Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

Amazing Scientific Discovery! Researchers Progress In Stem Cell Research! Watch to learn how researchers are progressing in stem cell research! Here's an interest article where I got most of my information: http://discovermagazine.... By: Ida Behreini … Continue reading →

Sue Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center Donor Thank You By: UC Irvine Health Advancement … Continue reading →

By Marcus Johnson Stem cell researchers from Harvard have been able to turn patients skin cells into neurons that can be affected by early-onset Alzheimers. Experts believe that this will make it easier to gather the results of cells affected by the disease. It is also believed that the research will make the development of new treatments a faster process. The research was published in the Human Molecular Genetics journal and headed by Tracy Young-Pearse. The data showed that peopl suffering from Alzheimers had cell mutations t similar to mutations occurring in mice. We see this mild increase in A42 in cells from patients with Alzheimer's disease, which seems to be enough to trigger disease processes, said Young-Pearse. We also see increases of a smaller species of amyloid-beta called A38, which was unexpected as it should not be very aggregation prone. We don't fully understand what it means, but it may combine with other forms of amyloid-beta to stimulate plaque formation. The researchers hope that their work can lead to new drugs that are more effective against the disease. Alzheimers drugs have had a high rate of failure during clinical trials because much of the drug development was based on … Continue reading →

Harvard stem cell scientists have identified a mutation in human cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia that likely drives relapse. The research, published in Cancer Cell, could translate into improved patient care strategies for this particular blood cancer, which typically affects children but is more deadly in adults. In recent years, a trend toward single-cell analysis has shown that individual cells within a tumor are capable of amassing mutations to make them more aggressive and treatment resistant. So while 99% of a tumor may be destroyed by the initial treatment, a particularly aggressive cell can survive and then cause a cancer patient with the "all clear" to relapse six months later. Harvard Stem Cell Institute Principal Faculty member David Langenau, PhD, and his lab members in the Department of Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital used zebrafish to search for these rare, relapse-driving leukemia cells and then designed therapies that could kill these cells. The researchers found that at least half of relapse-driving leukemic cells had a mutation that activated the Akt pathway, which rendered cells resistant to common chemotherapy and increased growth. From that insight, Langenau's lab next examined human acute lymphoblastic leukemia and discovered that inhibition of the Akt pathway … Continue reading →

Key findings and events that may emerge in 2013 concern stem cell trials, gene patents, open-access research papers and an updated U.N. climate assessment Lawrence Berkeley National Lab Stem-cell trials Landmark results from an early-stage clinical trial using human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) should appear this year. Biotechnology firm Advanced Cell Technology of Santa Monica, California, is injecting hESC-derived retinal cells into the eyes of around three dozen people with two forms of non-treatable degenerative blindness. It is the only company currently testing hESC therapies with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, and it hopes that the agency will give it the green light to test stem cells induced from adult cells in patients this year. Diagnostics controversy The American Psychiatric Association will publish the fifth edition of itsDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DSM-5) in May, the first major update in 19 years to the standard reference guide for diagnosing mental illnesses. It will lead to controversial changes in clinical and research protocols, including restructured diagnoses for autism and major depression, although as a living document theDSM-5will see further revisions. Climate assessment Climate scientists have spent years preparing the fifth assessment report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate … Continue reading →

See Inside Some professional athletes' enthusiasm for certain stem cell treatments outpaces the evidence Peter Ryan In 2005, at the age of 32, then Los Angeles Angel Bartolo Coln won the American League Cy Young Award for best pitcher, one of professional baseball's top honors. He stumbled through subsequent seasons, however, after a series of rips and strains in the tendons and ligaments of his throwing arm, shoulder and back. In 2009 he all but quit baseball. Desperate to reclaim his career, Coln flew home to the Dominican Republic in 2010 for an experimental procedure not vetted or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Doctors centrifuged samples of Coln's bone marrow and fat, skimmed off a slurry containing a particular kind of stem cellimmature, self-renewing cells that can turn into a variety of tissuesand injected it into his injured shoulder and elbow. Within months of the procedure the then 37-year-old Coln was once again pitching near the top of his game for the New York Yankeescommanding a 93-mile-per-hour fastball. Whether the injected stem cells rejuvenated his arm is an open question. The fda and the International Society for Stem Cell Research warn that no rigorous studies have demonstrated … Continue reading →

Stem Cell Research in Eyes with Dr. Kendall CCHSL Newscast #1 Today, we are with Dr. Kendall from Harvard University Laboratory. She is explaining why her research with stem cells can possibly have a c... By: TeaNTechHD … Continue reading →

With stem cells slowly making their way into common medical practice, the answer to hundreds of diseases and disabilities might be contained in one swift injection. In his lab, David Schaffer, director of the Berkeley Stem Cell Center on campus, and others are currently trying to turn the cells from unused embryos into the specific neurons lost to Parkinsons disease, a brain disorder that causes tremors and difficulty in movement and coordination. Current treatment options for Parkinsons are limited to medication, brain surgery and physical therapy, but these only treat the symptoms of the disease. If you had the option of having to take prescription medicines for the rest of your life versus a single injection cure You can see why the fields so enthusiastic, Schaffer said. Others, citing moral and religious convictions, have had reservations about the development of such therapies. Still, in 2004, California passed Proposition 71, officially deeming stem cell research a constitutional right. A Center of Excellence grant allocated $20 millionto UC Berkeley to grow the field, with the money ultimately used for the construction of the Li Ka Shing Center, where the campus Stem Cell Center is housed. The Scientific Method The biggest question all … Continue reading →

Invitro-fertilization and Embryonic Stem Cell Research By: FatherCatfish … Continue reading →

An advanced surgery was performed at TOSH hospital on Saturday to treat a patient with knee arthritis, with the damaged cartilage in the knee regenerated using stem cells. Prof. A.A. Shetty, director of minimally invasive surgery and stem cell research at Canterbury Christchurch University, UK, who performed the surgery, said all the Indian Council of Medical Researchs guidelines were adhered to while performing the procedure. He was speaking at a press meet on Saturday. Under an earlier version of this technique, stem cells harvested in the bone marrow had to be cultured in the lab and then injected into the knee after six weeks. There were several disadvantages with this technique longer hospital stay, increased chances of infection, lower success rates and increased costs, he said. However, under the new technique, the stem cells are harvested and centrifuged within the operation theatre. The stem cell concentrate is then mixed with a special fibrin gel and inserted directly at the site of the damaged cartilage through a keyhole procedure. This surgery is less expensive, at around Rs. 75,000, and the patient can go home the next day. Its failure rate is only 10 to 15 per cent and it can also … Continue reading →