Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: “Let it Grow” Goes Viral, Stroke Pilot Study, The Bowels of Human Stem Cells, Tumor ‘Safety Lock.’

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. “Let it Grow” Goes Viral (and National!): Last week on The Stem Cellar we shared one of our favorite student videos from our annual Creativity … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: “Let it Grow” Goes Viral, Stroke Pilot Study, The Bowels of Human Stem Cells, Tumor ‘Safety Lock.’

Grafted Stem Cells Snake through Spinal Cord, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

New research lends increasing support to the notion that paralysis may not be so permanent after all. Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have generated stem cells that, when grafted onto the injured spines of rats—traverse through the injury sites, coupling with nerve cells hidden beneath the damaged tissue. These results, published today … Continue reading Grafted Stem Cells Snake through Spinal Cord, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

Stem cell stories that caught our eye: better cell reprogramming, heart failure and false claims for stem cells

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. Improving the efficiency of creating stem cell lines. Ever since researchers first learned to reprogram adult cells to behave like embryonic stem cells in 2007 … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: better cell reprogramming, heart failure and false claims for stem cells

A Glimpse Inside the Cellular Universe: Scientists Track the Growth of an Organism, One Cell at a Time

Trying to keep tabs on how an organism grows from a single fertilized egg into an embryo, cell by cell, is hard work. So hard in fact, that no one’s quite figured out how to do it. The problem, as researchers have lamented, is that there’s just too much happening—all at the same time—for the … Continue reading A Glimpse Inside the Cellular Universe: Scientists Track the Growth of an Organism, One Cell at a Time

Stem Cells become Tool to Screen for Drugs; Fight Dangerous Heart Infections.

A Stanford study adds a powerful example to our growing list of diseases that have yielded their secrets to iPS-type stem cells grown in a dish. These “disease-in-a-dish” models have become one of the most rapidly growing areas of stem cell science. But this time they did not start with skin from a patient with … Continue reading Stem Cells become Tool to Screen for Drugs; Fight Dangerous Heart Infections.

DISCUSSing iPSC Derivation

Geoff Lomax is CIRM’s Senior Officer for Medical and Ethical Standards. He has been working in the implementation of CIRM’s iPSC Banking Program. The ability to create high-quality stem cell lines depends, in part, on the generosity of donors. For example, CIRM is sponsoring an induced pluripotent stem cell bank (iPSC bank) that will eventually … Continue reading DISCUSSing iPSC Derivation

DISCUSSing iPSC Derivation

Geoff Lomax is CIRM’s Senior Officer for Medical and Ethical Standards. He has been working in the implementation of CIRM’s iPSC Banking Program. The ability to create high-quality stem cell lines depends, in part, on the generosity of donors. For example, CIRM is sponsoring an induced pluripotent stem cell bank (iPSC bank) that will eventually … Continue reading DISCUSSing iPSC Derivation

Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Cornea Repair and of Course, New Stem Cells too Good to be True

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. Buddy system gets stem cells to stick around. The type of stem cell most likely to be used in a clinical trial today is the … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Cornea Repair and of Course, New Stem Cells too Good to be True

Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Cornea Repair and of Course, New Stem Cells too Good to be True

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. Buddy system gets stem cells to stick around. The type of stem cell most likely to be used in a clinical trial today is the … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Cornea Repair and of Course, New Stem Cells too Good to be True

More than Meets the Eye: Stem Cells Generated using Different Methods Produce Different Types of Cells

What’s the best way to make a fully versatile, ‘pluripotent,’ stem cell? Three different methods each have their pluses and minuses. But now new research has found that the stem cells created by each method, while similar on the surface, show vast differences. The findings, published online today in the journal Nature, reveal new insights … Continue reading More than Meets the Eye: Stem Cells Generated using Different Methods Produce Different Types of Cells