Search Results for: "direct reprogramming"

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: CIRM-funded scientist wins prestigious prize and a tooth trifecta

/ Todd Dubnicoff / 1 Comment

CIRM-grantee wins prestigious research award Do we know how to pick ‘em or what? For a number of years now we have been funding the work of Stanford’s Dr. Marius Wernig, who is doing groundbreaking work in helping advance stem cell research. Just how groundbreaking was emphasized this week when he was named as the … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: CIRM-funded scientist wins prestigious prize and a tooth trifecta

Reprogramming cells with a nanochip, electricity and DNA to help the body to heal itself

/ Todd Dubnicoff / 1 Comment

The axolotl, a member of the salamander family, has amazing regenerative abilities. You can cut off its limbs or crush its spinal cord and it will repair itself with no scarring. A human’s healing powers, of course, are much more limited. To get around this unfortunate fact, the field of regenerative medicine aims to develop … Continue reading Reprogramming cells with a nanochip, electricity and DNA to help the body to heal itself

CIRM-funded team uncovers novel function for protein linked to autism and schizophrenia

/ Todd Dubnicoff / Leave a comment

Imagine you’ve just stopped your car at the top of the steepest street in San Francisco. Now, if want to stay at the top of the hill you’re going to need to keep your foot on the brakes. Let go and you’ll start rolling down. Fast. Conceptually, similar decision points happen in human development. A … Continue reading CIRM-funded team uncovers novel function for protein linked to autism and schizophrenia

Using stem cells to take an inside approach to fixing damaged livers

/ Kevin McCormack / Leave a comment

Often on the Stem Cellar we write about work that is in a clinical trial. But getting research to that stage takes years and years of dedicated work. Over the next few months we are going to profile some of the scientists we fund who are doing Discovery, or early stage research, to highlight the … Continue reading Using stem cells to take an inside approach to fixing damaged livers

Could the Answer to Treating Parkinson’s Disease Come From Within the Brain?

/ Karen Ring / Leave a comment

Sometimes a solution to a disease doesn’t come in the form of a drug or a stem cell therapy, but from within ourselves. Yesterday, scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden reported an alternative strategy for treating Parkinson’s disease that involves reprogramming specific cells in the brain into the nerve cells killed off by the … Continue reading Could the Answer to Treating Parkinson’s Disease Come From Within the Brain?

A new and improved method for making healthy heart tissue is here

/ Karen Ring / 1 Comment

Scientists from the Gladstone Institutes have done it again. They’ve made a better and faster way of generating healthy heart tissue in mice with damaged hearts. With further advancements, their findings could potentially be translated into a new way of treating heart failure in patients. Previously, the Gladstone team discovered that they could transform scar … Continue reading A new and improved method for making healthy heart tissue is here

Stem cells stories that caught our eye: switching cell ID to treat diabetes, AI predicts cell fate, stem cell ALS therapy for Canada

/ Todd Dubnicoff / Leave a comment

Treating diabetes by changing a cell’s identity. Stem cells are an ideal therapy strategy for treating type 1 diabetes. That’s because the disease is caused by the loss of a very specific cell type: the insulin-producing beta cell in the pancreas. So, several groups are developing treatments that aim to replace the lost cells by transplanting … Continue reading Stem cells stories that caught our eye: switching cell ID to treat diabetes, AI predicts cell fate, stem cell ALS therapy for Canada

Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

/ Karen Ring / Leave a comment

Welcome back to our “Throwback Thursday” series on the Stem Cellar. Over the years, we’ve accumulated an arsenal of valuable stem cell stories on our blog. Some of these stories represent crucial advances towards stem cell-based cures for serious diseases and deserve a second look. This week in honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, we are … Continue reading Throwback Thursday: Progress to a Cure for Type 1 Diabetes

Bringing down the gatekeeper for a stem cell-based Parkinson’s cure

/ Todd Dubnicoff / Leave a comment

On the surface, a stem cell-based cure for Parkinson’s disease seems pretty straight-forward. This age-related neurodegenerative disorder, which leads to progressively worsening tremors, slowness of movement and muscle rigidity, is caused by the death of a specific type of nerve cell, or neuron, that produces the chemical dopamine in a specific region of the brain. … Continue reading Bringing down the gatekeeper for a stem cell-based Parkinson’s cure

A Win for Diabetes: Scientists Make Functional Pancreatic Cells From Skin

/ Karen Ring / Leave a comment

Today is an exciting day for diabetes research and patients. For the first time, scientists have succeeded in making functional pancreatic beta cells from human skin. This new method for making the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas could produce a new, more effective treatment for patients suffering from diabetes. Researchers at the Gladstone Institutes and … Continue reading A Win for Diabetes: Scientists Make Functional Pancreatic Cells From Skin