The ultimate goal of tissue engineers who work in the regenerative medicine field is to replace damaged or diseased organs with new ones built from stem cells. To accomplish the feat, these researchers are developing new tools and techniques to manipulate and specialize stem cells into three dimensional structures. Some popular methods – which we’ve … Continue reading Attractive new regenerative medicine tool uses magnets to shape and stimulate stem cells
Embryonic Stem Cells
Extra dose of patience needed for spinal cord injury stem cell therapies, rat study suggests
2017 has been an exciting year for Asterias Biotherapeutics’ clinical trial which is testing a stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury. We’ve written several stories about patients who have made remarkable recoveries after participating in the trial (here and here). But that doesn’t mean researchers at other companies or institutes who are also investigating spinal … Continue reading Extra dose of patience needed for spinal cord injury stem cell therapies, rat study suggests
Researchers, beware: humanized mice not human enough to study stem cell transplants
A researcher’s data is only as good as the experimental techniques used to obtain those results. And a Stanford University study published yesterday in Cell Reports, calls into question the accuracy of a widely used method in mice that helps scientists gauge the human immune system’s response to stem cell-based therapies. The findings, funded in … Continue reading Researchers, beware: humanized mice not human enough to study stem cell transplants
CIRM weekly stem cell roundup: minibrain model of childhood disease; new immune insights; patient throws out 1st pitch
New human Mini-brain model of devastating childhood disease. The eradication of Aicardi-Goutieres Syndrome (AGS) can’t come soon enough. This rare but terrible inherited disease causes the immune system to attack the brain. The condition leads to microcephaly (an abnormal small head and brain size), muscle spasms, vision problems and joint stiffness during infancy. Death or … Continue reading CIRM weekly stem cell roundup: minibrain model of childhood disease; new immune insights; patient throws out 1st pitch
Scientists fix heart disease mutation in human embryos using CRISPR
Last week the scientific community was buzzing with the news that US scientists had genetically modified human embryos using CRISPR gene editing technology. While the story broke before the research was published, many journalists and news outlets weighed in on the study’s findings and the ethical implications they raise. We covered this initial burst of … Continue reading Scientists fix heart disease mutation in human embryos using CRISPR
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: CRISPRing Human Embryos, brain stem cells slow aging & BrainStorm ALS trial joins CIRM Alpha Clinics
Here are the stem cell stories that caught our eye this week. Enjoy! Scientists claim first CRISPR editing of human embryos in the US. Here’s the big story this week. Scientists from Portland, Oregon claim they genetically modified human embryos using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology. While their results have yet to be published in … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: CRISPRing Human Embryos, brain stem cells slow aging & BrainStorm ALS trial joins CIRM Alpha Clinics
Stories that caught our eye: Spinal cord injury trial milestone, iPS for early cancer diagnosis, and storing videos in DNA
Spinal cord injury clinical trial hits another milestone (Kevin McCormack) We began the week with good news about our CIRM-funded clinical trial with Asterias for spinal cord injury, and so it’s nice to end the week with more good news from that same trial. On Wednesday, Asterias announced it had completed enrolling and dosing patients … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: Spinal cord injury trial milestone, iPS for early cancer diagnosis, and storing videos in DNA
CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial for spinal cord injury expands patient recruitment
It’s always great to start the week off with some good news. Today we learned that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Asterias Biotherapeutics approval to expand the number and type of people with spinal cord injuries that it treats in their CIRM-funded clinical trial. Up till now, Asterias has been treating people … Continue reading CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial for spinal cord injury expands patient recruitment
Wall Street Journal features CIRM-funded clinical trials aiming for a diabetes cure
We think CIRM-funded clinical trials hold so much promise that it doesn’t surprise us when major news organizations publish stories about these projects that aim to provide stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. But we certainly don’t mind the attention! This past Saturday, for example, the Wall Street Journal featured two CIRM-funded … Continue reading Wall Street Journal features CIRM-funded clinical trials aiming for a diabetes cure
Stories that caught our eye: An antibody that could make stem cell research safer; scientists prepare for clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease; and the stem cell scientist running for Congress
Antibody to make stem cells safer: There is an old Chinese proverb that states: ‘What seems like a blessing could be a curse’. In some ways that proverb could apply to stem cells. For example, pluripotent stem cells have the extraordinary ability to turn into many other kinds of cells, giving researchers a tool to … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: An antibody that could make stem cell research safer; scientists prepare for clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease; and the stem cell scientist running for Congress
The Stem Cellar 