The question of whether human germline modification, or the genetic modification of human reproductive cells, should be allowed or banned was discussed by a panel of experts in the Ethics, Law and Society session during Day 1 of the World Stem Cell Summit. On the panel were Aubrey de Grey, Chief Science Officer of the … Continue reading To modify, or not to modify: Experts discuss human germline modification at WSCS15
Aging
New type of diabetes caused by old age may be treatable
I’m going to tell you a secret: I love sugar. I love it so much that as a little kid my mom used to tell me scary stories about how my teeth would fall out and that I might get diabetes one day if I ate too many sweets. Thankfully, none of these things happened. … Continue reading New type of diabetes caused by old age may be treatable
How Brain Stem Cells Could Stay Forever Young
As we age, so do the cells that make up our bodies. To keep us spry as we get older, our bodies rely on adult stem cells to replace the cells in our tissues and organs. Adult stem cells can only generate cell types specific to the organ or tissue that they live in. For … Continue reading How Brain Stem Cells Could Stay Forever Young
Even the early worm gets old: study unlocks a key to aging
A new study poses the question, ‘When does aging really begin?’ One glance in the mirror every morning is enough for me to know that regardless of where it begins I know where it’s going. And it’s not pretty. But enough about me. Getting back to the question about aging, two researchers at Northwestern University … Continue reading Even the early worm gets old: study unlocks a key to aging
Extending the Lease: Stanford Scientists Turn Back Clock on Aging Cells
In the end, all living things—even the cells in our bodies—must die. But what if we could delay the inevitable, even just for a bit? What new scientific advances could come as a result? In research published this week in the FASEB Journal, scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a new … Continue reading Extending the Lease: Stanford Scientists Turn Back Clock on Aging Cells
A time to kill, a time to heal: cells linked to aging also help heal wounds
Senescent cells, so called because of the role they play in the aging process, have acquired a bit of a bad reputation. Yet new research from the Buck Institute suggests that these cells may not be so bad after all. Reporting in today's issue of Developmental Cell, Buck Institute scientists have found that, while senescent … Continue reading A time to kill, a time to heal: cells linked to aging also help heal wounds
Cells’ Knack for Hoarding Proteins Inadvertently Kickstarts the Aging Process
Even cells need to take out the trash in order to maintain a healthy clean environment. And scientists are now uncovering the harmful effects when cells instead begin to hoard their garbage. Aging, on the cellular level is—at its core—the increasing inability for cells to repair themselves over time. As cells begin to break down … Continue reading Cells’ Knack for Hoarding Proteins Inadvertently Kickstarts the Aging Process
Creaky Cell Machinery Affects the Aging Immune System, CIRM-Funded Study Finds
Why do our immune systems weaken over time? Why are people over the age of 60 more susceptible to life-threatening infections and many forms of cancer? There’s no one answer to these questions—but scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), have uncovered an important mechanism behind this phenomenon. Reporting in the latest issue … Continue reading Creaky Cell Machinery Affects the Aging Immune System, CIRM-Funded Study Finds
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
The Stem Cellar 