The tale of a tail that grows back (Kevin McCormack) Ask people what they know about geckos and the odds are they’ll tell you geckos have English accents and sell car insurance. Which tells you a lot more about the power of advertising than it does about the level of knowledge about lizards. Which is … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: the tale of a tail that grows back and Zika’s devious Trojan Horse
microcephaly
Taming the Zika virus to kill cancer stem cells that drive lethal brain tumor
An out of control flame can be very dangerous, even life-threatening. But when harnessed, that same flame sustains life in the form of warm air, a source of light, and a means to cook. A similar duality holds true for viruses. Once it infects the body, a virus can replicate like wildfire and cause serious … Continue reading Taming the Zika virus to kill cancer stem cells that drive lethal brain tumor
UCSD scientists find new clue into how Zika virus impairs brain development
In April of this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced their conclusion that Zika virus causes microcephaly, a birth defect that results in abnormal brain development and a smaller sized head in infants. Rather than a single study being responsible for their conclusion, the CDC argued that “mounting evidence” from multiple … Continue reading UCSD scientists find new clue into how Zika virus impairs brain development
UCSF Scientists find molecular link between brain stem cells and Zika Infection
The Zika virus scare came to a head in 2015, prompting the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a global health emergency earlier this year. From a research standpoint, much of the effort has centered on understanding whether the Zika infection is actually a cause of birth defects like microcephaly and how the virus … Continue reading UCSF Scientists find molecular link between brain stem cells and Zika Infection
Timing Matters: Slowly Dividing Stem Cells Lead to Small Brains
One hundred billion nerve cells working together empowering us to see, walk, think, speak, remember: the human brain is a stunning machine. Even more stunning is its formation in the growing fetus. It starts with a set of neural, or brain, stem cells in the early embryo. Then with each cell division, more and more cells … Continue reading Timing Matters: Slowly Dividing Stem Cells Lead to Small Brains
The Stem Cellar 