Spinal cord injury clinical trial hits another milestone (Kevin McCormack) We began the week with good news about our CIRM-funded clinical trial with Asterias for spinal cord injury, and so it’s nice to end the week with more good news from that same trial. On Wednesday, Asterias announced it had completed enrolling and dosing patients … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: Spinal cord injury trial milestone, iPS for early cancer diagnosis, and storing videos in DNA
Injury
Nine months in, stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury continues to improve paralyzed patients’ lives
If you’ve been following the Stem Cellar blog this year, then you must be as encouraged as we are with Asterias Biotherapeutics’ CIRM-funded clinical trial, which is testing an embryonic stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury. Over many months, we’ve covered the company’s string of positive announcements that their cell therapy product – called … Continue reading Nine months in, stem cell-based therapy for spinal cord injury continues to improve paralyzed patients’ lives
Could revving up stem cells help senior citizens heal as fast as high school seniors?
All physicians, especially surgeons, sport medicine doctors, and military medical corps share a similar wish: to able to speed up the healing process for their patients’ incisions and injuries. Data published this week in Cell Reports may one day fulfill that wish. The study – reported by a Stanford University research team – pinpoints a single … Continue reading Could revving up stem cells help senior citizens heal as fast as high school seniors?
A horse, stem cells and an inspiring comeback story that may revolutionize tendon repair
Everyone loves a good comeback story. Probably because it leaves us feeling inspired and full of hope. But the comeback story about a horse named Dream Alliance may do more than that: his experience promises to help people with Achilles tendon injuries get fully healed and back on their feet more quickly. Dream Alliance was … Continue reading A horse, stem cells and an inspiring comeback story that may revolutionize tendon repair
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: healing diabetic ulcers, new spinal cord injury insights & an expanding CRISPR toolbox
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 heal diabetic foot ulcers in pilot study Foot ulcers are one of the many long-term complications that diabetics face. About 15 percent of … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: healing diabetic ulcers, new spinal cord injury insights & an expanding CRISPR toolbox
Watch Spinal Cord Cells Take a Hike!
What exactly goes on inside the human body? If you asked this question to the children’s book character Ms. Frizzle, she would throw you into her Magic School Bus and take you on a wild ride “Inside the Human Body” to get you up close and personal with the different organs and structures within our … Continue reading Watch Spinal Cord Cells Take a Hike!
CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury reports promising results
Today, the Menlo Park-based biotech company Asterias Biotherapeutics reported positive results from the first three patients treated in its Phase 1/2a clinical study using stem cell therapy to treat patients with spinal cord injury. This trial is funded by a CIRM Strategic Partnerships Award grant of $14.3 million. Asterias has developed a stem cell therapy … Continue reading CIRM-funded clinical trial for spinal cord injury reports promising results
New Regenerative Liver Cells Identified
It’s common knowledge that your liver is a champion when it comes to regeneration. It’s actually one of the few internal organs in the human body that can robustly regenerate itself after injury. Other organs such as the heart and lungs do not have the same regenerative response and instead generate scar tissue to protect … Continue reading New Regenerative Liver Cells Identified
Building a Bridge to Therapies: Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Restore Feeling to Injured Limbs
It’s been a great week for spinal cord injury-related stem cell research – and it’s only Tuesday. In case you missed it, Asterias Biotherapeutics announced yesterday that they had treated their first clinical trial participant with an embryonic stem cell-based therapy for complete spinal cord injury. “Complete” refers to injuries that cause a total loss … Continue reading Building a Bridge to Therapies: Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Restore Feeling to Injured Limbs
Molecular Trick Diminishes Appearance of Scars, Stanford Study Finds
Every scar tells a story, but that story may soon be coming to a close, as new research from Stanford University reveals clues to why scars form—and offers clues on how scarring could become a thing of the past. Reported last week in the journal Science, the research team pinpointed the type of skin cell … Continue reading Molecular Trick Diminishes Appearance of Scars, Stanford Study Finds
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