Stock image of the Trisomy 21 chromosome The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) recently awarded $1.5 million to Denise Al Alam, PhD, of the Lundquist Institute to study lung disease in people with Trisomy 21, or Down syndrome. Although Trisomy 21 affects many organs, respiratory complications are a leading cause of death in children … Continue reading CIRM Backs Lung Health Study for People with Down Syndrome
lungs
Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST Dr. Ezra Cohen, photo courtesy UCSD Hematologic malignancies are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes and include different forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Current treatments can be effective, but in those patients that do not respond, there are few treatment options. Today, … Continue reading Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers
Lung cancer, Sherlock Holmes and piano
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY Image of lung cancer When we think of lung cancer we typically tend to think it’s the end result of years of smoking cigarettes. But, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 10 and 20 percent of cases of lung cancer (20,000 … Continue reading Lung cancer, Sherlock Holmes and piano
How regrowing tiny hairs could restore hearing loss
Man getting fitted with hearing aids Hearing loss is something that affect tens of millions of Americans. Usually people notice those changes as they get older but the damage can be done years before that through the use of some prescription drugs or exposure to loud noise (I knew I shouldn’t have sat in the … Continue reading How regrowing tiny hairs could restore hearing loss
Endothelial cell treatment reverses lung damage in mice with emphysema
Emphysema damages the alveoli—the air sacs in the lungs. Their walls stretch and break down, making the lungs larger and harder to breathe. It is the most common form of COPD, typically caused by long‑term smoking, and affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide. There is no cure. Endothelial Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and … Continue reading Endothelial cell treatment reverses lung damage in mice with emphysema
Two voices, one message, watch out for predatory stem cell clinics
Last week, two new papers came out echoing each other about the dangers of bogus “therapies” being offered by predatory stem cell clinics and the risks they pose to patients. Unapproved Interventions The first was from the Pew Charitable Trusts The Pew report is titled “Unapproved Stem Cell Interventions Highlight Need for Greater FDA Enforcement,” … Continue reading Two voices, one message, watch out for predatory stem cell clinics
Newly designed “bioink” get us one step closer to 3D printed organs
3D bioprinted small airways made out of two cell types (blue and yellow) remain open over time. 3D printing technology has revolutionized the way we think about creating things with complex designs with the simple click of a button. The ability to be able to give a computer a specific set of instructions and hit … Continue reading Newly designed “bioink” get us one step closer to 3D printed organs
Scientists look at how the lung and brain respond differently to SARS-CoV-2 infection
UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers found approximately 10-fold higher SARS-CoV-2 infection (green) in lung organoids (left), compared to brain organoids (right). Image courtesy of UCSD Health Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic early last year, scientists all over the world are still trying to better understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. … Continue reading Scientists look at how the lung and brain respond differently to SARS-CoV-2 infection
‘Mini lung’ model shows scientists early stages of new coronavirus infection
Representative image of three-dimensional human lung alveolar organoid showing alveolar stem cell marker, HTII-280 (red) and SARS-CoV-2 entry protein, ACE2 (green) Image Credit: Jeonghwan Youk, Taewoo Kim, and Seon Pyo Hong The development of organoid modeling has significantly expanded our understanding of human organs and the diseases that can affect them. For those unfamiliar with … Continue reading ‘Mini lung’ model shows scientists early stages of new coronavirus infection
CIRM partners with UCLA scientists to take on COVID-19
Don't you love it when someone does your job for you and does it so well you have no need to add anything to it! Doesn't happen very often - sad to say - but this week our friends at UCLA wrote a great article describing the work they are doing to target COVID-19. Best … Continue reading CIRM partners with UCLA scientists to take on COVID-19