Category Archives: Stem Cell Research

Public release date: 11-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Kim Irwin kirwin@mednet.ucla.edu 310-206-2805 University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences UCLA stem cell researchers have shown that insulin and nutrition keep blood stem cells from differentiating into mature blood cells in Drosophila, the common fruit fly, a finding that has implications for studying inflammatory response and blood development in response to dietary changes in humans. Keeping blood stem cells, or progenitor cells, from differentiating into blood cells is important as they are needed to create the blood supply for the adult fruit fly. The study found that the blood stem cells are receiving systemic signals from insulin and nutritional factors, in this case essential amino acids, that helped them to maintain their "stemness," said study senior author Utpal Banerjee, professor and chairman of the molecular, cell and developmental biology department in Life Sciences and a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine at UCLA. "We expect that this study will promote further investigation of possible direct signal sensing mechanisms by mammalian blood stem cells," Banerjee said. "Such studies will probably yield insights into chronic inflammation and the myeloid cell accumulation seen in patients … Continue reading →

Newswise UCLA stem cell researchers have shown that insulin and nutrition keep blood stem cells from differentiating into mature blood cells in Drosophila, the common fruit fly, a finding that has implications for studying inflammatory response and blood development in response to dietary changes in humans. Keeping blood stem cells, or progenitor cells, from differentiating into blood cells is important as they are needed to create the blood supply for the adult fruit fly. The study found that the blood stem cells are receiving systemic signals from insulin and nutritional factors, in this case essential amino acids, that helped them to maintain their stemness, said study senior author Utpal Banerjee, professor and chairman of the molecular, cell and developmental biology department in Life Sciences and a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine at UCLA. We expect that this study will promote further investigation of possible direct signal sensing mechanisms by mammalian blood stem cells, Banerjee said. Such studies will probably yield insights into chronic inflammation and the myeloid cell accumulation seen in patients with type II diabetes and other metabolic disorders. The study appears March 11, 2012 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Cell Biology. In … Continue reading →

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- International Stem Cell Corporation (OTCBB:ISCO.OB - News) http://www.internationalstemcell.com, a California-based biotechnology company focused on therapeutic, cosmetic and research products, announced today that it had obtained new capital financing and made important changes in the composition of its Board of Directors to ensure that Independent Directors hold the majority of Board seats. The financing consists of $5 million in newly issued Series G Convertible Preferred Stock (without warrants), convertible into Common Stock at a conversion price of $0.40/share, the market price of the Companys Common Stock on the date the offer to purchase was made. This financing was made by AR Partners LLC, a healthcare investment firm owned by Dr. Andrey Semechkin, ISCOs CEO and Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors. Concurrently with the closing of this financing, the Company elected to its Board of Directors Dr. James Berglund, co-founder of Enterprise Partners Venture Capital - one of the premier venture capital firms in the field of healthcare technology founded in 1985. Dr. Berglund, with his extensive professional experience, continues as an active participant in the biotech and healthcare industries. Dr. Berglund will replace Kenneth C. Aldrich, co-founder and former CEO of the Company during the period 2008-2009, … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Mar. 11, 2012) New ongoing research published March 7 in the journal Science Translational Medicine suggests organ transplant recipients may not require anti-rejection medication in the future thanks to the power of stem cells, which may prove to be able to be manipulated in mismatched kidney donor and recipient pairs to allow for successful transplantation without immunosuppressive drugs. Northwestern Medicine and University of Louisville researchers are partnering on a clinical trial to study the use of donor stem cell infusions that have been specially engineered to "trick" the recipients' immune system into thinking the donated organ is part of the patient's natural self, thus gradually eliminating or reducing the need for anti-rejection medication. "The preliminary results from this ongoing study are exciting and may have a major impact on organ transplantation in the future," said Joseph Leventhal, MD, PhD, transplant surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and associate professor of surgery and director of kidney and pancreas transplantation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "With refinement, this approach may prove to be applicable to the majority of patients receiving the full spectrum of solid organ transplants." Leventhal authored the study along with Suzanne Ildstad, MD, director of the Institute … Continue reading →

The Irish Times - Monday, March 12, 2012 MEDICAL RESEARCH:SOMETIMES research and innovation can transform lives. Work by Prof Fergal OBrien has the potential to do just that, helping to protect clear vision in patients with a particular eye disorder. Based at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, OBrien heads the tissue engineering research group in the department of anatomy. The focus of the work we do is the use of collagen-based biomaterials for tissue repair in combination with stem-cell therapies, he explains. Collagen is the main component of connective tissue and is the bodys most abundant protein. OBrien is using it as a base material in cartilage repair and also in bone regeneration and in cardiovascular applications. Because of this expertise, he was approached to develop a way to repair the cornea, the clear window of the eye. The cornea is protected by an essential outer layer of tissue called epithelial cells, and in some conditions this breaks down, something that over time can cause blindness. The eye produces limbal stem cells to repair damage to the epithelial layer, but if there are not enough as in limbal stem-cell deficiency disorders vision may degrade before repairs can occur. … Continue reading →

Newswise CHICAGO, IL March 8, 2012 Stem cells provide a recurring topic among the scientific presentations at the Genetics Society of Americas 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, March 7-11 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Specifically, researchers are trying to determine how, within organs, cells specialize while stem cells maintain tissues and enable them to repair damage and respond to stress or aging. Four talks, one on Thursday morning and three on Sunday morning, present variations on this theme. For a fertilized egg to give rise to an organism made up of billions or trillions of cells, a precise program of cell divisions must unfold. Some divisions are asymmetric: one of the two daughter cells specializes, yet the other retains the ability to divide. Chris Q. Doe, Ph.D., professor of biology at the University of Oregon, compares this asymmetric cell division to splitting a sundae so that only one half gets the cherry. The cherries in cells are the proteins and RNA molecules that make the two cells that descend from one cell different from each other. This collecting of different molecules in different regions of the initial cell before it divides is termed "cell polarity." Dr. Doe and … Continue reading →

NEWARK, Calif., March 9, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM - News), a leading stem cell company developing and commercializing novel cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug discovery, announced today that it will release financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2011 after the market close on Tuesday, March 13. In connection with this announcement, StemCells will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its results and an update on its business at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time) the same day. Interested parties are invited to listen to the call over the Internet by accessing the Investors section of the Company's website at http://www.stemcellsinc.com. Webcast participants should allot extra time before the webcast begins to register and, if necessary, download and install audio software. An archived version of the webcast will also be available for replay on the Company's website beginning approximately two hours following the conclusion of the live call and continuing for a period of 30 days. About StemCells, Inc. StemCells, Inc. is engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of cell-based therapeutics and tools for use in stem cell-based research and drug … Continue reading →

by Tom Crann, Minnesota Public Radio March 7, 2012 Audio player code: St. Paul, Minn. A Minnesota teen will be one of 40 high school students nationwide competing for a top prize of $100,000 at the annual Intel Science Talent Search in Washington D.C. Thursday. Evan Chen, a student at Wayzata High School, focused his research on a type of stem cell that could help replace and regenerate muscle lost by people suffering from muscular dystrophy. Chen told Tom Crann of All Things Considered that he was inspired to do the research after meeting three boys from Taiwan who were in Minnesota seeking treatment for the disease. "They left after the experiment; the treatment didn't work," Chen said. "I was pushed not only by my experience with them, but also my fascination with stem cells." The advanced research Chen envisioned couldn't be done in a high school laboratory, so Chen approached local scientists for help. "Eventually one sat down with me and we talked about the research I wanted to do," Chen said. "He was like, 'Sure, you can use my lab for this.'" Chen and the other students will be judged by a panel of scientists. Other projects in … Continue reading →

Public release date: 8-Mar-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Phyllis Edelman pedelman@genetics-gsa.org 301-351-0896 Genetics Society of America CHICAGO, IL March 8, 2012 Stem cells provide a recurring topic among the scientific presentations at the Genetics Society of America's 53rd Annual Drosophila Research Conference, March 7-11 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Specifically, researchers are trying to determine how, within organs, cells specialize while stem cells maintain tissues and enable them to repair damage and respond to stress or aging. Four talks, one on Thursday morning and three on Sunday morning, present variations on this theme. For a fertilized egg to give rise to an organism made up of billions or trillions of cells, a precise program of cell divisions must unfold. Some divisions are "asymmetric": one of the two daughter cells specializes, yet the other retains the ability to divide. Chris Q. Doe, Ph.D., professor of biology at the University of Oregon, compares this asymmetric cell division to splitting a sundae so that only one half gets the cherry. The "cherries" in cells are the proteins and RNA molecules that make the two cells that descend from one cell different from each other. This collecting of different … Continue reading →

Durham, NC (PRWEB) March 07, 2012 A new type of stem cell-seeded patch has shown promising results in promoting healing after a heart attack, according to a study released today in the journal STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. Ischemic heart disease, caused by vessel blockage, is a leading cause of death in many western countries. Studies have shown the potential of stem cells in regenerating heart tissue damaged during an attack. But even as the list of candidate cells for cardiac regeneration has expanded, none has emerged as the obvious choice, possibly because several cell types are needed to regenerate both the hearts muscles and its vascular components. Aside from the choice of the right cell source for tissue regeneration, the best way to deliver the stem cells is up for debate, too, as intravenous delivery and injections can be inefficient and possibly harmful. While embryonic stem cells have shown great promise for heart repairs due to their ability to differentiate into virtually any cell type, less than 10 percent of injected cells typically survive the engraftment and of that number generally only 2 percent actually colonize the heart. In order for this type of treatment is to be clinically effective, … Continue reading →