Have you seen the movie Elysium? It’s a 2013 futuristic science fiction film starring one of my favorite actors Matt Damon. The plot centers on the economic, social and political disparities between two very different worlds: one, an overpopulated earth where people are poor, starving, and have little access to technology or medical care, the … Continue reading From Science Fiction to Science Fact: Gene Editing May Make Personalized Therapies for Blindness
iPS Cells
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: colon cancer relapse and using age, electricity and a “mattress” to grow better hearts
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. Stem cells yield markers for relapse in colon cancer. Some colon cancer patients do fine after surgery without any chemotherapy, but it has been hard … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: colon cancer relapse and using age, electricity and a “mattress” to grow better hearts
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
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: reality check on chimeras, iPS cells for drug discovery and cell family history
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 cells becoming foot soldiers of drug discovery. Here at The Stem Cellar we write often about the power of iPS-type stem cells to model … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: reality check on chimeras, iPS cells for drug discovery and cell family history
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: back repair, stem cell aging, babies for same sex couples, chimeras
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. Getting the right cells for back repair. We often write that stem cells found in fat tissue can form bone, cartilage and other connective tissue. … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: back repair, stem cell aging, babies for same sex couples, chimeras
Four Challenges to Making the Best Stem Cell Models for Brain Diseases
Neurological diseases are complicated. A single genetic mutation causes some, while multiple genetic and environmental factors cause others. Also, within a single neurological disease, patients can experience varying symptoms and degrees of disease severity. And you can’t just open up the brain and poke around to see what’s causing the problem in living patients. It’s … Continue reading Four Challenges to Making the Best Stem Cell Models for Brain Diseases
Wiping out a cell’s identity shifts cellular reprogramming into high gear
If stretched out end to end, the DNA in just one cell of your body would reach a whopping six feet in length. A complex cellular structure called chromatin – made up of coils upon coils of DNA and protein – makes it possible to fit all that DNA into a single cell nucleus that’s … Continue reading Wiping out a cell’s identity shifts cellular reprogramming into high gear
CIRM Scholar Spotlight: Berkeley’s Maroof Adil on stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease
Stem cell therapy has a lot of potential for Parkinson’s patients and the scientists that study it. One of our very own CIRM scholars, Maroof Adil, is making it his mission to develop stem cell based therapies to treat brain degenerating diseases like Parkinson’s. Maroof got his undergraduate degrees from MIT in both Chemical Engineering … Continue reading CIRM Scholar Spotlight: Berkeley’s Maroof Adil on stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: three teams refine cell reprogramming, also stem cell tourism
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. Why stem cells in the lab don’t grow up right. A classic cartoon among stem cell fans shows a stem cell telling a daughter cell … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: three teams refine cell reprogramming, also stem cell tourism
Bipolar Disorder-in-a-Dish: Game On for Finding New Drugs
The tragic path of biopolar disorder Ernest Hemingway, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse and Virginia Woolf – the world lost their creativity too soon. Each took their own life or succumbed to substance abuse, most likely due to their struggles with bipolar disorder. Also called manic depression, bipolar disorder is one of the most severe types of … Continue reading Bipolar Disorder-in-a-Dish: Game On for Finding New Drugs
The Stem Cellar 