NEWS and OPINIONS
Stem Cell Studies Suggest Mechanism by Which Gene Increases Risk of Sporadic Alzheimer’s Disease
by Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News A research team headed by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital reported on the results of a study in which they used stem cells from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients to identify a potential mechanism by which a...
UCSD launches gene therapy initiative with help of $5 million gift from Stack foundation
By Paul Sisson - The San Diego Tribune A newly announced $5 million donation to UC San Diego that will support a new gene therapy initiative illustrates the value of making good on big promises. The contribution is the latest from philanthropists Nancy and Jeff Stack...
New study shows promising evidence for sickle cell gene therapy
By Grace Niewijk - University of Chicago Medicine New research published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that stem cell gene therapy may offer a promising, curative treatment for the painful, inherited blood disorder sickle cell disease (SCD). The...
Biomaterials for better diabetes cell therapy
by Sarah Anderson, PhD - Exploring Drug Discovery and Development Like a differentiated stem cell, Lonnie Shea’s strong foundation in fundamental cellular biology underwent just the right prompts to evolve into a proliferative biomedical research career. During...
Cell therapy that repairs cornea damage with patient’s own stem cells achieves positive phase I trial results
by Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary A team led by researchers from Mass Eye and Ear, a member of Mass General Brigham, reports the results of a phase I trial of a revolutionary stem cell treatment called cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell transplantation...
A Review of Human Disease Models in Drug Development
By Florina Gobel - Center for Contemporary Sciences In the article Human disease models in drug development published in Nature, the authors delve into the critical role of human disease models in drug development, emphasizing the importance of bridging the gap...
Modified neural stem cells for spinal cord injury
By Drug Target Review Using genetically modified human neural stem cells (hNSCs), researchers demonstrated that targeted manipulation of a specific gene expression within hNSCs can facilitate the restoration of damaged neural circuits and recovery of locomotor...
Wiping stem cells ‘clean’ could make them easier to produce
By Jason Arunn Murugesu - NewScientist A technique for reprogramming adult cells that removes any trace of their origins could help produce stem cells at larger scales A new way to turn adult human cells into ultra-flexible stem cells could make it easier to produce...
Building muscle in the lab
by Fabio Bergamin - ETH Zurich Professor Ori Bar-Nur and his team grow muscle cells in the laboratory. In this case, they are mouse cells, but the researchers are also interested in human and cow cells. Promising applications resonate with both: human muscle tissue...
How mRNA Could Safely Replace Blood Stem Cell Transplantation
by William A. Haseltine - Forbes At present, the only way to cure genetic blood disorders such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia is to reset the immune system with a stem cell transplantation. Only a fraction of patients elects this procedure, as the process is...
Polyploid cells, which have extra copies of their genomes, may help tissues respond to injuries and species survive cataclysms
By Elizabeth Pennisi - Science When Vicki Losick got her Ph.D. and joined a fruit fly lab at the Carnegie Institution for Science in 2008, its head announced that he expected his postdocs to launch new fields of inquiry. She chose a then-fashionable focus: stem cells,...
Want to speed up scientific progress? First understand how science policy works
Researchers and policymakers often exist in different worlds and speak different languages. Here are three ways to bridge the divide. by - Nature.com Science is a key driver of economic growth and social progress. If science can be accelerated — such as by increasing...