THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST MRI section of a brain affected by ALS with the front section of the brain highlighted Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a nasty disease that steadily attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It’s pretty much always fatal … Continue reading A step forward in finding a treatment for a deadly neurological disorder
iPSCs
Some good news for people with dodgy knees
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST Graphic contrasting a healthy knee with one that has osteoarthritis About 10% of Americans suffer from knee osteoarthritis, a painful condition that can really impair mobility and quality of life. It's often caused by an injury to cartilage, say when you were playing sports in high school … Continue reading Some good news for people with dodgy knees
Building embryo-like cells in the lab
Dr. Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz: Photo courtesy Caltech Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have many remarkable properties, not the least of which is their ability to turn into every other kind of cell in our body. But there are limits to what researchers can do with embryonic stem cells. One issue is that there aren’t always hESCs … Continue reading Building embryo-like cells in the lab
Building a better brain (model) in the lab
Leica Picture of a brain organoid: courtesy National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH One of the biggest problems with trying to understand what is happening in a disease that affects the brain is that it’s really difficult to see what is going on inside someone’s head. People tend to object to you trying … Continue reading Building a better brain (model) in the lab
Paving the way for a treatment for dementia
What happens in a stroke When someone has a stroke, the blood flow to the brain is blocked. This kills some nerve cells and injures others. The damaged nerve cells are unable to communicate with other cells, which often results in people having impaired speech or movement. While ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes affect large blood … Continue reading Paving the way for a treatment for dementia
City of Hope scientists use stem cells to develop ‘mini-brains’ to study Alzheimer’s and to test drugs in development
Alzheimer's is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. According to the non-profit HFC, co-founded by CIRM Board member Lauren Miller Rogen and her husband Seth Rogen, more than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S. By 2050 as many … Continue reading City of Hope scientists use stem cells to develop ‘mini-brains’ to study Alzheimer’s and to test drugs in development
Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia
Dementia is a general term that describes a set of diseases that impair the ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interfere with doing everyday activities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 50 million people worldwide have dementia with nearly 10 million new cases every year. Although it primarily affects older people … Continue reading Scientists use stem cell ‘mini-brains’ to better understand signs of frontotemporal dementia
UCSD researchers use stem cell model to better understand pregnancy complication
A team of UC San Diego researchers recently published novel preeclampsia models to aid in understanding this pregnancy complication that occurs in one of 25 U.S. pregnancies. Researchers include (left to right): Ojeni Touma, Mariko Horii, Robert Morey and Tony Bui. Credit: UC San Diego Pregnant women often tread uncertain waters in regards to their … Continue reading UCSD researchers use stem cell model to better understand pregnancy complication
Stem cell treatment improves motor function in monkeys modeling Parkinson’s Disease
Neurodegenerative diseases impact millions of people worldwide with the risk of being affected by one of these diseases increasing as you get older. For many of these diseases, there are very few treatments available to patients. As life expectancy increases and the population continues to age, it is crucial to try and find treatments that … Continue reading Stem cell treatment improves motor function in monkeys modeling Parkinson’s Disease
A new way to evade immune rejection in transplanting cells
Immune fluorescence of HIP cardiomyocytes in a dish; Photo courtesy of UCSF Transplanting cells or an entire organ from one person to another can be lifesaving but it comes with a cost. To avoid the recipient’s body rejecting the cells or organ the patient has to be given powerful immunosuppressive medications. Those medications weaken the … Continue reading A new way to evade immune rejection in transplanting cells