Researchers have used stem cells to help retinal cells like these grow the blood vessels they need.Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. iPS stem cells from cord blood for retina repair. … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: blindness, targeting cancer and science literacy

You know you have hit on an important topic when the conversation continues long after you expected it to end. That’s certainly what happened with yesterday’s Google Hangout on Diabetes that we hosted. While the Hangout itself was, I thought, engaging and informative, it clearly only began to touch on the full scope of the … Continue reading Hanging out after the Hangout – how a talk about a new treatment for type 1 diabetes sparked a deeper conversation

In science a logical hypothesis is not good enough. You have to do the science to put the logic to the test. A team at Ohio State proved this in spades in a recent study looking at cancer stem cells. Specifically looking at oral cancers, the team compared those cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) … Continue reading Surprising finding with cancer stem cells drives home the need for testing any hypothesis.

Photo courtesy Fotos GOVBAIt’s been well known for many years that the number of people with diabetes is on the rise, but the sheer impact of that increase is staggering. According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the annual direct and indirect health care costs associated with diabetes rose to $245 billion in 2012. That’s … Continue reading Hangout with us tomorrow, it’s one hour that could change your life

A team at the University of Illinois combined flexible polymers and heart muscle cells generated from stem cells to create synthetic “micro-organisms” capable of swimming in the blood stream. The researchers hope to perfect their miniature bio-bots so that they can deliver drugs or target cancers.They modeled their bio-bots on one-cell animals and sperm that … Continue reading Stem cells provide the engine for tiny bio-bot, may deliver drugs one day

Here are some stem cell stories that caught our eye this past week. Some are groundbreaking science, others are of personal interest to us, and still others are just fun. Bone disease treated in growing fetus. Two children born with brittle bone disease, which normally results in hundreds of fracture and slow growth, have developed … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: bone disease, Parkinson’s and healthy gut flora

ViaCyte's VC-01 delivery system Imagine a device, about the size of a credit card, that can be inserted just under the skin and that not only is capable of monitoring blood sugar levels but can also secrete insulin if those levels are too low.People with type 1 diabetes would call a device like that “a … Continue reading One hour that could change your life: a Google Hangout on Diabetes

Dr. Bruce Hensel: courtesy Drbrucehensel.com As a former TV journalist who specialized in covering health and medical news I have long lamented the fact that there are fewer and fewer specialist health reporters in TV today, and even fewer who are doing really good in-depth stories. Happily NBC TV news in Los Angeles has Dr. … Continue reading Stopping bad stem cells could block deadly cancers

The most common type of stem cell used in clinical trials today is the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) found in bone marrow and fat. The federal web site, clinicaltrials.gov lists a few hundred MSC trials. A pair of news stories on the web this morning detail why MSCs are so versatile, but also why they … Continue reading Mesenchymal type stem cells function more like a drugstore than a source of direct repair

Joe Panetta: photo by K.C. Alfred, San Diego Union TribuneYou can never have too much help in making good decisions, that’s why we are delighted to welcome Joe Panetta as the newest member of our governing Board, the Independent Citizens Oversight Committee.Joe has just been appointed to the Board by Governor Jerry Brown and he … Continue reading New face brings fresh perspective to stem cell agency Board