Stem Cell Image of the Week: Obesity-in-a-dish reveals mutations and abnormal function in nerve cells Our stem cell image of the week looks like the work of a pre-historic cave dweller who got their hands on some DayGlo paint. But, in fact, it’s a fluorescence microscopy image of stem cell-derived brain cells from the lab … Continue reading Stem Cell Roundup: The brain & obesity; iPSCs & sex chromosomes; modeling mental illness
obesity
Cold temps nudge stem cells to boost “good” fat, may point to obesity remedies
Newborn babies may not be able to walk or talk but they can do something that makes adults very jealous: burn extra calories without exercising. This feat is accomplished with the help of brown fat which is abundant in infants (and hibernating animals) but barely detectable in adults. However, a new study in Scientific Reports … Continue reading Cold temps nudge stem cells to boost “good” fat, may point to obesity remedies
Stem Cell Round: Improving memory, building up “good” fat, nanomedicine
Stem Cell Photo of the Week In honor of brain awareness week, our featured stem cell photo is of the brain! Scientists at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Stem Cell Institute identified a genetic switch that could potentially improve memory during aging and symptoms of PTSD. Shown in this picture are dentate gyrus cells … Continue reading Stem Cell Round: Improving memory, building up “good” fat, nanomedicine
Stories that caught our eye last week: dying cells trigger stem cells, CRISPR videogames and an obesity-stem cell link
A dying cell’s last breath triggers stem cell division. Most cells in your body are in a constant state of turnover. The cells of your lungs, for instance, replace themselves every 2 to 3 weeks and, believe it or not, you get a new intestine every 2 to 3 days. We can thank adult stem cells … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye last week: dying cells trigger stem cells, CRISPR videogames and an obesity-stem cell link
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: skin grafts fight diabetes, reprogramming the immune system, and Asterias expands spinal cord injury trial sites
Here are the stem cell stories that caught our eye this week. Skin grafts fight diabetes and obesity. An interesting new gene therapy strategy for fighting type 1 diabetes and obesity surfaced this week. Scientists from the University of Chicago made genetically engineered skin grafts that secrete a peptide hormone called glucagon-liked peptide-1 (GLP-1). This … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: skin grafts fight diabetes, reprogramming the immune system, and Asterias expands spinal cord injury trial sites
Stories that caught our eye: smelling weight gain, colon cancer & diet and diabetes & broken bones
How smelling your food could cause weight gain (Karen Ring). Here’s the headline that caught my eye this week: “Smelling your food first can make you fat…” It’s a bizarre statement, but the claim is backed by scientific research coming from a new study in Cell Metabolism by researchers at the University of California Berkeley. … Continue reading Stories that caught our eye: smelling weight gain, colon cancer & diet and diabetes & broken bones
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: How Zika may impact adult brains; Move over CRISPR there’s a new kid in town; How our bodies store fat
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. Zika virus could impact adult brains It’s not just a baby’s developing brain that is vulnerable to the Zika virus, adult brains may be too. … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: How Zika may impact adult brains; Move over CRISPR there’s a new kid in town; How our bodies store fat
Faulty fat stem cells & obesity-related diabetes
You see it in the news all the time: more and more people around the world are obese and as a result they’re at a higher risk for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. In fact, 90% of individuals with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. “Healthy” obese individuals protected from diabetes and other complications … Continue reading Faulty fat stem cells & obesity-related diabetes
Beige isn’t bland when it comes to solving the obesity epidemic
Americans spend over $60 billion a year to lose weight and yet two-thirds (that’s more than 200 million) are considered overweight or obese. Losing weight should be easy: just eat less and exercise more, right? But our body’s metabolism is a very complex thing and appears to fight against our best efforts to shed pounds. … Continue reading Beige isn’t bland when it comes to solving the obesity epidemic
Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Parkinson’s trial revived, aspirin kills cancer stem cells and a stem cell role in mother-child obesity
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. Parkinson’s clinical trials back on track. After nearly 20 years of being stuck on the clinical trial “bookshelf”, an international team from Cambridge, UK revived … Continue reading Stem cell stories that caught our eye: Parkinson’s trial revived, aspirin kills cancer stem cells and a stem cell role in mother-child obesity
The Stem Cellar 