Did you know that cancer stem cells have an addiction problem? This might sound bizarre, but the science checks out. Cancer stem cells are found in many different types of cancer tumors. They have the uncanny ability to survive even the most aggressive forms of treatment. After weathering the storm, cancer stem cells are able … Continue reading New drug kicks the cancer stem cell addiction
Cell Type
Protective cell therapy could mean insulin independence for diabetic patients
This has already been a productive year for diabetes research. Earlier this month, scientists from UCSF and the Gladstone Institutes successfully made functional human pancreatic beta cells from skin, providing a new and robust method for generating large quantities of cells to replace those lost in patients suffering from type 1 diabetes. Today marks another … Continue reading Protective cell therapy could mean insulin independence for diabetic patients
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
Regenerating damaged muscle after a heart attack
Images of clusters of heart muscle cells (in red and green) derived from human embryonic stem cells 40 days after transplantation. Courtesy UCLA Every year more than 735,000 Americans have a heart attack. Many of those who survive often have lasting damage to their heart muscle and are at increased risk for future attacks and … Continue reading Regenerating damaged muscle after a heart attack
New Stem Cell Treatment for ALS May Slow Disease Progression
Exciting news was published this week that will give patients suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, something to cheer about. The journal JAMA Neurology reported that a new stem cell treatment was successful in slowing disease progression in a small group of ALS patients in a Phase 2 clinical trial. This is … Continue reading New Stem Cell Treatment for ALS May Slow Disease Progression
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
While You Were Away: Gene Editing Treats Mice with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed your holiday and are looking forward to an exciting new year. My favorite thing about coming back from vacation is to see what cool new science was published. Because as you know, science doesn’t take a vacation! As I was reading over the news for this past week, … Continue reading While You Were Away: Gene Editing Treats Mice with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
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
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