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
Disease Areas
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: iPS cells guide ALS trial, genetic link to hearing loss and easier to use stem cell
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. An ALS clinical trial with a twist. It is well known that the disease we call ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, behaves differently in different … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: iPS cells guide ALS trial, genetic link to hearing loss and easier to use stem cell
CIRM-Funded Scientists Build a Better Neuron; Gain New Insight into Motor Neuron Disease
Each individual muscle in our body—no matter how large or how small—is controlled by several types of motor neurons. Damage to one or more types of these neurons can give rise to some of the most devastating motor neuron diseases, many of which have no cure. But now, stem cell scientists at UCLA have manufactured … Continue reading CIRM-Funded Scientists Build a Better Neuron; Gain New Insight into Motor Neuron Disease
Gene Therapy Beats Half-Matched Stem Cell Transplant in Side-by-Side Comparison to Treat ‘Bubble Baby’ Disease
If you are born with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), your childhood is anything but normal. You don’t get to play with other kids, or be held by your parents. You can’t even breathe the same air. And, without treatment, you probably won’t live past your first year. This is the reality of SCID, also called … Continue reading Gene Therapy Beats Half-Matched Stem Cell Transplant in Side-by-Side Comparison to Treat ‘Bubble Baby’ Disease
Stem Cell Scientists Reconstruct Disease in a Dish; Gain Insight into Deadly Form of Bone Cancer
The life of someone with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is not a pleasant one. A rare genetic disorder that usually runs in families, this syndrome is characterized by heightened risk of developing cancer—multiple types of cancer—at a very young age. People with LFS, as the syndrome is often called, are especially susceptible to osteosarcoma, a form … Continue reading Stem Cell Scientists Reconstruct Disease in a Dish; Gain Insight into Deadly Form of Bone Cancer
Cancer Cells Mimic Blood Vessels to Colonize the Body’s Farthest Reaches
Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have just uncovered the latest dirty trick in the cancer playbook—one that spurs the cancer cells to spread throughout the body and evade treatment. But importantly, they believe they may have found a way to counter it. Reporting today in the journal Nature, Cold Spring Harbor researchers describe how … Continue reading Cancer Cells Mimic Blood Vessels to Colonize the Body’s Farthest Reaches
Building a Better Needle: CIRM-Funded Invention Gets Cells Into Brain More Safely, Efficiently
If NASA’s billion dollar Mars rovers deployed a bunch of dollar store party balloons to cushion the moment of impact, the mission would fail miserably. Likewise, the many years and millions of dollars spent on developing a stem cell-based therapy could be all for naught if the delivery of those precious cells into patients used … Continue reading Building a Better Needle: CIRM-Funded Invention Gets Cells Into Brain More Safely, Efficiently
Stem cell stories that caught our eye; converting bad fat to good, Parkinson’s and X-linked disease
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. Which fat for you, white, brown or beige. Those who read up on those pesky fat cells that accumulate in our bodies probably have heard … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye; converting bad fat to good, Parkinson’s and X-linked disease
Breast Cancer Tumors Recruit Immune Cells to the Dark Side
We rely on our immune system to stave off all classes of disease—but what happens when the very system responsible for keeping us healthy turns to the dark side? In new research published today, scientists uncover new evidence that reveals how breast cancer tumors can actually recruit immune cells to spur the spread of disease. … Continue reading Breast Cancer Tumors Recruit Immune Cells to the Dark Side
Stem cell stories that caught our eye; creating bone, turning data into sound, cord blood and path of a stem cell star
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. A better ratio of bone to fat. Most of us at any age would prefer a little less fat and older folks, particularly ones plagued … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye; creating bone, turning data into sound, cord blood and path of a stem cell star
The Stem Cellar 