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, 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 Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170201.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170201.php There are increasingly more research groups that try to discover the mechanisms of cell differentiation in order to reprogramme differentiated cells. On this occasion, investigators from the CRG have described a process of cell reprogramming which results in morphologically and functionally distinct cells with a 100% efficiency rate. Stem Cell Research Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170119.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170119.php A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurons in the adult brain, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study in mice suggests that the gene may play an important role in maintaining cognitive function during aging. Neurology / Neuroscience Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170124.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170124.php For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options. Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170027.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170027.php Stem Cell Therapy International Inc. (OTCBB: SCII) and its soon to be subsidiary, Histostem Ltd. of South Korea ("Histostem"), announced that they recently supplied hematopoietic stem cells to The Queen Mary Hospital of the University of Hong Kong, China, for treatment of Leukemia patients. Stem Cell Research Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169954.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169954.php The same genes that are chemically altered during normal cell differentiation, as well as when normal cells become cancer cells, are also changed in stem cells that scientists derive from adult cells, according to new research from Johns Hopkins and Harvard. Although genetically identical to the mature body cells from which they are derived, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are notably special in their ability to self-renew and differentiate into all kinds of cells. Stem Cell Research Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169755.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169755.php 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. Stem Cell Research Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169703.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169703.php Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) and Stanford University School of Medicine will collaborate in a new consortium funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) to develop stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies. Heart Disease Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169637.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169637.php NOXXON Pharma AG, the biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel drugs based on its unique proprietary Spiegelmer® technology, announced today the successful initial dosing of healthy volunteers in a first-in-human clinical trial with Spiegelmer® NOX-A12. NOX-A12 is NOXXON's second drug candidate entering the clinical stage of development within only five months. Stem Cell Research Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169587.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169587.php Stem cells isolated from the brain of adult mice (adult neural stem cells [aNSCs]) have shown very modest therapeutic effects in a mouse model of the chronic inflammatory neurodegenerative disease multiple sclerosis. But now, Guang-Xian Zhang and colleagues, at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, have developed an approach to enhance the therapeutic effects of aNSCs in this model of multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis Tue, 03 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169589.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169589.php Study results: MIT cancer biologists have identified a subpopulation of cells that can give rise to pancreatic cancer. They also found that tumors can form in other, more mature pancreatic cell types, but only when they are injured or inflamed, suggesting that pancreatic cancer can arise from different types of cells depending on the circumstances. Pancreatic Cancer Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169559.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169559.php At a symposium today in Herzliya entitled Umbilical Cord Blood: An Alternative for Bone Marrow Transplantation in Adults, bone marrow transplantation experts Professor Patrick Stiff and Professor Guillermo Sanz addressed participants on the current challenges presented by bone marrow transplantation and the importance of investigating cord blood as an alternative source for treating patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Stem Cell Research Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169359.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169359.php Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), cells found in the layer of peripheral embryonic stem cells from which the placenta is formed, are thought to exhibit "immune privilege" that aids cell survivability and is potentially beneficial for cell and gene therapies. Further, the survivability of TSCs has been thought to require the presence of ovarian hormones. However, none of these assumptions has ever been verified. Stem Cell Research Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169316.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169316.php 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 U.S. Food and Drug Administration within four years, driving potential therapies toward clinical trials. The two grants, awarded to collaborative scientific teams, total $39.2 million. Stem Cell Research Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169319.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169319.php A team of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute stem cell researchers led by Eduardo Marbán, M.D., Ph.D. has been awarded a four-year, $5.5 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to fund research leading to clinical trials of new treatments for heart attack patients. The grant will be used to continue Marbán's development of cardiac stem cell therapies to strengthen and heal damaged heart muscle caused by cardiac arrest. Cardiovascular / Cardiology Sat, 31 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169320.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169320.php Physician-researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) received a nearly $16 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to fund the development of a stem cell-based treatment for age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among the elderly. Mark Humayun, M.D., Ph.D. Eye Health / Blindness Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169241.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169241.php 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. In a letter published Oct. 28 in Regenerative Medicine, the authors advocate for clear ethical oversight of this research and pose key questions that warrant careful consideration. Stem Cell Research Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169258.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169258.php U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's move this year to ease federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell research, the AP/Seattle Times reports. Stem Cell Research Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169199.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169199.php The Salk Institute has been awarded a $10.8 million grant by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for translational research focusing on developing a novel stem-cell based therapy for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) - or Lou Gehrig's Disease. Sam Pfaff, Ph.D. Muscular Dystrophy / ALS Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169202.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169202.php The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, is using $5.4 million of Recovery Act funds to accelerate basic studies of induced pluripotent stem cells. These cells, abbreviated iPS, are reprogrammed from skin or other easily obtained adult cells and appear to be similar to stem cells derived from embryos. In theory, iPS cells could generate any type of cell and be used to treat diseases. Stem Cell Research Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169163.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169163.php 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. Their results are reported online in the October issue of the journal Stem Cells. Acute lung injury (ALI) is responsible for an estimated 74,500 deaths in the U.S. each year. Respiratory / Asthma Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169150.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169150.php 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. "This achievement opens a new window into what was only recently a hidden stage of human development," said Susan B. Shurin, M.D. Stem Cell Research Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169046.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169046.php Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) will receive $10 million over the next 6 years to find the genetic causes of congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease affects 1 percent of all children and often leads to death or long-term illness. The team of investigators, led by Benoit Bruneau, PhD, will focus on the gene networks that underlie the disease and the regulatory factors that turn on and off genes related to congenital heart defects (CHDs). Heart Disease Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168909.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168909.php Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases. Current legislation and guidelines, however, continue to limit researchers' endeavors in unlocking the potential breakthroughs that stem cell research can provide. To address this concern, today The Endocrine Society issued a Position Statement (http://www.endo-society. Stem Cell Research Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168648.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168648.php Plastic Surgery 2009 keeping you up-to-date on embargoed studies and other news presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) held October 23-27 in Seattle. Neurology / Neuroscience