NEWS and OPINIONS
Why does cancer spread to the spine? Newly discovered stem cells might be the key
by Benjamin Thompson & Shamini Bundell - Nature A stem cell vital for vertebral growth also drives spine metastases, and the use of MDMA in the treatment of PTSD. Cancer cells can spread to bones in the late stages of disease and in many cancers, cells...
Specialized T cells in the brain slow progression of Alzheimer’s disease
By St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Scientists at St. Jude found that a subset of CD8+ T cells in the brain lessens the activation of microglia and limits disease pathology in a model of Alzheimer’s disease. As many as 5.8 million Americans are currently living...
Artificial wombs, after years in development, reach FDA review for human trials
By Lizzy Lawrence - Stat The artificial womb, a device aiming to save infants born way too soon, is inching closer to being tested in humans. The technology is close enough to reality that the Food and Drug Administration has decided to convene a two-day panel...
Worms With a Superpower – Stanford Scientists Unravel Secrets of Regeneration
By Stanford University School of Engineering - SciTech Daily When an injury occurs in many organisms, a whole-body response is triggered, possibly aiding in healing and regeneration; this is seen in mice, axolotls, zebrafish, and planarian worms. In planarians,...
CAR-T cell researchers at Mayo Clinic optimistic about future of treating blood cancers
By Kelley Luckstein - Mayo Clinic ROCHESTER, Minn. — Survival outcomes using chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) continue to be impressive for patients with some blood cancers. “Five years ago, the survival rate for people with blood cancers...
Lawsuit alleges businesses sold fraudulent stem cell therapy to 250 Iowans totaling $1M
Noelle Alviz-Gransee - Des Moines Register Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird sued two businesses and their owners for allegedly selling fraudulent stem cell therapy treatments to more than 250 Iowans. The lawsuit filed against Biologics Health LLC, Summit Partners...
Bioengineered instrument reveals hidden cancer cells
By Taylor Mixides - Drug Target Review Scientists at Stanford University have engineered a biomolecule that can specifically remove mucins from cancer cells. This breakthrough could have a significant impact on future cancer therapies. Cancer cells can elude the...
From Lift Off to Splash Down: An Update on Mayo Clinic Stem Cells in Space
By Lynda De Widt - Mayo Clinic Growing up in Nigeria, Dr. Zubair had high ambitions, including dreams of becoming an astronaut. Though he has not taken flight, his work has – literally. In 2017, several samples of donated stem cells from Dr. Zubair's lab were on...
NASA, Partners Clear Axiom Space’s Third Private Astronaut Crew
By NASA NASA and its international partners approved the crew for Axiom Space’s third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, launching from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than January 2024. Axiom Space’s chief astronaut...
Ian Wilmut, Scientist Behind Dolly the Cloned Sheep, Is Dead at 79
By Clay Risen and Amanda Holpuch - The New York Times Ian Wilmut, the British scientist who led the project that cloned a mammal for the first time, Dolly the sheep, shocking scientists who had thought that such a procedure was impossible, died on Sunday. He was 79....
CRISPR used to ‘reprogram’ cancer cells into healthy muscle in the lab
by Live Science Scientists have transformed cancer cells into healthy muscle tissue in the lab using CRISPR gene-editing technology — and they hope new cancer treatments can be built on the back of this experiment. In a study published Aug. 28 in the journal PNAS,...
Gene therapy for brain tumor shows promising early results in humans
by Ann Megdell - Michigan Medicine A study from the University of Michigan Department of Neurosurgery and Rogel Cancer Center shows promising early results that a therapy combining cell-killing and immune-stimulating drugs are safe and effective in extending survival...