Tapping into spinal curesMarch 26, 2004Stem cells which give rise to vertebrae, muscle and the spinal cord have been identified for the first time by Dr. Valerie Wilson (University of Edinburgh). "These axial stem cells could be used in the future to help replace damaged tissues after back injuries", says Dr. Wilson who will be presenting her work at the Society for Experimental Biology's Annual Main Meeting in Heriot-Watt University (29th March - 2nd April). Unlike embryonic stem cells, axial stem cells may only differentiate into a limited number of tissues and so this research represents a breakthrough in the potential for bulk production of spinal cord, bone and muscle tissue, which could be used for medical treatments in the future. At the moment the axial stem cells have only been grown in cultured mouse embryos but, if the right culture conditions can be found, there is much more scope for the cells to be grown in vitro. Dr. Wilson is currently working towards developing an axial stem cell line. Society for Experimental Biology |
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| Related Stem Cells Current Events and Stem Cells News Articles First use of antibody and stem cell transplantation to successfully treat advanced leukemia For the first time, researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have reported the use of a radiolabeled antibody to deliver targeted doses of radiation, followed by a stem cell transplant, to successfully treat a group of leukemia and pre-leukemia patients for whom there previously had been no other curative treatment options. Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat Whether it's magnetic nanoparticles (mNPs) giving an army of 'therapeutically armed' white blood cells direction to invade a deadly tumour's territory, or the use of mNPs to target specific nerve channels and induce nerve-led behaviour (such as the life-dependant thumping of our hearts), mNPs have come a long way in the past decade. Of mice and men: Stem cells and ethical uncertainties 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. NIH-funded researchers transform embryonic stem cells into human germ cells 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. Stem cell therapy may offer hope for acute lung injury 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. Placental precursor stem cells require testosterone-free environment to survive Trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), 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. Endocrine Society calls for expanded scope and funding for stem cell research Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases. Experimental treatments restore partial vision to blind people Two experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health, may lead to new treatments for the blind. Scientists demonstrate link between genetic defect and brain changes in schizophrenia Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have found that the 22q11 gene deletion - a mutation that confers the highest known genetic risk for schizophrenia - is associated with changes in the development of the brain that ultimately affect how its circuit elements are assembled. Small mechanical forces have big impact on embryonic stem cells Applying a small mechanical force to embryonic stem cells could be a new way of coaxing them into a specific direction of differentiation, researchers at the University of Illinois report. Applications for force-directed cell differentiation include therapeutic cloning and regenerative medicine. More Stem Cells Current Events and Stem Cells News Articles |
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