Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

Federal funding blocked mainly over opposition to use of blastocysts PORTSMOUTH Dr. Amy Sievers, an oncologist at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, does stem cell transplants with great success for her patients and is a firm advocate for stem cell research. Sievers is allowed to do stem cell blood transplants because she does not use the source of controversy, embryonic stem cells. Instead, she can use stem cells from bone marrow, where blood is made. The cells can become new blood for transfusion into patients with blood-related cancers like leukemia. "When we get past the chemo and radiation, the hope is we can replace blood and give the patient healthy blood and a chance to build a good immune system," Sievers said. Parents saving cord blood when they give birth is an option, but Dr. Alexandra Bonesho of Core Physicians in Epping said it is very costly for the patient, is not covered by insurance and is not something pediatricians recommend widely unless there is a reason. "It's not something we use as a practical course of events," Bonesho said. "Cord blood banking is very expensive, less so if the blood stem cells are donated to the National Cord Blood Bank. In … Continue reading →

Almost five months after publication, Nature retracted two papers regarding new stem cell research. This retraction came after various errors were spotted, both in the papers presented and the attempted recreations of the experiments described. The research, which claimed that embryonic stem cells could be created by exposing normal skin cells to stress, appeared to be a medical breakthrough at the time of publication. The lead author was found guilty of misconduct, while her employer was threatened numerous times with dismantlement, reports Scientific American. It appeared that parts of the methods were plagiarized from previous studies in the stem cell field, and the supposed 'different' cells and embryos described in the study were actually the same. It was only after recreation of the described methods failed that the errors were brought forth and scrutinized by various outside sources, including one of the co-authors. The Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Japan began in-depth investigations into the studies in February 2014, and categorized some of the major errors that skewed the written results as misconduct, reports Uncover California. Nature released a statement regarding the publication, saying, "The episode has further highlighted flaws in Natures procedures and in the procedures of institutions … Continue reading →

Scientific Misconduct - STAP Cells Here, I discuss a major case of scientific misconduct - STAP. This one is unique in that it is not simply bad data or inappropriate methodologies, but much, much deeper. It takes a lot to... By: Danny C … Continue reading →

High-profile reports claiming an easy way to create pluripotent cells were flawed. The controversial work involved a mouse embryo injected with cells made pluripotent through stress. Credit: Haruko Obokata Naturetoday retracted two controversial papers on stem cells that it published in January. The retractions agreed to by all of the co-authors come at the end of a whirlwind five months during which various errors were spotted in the papers, attempts to replicate the experiments failed, the lead author was found guilty of misconduct, and the centre where she is employed was threatened with dismantlement. The retraction noticeincludes a handful of problems with the papers that had not been previously considered by institutional investigation teams. Questions remain over what exactly was the basis for claims that embryonic-like stem cells could be created by exposing bodily cells to stress a technology the authors called stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency, orSTAP. But the controversy promises to have lasting impact on science in Japan, global stem-cell research, and the scientific community more broadly including changes in editorial policy at Nature. AnEditorial posted todaywith the retractions notes the need for improvements in publishing procedures: The episode has further highlighted flaws inNatures procedures and in the procedures … Continue reading →

NEW YORK U.S. and Japanese scientists who reported that theyd found a startlingly simple way to make stem cells withdrew that claim Wednesday, admitting to extensive errors in the research. In two papers published in January in the journal Nature, the researchers said that theyd been able to transform ordinary mouse cells into versatile stem cells by exposing them to a mildly acidic environment. Someday, scientists hope to harness stem cells to grow replacement tissue for treating a variety of diseases. An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety. Or, use your facebook account: Subscribe to the South Bend Tribune for only $20 per 4 weeks. Try out SouthBendTribune.com for free for 30 days. After 30 days, your credit card will be billed for $12.80 every 4 weeks with EZPay. Introductory offer only. Get unlimited access to SouthBendTribune.com content for one full day with our One-Day Digital Access pass. Get instant access for one full day (24 hours) without a digital access subscription or a home delivery subscription. Individuals who have a print subscription of the South Bend Tribune can activate their digital account … Continue reading →

Kimimasa Mayama/EPA/Alamy Haruko Obokata tearfully faces the media after she was found guilty of misconduct in April. It seemed almost too good to be true and it was. Two papers1, 2 that offered a major breakthrough in stem-cell biology were retracted on 2 July, mired in a controversy that has damaged the reputation of several Japanese researchers. For scientists worldwide it has triggered painful memories of a decade-old scandal. In February 2004, South Korean researcher WooSuk Hwang announced that he had generated stem-cell lines from cloned human embryos3, creating a potential source of versatile, therapeutic cells that would be genetically matched to any patient. A frenzy of excitement followed this and a subsequent publication4, but that didnt compare with the media firestorm when the results were revealed to be fabricated. The two main cloning papers were retracted5, and the careers of some dozen scientists were devastated. In the soul-searching that followed, research integrity became a hot topic, scientists re-evaluated the responsibilities of authorship, and institutions vowed to improve the way that they police their staff. Nature and other journals also made promises, saying that they would vet manuscripts more thoroughly. In an Editorial at the time, Nature wrote6: Keeping in … Continue reading →

UGA Chemical Testing Could Impact Agriculture, Consumers The University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center has been on the cutting edge of stem cell research over the past decade. And recently, they received a grant from the EPA to test... By: GeorgiaFarmMonitor … Continue reading →

NEW YORK U.S. and Japanese scientists who reported that they'd found a startlingly simple way to make stem cells withdrew that claim Wednesday, admitting to "extensive" errors in the research. In two papers published in January in the journal Nature, the researchers said that they'd been able to transform ordinary mouse cells into versatile stem cells by exposing them to a mildly acidic environment. Someday, scientists hope to harness stem cells to grow replacement tissue for treating a variety of diseases. While researchers have long been able to perform such transformations with a different method, the newly reported technique was far simpler, and the papers caused a sensation and some skepticism in the research community. They were also widely reported in the media, including by The Associated Press. But before long, the government-funded Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Japan accused one of its scientists, Haruko Obokata, of falsifying data in the research. Obokata, the key author of the papers, defended the results during a televised news conference in April while apologizing for using wrong and altered images in the published reports. She also said she opposed withdrawing the papers, a process called retraction, and the 30-year-old attributed her mistakes … Continue reading →

A new study shows that adipose-derived human stem cells, which can become vital tissues such as bone, may be highly resistant to the common chemotherapy drug methotrexate (MTX). The preliminary finding from lab testing may prove significant because MTX causes bone tissue damage in many patients. MTX is used to treat cancers including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, the most common form of childhood cancer. A major side effect of the therapy, however, is a loss of bone mineral density. Other bone building stem cells, such as bone marrow derived stem cells, have not withstood MTX doses well. "Kids undergo chemotherapy at such an important time when they should be growing, but instead they are introduced to this very harsh environment where bone cells are damaged with these drugs," said Olivia Beane, a Brown University graduate student in the Center for Biomedical Engineering and lead author of the study. "That leads to major long-term side effects including osteoporosis and bone defects. If we found a stem cell that was resistant to the chemotherapeutic agent and could promote bone growth by becoming bone itself, then maybe they wouldn't have these issues." Stem cell survivors Originally Beane was doing much more basic research. She … Continue reading →

FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA/CORBIS Masatoshi Takeichi, who has led The RIKEN CDB since its founding in 2000, has received excessive criticism, some international researchers say. Researchers around the globe are voicing support for a Japanese research centre that faces dismantlement after one of its researchers was found guilty of scientific misconduct. The controversy swirls around Haruko Obokata, a biochemist at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) in Kobe, who was found guilty of manipulating data in a paper, published in Nature, that claims a recipe for making embryonic-like stem cells with a technology called stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP). (Natures news and comment team is editorially independent of its research editorial team.) In April, RIKEN launched an independent reform committee to advise on how the CDB can avoid such incidents in the future. In a 29-page report released on 12 June, the panel advised quickly dismantling the 14-year-old centre. A caveat included in the report that a new organization might be built in its place did not appease concerned scientists. At least 160 have written to RIKEN management in support for one of the worlds outstanding research institutes in the area of developmental and cell biology, in the words of stem-cell … Continue reading →