NEWS and OPINIONS

Student view: Growing mini human hearts from stem cells
by Michigan State University Brett Volmert is a Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. candidate in the College of Engineering. In a recent study, Volmert described a method for the creation and growth of mini human hearts, termed “heart organoids”. He presented the research...

Early-stage stem cell therapy trial shows promise for treating progressive MS
By Craig Brierley - University of Cambridge - An international team has shown that the injection of a type of stem cell into the brains of patients living with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) is safe, well tolerated and has a long-lasting effect that appears to...

Tiny living robots made from human cells surprise scientists
By Katie Hunt, CNN Scientists have created tiny living robots from human cells that can move around in a lab dish and may one day be able to help heal wounds or damaged tissue, according to a new study. A team at Tufts University and Harvard University’s Wyss...
FDA outlines process for recognizing standards for regenerative medicines
by Joanne S. Eglovitch - Regulatory Focus The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued final guidance describing its process for recognizing voluntary consensus standards (VCS) to spur the development of regenerative medicine therapies (RMTs) evaluated within...

Engineering stem cells to treat liver disease
By Susan Buckles - Mayo Clinic During clinical rotations in medical school, Kianna Nguyen encountered many patients with liver failure and was struck by a grim reality: Their only hope was a transplant. The shortage of donor organs and therapeutic options was at once...

Machine could make CAR T-cell therapy more accessible
By Drug Target Review Immunotherapy, the promising therapy which harnesses the power of the body’s immune response to target cancer cells, may be advanced by a new minifridge bioreactor developed by researchers at Washington State University. This bioreactor can...

Mimics human tissue, fights bacteria: new biomaterial hits the sweet spot
By UNSW Newsroom The 'Trpzip' material will reform after being squished, fractured, or after being expelled from a syringe. Photo: UNSW Sydney Scientists at UNSW Sydney have created a new material that could change the way human tissue can be grown in the lab and used...

Stem Cells From Discarded Heart Tissue Could Treat Crohn’s Disease
By SciTechDaily A study from the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago discovered that directly injecting neonatal mesenchymal stem cells, sourced from heart tissue usually discarded during surgery, reduces intestinal inflammation and promotes wound...

Study Provides Clues to Developing Better Treatments for Lung Damage
By Angela Spivey - Duke University School of Medicine Scientists and clinicians at the Duke University School of Medicine have discovered new details about how lung tissue heals after injury caused by toxins such as air pollution or cigarette smoke. The researchers...

A better way to heal damaged muscle
By Waterloo News People who have experienced significant muscle damage have new hope thanks to Evolved.Bio, a startup that has developed innovative technology that can regenerate muscle tissue in a highly effective way. Other biotech companies use natural or synthetic...

Breaking new ground on an allogeneic immunotherapy
by Felix Myhill - RegMedNet Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA; CA, USA) have produced safe and effective allogeneic immune cells that one day may be mobilized to combat cancer. Allogeneic cell therapies differ from autologous cell...

Study shows immune molecule may play key role in the progression of ALS
By Mayo Clinic's Discovery's Edge Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators have identified a protein expressed by immune cells that may play a key role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The team also found...