Cloning And Stem Cell News, Research and Resources - May 2007 Archives

Researchers Probe Bones' Tiny Building Blocks (5/25/2007)

Team's results could lead to new composites that mimic bones' capacity to 'fail gracefully' ...> Full Article

Study Advances Efforts to Use Gene Therapy to Treat Obesity (5/25/2007)

Gene therapy that could treat obesity may also have benefits for bone growth, according to a new study by scientists at Oregon State University and the University of Florida. ...> Full Article

Researchers Awaken Vision Cells In Blind Mice (5/24/2007)

University of Florida researchers used gene therapy to restore sight in mice with a form of hereditary blindness, a finding that has bearing on many of the most common blinding diseases. ...> Full Article

Mice And Men Make Livers Differently (5/24/2007)

Work should guide researchers using mice as models for human biology ...> Full Article

Scientists Develop Tiny Implantable Biocomputers (5/23/2007)

Molecular devices' remarkably precise scans of cellular activity could revolutionize medicine ...> Full Article

Gel Derived From A Patient's Own Blood May Help Promote Wound Healing (5/23/2007)

A preliminary study suggests that topical application of a gel made from platelets in healthy individuals' own blood may help wounds heal more quickly and completely, according to a report in the May/June issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...> Full Article

Researchers Growing Bone in a Lab (5/22/2007)

As the nation ages, an estimated 44 million Americans, including at least half of those ages 50 and older, are at risk for osteoporosis, making their bones fragile and vulnerable to serious fractures. ...> Full Article

Nanomedicine Opens The Way For Nerve Cell Regeneration (5/22/2007)

The ability to regenerate nerve cells in the body could reduce the effects of trauma and disease in a dramatic way. In two presentations at the NSTI Nanotech 2007 Conference, researchers describe the use of nanotechnology to enhance the regeneration of nerve cells. In the first method, developed at the University of Miami, researchers show how magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) may be used to create mechanical tension that stimulates the growth and elongation of axons of the central nervous system neurons. The second method from the University of California, Berkeley uses aligned nanofibers containing one or more growth factors to provide a bioactive matrix where nerve cells can regrow. ...> Full Article

Precursor Cells Generated From Human Embryonic Stem Cells Show Ability to Repair Vascular Damage in Animals (5/21/2007)

New, scalable population of hemangioblast cells halves the death rate following heart attack and repairs ischemic limbs and damaged vasculature. ...> Full Article

Nerves Controlling Muscles Are Best Repaired With Similar Nerves (5/19/2007)

When repairing severed or damaged motor nerves with a donor nerve graft, surgeons have traditionally used a sensory nerve from another area of the patient's body. However, these patients often do not fully regain function in the injured area. ...> Full Article

First Demonstration of New Hair Follicle Generation in an Animal Model (5/17/2007)

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found that hair follicles in adult mice regenerate by re-awakening genes once active only in developing embryos. These findings provide unequivocal evidence for the first time that, like other animals such as newts and salamanders, mammals have the power to regenerate. These findings are published in the May 17 issue of Nature. ...> Full Article

Possible New Treatment Target Found for Muscular Dystrophy (5/16/2007)

Scientists have identified a potential therapeutic target in muscles for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of the progressive disease. ...> Full Article

DNA Damage Test Could Aid Drug Development (5/16/2007)

In the daunting marathon that leads to successful drugs, promising drug candidates must pass toxicity tests before entering clinical trials. Researchers from MIT and the Whitehead Institute have developed a cell culture test for assessing a compound's genetic toxicity that may prove dramatically cheaper than existing animal tests. This assay would allow genetic toxicity to be examined far earlier in the drug development process, making it much more efficient. ...> Full Article

Research May Boost IVF Success Rate (5/15/2007)

Higher success rates for in-vitro fertilization may result from a University PhD student's research into measurements to assess the quality of eggs. Gabe Redding, who graduates with a Doctor of Philosophy in bioprocess engineering this afternoon, described his research as a novel integration of reproductive biology and engineering. ...> Full Article

Researchers Working to Understand Embryonic Development (5/15/2007)

In science, proximity can produce serendipity. That has certainly been the experience of Judith White and Douglas DeSimone, professors in the Department of Cell Biology. Because of their proximity, they were able to perceive that areas of their research had overlapped, encouraging them to collaborate on a project that ultimately may produce a new tool to fight birth defects. "This collaboration is the real deal," DeSimone comments. "It's tremendously rewarding and productive." ...> Full Article

Bone Marrow Stem Cells May Cure Eye Disease (5/14/2007)

Adult bone marrow stem cells may help cure certain genetic eye diseases, according to UC researchers. ...> Full Article

Tissue Engineered Scaffolding Allows Reproduction of Cartilage Tissue (5/11/2007)

A new study examines the use of tissue-engineered scaffolding made of cartilage cells, which have a limited ability to heal naturally, to replace defective cartilage tissue. ...> Full Article

Scientists Develop A New Model Of Artificial Canine Skin (5/11/2007)

Researchers at UNIVET, a spin-off of the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, in cooperation with the animal nutrition company Affinity Petcare, have developed an artificial cellular model which faithfully reproduces the characteristics of dog's skin and which will allow, therefore, the carrying out of various lines of research related to skin biology and pathology without the need to use live animals. ...> Full Article

Opossum Genome May Reveal Clues To Human Health Dilemmas (5/11/2007)

The genome of the opossum is no longer playing dead, and the animal's genetic makeup may help scientists better understand and treat neurological disorders and skin cancer in humans. ...> Full Article

Master Regulatory Gene Of Epithelial Stem Cells Identified (5/9/2007)

The skin's ability to replace the tissue it sloughs off is controlled by a variety of genes. A new study from Harvard Medical School published in the May 4 issue of Cell, however, identifies a "master regulator" of this regeneration process not only for skin, but for many epithelial tissues including breast, prostate, and urogenital tract. ...> Full Article

New Technique Dissects Stem Cells Finicky Tastes (5/7/2007)

Whether their goal is to create therapies or simply investigate how organisms develop, stem cell researchers face what is perhaps one of biological science's toughest assignments: keeping their tiny research subjects under control. ...> Full Article

Scientists Parse Dna Tied To Heart Disease Susceptibility (5/7/2007)

In the May 3 issue of Science Express, an international research team - including scientists from two University of Texas health institutions - announced the discovery of a tiny stretch of DNA on chromosome 9 that increases individual susceptibility to heart disease by 30 to 40 percent, regardless of other established risk factors. ...> Full Article

Research Could Lead To Treatment For Alzheimer's Disease (5/5/2007)

A molecule designed by a Purdue University researcher could lead to the first drug treatment for Alzheimer's disease. ...> Full Article

Researchers Identify Antioxidant Mechanisms Involved in Protection Against Cardiovascular Disease (5/4/2007)

Zvonimir Katusic, M.D., Ph.D., and Mayo colleagues have identified antioxidant mechanisms essential for regenerative function of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). ...> Full Article

Fish Oil May Help Kidney Disease Sufferers (5/4/2007)

Fish oil, it's been touted as an answer to Alzheimers, arthritis and even weight-loss but now a Queensland University of Technology researcher will test its health benefits in people with chronic kidney disease. ...> Full Article

Gene Discovered In Human Stem Cells May Benefit Transplant Patients (5/3/2007)

Oxford scientists have for the first time revealed a link between a gene and the activity of human stem cells, giving hope that stem cell transplant success for blood cancer patients may be significantly improved. ...> Full Article

Nanotechnology May Be Used to Regenerate Tissues And Organs (5/3/2007)

Research at Northwestern University has shown that a combination of nanotechnology and biology may enable damaged tissues and organs to heal themselves. ...> Full Article

Research Suggests Patterns of Brain Tissue Loss in Early Alzheimer's Disease May Predict Course of Disease (5/3/2007)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that shows patterns of brain tissue loss may help physicians predict which patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (early Alzheimer's disease) will develop full-blown Alzheimer's, according to findings of a Mayo Clinic study presented in Boston today at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article

A Deeper Understanding of Age-related Macular Degeneration (5/3/2007)

According to a new study led by Tufts' Johanna Seddon, M.D., Sc.M, the progression of age-related macular degeneration can be linked to genetic and environmental factors. ...> Full Article

New Institute Fuses Science And Engineering With Medical Research (5/2/2007)

A new, multi-disciplinary Institute focused on developing novel approaches to medical and biological challenges is launched today at Imperial College London. The Institute of Systems Biology brings together the expertise of engineers, mathematicians and physical scientists and will focus on areas including combating malaria, understanding the interactions between pathogens and host cells, and treating inflammatory diseases. ...> Full Article