Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

International Stem Cell Corp. (ISCO) won a ruling at the European Unions top court that lawyers described as a victory for stem-cell research in the 28-nation bloc. The use of organisms in stem-cell research that are incapable of developing into a human being can be patented, the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled today. The decision walks a clear line to exclude the sci-fi horrors of the abuse of human embryos whilst allowing the use of techniques to generate stem cells which may alleviate much human misery, said Jason Rutt, head of patents at the industry consulting firm Rouse in London. It seems a very sensible position. A non-fertilized egg in research must be considered a human embryo and cannot be patented if it has the inherent capacity of developing into a human being, the EU court said. Still, in cases where an ovum commences a process of development that is not sufficient for it to be regarded as a human embryo a patent may be granted for industrial or commercial purposes. This ruling is a real triumph for stem-cell research, said Adam Cooke, a partner at DLA Piper U.K. LLP in London, which represents International Stem Cell. The … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 18-Dec-2014 Contact: Joshua Brickman joshua.brickman@sund.ku.dk 45-51-68-04-38 University of Copenhagen - The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences This latest research by Joshua Brickman and his research team from Danish Stem Cell Center (Danstem) at the University of Copenhagen specifically found that inhibiting or blocking stem cells ability to make a specific decision, leads to better cell growth and could lead to defined ways to differentiate stem cells. This research is the first comprehensive analysis of a pathway important for stem and cancer cell decisions known as Erk. As a result this work could contain clues to cancer treatment as well as helping to establish a platform to make stem cell treatments for gut related disorders like the pancreas or the liver. The research results have just been published in Cell Reports. Blocking choices "If you block all the choices they can make, they stay in the stem cell state. If you only allow them one door to exit from the stem cell state, you should be able to make particular cell types more efficiently. So if you only leave one door open then it's the path of least resistance and when you give them a push they … Continue reading →

Research involving a human egg used to produce embryonic stem cells unable to develop into an embryo can be patented, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Thursday. The decision is of major interest for biotechnology companies investing in stem cell research. Work on stem cell therapies is still experimental, but researchers believe they could be used to treat a range of diseases from Parkinson's to blindness. Until now, however, strict restrictions on obtaining patents have slowed research. The case was brought in Britain by US company International Stem Cell Corporation against the UK Intellectual Property Office for refusing to grant it two patents covering the use of human egg cells. The British authorities had argued that since the eggs involved were active and developing organisms, even though they were not fertilized by male sperm, previous EU law prevented the company from securing a patent on them. In 2011, the ECJ had ruled that stem cell research involving human embryos could not be patented. International Stem Cell Corporation argued that the eggs, activated by a chemical process known as parthenogenesis, could not develop into human beings as they lacked the full parental DNA required. Thursday's ruling stated that such organisms … Continue reading →

LUXEMBOURG: A human egg used to produce stem cells but unable to develop into a viable embryo can be patented, the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday (Dec 18). In a decision of huge interest for biotechnology companies investing in stem-cell research, the EU's top court decided such eggs did not meet the definition of what constituted a human embryo. "Accordingly, uses of such an organism for industrial or commercial purposes may, as a rule, be patented," the court said in a statement summary of the decision. In July, Advocate General Pedro Cruz Villalon recommended to the European Court of Justice that stem cells do not come under EU rules which deny patents on eggs which could develop into a human embryo. The ECJ is Europe's top court on questions of EU law and mostly follows such recommendations. The case was brought by International Stem Cell Corporation against the UK Intellectual Property Office for refusing to grant it two patents. The British authorities had argued that since the eggs involved were active and developing, even if not fertilised by male sperm, then European Union law meant the company could not secure a patent on them. ISC contested the ruling, … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 17-Dec-2014 Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center @sumedicine Like human patients, mice with a form of Duchenne muscular dystrophy undergo progressive muscle degeneration and accumulate connective tissue as they age. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found that the fault may lie at least partly in the stem cells that surround the muscle fibers. They've found that during the course of the disease, the stem cells become less able to make new muscle and instead begin to express genes involved in the formation of connective tissue. Excess connective tissue -- a condition called fibrosis -- can accumulate in many organs, including the lungs, liver and heart, in many different disorders. In the skeletal muscles of people with muscular dystrophy, the fibrotic tissue impairs the function of the muscle fibers and leads to increasing weakness and stiffness, which are hallmarks of the disease. The researchers discovered that this abnormal change in stem cells could be inhibited in laboratory mice by giving the animals a drug that is already approved for use in humans. The drug works by blocking a signaling pathway involved in the development of fibrosis. Although much more research … Continue reading →

TOKYO Live broadcasts of scientist Haruko Obokata's press conference, in which she defended her groundbreaking stem cell research against allegations of data fabrication, were a ratings hit on multiple TV networks and online platforms on Wednesday. The event in a hotel in Osaka attracted 300 members of the domestic and international media, and was broadcast live on most of Japan's major networks. Nihon Terebi (NTV) topped the ratings with 12.3 percent, with public broadcaster NHK in second with 9.4 percent and Tokyo Broadcasting Systems (TBS) in third with 6.8 percent, according to Video Research Inc. GALLERY: Bollywood's Blatant Copies of Hollywood Movie Posters The press conference was scheduled to run for 30 minutes, but ended up lasting more than two hours, as Obokata, age 30, sometimes struggled to answer questions from hostile members of the media. TV networks extended news programs and shifted schedules to continue coverage. TV Tokyo, famous for ignoring major news events and sticking with its regular schedule, went ahead with an episode of Law & Order, followed by straight-to-video Canadian action movie Recoil. The Wednesday lunchtime event attracted more than 1.26 million to a live Ustream broadcast and 550,000 viewers to a live stream on Nico … Continue reading →

Unlocking the secrets of stem cell generation International scientists have carried out the most detailed study of how specialised body cells can be reprogrammed to be like cells from the early embryo. T... By: ANUchannel … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Research and Theraputic Cloning This video is about Stem Cell Research and Theraputic Cloning. By: Rachael Kathleen … Continue reading →

An Australian research team together with international scientists has discovered a new stem cell that can be programmed to become any part of the body. The ramifications of the find mean that a transplant can be conducted by using the patient's own cells, which can be made into organs and tissue. The discovery, published in the journal Nature Thursday, is a breakthrough in stem cell research. "These are remarkably useful cells, because you can apply them to several different areas of medicine," Xinhua quoted molecular biologist Thomas Preiss, from the Australian National University, as telling Fairfax Media. More than 50 researchers from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and South Korea worked in the study, known as Project Grandiose, which identified the pluripotent stem cell. The new cell is considered a potential prototype for the mass production of therapeutic stem cells to treat a huge range of illnesses and injuries. Medical conditions such as blindness, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, stroke and spinal cord injury will be major beneficiaries of the new find. (Posted on 11-12-2014) Read the original post: Scientists make stem cell breakthrough … Continue reading →

Researchers have identified a new class of lab-engineered stem cells -- cells capable of transforming into nearly all forms of tissue -- and have dubbed them F-class cells because they cluster together in "fuzzy-looking" colonies. The discovery, which was described in a series of five papers published Wednesday in the journals Nature and Nature Communications, sheds new light on the process of cell reprogramming and may point the way to more efficient methods of creating stem cells, researchers say. Due to their extraordinary shape-shifting abilities, so-called pluripotent cells have enormous value to medical researchers. They allow scientists to study the effects of drugs and disease on human cells when experiments on actual people would be impossible, and they have given rise to the field of regenerative medicine, which seeks to restore lost or damaged organs and tissues. The F-class cells were created using genetically engineered mouse cells, and may not occur naturally outside the lab, according to senior author Andras Nagy, a stem cell researcher at Torontos Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital. However, the find suggests that there may be other classes of pluripotent cells -- or a spectrum of reprogrammed cells -- yet to be discovered, authors … Continue reading →