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
embryonic stem cells
I Sing the Bioelectric: Long-Distance Electrical Signals Guide Cell Growth and Repair
Genes turn on, and genes turn off. Again and again, the genes that together comprise the human genome receive electrical signals that can direct when they should be active—and when they should be dormant. This intricate pattern of signals is a part of what guides an embryonic stem cell to grow and mature into any … Continue reading I Sing the Bioelectric: Long-Distance Electrical Signals Guide Cell Growth and Repair
Key stem cell gene controlled from afar, Canadian scientists discover
Embryonic stem cells can, by definition, mature into any cell type in the body. They are able to maintain this state of so-called pluripotency with the help of a gene called Sox2. And now, researchers at the University of Toronto (U of T) have discovered the unseen force that controls it. These findings, reported in … Continue reading Key stem cell gene controlled from afar, Canadian scientists discover
Finding the Sweet Spot: shifting metabolism keeps stem cells in suspended animation
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
Cranking it Up to Eleven: Heightened Growth of Neural Stem Cells Linked to Autism-like Behavior
Autism is not one single disease but a suite of many, which is why researchers have long struggled to understand its underlying causes. Often referred to as the Autism Spectrum Disorders, autism has been linked to multiple genetic and environmental factors—different combinations of which can all result in autism or autistic-like behavior. But as we … Continue reading Cranking it Up to Eleven: Heightened Growth of Neural Stem Cells Linked to Autism-like Behavior
Confining Cells within Geometric Structures Key to Replicating Embryonic Development
It’s like trying to capture, and then recreate, a moment in time: the exact instant after fertilization when a small group of dividing cells begin to organize themselves into the various cellular layers that will one day make up the skin, the heart, the liver and the brain. But for all the advances in our … Continue reading Confining Cells within Geometric Structures Key to Replicating Embryonic Development
Confining Cells within Geometric Structures Key to Replicating Embryonic Development
It’s like trying to capture, and then recreate, a moment in time: the exact instant after fertilization when a small group of dividing cells begin to organize themselves into the various cellular layers that will one day make up the skin, the heart, the liver and the brain. But for all the advances in our … Continue reading Confining Cells within Geometric Structures Key to Replicating Embryonic Development
More than Meets the Eye: Stem Cells Generated using Different Methods Produce Different Types of Cells
What’s the best way to make a fully versatile, ‘pluripotent,’ stem cell? Three different methods each have their pluses and minuses. But now new research has found that the stem cells created by each method, while similar on the surface, show vast differences. The findings, published online today in the journal Nature, reveal new insights … Continue reading More than Meets the Eye: Stem Cells Generated using Different Methods Produce Different Types of Cells
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: fingering chemical cancer cause, treating leukemia and getting better ID on cells
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 model environmental damage. Using human embryonic stem cells to generate prostate tissue in mice, a team at the University of Illinois has shown … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: fingering chemical cancer cause, treating leukemia and getting better ID on cells
Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Safety of First Embryonic Cell Trial, Engineered Organs, New Hips
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. Update on status of bioengineered organs. Kevin Mayer, writing for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, this week produced the best lay overview I have read … Continue reading Stem Cell Stories that Caught our Eye: Safety of First Embryonic Cell Trial, Engineered Organs, New Hips
The Stem Cellar 