured to soften his findings about liver toxicity due to the drug and threatened by FDA Commissioner von Eschenbach, who said, “If you don’t follow the team, if you don’t do what you’re supposed to do, the first time you’ll be … Continue reading →

Do you remember when we used to think some things were impossible? Modern technology has taught us to never say never or impossible. I think about the 1970s and 1980s growing up without cell phones, computers and many of the electronically advanced gadgets that our kids today take for granted. I can’t even imagine what the great innovators will come up with next. When I was a young child, I remember watching science fiction movies about cloning people and remember how obscure and unbelievable it seemed at the time. It was common knowledge that cloning was strictly science fiction. Now, cloning is not only possible, but a procedure that has occurred with astonishing success. Fortunately, cloning has only been performed with animals and not yet humans. Medically speaking, one of the most popular and potentially one of the most substantial advances in modern medicine is stem cell research and therapy. Initially, stem cell research was met with a great deal of resistance and controversy. The reason stem cell research had trouble getting started was because stem cells could only be collected from fetuses. With time, scientists have successfully harvested stem cells from other sources. Stem cells are primitive or extremely … Continue reading →