Scientists grow ‘mini-lungs’ to aid study of cystic fibrosis
I saw this on Science Daily: March 19, 2015
Summary:
‘Mini-lungs’ have been created by researchers using stem cells derived from skin cells of patients with cystic fibrosis, and have shown that these can be used to test potential new drugs for this debilitating lung disease.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have successfully created ‘mini-lungs’ using stem cells derived from skin cells of patients with cystic fibrosis, and have shown that these can be …
Immune system-in-a-dish offers hope for ‘bubble boy disease’
I saw this on Science Daily:March 12, 2015
Summary:
Researchers have been able to grow patient-derived, healthy cells in the lab, coming a step closer to treating fatal blood disorders. “This work demonstrates a new method that could lead to a more effective and less invasive treatment for this devastating disease,” says the study’s senior author. “It also has the potential to lay the foundation to cure other deadly and rare blood disorders.”
For infants …
A Single-Cell Breakthrough: newly developed technology dissects properties of single stem cells
I saw this on Science Daily:March 17, 2015
Summary:
Researchers figure out a way to isolate and grow thousands elusive intestinal stem cells at one time, a high throughput technological advance that could give scientists the ability to study stem cell biology gastrointestinal disorders like never before.
e human gut is a remarkable thing. Every week the intestines regenerate a new lining, sloughing off the equivalent surface area of a studio apartment and refurbishing it …
Neurons controlling appetite made from skin cells
As seen in Science Daily February 27, 2015
Researchers have for the first time successfully converted adult human skin cells into neurons of the type that regulate appetite, providing a patient-specific model for studying the neurophysiology of weight control and testing new therapies for obesity. The study, led by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), was published last month in the online issue of the …
New cells may help treat diabetes
As seen in Science Daily January 28, 2015
Starting from human skin cells, researchers at the University of Iowa have created human insulin-producing cells that respond to glucose and correct blood-sugar levels in diabetic mice. The findings may represent a first step toward developing patient-specific cell replacement therapy for type 1 diabetes.
In the new study, published Jan. 28 in the journal PLOS ONE, the UI team led by Nicholas Zavazava, MD, PhD, UI professor …
Wisdom teeth stem cells can transform into cells that could treat corneal scarring
As seen in Science Daily 2/23/15
Stem cells from the dental pulp of wisdom teeth can be coaxed to become cells of the eye’s cornea and could one day be used to repair corneal scarring due to infection or injury, according to researchers. The findings indicate they also could become a new source of corneal transplant tissue made from the patient’s own cells
Corneal blindness, which affects millions of people worldwide, is typically treated with …
In The News – Three Parent Embryos:
The US Institute of Medicine is currently requesting regulatory approval for 3-person IVF, so this issue is of immediate concern for Americans as well as for the Brits. Embryos will be created and destroyed during research and implementation of this technique, all in an effort to genetically engineer the prevention of a disease in those embryos who are then “allowed” to be born. This procedure opposes every ethical principle in medicine: Respect for Persons, Beneficence, …
Report on remission in patients with MS 3 years after stem cell transplant
Three years after a small number of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were treated with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) and then transplanted with their own hematopoietic stem cells, most of the patients sustained remission of active relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and had improvements in neurological function, according to a study published online by JAMA Neurology.
MS is a degenerative disease and most patients with RRMS who received disease-modifying therapies experience breakthrough disease. Autologous (using a patient’s …
What is bone marrow? What does bone marrow do?
Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside some of the bones in the body, including the hip and thigh bones. Bone marrow contains immature cells, called stem cells.
Numerous people with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other life-threatening diseases, rely on bone marrow or cord blood transplants to save their life.
Healthy bone marrow and blood cells are needed in order to live. When disease affects bone marrow so that …
What you need to know about 3D-printed organs
Sure, 3D printers that can spit out chocolates, create shoes, handcraft cars and help astronauts sound fun and magical, but a lot of scientists are working to make models that aren’t just fun. They’re developing 3D printers that can also save and change lives by printing out functional human organs. Think about it: If we can make organs on demand, patients don’t have to wait as long for transplanted organs. In the United States alone, …