Cloning And Stem Cell News, Research and Resources - November 2009 Archives

Physician-scientist proves stem cells heal lungs of newborn animals (11/29/2009)

An international team led by Dr. Bernard Thébaud, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Clinical Scholar, demonstrates that stem cells protect and repair the lungs of newborn rats. The study finds that rats treated with stem cells ran twice as far, and had better survival rates. Currently, there is no treatment for the lungs of babies born too early. Scientists predict these results will lead to a new treatment for these babies within three years. ...> Full Article

Discovery leads to effective treatment of painful skin condition (11/28/2009)

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, in collaboration with a worldwide group of physicians and scientists, have discovered a remarkable treatment for a rare, yet debilitating, skin condition. ...> Full Article

New discovery about the formation of new brain cells (11/27/2009)

The generation of new nerve cells in the brain is regulated by a peptide known as C3a, which directly affects the stem cells' maturation into nerve cells and is also important for the migration of new nerve cells through the brain tissue, reveals new research from the Sahlgrenska Academy published in the journal Stem Cells. ...> Full Article

New research shows versatility of amniotic fluid stem cells (11/26/2009)

For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that stem cells found in amniotic fluid meet an important test of potential to become specialized cell types, which suggests they may be useful for treating a wider array of diseases and conditions than scientists originally thought. ...> Full Article

Gene mismatch influences success of bone marrow transplants (11/25/2009)

A commonly inherited gene deletion can increase the likelihood of immune complications following bone marrow transplantation, an international team of researchers reports in the November 22 advance online issue of Nature Genetics. When the gene, called UGT2B17, is missing from the donor's genome but present in the recipient's, transplants have a significantly greater risk of a serious side-effect known as graft-versus-host disease, in which immune cells from the donor attack tissues in the recipient. ...> Full Article

Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant may help lung, heart disorders (11/24/2009)

Two studies published in Cell Transplantation investigating the use of human umbilical cord blood stem cell (UCB) transplants for lung and heart disorders in animal models found beneficial results. When human UCB-derived mensenchymal cells were transplanted into newborn laboratory rats with induced oxygen-deprived injury, the effects of the injury lessened. A second study found that UCB mononuclear cells transplanted into sheep with a right ventricular malfunction beneficially altered the malfunction and enhanced diastolic function. ...> Full Article

Bioreactor for bone tissue engineering wins professor venture fair (11/20/2009)

John Fisher, associate professor in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, won the Best Inventor Pitch at the 2009 Bioscience Research and Technology Review Day with a tissue engineering bioreactor system that grows bone and other types of tissue for implantation. ...> Full Article

Is hepatic differentiation of embryonic stem cells induced by valproic acid and cytokines? (11/19/2009)

A research team from China developed a protocol for direct hepatic lineage differentiation from early developmental progenitors to a population of mature hepatocytes. Their study showed that hepatic cells of different developmental stages from early progenitors to matured hepatocytes can be acquired in the appropriate order based on sequential induction with valproic acid and cytokines. ...> Full Article

Your own stem cells can treat heart disease (11/19/2009)

The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of patients with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. They also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells. The stem cells were injected in an effort to spur the growth of small blood vessels in the heart muscle. ...> Full Article

On your last nerve: Researchers advance understanding of stem cells (11/19/2009)

Researchers from North Carolina State University have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. The research is a significant advance in understanding the development of the nervous system, which is essential to addressing conditions such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders. ...> Full Article

Protecting the future: How plant stem cells guard against genetic damage (11/18/2009)

Scientists at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK, have shown how plants can protect themselves against genetic damage caused by environmental stresses. The growing tips of plant roots and shoots have an in-built mechanism that, if it detects damage to the DNA, causes the cell to "commit suicide" rather than pass on its defective DNA. ...> Full Article

The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine may also be detrimental for health (11/14/2009)

A work performed by scientists from the universities of Granada and León has shown that transplantation of mononuclear cells isolated from human cord blood had a deleterious effect in rats with chronic liver disease. Cell transplantation did not improve the health of sick animals but it induced a hepatorenal syndrome instead. ...> Full Article

Stem cells restore cognitive abilities impaired by brain tumor treatment, UCI study finds (11/13/2009)

Human embryonic stem cells could help people with learning and memory deficits after radiation treatment for brain tumors, suggests a new UC Irvine study. ...> Full Article

Scientists successfully reprogram blood cells (11/12/2009)

Researchers have transplanted genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells into mice so that their developing red blood cells produce a critical lysosomal enzyme -- preventing or reducing organ and central nervous system damage from the often-fatal genetic disorder Hurler's syndrome. ...> Full Article

Squeak, squeak - can you hear me now? (11/11/2009)

What do you get when you cross a mouse with poor hearing and a mouse with even worse hearing? Ironically, a new strain of mice with "golden ears" -- mice that have outstanding hearing as they age. The new mouse hears much like people with "golden ears" -- people who are able to retain great hearing even as they grow older. ...> Full Article

Advance growing animal penile erectile tissue in lab may benefit patients (11/11/2009)

In an advance that could one day enable surgeons to reconstruct and restore function to damaged or diseased penile tissue in humans, researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine have used tissue engineering techniques to completely replace penile erectile tissue in rabbits. This is the most complete replacement of penile erectile tissue to date and suggests the possibility of using the same approach for men with erectile dysfunction or conditions that require reconstruction, including penile cancer and congenital abnormalities. ...> Full Article

New embryonic stem cell therapy restores walking ability in rats with neck injuries (11/10/2009)

The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries -- a finding that could expand the clinical trial to include people with cervical damage. ...> Full Article

$11 million NIH grant for stem cell research awarded to Rhode Island Hospital (11/9/2009)

Rhode Island Hospital has received an $11 million grant that will fund research that will lead to a general understanding of stem cell biology and identify unique approaches to tissue regeneration in lung and marrow diseases. The 5-year grant, awarded to Peter Quesenberry, MD, director of hematology/oncology at Rhode Island Hospital, also provides funding for the development of a major stem cell research center at Rhode Island Hospital. ...> Full Article

Gene therapy success in severe brain disorder applauded by the STOP ALD Foundation (11/7/2009)

First gene therapy success in boys with fatal brain disorder -- the Stop ALD Foundation, having spurred a successful European gene therapy trial, is now pressing to bring this therapy to the US. The foundation was started by families with children who have died or suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy, the disease highlighted in the movie Lorenzo's Oil. A report of the trial appears in the current issue of Science. ...> Full Article

Lung tissue generated from human embryonic stem cells (11/6/2009)

Scientists in Belgium have successfully differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into major cell types of lung epithelial tissue using a convenient air-liquid interface. The technique, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research, could provide an alternative to lung transplants for patients with lung injury due to chronic pulmonary disease and inherited genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis. ...> Full Article

Spinal cord regeneration enabled by stabilizing, improving delivery of scar-degrading enzyme (11/5/2009)

Researchers have improved an enzyme that degrades dense scar tissue that forms when the central nervous system is damaged -- and developed a new system to deliver it, ultimately enabling spinal cord regeneration. ...> Full Article

Sight gone, but not necessarily lost? (11/4/2009)

Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. While many of the molecules involved in guiding the development of the intricate blood vessel architecture are known, only now are we learning how these molecules work and how they might affect sight. ...> Full Article

Diabetes, brain tumor stem cell grants to drive development of therapies (11/4/2009)

Two teams of UCSF scientists have received grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to advance their stem cell based strategies for treating diabetes and brain tumors. The intent of the grants is for teams to file new drug applications to the US Food and Drug Administration within four years, driving potential therapies toward clinical trials. ...> Full Article

Of mice and men: Stem cells and ethical uncertainties (11/4/2009)

The recent creation of live mice from induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs) not only represents a remarkable scientific achievement, but also raises important issues, according to bioethicists at the Johns Hopkins University's Berman Institute of Bioethics. ...> Full Article

Researchers transform embryonic stem cells into human germ cells (11/3/2009)

Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how to transform human embryonic stem cells into germ cells, the embryonic cells that ultimately give rise to sperm and eggs. The advance will allow researchers to observe human germ cells -- previously inaccessible -- in laboratory dishes. ...> Full Article

Scientists turn stem cells into precursors for sperm, eggs (11/2/2009)

Human embryonic stem cells derived from excess IVF embryos may help scientists unlock the mysteries of infertility for other couples struggling to conceive, according to new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Researchers at the school have devised a way to efficiently coax the cells to become human germ cells -- the precursors of egg and sperm cells -- in the laboratory. ...> Full Article

Stem cell therapy may offer hope for acute lung injury (11/2/2009)

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have shown that adult stem cells from bone marrow can prevent acute lung injury in a mouse model of the disease. ...> Full Article

Recovery Act funds expand studies of stem cell biology (11/1/2009)

NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences is using $5.4 million of Recovery Act funds to accelerate basic studies of induced pluripotent stem cells. These cells are reprogrammed from skin or other easily obtained adult cells and appear to be similar to stem cells derived from embryos. ...> Full Article