Developing therapies for disease is kind of like trying to put together a series of incredibly complex puzzles. Scientists collect lots of “puzzle pieces”, in the form of data, through experiments in the lab and clinic or by reading up on other researchers’ results. Each piece gives researchers a tidbit of insight but the breakthroughs … Continue reading Breast cancer: Piecing together early detection and treatment
Author: Todd Dubnicoff
Taking Steps Toward Personalized Heart Transplants
Over five million Americans have heart failure (HF), a condition in which the heart muscles become too weak to pump an adequate amount of blood, oxygen and nutrients to the body’s other organs. People with heart failure suffer from shortness of breath, chronic weakness and a fifty percent chance of dying within the first five … Continue reading Taking Steps Toward Personalized Heart Transplants
Recurring miscarriages can be due to a stem cell problem, UK research team finds
For women and their partners who are trying to conceive, seeing those two lines appear on a positive pregnancy test is a surreal thrill. But for 15 to 25% of known pregnancies, that initial excitement ends in disappointment due to miscarriage, a spontaneous loss of the fetus typically within the first 20 weeks. Even worse, … Continue reading Recurring miscarriages can be due to a stem cell problem, UK research team finds
A TWIST in mesenchymal stem cell trials: protein predicts therapy’s potential
Mesenchymal stem cells are adult stem cells with the potential to specialize into a somewhat limited number of cell types – those responsible for making fat, bone and cartilage. But MSCs are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties which are carried out via the release of protein factors. This ability to dampen the immune system … Continue reading A TWIST in mesenchymal stem cell trials: protein predicts therapy’s potential
Alzheimer’s and the Inflamed Brain: Their Links Run Deeper than Thought
Given that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a brain disorder and the leading cause of dementia, it seems logical to assume that some sort of breakdown in the connections of the brain’s nerve cells is mostly to blame. But based on an increasing volume of research, it turns out that our immune system is also closely … Continue reading Alzheimer’s and the Inflamed Brain: Their Links Run Deeper than Thought
Meet ITOP: A One Stop Shop for 3D Printing Body Parts
"They have managed to create what appears to be the goose that really does lay golden eggs!" That was how UK surgeon Martin Birchall described it to BBC News. The goose in this case is a 3D bioprinter, and the golden eggs are the human sized tissues that the bioprinter successfully constructed. This breakthrough for … Continue reading Meet ITOP: A One Stop Shop for 3D Printing Body Parts
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: heart muscle-on-a-chip, your own private microliver, the bloody holy grail and selfish sperm
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. Two hearts beat as one, or not Sorry for the pre-Valentine’s Day buzzkill but stem cell research published this past week points to a very … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: heart muscle-on-a-chip, your own private microliver, the bloody holy grail and selfish sperm
Sushi Just Got Even Better: Gel Made from Seaweed Improves the Shelf-Life of Stem Cells
The beauty of pharmaceutical drugs is their stability. Those ibuprofen pills in your medical cabinet can sit there for weeks, months, even years but still dull a sudden headache. Stem cell-based therapies don’t have that luxury because, well, they’re made of living cells. Outside of the body, cells are the opposite of stable. To keep … Continue reading Sushi Just Got Even Better: Gel Made from Seaweed Improves the Shelf-Life of Stem Cells
Computer “Magic” Helps Scientists Morph One Cell’s Identity Into Another
Mogrify. Sounds like one of Harry Potter’s spells, doesn’t it? In reality, it’s something cooler than that. As reported on Tuesday in Nature Genetics, Mogrify is a new research tool that uses the magic of mathematics and computer programming to help stem cell scientists determine the necessary ingredients to convert one human cell type into … Continue reading Computer “Magic” Helps Scientists Morph One Cell’s Identity Into Another
Timing Matters: Slowly Dividing Stem Cells Lead to Small Brains
One hundred billion nerve cells working together empowering us to see, walk, think, speak, remember: the human brain is a stunning machine. Even more stunning is its formation in the growing fetus. It starts with a set of neural, or brain, stem cells in the early embryo. Then with each cell division, more and more cells … Continue reading Timing Matters: Slowly Dividing Stem Cells Lead to Small Brains
The Stem Cellar 