Coronavirus Battling the virus that causes COVID-19 is something that is top of everyone’s mind right now. That’s why CIRM is funding 17 different projects targeting the virus. But one of the most valuable tools in helping develop vaccines against a wide variety of diseases in the past is now coming under threat. We’ll talk … Continue reading Battling COVID and turning back the clock on stem cell funding
muscle stem cells
Promising results from CIRM-funded projects
Severe Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-1 (LAD-1) is a rare condition that causes the immune system to malfunction and reduces its ability to fight off viruses and bacteria. Over time the repeated infections can take a heavy toll on the body and dramatically shorten a person’s life. But now a therapy, developed by Rocket Pharmaceuticals, is showing … Continue reading Promising results from CIRM-funded projects
Study shows that exercise rejuvenates muscle stem cells of old mice
Dr. Thomas Rando, Stanford University While we're all at home and practicing social distancing during this global pandemic, it has become a challenge to get in daily exercise. Aside from outward physical appearance, what other benefits does exercise hold? Dr. Thomas Rando and his team at Stanford University explored this question in more detail in … Continue reading Study shows that exercise rejuvenates muscle stem cells of old mice
The Five Types of Stem Cells
When I give an “Intro to Stem Cells” presentation to, say, high school students or to a local Rotary Club, I begin by explaining that there are three main types of stem cells: (1) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) (2) adult stem cells and (3) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Well, like most things in science, … Continue reading The Five Types of Stem Cells
Stem Cell Roundup: Artificial Embryos to Study Miscarriage and ALS Insight – Muscle Repair Cells Go Rogue
Stem Cell Image of the Week: Artificial embryos for studying miscarriage (Adonica Shaw) This week's stem cell image of the week comes from a team of researchers from The University of Cambridge who published research in Nature Cell Biology earlier this week indicating they’d achieved a breakthrough in stem cell research that resulted in the generation … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: Artificial Embryos to Study Miscarriage and ALS Insight – Muscle Repair Cells Go Rogue
A scalable, clinic-friendly recipe for converting skin cells to muscle cells
Way back in 1987, about two decades before Shinya Yamanaka would go on to identify four proteins that can reprogram skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), Harold Weintraub’s lab identified the first “master control” protein, MyoD, which can directly convert a skin cell into a muscle cell. Though MyoD opened up new approaches … Continue reading A scalable, clinic-friendly recipe for converting skin cells to muscle cells
Researchers find connection between aging muscles and mutations in stem cells
It’s a humbling fact of life that our muscles decline as we age which is why you didn’t see any 50-year-olds competing for Olympic Gold in figure skating at the 2018 Winter Games. You can blame your muscle stem cells for this. Also called satellite cells, these adult stem cells lie mostly dormant in muscle … Continue reading Researchers find connection between aging muscles and mutations in stem cells
Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: GPS for Skin & Different Therapies for Aging vs. Injured Muscles?
Skin stem cells specialize into new skin by sensing neighborhood crowding When embarking on a road trip, the GPS technology inside our smartphones helps us know where we are and how to get where we’re going. The stem cells buried in the deepest layers of our skin don’t have a GPS and yet, they do … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught Our Eye: GPS for Skin & Different Therapies for Aging vs. Injured Muscles?
The life of a sleeping muscle stem cell is very busy
For biological processes, knowing when to slow down is as important as knowing when to step on the accelerator. Take for example muscle stem cells. In a healthy state, these cells mostly lay quiet and rarely divide but upon injury, they bolt into action by dividing and specializing into new muscle cells to help repair … Continue reading The life of a sleeping muscle stem cell is very busy
Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Duchenne muscular dystrophy and short telomeres, motor neurons from skin, and students today, stem cell scientists tomorrow
Short telomeres associated with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a severe muscle wasting disease that typically affects young men. There is no cure for DMD and the average life expectancy is 26. These are troubling facts that scientists at the University of Pennsylvania are hoping to change with their recent findings in … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories That Caught our Eye: Duchenne muscular dystrophy and short telomeres, motor neurons from skin, and students today, stem cell scientists tomorrow