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. Parkinson’s clinical trials back on track. After nearly 20 years of being stuck on the clinical trial “bookshelf”, an international team from Cambridge, UK revived … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Parkinson’s trial revived, aspirin kills cancer stem cells and a stem cell role in mother-child obesity
Author: Todd Dubnicoff
Building a Bridge to Therapies: Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Restore Feeling to Injured Limbs
It’s been a great week for spinal cord injury-related stem cell research – and it’s only Tuesday. In case you missed it, Asterias Biotherapeutics announced yesterday that they had treated their first clinical trial participant with an embryonic stem cell-based therapy for complete spinal cord injury. “Complete” refers to injuries that cause a total loss … Continue reading Building a Bridge to Therapies: Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Restore Feeling to Injured Limbs
Desperate patients and false hope: a troubling trend for stem cell-based therapies
A gambler’s odds are usually stacked against them but the possibility, however slim, of hitting the jackpot keeps bringing them back to the table. Now imagine, unbeknownst to them, the system is rigged so there’s a zero percent chance of any winnings. They’d essentially be giving their money away based on a false hope. Sadly, … Continue reading Desperate patients and false hope: a troubling trend for stem cell-based therapies
New Stem Cell Book Chronicles California’s Fight Against Incurable Disease
In 2098, the world will mark 100 years since the first isolation of human embryonic stem cells. The historians of that time undoubtedly will praise the countless stem cell researchers who fought incurable, chronic disease and won – saving lives and transforming medicine in the process. But they'll also applaud the efforts of non-scientists like … Continue reading New Stem Cell Book Chronicles California’s Fight Against Incurable Disease
Seth and Lauren Rogen Aim to Finish Alzheimer’s Film and End Lost Memories
When it comes right down to it, the closeness and love we feel for friends and family is based on our memories of shared experiences. But for Ken Dodson, those memories are evaporating: It didn’t seem to progress as fast ‘til this year. This year I’ve noticed a lot more. I mean [my doctor] has … Continue reading Seth and Lauren Rogen Aim to Finish Alzheimer’s Film and End Lost Memories
Eat some veggies; kill some cancer stem cells
This past Sunday sons and daughters far and wide thanked their mothers for all the love and wisdom they provided. I hope they also thanked mom for nagging them to eat their veggies especially the cruciferous ones like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Based on research from South Dakota State University (SDSU), it turns out these foods … Continue reading Eat some veggies; kill some cancer stem cells
New Video: Defeating Sickle Cell Disease with Stem Cells + Gene Therapy
Suffering with an incurable illness is no laughing matter. But last year when we debuted the pilot episode of Stem Cells in Your Face, a lighthearted video series that describes specific diseases and explains the latest progress in stem cell-based therapies, we hoped that a mix of science and humor would help make the information … Continue reading New Video: Defeating Sickle Cell Disease with Stem Cells + Gene Therapy
CIRM-Funded Scientists Build a Better Neuron; Gain New Insight into Motor Neuron Disease
Each individual muscle in our body—no matter how large or how small—is controlled by several types of motor neurons. Damage to one or more types of these neurons can give rise to some of the most devastating motor neuron diseases, many of which have no cure. But now, stem cell scientists at UCLA have manufactured … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Scientists Build a Better Neuron; Gain New Insight into Motor Neuron Disease
Building a Better Needle: CIRM-Funded Invention Gets Cells Into Brain More Safely, Efficiently
If NASA’s billion dollar Mars rovers deployed a bunch of dollar store party balloons to cushion the moment of impact, the mission would fail miserably. Likewise, the many years and millions of dollars spent on developing a stem cell-based therapy could be all for naught if the delivery of those precious cells into patients used … Continue reading Building a Better Needle: CIRM-Funded Invention Gets Cells Into Brain More Safely, Efficiently
Goodnight, Stem Cells: How Well Rested Cells Keep Us Healthy
Plenty of studies show that a lack of sleep is nothing but bad news and can contribute to a whole host of health problems like heart disease, poor memory, high blood pressure and obesity. In a sense, the same holds true for the stem cells in our body. In response to injury, adult stem cells … Continue reading Goodnight, Stem Cells: How Well Rested Cells Keep Us Healthy
The Stem Cellar 