Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. Now, new research using 3D organoid models of the eye has uncovered clues as to what happens in AMD, and how to stop it. In AMD, a person loses their central vision because the light sensitive cells in the macula, a … Continue reading Lab-made retinas offer a new approach to battling vision loss
organoids
Newly-developed organoid mimics how gut and heart tissues arise cooperatively from stem cells
Gladstone Senior Investigator Todd McDevitt, PhD said this first-of-its-kind organoid could serve as a new tool for laboratory research and improve our understanding of how developing organs and tissues cooperate and instruct each other.
Heads or tails? Stem cells help guide the decision
Two cell embryo There are many unknown elements for what triggers the cells in an embryo to start dividing and multiplying and becoming every single cell in the body. Now researchers at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco have uncovered one of those elements, how embryos determine which cells become the head and which the … Continue reading Heads or tails? Stem cells help guide the decision
Scientists develop immune evading pancreas organoids to treat type 1 diabetes
By Stephen Lin, PhD., CIRM Senior Science Officer A diabetic child is checking her blood sugar level (self glycaemia). Type 1 diabetes affects millions of people. It is a disease where beta islet cells in the pancreas are targeted by the body’s own immune system, destroying the ability to produce insulin. Without insulin, the body … Continue reading Scientists develop immune evading pancreas organoids to treat type 1 diabetes
Using mini lungs to test potential COVID-19 therapies
Dr. Evan Snyder If someone told you they were working on lungs in a dish you might be forgiven for thinking that’s the worst idea for a new recipe you have ever heard of. But in the case of Dr. Evan Snyder and his team at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute it could be … Continue reading Using mini lungs to test potential COVID-19 therapies
Huge honor, hugely deserved for CIRM-funded stem cell researcher
Dr. Andy McMahon: Photo courtesy USC Andy McMahon is one of the most understated, humble and low-key people you are ever likely to meet. He’s also one of the smartest. And he has a collection of titles to prove it. He is the W.M. Keck Provost and University Professor in USC’s departments of Stem Cell … Continue reading Huge honor, hugely deserved for CIRM-funded stem cell researcher
Tiny organs grown from snake stem cells produce real venom
Researchers grew tiny venom glands from nine different snake species, including the cape coral cobra pictured above. Photo Credit: Michael D. Kern/Science Source Snake venom can be deadly without proper treatment. Interestingly enough, it may also hold the key for treatments against pain, high blood pressure, and cancer according to one analysis. Despite this, scientists … Continue reading Tiny organs grown from snake stem cells produce real venom
“Brains” in a dish that can create electrical impulses
Brain organoids in a petri dish: photo courtesy UCSD For several years, researchers have been able to take stem cells and use them to make three dimensional structures called organoids. These are a kind of mini organ that scientists can then use to study what happens in the real thing. For example, creating kidney organoids … Continue reading “Brains” in a dish that can create electrical impulses
Organoids revolutionize approach to studying a variety of diseases
Organoids There are limitations to studying cells under a microscope. To understand some of the more complex processes, it is critical to see how these cells behave in an environment that is similar to conditions in the body. The production of organoids has revolutionized this approach. Organoids are three-dimensional structures derived from stem cells that … Continue reading Organoids revolutionize approach to studying a variety of diseases
Stem Cell Roundup: The brain & obesity; iPSCs & sex chromosomes; modeling mental illness
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
The Stem Cellar 