The future is bright for a stem cell: it has the potential to become almost anything. This potential is one of its two defining characteristics. The second is that it can create copies of itself over and over again. This second characteristic, known as the ability to self-renew, is of particular importance to researchers. After … Continue reading Finding the Sweet Spot: shifting metabolism keeps stem cells in suspended animation
Research News
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Stem Cell Summit Roundup, Spinal Cords in a Dish and Stem Cell Tourism in the NFL
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. Success at the World Stem Cell Summit. This week some of the biggest names in regenerative medicine descended upon San Antonio, Texas for the annual … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Stem Cell Summit Roundup, Spinal Cords in a Dish and Stem Cell Tourism in the NFL
At World Stem Cell Summit improvements in the precision with which we can edit our genes grabs spotlight
Just a day and a half into this year’s World Stem Cell Summit in San Antonio and there have been numerous highlights. But a pair of sessions on gene editing grabbed the attention of many of the scientists at the meeting. One of the renown leaders in the field, Harvard’s George Church wowed the scientists, … Continue reading At World Stem Cell Summit improvements in the precision with which we can edit our genes grabs spotlight
Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them
Nothing undermines the credibility of science and scientists more than the retraction a high profile paper. Earlier this year there was a prime example of that when researchers at one of Japan’s most prestigious research institutions, the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, had to retract a study that had gathered worldwide attention. The … Continue reading Truth or Consequences: how to spot a liar and what to do once you catch them
Taking Promising Therapies out of the Lab and into People: Tips from Experts at the World Stem Cell Summit on How to Succeed
Having a great idea for a stem cell therapy is the easy part. Getting it to work in the lab is tougher. But sometimes the toughest part of all is getting it out of the lab and into clinical trials in patients. That’s natural and sensible, after all we need to make sure that something … Continue reading Taking Promising Therapies out of the Lab and into People: Tips from Experts at the World Stem Cell Summit on How to Succeed
At World Stem Cell Summit: Why results in trials repairing hearts are so uneven
Just as no two people are the same, neither are the cells in their bone marrow, the most common source of stem cells in clinical trials trying to repair damage after a heart attack. Doris Taylor of the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, which is just a couple hours drive from the site of this … Continue reading At World Stem Cell Summit: Why results in trials repairing hearts are so uneven
Searching for a Cure for HIV/AIDS: Stem Cells and World AIDS Day
It's been 26 years since the first World AIDS Day was held in 1988—and the progress that the international scientific community has made towards eradicating the disease has been unparalleled. But there is much more work to be done. One of the most promising areas of HIV/AIDS research has been in the field of regenerative … Continue reading Searching for a Cure for HIV/AIDS: Stem Cells and World AIDS Day
Using stem cells paves new approach to treating a blistering skin disease
Imagine a child not being able to run or jump or just roll around, for fear that any movement could strip away their skin and leave them with open, painful wounds. That’s what life is like for children with a nasty genetic disease called epidermolysis bullosa or EB. The slightest touch can cause their skin … Continue reading Using stem cells paves new approach to treating a blistering skin disease
Speak Friend and Enter: How Cells Let the Right Travelers through their Doors
For decades, it’s been a molecular mystery that scientists were seemingly unable to solve: how do large molecules pass through the cell and into the nucleus, while others half their size remain stranded outside? But as reported in the latest issue of Nature Nanotechnology, researchers now believe they may have cracked the case. By shedding … Continue reading Speak Friend and Enter: How Cells Let the Right Travelers through their Doors
Shape-Shifting Cells Drive Bone Healing; Point to New Method of Correcting Bone Deformities
There’s a time to grow and a time to heal—and the cells that make up our bone and cartilage have impeccable timing. During childhood and adolescence, these cells work to grow the bones longer and stronger. Once we’ve reached adulthood, they shift focus to repair and healing. This is part of why children with bone … Continue reading Shape-Shifting Cells Drive Bone Healing; Point to New Method of Correcting Bone Deformities
The Stem Cellar 