Stashed away in most of your tissues and organs lie small populations of adult stem cells. They help keep our bodies functioning properly by replenishing dying or damaged cells. Their ability to make more copies of themselves, as needed, ensures that there’s always an adequate supply set aside. But this very same self-renewing, life-sustaining property … Continue reading New target for defeating breast cancer stem cells uncovered
Cell Type
ViaCyte Advances Cell Replacement Therapy for High Risk Type 1 Diabetes
San Diego regenerative medicine company ViaCyte announced this week that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved their Investigational New Drug (IND) Application for PEC-Direct, a cell-based therapy to treat patients at risk for severe complications caused by type 1 diabetes. In the US, IND approval is the final regulatory step required before a therapy … Continue reading ViaCyte Advances Cell Replacement Therapy for High Risk Type 1 Diabetes
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: lab-grown blood stem cells and puffer fish have the same teeth stem cells as humans
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. Scientists finally grow blood stem cells in the lab! Two exciting stem cell studies broke through the politics-dominated headlines this week. Both studies, published in … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: lab-grown blood stem cells and puffer fish have the same teeth stem cells as humans
Stem cell-derived blood-brain barrier gives more complete picture of Huntington’s disease
Like a sophisticated security fence, our bodies have evolved a barrier that protects the brain from potentially harmful substances in the blood but still allows the entry of essential molecules like blood sugar and oxygen. Just like in other parts of the body, the blood vessels and capillaries in the brain are lined with endothelial … Continue reading Stem cell-derived blood-brain barrier gives more complete picture of Huntington’s disease
Positively good news from Asterias for CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial for spinal cord injury
Whenever I give a talk on stem cells one of the questions I invariably get asked is “how do you know the cells are going where you want them to and doing what you want them to?” The answer is pretty simple: you look. That’s what Asterias Biotherapeutics did in their clinical trial to treat … Continue reading Positively good news from Asterias for CIRM-funded stem cell clinical trial for spinal cord injury
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: update on Capricor’s heart attack trial; lithium on the brain; and how stem cells do math
Today our partners Capricor Therapeutics announced that its stem cell therapy for patients who have experienced a large heart attack is unlikely to meet one of its key goals, namely reducing the scar size in the heart 12 months after treatment. The news came after analyzing results from patients at the halfway point of the … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: update on Capricor’s heart attack trial; lithium on the brain; and how stem cells do math
Pleasant surprise reveals molecular insights about graying and balding hair
A lesson that every lab researcher learns early in their career is that experiments often don’t give you the results you expect. But that’s not always a bad thing. Sometimes surprising results can lead to new insights or can even steer your research in completely new, exciting directions. That’s what happened to scientists at the … Continue reading Pleasant surprise reveals molecular insights about graying and balding hair
Engineered bone tissue improves stem cell transplants
Bone marrow transplants are currently the only approved stem cell-based therapy in the United States. They involve replacing the hematopoietic, or blood-forming stem cells, found in the bone marrow with healthy stem cells to treat patients with cancers, immune diseases and blood disorders. For bone marrow transplants to succeed, patients must undergo radiation therapy to … Continue reading Engineered bone tissue improves stem cell transplants
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: better ovarian cancer drugs, creating inner ear tissue, small fish big splash
Two drugs are better than one for ovarian cancer (Karen Ring). Earlier this week, scientists from UCLA reported that a combination drug therapy could be an effective treatment for 50% of aggressive ovarian cancers. The study was published in the journal Precision Oncology and was led by Dr. Sanaz Memarzadeh. Women with high-grade ovarian tumors … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: better ovarian cancer drugs, creating inner ear tissue, small fish big splash
Keeping intestinal stem cells in their prime
The average length of the human gut is 25 feet long. That’s equivalent to four really tall people or five really short people lined up head to toe. Intestinal stem cells have the fun job of regenerating and replacing ALL the cells that line the gut. Therefore, it’s important for these stem cells to be … Continue reading Keeping intestinal stem cells in their prime
The Stem Cellar 