Cloning And Stem Cell News, Research and Resources

New embryonic stem cell therapy restores walking ability in rats with neck injuries

Tuesday, November 10, 2009 00:00 MST

The first human embryonic stem cell treatment approved by the FDA for human testing has been shown to restore limb function in rats with neck spinal cord injuries -- a finding that could expand the clinical trial to include people with cervical damage.

$11 million NIH grant for stem cell research awarded to Rhode Island Hospital

Monday, November 09, 2009 00:00 MST

Rhode Island Hospital has received an $11 million grant that will fund research that will lead to a general understanding of stem cell biology and identify unique approaches to tissue regeneration in lung and marrow diseases. The 5-year grant, awarded to Peter Quesenberry, MD, director of hematology/oncology at Rhode Island Hospital, also provides funding for the development of a major stem cell research center at Rhode Island Hospital.

Gene therapy success in severe brain disorder applauded by the STOP ALD Foundation

Saturday, November 07, 2009 00:00 MST

First gene therapy success in boys with fatal brain disorder -- the Stop ALD Foundation, having spurred a successful European gene therapy trial, is now pressing to bring this therapy to the US. The foundation was started by families with children who have died or suffered from adrenoleukodystrophy, the disease highlighted in the movie Lorenzo's Oil. A report of the trial appears in the current issue of Science.

Lung tissue generated from human embryonic stem cells

Friday, November 06, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists in Belgium have successfully differentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) into major cell types of lung epithelial tissue using a convenient air-liquid interface. The technique, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research, could provide an alternative to lung transplants for patients with lung injury due to chronic pulmonary disease and inherited genetic diseases such as cystic fibrosis.

Spinal cord regeneration enabled by stabilizing, improving delivery of scar-degrading enzyme

Thursday, November 05, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers have improved an enzyme that degrades dense scar tissue that forms when the central nervous system is damaged -- and developed a new system to deliver it, ultimately enabling spinal cord regeneration.

Sight gone, but not necessarily lost?

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 00:00 MST

Like all tissues in the body, the eye needs a healthy blood supply to function properly. Poorly developed blood vessels can lead to visual impairment or even blindness. While many of the molecules involved in guiding the development of the intricate blood vessel architecture are known, only now are we learning how these molecules work and how they might affect sight.

Diabetes, brain tumor stem cell grants to drive development of therapies

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 00:00 MST

Two teams of UCSF scientists have received grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to advance their stem cell based strategies for treating diabetes and brain tumors. The intent of the grants is for teams to file new drug applications to the US Food and Drug Administration within four years, driving potential therapies toward clinical trials.

Of mice and men: Stem cells and ethical uncertainties

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 00:00 MST

The recent creation of live mice from induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs) not only represents a remarkable scientific achievement, but also raises important issues, according to bioethicists at the Johns Hopkins University's Berman Institute of Bioethics.

Researchers transform embryonic stem cells into human germ cells

Tuesday, November 03, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how to transform human embryonic stem cells into germ cells, the embryonic cells that ultimately give rise to sperm and eggs. The advance will allow researchers to observe human germ cells -- previously inaccessible -- in laboratory dishes.

Stem cell therapy may offer hope for acute lung injury

Monday, November 02, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have shown that adult stem cells from bone marrow can prevent acute lung injury in a mouse model of the disease.

Scientists turn stem cells into precursors for sperm, eggs

Monday, November 02, 2009 00:00 MST

Human embryonic stem cells derived from excess IVF embryos may help scientists unlock the mysteries of infertility for other couples struggling to conceive, according to new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine. Researchers at the school have devised a way to efficiently coax the cells to become human germ cells -- the precursors of egg and sperm cells -- in the laboratory.

Recovery Act funds expand studies of stem cell biology

Sunday, November 01, 2009 00:00 MST

NIH's National Institute of General Medical Sciences is using $5.4 million of Recovery Act funds to accelerate basic studies of induced pluripotent stem cells. These cells are reprogrammed from skin or other easily obtained adult cells and appear to be similar to stem cells derived from embryos.

Regeneration can be achieved after chronic spinal cord injury

Saturday, October 31, 2009 00:00 MST

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that regeneration of central nervous system axons can be achieved in rats even when treatment delayed is more than a year after the original spinal cord injury.

Gene therapy repairs injured human donor lungs for the first time

Friday, October 30, 2009 00:00 MST

For the first time, scientists in the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University Health Network have successfully used gene therapy to repair injured human donor lungs, making them potentially suitable for transplantation into patients. This technique could significantly expand the number of donor lungs by using organs that are currently discarded, and improve outcomes after transplantation. It is estimated that the number of donor organs available for lung transplants could easily be doubled with this technique.

Placental precursor stem cells require testosterone-free environment to survive

Friday, October 30, 2009 00:00 MST

Trophoblast stem cells, found in the layer of peripheral embryonic stem cells from which the placenta is formed, are thought to exhibit "immune privilege" that aids cell survivability and is potentially beneficial for cell and gene therapies. Survivability of TSCs has been thought to require the presence of ovarian hormones. This study, however, demonstrates that it is the absence of male hormones, rather than the presence of female hormones, that allows extended transplanted cell survivability.