These images show cellular regeneration, in pink, in a preclinical model of sensorineural hearing loss. The control is on the left and the right has been treated. Image: Hinton AS, Yang-Hood A, Schrader AD, Loose C, Ohlemiller KK, McLean WJ. Most of us know someone affected by hearing loss, but we may not fully realize … Continue reading Reversing hearing loss through regenerative medicine
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COVID is a real pain in the ear
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIO CAST The more you learn about COVID-19 the more there is to dislike about it. The global death toll from the virus is now more than five million and for those who survive there can be long-term health consequences. We know COVID can attack the lungs, heart … Continue reading COVID is a real pain in the ear
A personal reason to develop a better gene therapy
THIS BLOG IS ALSO AVAILABLE AS AN AUDIOCAST ON SPOTIFY Credit : Allison Dougherty, Broad Communications For Sharif Tabebordbar, finding a gene therapy for genetic muscle wasting diseases was personal. When he was a teenager, his father was diagnosed with a rare genetic muscle disease that eventually left him unable to walk. In an interview … Continue reading A personal reason to develop a better gene therapy
From organs to muscle tissue: how stem cells are being used in 3D
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges-Pierre Seurat When most people think of stem cells, they might conjure up an image of small dots under a microscope. It is hard to imagine these small specs being applied to three-dimensional structures. But like a pointillism painting, such as A Sunday Afternoon … Continue reading From organs to muscle tissue: how stem cells are being used in 3D
Mechanical forces are the key to speedy recovery after blood cancer treatment
Blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, are projected to be responsible for 10% of all new cancer diagnoses this year. These types of cancers are often treated by killing the patient’s bone marrow (the site of blood cell manufacturing), with a treatment called irradiation. While effective for ridding the body of cancerous cells, this … Continue reading Mechanical forces are the key to speedy recovery after blood cancer treatment
Stem Cell Roundup: better model of schizophrenia, fasting boosts stem cells, and why does our hair gray.
Stem cell photo of the week: Recreating brain cell interactions for studying schizophrenia Our pick for the stem cell image of the week is from the laboratory of Rusty Gage at the Salk Institute. The team generated multiple types of nerve cells from stem cells to more closely represent the interactions that occur in the … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: better model of schizophrenia, fasting boosts stem cells, and why does our hair gray.
Cancer-causing mutations in blood stem cells may also link to heart disease
Whether we read about it in the news or hear it from our doctor, when we think about the causes of heart disease it’s usually some combination of inheriting bad genes from our parents and making poor life style choices like smoking or eating a diet high in fat and cholesterol. But in a fascinating … Continue reading Cancer-causing mutations in blood stem cells may also link to heart disease
MIT Scientists Recreate Malaria in a Dish to Test Promising Drug Candidates
At the beginning, it feels like the flu: aches, pains and vomiting. But then you begin to experience severe cold and shivering, followed by fever and sweating—a cycle, known as tertian fever, that repeats itself every two days. And that’s when you know: you’ve contracted malaria. But you wouldn’t be alone. According to the World … Continue reading MIT Scientists Recreate Malaria in a Dish to Test Promising Drug Candidates