ISSCR 2014: If we learn how to help our stem cells keep their balance we might reduce the effects of aging

The effects of aging come from a decline in our stem cells’ ability to do their job. Four speakers on the second day of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) conference laid out how this happens and showed the results of some early attempts to make our aging stem cells perform like young … Continue reading ISSCR 2014: If we learn how to help our stem cells keep their balance we might reduce the effects of aging

Cells Behaving Badly: Rogue Stem Cells Set Stage for Lung Cancer, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

Occasionally, too much of a good thing can turn bad, an adage confirmed in a study published today by UCLA scientists. Led by Dr. Brigitte Gomperts, a team of stem cell experts have honed in on how adult stem cells residing in the lung spring into action in order to repair damaged tissue. Normally, this … Continue reading Cells Behaving Badly: Rogue Stem Cells Set Stage for Lung Cancer, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

Cells Behaving Badly: Rogue Stem Cells Set Stage for Lung Cancer, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

Occasionally, too much of a good thing can turn bad, an adage confirmed in a study published today by UCLA scientists. Led by Dr. Brigitte Gomperts, a team of stem cell experts have honed in on how adult stem cells residing in the lung spring into action in order to repair damaged tissue. Normally, this … Continue reading Cells Behaving Badly: Rogue Stem Cells Set Stage for Lung Cancer, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

ISSCR 2014: Learning how we developed as embryos key to turning stem cells into the tissues patients need

The concept that basic lab bench science produces discoveries that eventually lead to therapies is a touchstone of the research enterprise—and the principal was front and center in the opening “presidential” plenary session of the International Society for Stem Cell Research Wednesday afternoon. Three of the four presenters relied in part on a subset of … Continue reading ISSCR 2014: Learning how we developed as embryos key to turning stem cells into the tissues patients need

The Great Divide: CIRM-Funded Research Resolves Controversy over the Regenerative Powers of Heart Cells

The human heart contains approximately 3 billion beating heart cells. But is this number predetermined from birth? Or do these cells have the ability to divide and replicate? These questions have long dogged scientists—who initially thought that heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, were incapable of dividing. But in recent years, new evidence came to light … Continue reading The Great Divide: CIRM-Funded Research Resolves Controversy over the Regenerative Powers of Heart Cells

The Great Divide: CIRM-Funded Research Resolves Controversy over the Regenerative Powers of Heart Cells

The human heart contains approximately 3 billion beating heart cells. But is this number predetermined from birth? Or do these cells have the ability to divide and replicate? These questions have long dogged scientists—who initially thought that heart muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes, were incapable of dividing. But in recent years, new evidence came to light … Continue reading The Great Divide: CIRM-Funded Research Resolves Controversy over the Regenerative Powers of Heart Cells

Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Lab Grown Retinas, Restart of Parkinson’s Trial and HIV

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 create retina in a dish. A team at Johns Hopkins has shown again that stem cells and their offspring are pretty smart critters. … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Lab Grown Retinas, Restart of Parkinson’s Trial and HIV

‘Trust Hormone’ Reverses Age-Related Damage in Mice, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

It’s released by a warm hug, it makes your heart melt, it can even boost your libido. And now scientists have discovered that oxytocin, the so-called ‘trust hormone,’ can also save the body’s cells from the harmful effects of aging. As reported today in the journal Nature Communications, University of California, Berkeley scientists have discovered … Continue reading ‘Trust Hormone’ Reverses Age-Related Damage in Mice, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

‘Trust Hormone’ Reverses Age-Related Damage in Mice, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

It’s released by a warm hug, it makes your heart melt, it can even boost your libido. And now scientists have discovered that oxytocin, the so-called ‘trust hormone,’ can also save the body’s cells from the harmful effects of aging. As reported today in the journal Nature Communications, University of California, Berkeley scientists have discovered … Continue reading ‘Trust Hormone’ Reverses Age-Related Damage in Mice, CIRM-Funded Study Finds

New Videos: Downton Abbey, preeclampsia, and the search for a cure using stem cells

(Downton Abbey Spoiler Alert: skip ahead to the video if you haven’t seen Season 3!) If you’re one of the estimated 10 million devoted Downton Abbey TV viewers, then you most probably have heard of the word “preeclampsia.” In a heart-wrenching episode from season 3 of the early 20th century British drama, one of the … Continue reading New Videos: Downton Abbey, preeclampsia, and the search for a cure using stem cells