Biology News Net - Stem Cell Research

Gene directs stem cells to build the heart

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:59:32 -0500

Researchers have shown that they can put mouse embryonic stem cells to work building the heart, potentially moving medical science a significant step closer to a new generation of heart disease treatments that use human stem cells.

New source of heart stem cells discovered

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 01:45:20 -0500

Pu and Zhou tagged the Wt-1 expressing epicardial cells with a fluorescent red protein, then allowed the cells to differentiate. The image shows a descendent cardiomyocyte (green) that carries the same red marker, and another cell that arose from different origins. (The blue stain indicates cell nuclei). Credit: Bin Zhou, MD (Children's Hospital Boston) Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston are continuing to document the heart's earliest origins. Now, they have pinpointed a new, previously unrecognized group of stem cells that give rise to cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells. These stem cells, located in the surface of the heart, or epicardium, advance the hope of being able to regenerate injured heart tissue.

Adult stem cells improve fracture healing

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:34:40 -0500

Adult stem cells improve healing of broken bones and could eventually serve as a new treatment for the 10 to 20 percent of fractures that fail to heal, according to a new study. The results will be presented Monday, June 16, at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, by Froilan Granero-Molto, PhD, research associate of the University of North Carolina.

Stem cell researchers give old muscle new pep

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:26:34 -0500

Shown above is muscle tissue from a young mouse. On the right side are healthy, new cells created to replace damaged tissue. This ability to regenerate new cells diminishes with age. Credit: Photo courtesy of Morgan Carlson and Irina Conboy, UC Berkeley Old muscle got a shot of youthful vigor in a stem cell experiment by bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, setting the path for research on new treatments for age-related degenerative conditions such as muscle atrophy or Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Brain stem cells can be awakened, say Schepens scientists

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:22:07 -0500

Boston, MA-Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have identified specific molecules in the brain that are responsible for awakening and putting to sleep brain stem cells, which, when activated, can transform into neurons (nerve cells) and repair damaged brain tissue. Their findings are published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).

Scientific information largely ignored when forming opinions about stem cell research

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:22:07 -0500

When forming attitudes about embryonic stem cell research, people are influenced by a number of things. But understanding science plays a negligible role for many people.

Enzyme plays key role in cell fate

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:13:40 -0500

The road to death or differentiation follows a similar course in embryonic stem cells, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report that appears online today in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

New stem cell therapy may aid the repair of damaged brains

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:44:38 -0500

According to some experts, newly born neuronal stem cells in the adult brain may provide a therapy for brain injury. But if these stem cells are to be utilized in this way, the process by which they are created, neurogenesis, must be regulated.

Origin of cells for connective tissues of skull and face challenged

Fri, 23 May 2008 18:42:17 -0500

With improved resolution, tissue-specific molecular markers and precise timing, University of Oregon biologist James A. Weston and colleagues have possibly overturned a long-standing assumption about the origin of embryonic cells that give rise to connective and skeletal tissues that form the base of the skull and facial structures in back-boned creatures from fish to humans.

USC stem cell study sheds new light on cell mechanism

Thu, 22 May 2008 00:41:23 -0500

Research from the University of Southern California (USC) has discovered a new mechanism to allow embryonic stem cells to divide indefinitely and remain undifferentiated. The study, which will be published in the May 22 issue of the journal Nature, also reveals how embryonic stem cell multiplication is regulated, which may be important in understanding how to control tumor cell growth.