Cloning And Stem Cell News, Research and Resources - March 2008 Archives

Researchers Engineer First System of Human Nerve-Cell Tissue (3/31/2008)

Implications for Nerve Repair and Implantation ...> Full Article

Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Differ In Genes That Could Control Disease Susceptibility (3/30/2008)

Stem cell researchers from UCLA used a high resolution technique to examine the genome, or total DNA content, of a pair of human embryonic stem cell lines and found that while both lines could form neurons, the lines had differences in the numbers of certain genes that could control such things as individual traits and disease susceptibility. ...> Full Article

Self-assembled materials form mini stem cell lab (3/29/2008)

Imagine having one polymer and one small molecule that instantly assemble into a flexible but strong sac in which you can grow human stem cells, creating a sort of miniature laboratory. And that sac, if used for cell therapy, could cloak the stem cells from the human body's immune system and biodegrade upon arriving at its destination, releasing the stem cells to do their work. ...> Full Article

Umbilical cord blood cell therapy reduces pathology in animal model of Alzheimer's disease (3/28/2008)

Targeted immune suppression using human umbilical cord blood cells may improve the pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease ...> Full Article

Identifying the Genes that Put the 'Stem' in Cell (3/27/2008)

A team led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers has identified a network of hundreds of genes that keep embryonic stem cells in their characteristic malleable state, able to develop into any cell type when the time comes. The finding, based on studies of mouse cells, provides valuable insight into the way stem cells function, and could help researchers find ways to reprogram adult cells for therapeutic use. ...> Full Article

Protein Protects Embryonic Stem Cells' Versatility and Self-Renewal (3/26/2008)

Team connects REST to regenerative medicine, pediatric brain cancer ...> Full Article

Are Dual Cord Blood Banks The Answer To Increasing Stem Cell Demand? (3/23/2008)

Demand for stem cells from cord blood is greater than supply. Two senior doctors, analyse the UK's growing cord blood banking industry and the potential impact of a new bank that provides blood for both personal and public use. ...> Full Article

Is cloned meat safe to eat? (3/21/2008)

Picture the perfect steak. The first bite melts in your mouth, tender and dripping with flavor. You can barely keep chewing as your mind goes slack with joy. Yes, you could spend the rest of your life eating this same steak, over and over, with no complaint whatsoever. ...> Full Article

Scientists successfully awaken sleeping stem cells (3/20/2008)

New hope for regenerating the human retina damaged by disease or injury ...> Full Article

Protein chaperone bulwark against nerve degeneration (3/19/2008)

A protein called NMNAT protects nerve cells from degeneration by acting as a "chaperone," a molecule that helps other proteins fold into an active state ...> Full Article

Zebrafish enables cell regeneration studies to help understand, treat human disease (3/18/2008)

One aquarium fish's uncanny ability to regenerate essentially any cell type has given scientists a way to mimic cell loss that occurs in diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes then watch how the fish make more of them. ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover Two Proteins that Regulate Potassium in Stem Cells (3/17/2008)

The result could mean better detection and treatment of nerve and heart diseases. ...> Full Article

UC Berkeley and Stanford University launch joint stem cell research initiative (3/16/2008)

Two leaders in biomedical research - the University of California, Berkeley, and Stanford University School of Medicine - will join forces in a new stem cell initiative that will catalyze research and serve as a magnet for scholars from around the world. The Siebel Stem Cell Institute, established by the Thomas and Stacey Siebel Foundation, is a joint initiative between the Berkeley Stem Cell Center and the Stanford Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute, two of the world's leading institutions at the forefront of biomedical science. ...> Full Article

Gene Therapy Could Save Kids From a Lifetime of Eating Cornstarch (3/15/2008)

A gene therapy treatment that restores a missing liver enzyme in test animals could provide a cure for a rare metabolic disorder in humans ...> Full Article

Researchers describe how digits grow (3/14/2008)

Researchers are wagging a finger at currently held notions about the way digits are formed. ...> Full Article

Same Process Discovered To Both Form Skeleton and Protect it For Life (3/14/2008)

Findings Suggests Related Treatments for Bone Cancer, Osteoporosis and Alzheimer's ...> Full Article

Research shows promise for potential new gene therapy strategy for muscle-wasting diseases (3/13/2008)

Investigators have identified the role of a protein that could potentially lead to new clinical treatments to combat musculoskeletal diseases, including Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). ...> Full Article

Post brain injury: New nerve cells originate from neural stem cells (3/13/2008)

Most cells in the human brain are not nerve cells, but supporting cells (glial cells). They serve as a framework for nerve cells and play an important role in the wound reaction that occurs with injuries to the brain. However, what these 'reactive glial cells' in the brains of mice and men originate from, and which cells they evolve into was hitherto unknown. ...> Full Article

Injection of human umbilical cord blood helps aging brain (3/12/2008)

When human umbilical cord blood cells were injected into aged laboratory animals, researchers found improvements in the microenvironment of the hippocampus region of the animals' brains and a subsequent rejuvenation of neural stem/progenitor cells. ...> Full Article

Long-term muscle improvements shown in gene therapy study in mice (3/11/2008)

Injecting a gene responsible for making a specific protein into a mouse that's used as a model for muscular dystrophy can lead to long-term improvements in the animal's muscle size and strength, a new study shows. ...> Full Article

New stem cell technique improves genetic alteration (3/10/2008)

Efficiency of method could lead to better disease study and future stem cell cures ...> Full Article

Stem Cell Trial Offers Hope For Patients With Severe Ischemic Heart Disease (3/9/2008)

Patients with ischemic heart disease, a serious condition that occurs when the heart's arteries become clogged with cholesterol plaque, may have new options if they have exhausted traditional cardiovascular therapies. A clinical trial at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Heart Center is using patients' own stem cells to improve circulation in hearts damaged by inadequate blood flow, by promoting the growth of new, microscopic blood vessels. ...> Full Article

Researchers control growth rate of replacement blood vessels, tissues (3/9/2008)

Researchers have discovered a way to control the growth rate of replacement tissue and the formation of new blood vessels, which solves one of the vexing problems of growing replacement tissue to treat injuries and trauma in humans. ...> Full Article

Searching Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donors (3/8/2008)

On three continents, 17 registries are connected by the computer network, European Marrow Donor Information System (EMDIS) in order to facilitate the donor search for the life saving transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells mostly for leukemia patients. The EMDIS allows all connected registries the fast and seamless access to relevant data of over 80% of the 11.4 million hematopoietic stem cell donors registered world-wide today. The transplantation of these stem cells is often the last chance for life for leukemia patients. The national and, where required, international search process for a suitable hematopoietic stem cell donor is extremely complex and demands close cooperation of all institutions involved. ...> Full Article

Stem cell funding for Parkinson's Disease (3/8/2008)

The Parkinson's Disease Society (PD) has announced funding of £170k to the University of Bristol for research into how to make stem cells produce dopamine and live longer after they have been transplanted into animals. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify role of tiny RNAs in controlling stem cell fate (3/7/2008)

Understanding these key regulatory factors is critical for potential therapeutic use of stem cells ...> Full Article

UK scientists urge Bundestag to legalise embryonic stem cell research (3/6/2008)

The directors of a leading British stem cell research group are urging the German Parliament to legalise the use embryonic stem cells for research in their country. ...> Full Article

Molecular alliance that sustains embryonic stem cell state (3/5/2008)

Allied proteins known as transcription factors ...> Full Article

NIA uses Genomatix in stem cell research, suggests novel transcription factors for stemness (3/4/2008)

Linkage of pluripotent stem cell-associated transcripts to regulatory gene networks ...> Full Article

Building Brains: Mammalian-like Neurogenesis In Fruit Flies (3/2/2008)

The nerve cells in the brain of Drosophila are generated by neural stem cell-like progenitor cells called neuroblasts. In the currently accepted model of neurogenesis, these neuroblast divide asymmetrically both to self renew and to produce a smaller progenitor cell. This smaller cell then divides only once into two daughter cells, which receive cell fate determinants, causing them to exit the cell cycle and differentiate into postmitotic neural cells. ...> Full Article