Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Stem Cell Research News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/stem_cell/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171674.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171674.php A team of Princeton biologists and engineers has dramatically improved the speed and accuracy of measuring an enigmatic set of proteins that influences almost every aspect of how cells and tissues function. The new method offers a long-sought tool for studying stem cells, cancer and other problems of fundamental importance to biology and medicine. Stem Cell Research Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171719.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171719.php Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (OTCBB:ACTC) announced that it filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) Application with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter study using embryonic stem cell derived retinal cells to treat patients with Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy (SMD). Among the most common causes of untreatable blindness in the world are degenerative diseases of the retina. Eye Health / Blindness Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171582.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171582.php A study in this week's edition of The Lancet reports that the use of human embryonic stem-cells (hESCs) is a promising alternative for producing temporary skin substitutes for patients awaiting skin grafts after, for example, serious burn injuries. The article is the work of Dr Christine Baldeschi, INSERM and Institute for Stem Cell Therapy and Exploration of Monogenic Diseases, Evry Cedex, France, and colleagues. Stem Cell Research Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171530.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171530.php Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure. There have been several protocols available for hepatic fate specification from ES cells, however, most of the protocols currently used result in low yield or purity of functional hepatocytes. Liver Disease / Hepatitis Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171471.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171471.php Male infertility and tackling falling birth rates across Europe will be among the topics addressed at this year's British Andrology Society's annual conference at Queen's University in Belfast. World leaders in the field of andrology - the study of male reproduction - will meet at Queen's this week (Thursday and Friday) to discuss the latest developments in the field of fertility including the potential to create artificial sperm from stem cells. Fertility Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171379.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171379.php 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. Stem Cell Research Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171399.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171399.php 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 subjects with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. The transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells. Heart Disease Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171375.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171375.php VINNOVA announced in a press release yesterday that they are going to provide support of SEK 3.6 million for Vitrolife's research project for optimized culture media to enable the clinical use of stem cells. "It is very pleasing news and will enable more intensive work in an area that we very much believe in for the future", says Magnus Nilsson, Vitrolife's CEO. Stem Cell Research Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171293.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171293.php An encapsulation breakthrough by researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology may enable doctors to deliver anti-cancer drugs directly to tumors over extended periods of time, while preventing the systemic side effects of chemotherapy and other current cancer treatments. The system consists of polymeric microcapsules containing human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) engineered to produce proteins that prevent cancer growth. Cancer / Oncology Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171254.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171254.php New antibiotics for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other pesky bacteria. Andrei Osterman and collaborators have used comparisons of bacterial genomes to identify new targets for antibiotics and produced first-generation chemical inhibitors of a class of bacterial enzymes, called NadDs (nicotinate mononucleotide adenylyltransferases). Described in a recent article in Chemistry & Biology (Cell Press), the team, led by Dr. MRSA / Drug Resistance Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171228.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171228.php A Florida cardiologist is using stem cell therapy to treat patients who suffer from a range of heart, lung and vascular illnesses. The results have been extraordinary. Zannos Grekos, M.D. uses the patients' own stem cells to treat the diseases. "One's own stem cells offer great potential for the treatment of serious heart, lung and vascular diseases," Dr. Grekos said. "We are seeing remarkable outcomes through this treatment. Stem Cell Research Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171234.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171234.php BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:BCLI), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, is pleased to announce that the company's therapeutic approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases, particularly ALS and Parkinson's disease, was found to have a positive effect in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). Multiple Sclerosis Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171112.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171112.php Is the indefinite expansion of adult cells possible without recourse to stem cell intermediates? The team led by Michael Sieweke at the Centre d'immunologie de Marseille Luminy (Université Aix-Marseille 2 / CNRS / INSERM) has proved that this is the case by achieving the ex vivo regeneration for several months of macrophages, specialized cells in the immune system. Published in Science on November 6, 2009, this discovery could be applied to other cell types. Stem Cell Research Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171039.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171039.php From November 14th through 21st, Canadian Blood Services' stem cell program, the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network, is marking National Stem Cell Awareness Week with its Partners Uniting Lives campaign. Sadly, only 30 per cent of patients in need of a stem cell transplant will find a match within their own family - the rest turn to OneMatch. Stem Cell Research Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171021.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171021.php A new study from the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota shows that patients who have acute leukemia and are transplanted with two units of umbilical cord blood (UCB) have significantly reduced risk of the disease returning. This finding has the potential to change the current medical practice of using one unit of UCB for treatment of patients who are at high risk for recurrence of leukemia and other cancers of the blood and bone marrow. Michael Verneris, M.D. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170973.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170973.php How does the developing pancreas in an embryo 'know' which cells are to produce insulin and which cells are to have other assignments? Researchers need to understand this if they want to be able to treat type-1 diabetes with stem cells developed into insulin-producing beta cells. At Lund University scientists have uncovered pioneering new knowledge, and are publishing it in the journal Cell. Stem Cell Research Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170894.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170894.php The use of stem cells in regenerative medicine is not always beneficial for human health, it may even be harmful according to a work done by the University of Granada and University of León. Scientists have demonstrated that transplantation of human mononuclear cells isolated from umbilical cord blood exerted a deleterious effect in rats with liver cirrhosis. Stem Cell Research Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170636.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170636.php The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded researchers at Rice University and the Texas Heart® Institute (THI) a $1 million Challenge Grant to refine cell-tracking nanotube technology that could make magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) up to 40 times more sensitive than existing MRIs and help guide adult stem cells within the human body to repair damaged hearts. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170625.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170625.php OncoVista Innovative Therapies, Inc. (Pink Sheets:OVIT) reported today that two of its proprietary products, the AdnaTest™ BreastCancer and AdnaTest EMT1/StemCell, were evaluated in Germany by the Departments of Gynecology and Obstetrics and Internal Medicine (Cancer Research) at University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen and the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Tuebingen. Cancer / Oncology Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170481.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170481.php BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (OTCBB:BCLI), a leading developer of adult stem cell technologies and therapeutics, is pleased to announce that the company's therapeutic approach for treating neurodegenerative diseases was shown to be superior to other current potential stem cell treatments. Stem Cell Research Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170439.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170439.php Diabetic foot ulcers are the primary cause of hospital admissions for diabetics. Foot ulcers that heal improperly are at risk for infection, which can lead to amputation. According to the American Diabetes Association, one in four patients with diabetic foot ulcers will eventually require lower-limb amputation. Now science has found a way of mobilizing stem cells within the body to treat this health issue, which affects more than three million Americans annually. Diabetes Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170453.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170453.php 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. In January, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration gave Geron Corp. of Menlo Park, Calif., permission to test the UC Irvine treatment in individuals with thoracic spinal cord injuries, which occur below the neck. Neurology / Neuroscience Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170413.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170413.php Human embryonic stem cells could help people with learning and memory deficits after radiation treatment for brain tumors, suggests a new UC Irvine study. Research with rats found that transplanted stem cells restored learning and memory to normal levels four months after radiotherapy. In contrast, irradiated rats that didn't receive stem cells experienced a more than 50 percent drop in cognitive function. Radiology / Nuclear Medicine Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170348.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170348.php 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. The research team from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center reports its preclinical laboratory results this week in the early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Endocrinology Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170162.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170162.php Rhode Island Hospital has received an $11 million grant to 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. Stem Cell Research