Embryonic Stem Cells News and Research

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MIT researchers generate liver tumors in adult mice

Sequencing the genomes of tumor cells has revealed thousands of mutations associated with cancer. One way to discover the role of these mutations is to breed a strain of mice that carry the genetic flaw — but breeding such mice is an expensive, time-consuming process.

7 Aug 2014

Scientists discover new pathway to manipulate, maintain human ESCs in a "na-ve"

For years, researchers and patients have hoped that embryonic stem cells (ESCs)-capable of forming nearly any cell type in the body-could provide insight into numerous diseases perhaps even be used to treat them. Yet progress has been hampered by the inability to transfer research and tools from mouse ESC studies to their human counterparts, in part because human ESCs are "primed" and slightly less plastic than the mouse cells.

26 Jul 2014

Researchers develop new single-cell technique to study environmental effects on DNA

Researchers at the BBSRC-funded Babraham Institute, in collaboration with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute Single Cell Genomics Centre, have developed a powerful new single-cell technique to help investigate how the environment affects our development and the traits we inherit from our parents.

21 Jul 2014

New approach for developing personalized gene therapies to treat retinitis pigmentosa

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have created a way to develop personalized gene therapies for patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a leading cause of vision loss.

11 Jul 2014

NANOG gene linked to tumours derived from stratified epithelia

Scientists from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have discovered that NANOG, an essential gene for embryonic stem cells, also regulates cell division in stratified epithelia-those that form part of the epidermis of the skin or cover the oesophagus or the vagina-in adult organisms.

10 Jul 2014

Findings provide new insights into the basic biology of stem cells

A team of researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University and Salk Institute for Biological Studies has shown for the first time that stem cells created using different methods produce differing cells.

3 Jul 2014

Rice University scientists apply new theory to learn how and why cells differentiate

How does a stem cell decide what path to take? In a way, it's up to the wisdom of the crowd.

17 Jun 2014

Scientists identify novel approach to treating multiple sclerosis

Scientists in the University of Connecticut's Technology Incubation Program have identified a novel approach to treating multiple sclerosis (MS) using human embryonic stem cells, offering a promising new therapy for more than 2.3 million people suffering from the debilitating disease.

17 Jun 2014

Using placental cells to repair damaged tissues: an interview with Zami Aberman, CEO, Pluristem Therapeutics

We start with birth and we collect the cells after C-section. The reason for that is we have to have the mother sign a consent letter that she is donating the placenta and, on top of that, we have to have a blood sample from the mother to test for any viral contamination.

16 Jun 2014

Study of human embryonic stems cells identifies bottlenecks restricting formation of colonies

A time-lapse study of human embryonic stems cells has identified bottlenecks restricting the formation of colonies, a discovery that could lead to improvement in their use in regenerative medicine.

13 Jun 2014

New class of genetic switches gives clues on stem cell development

Case Western Reserve researchers have discovered landmarks within pluripotent stem cells that guide how they develop to serve different purposes within the body.

9 Jun 2014

ImStem successfully treats animal model of multiple sclerosis using hESC

ImStem Biotechnology, Inc. (ImStem) announced today it has successfully treated an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS) using human embryonic stem cells (hESC) derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), called hES-MSCs.

6 Jun 2014

Transplantation of embryonic neural cells can alleviate epilepsy seizure activity in mice

New research from North Carolina State University pinpoints the areas of the cerebral cortex that are affected in mice with absence epilepsy and shows that transplanting embryonic neural cells into these areas can alleviate symptoms of the disease by reducing seizure activity.

30 May 2014

New approach provides a viable way to culture hESCs for clinical purposes

To be suitable for medical transplantation, one idea is that human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) need to remain "undifferentiated" i.e. they are not changing into other cell types.

29 May 2014

New dual-pronged approach for treating Niemann-Pick type C disease

By studying nerve and liver cells grown from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a potential dual-pronged approach to treating Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease, a rare but devastating genetic disorder.

16 May 2014

Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation gift $4 million to support UCLA research

Two new gifts from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation to UCLA totaling $4 million will fund research in stem cell science and digestive diseases and support the recruitment of key faculty at two renowned research centers.

9 May 2014

Scientists develop methods to convert non-embryonic stem cells into eye cells

In two separate studies, scientists have developed methods to convert non-embryonic stem cells into eye cells that could be used to restore sight. The research is being presented at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) this week in Orlando.

7 May 2014

Novogen partners with Genea Biocells to accelerate testing for neurodegenerative diseases

Novogen Limited, an oncology drug development company, today announced a collaboration with Australian company, Genea Biocells, to accelerate testing of their super-benzopyran (SBP) drugs for degenerative diseases of the nervous system and muscles.

5 May 2014

Stem cell production becomes much easier with polymer-based 3D culture system

Mass producing human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, for regenerative medicine and drug discovery may have gotten much easier, thanks to a polymer-based 3D culture system developed by Japanese researchers.

26 Apr 2014

SIRT1 protein necessary for telomere elongation and genome integrity during cell reprogramming

Cell reprogramming converts specialised cells such as nerve cells or skin cells towards an embryonic stem cell state. This reversal in the evolutionary development of cells also requires a reversal in the biology of telomeres, the structures that protect the ends of chromosomes; whilst under normal conditions telomeres shorten over time, during cell reprogramming they follow the opposite strategy and increase in length.

22 Apr 2014