Goodnight, Stem Cells: How Well Rested Cells Keep Us Healthy

Plenty of studies show that a lack of sleep is nothing but bad news and can contribute to a whole host of health problems like heart disease, poor memory, high blood pressure and obesity. In a sense, the same holds true for the stem cells in our body. In response to injury, adult stem cells … Continue reading Goodnight, Stem Cells: How Well Rested Cells Keep Us Healthy

One-Time, Lasting Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease May be on Horizon, According to New CIRM-Funded Study

For the nearly 1,000 babies born each year in the United States with sickle cell disease, a painful and arduous road awaits them. The only cure is to find a bone marrow donor—an exceedingly rare proposition. Instead, the standard treatment for this inherited blood disorder is regular blood transfusions, with repeated hospitalizations to deal with … Continue reading One-Time, Lasting Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease May be on Horizon, According to New CIRM-Funded Study

No Fear of Rejection? Partial Stem Cell Transplant Reverses Sickle Cell Disease—even without Immunosuppressant Drugs

For those who suffer from the blood disorder sickle cell disease, there is really only one cure: a full bone marrow transplant followed by a lifetime of anti-rejection, immune-suppressing drugs. But now, researchers from the National Institutes of Health are testing an attractive alternative for the sickest patients. Sickle cell disease gets its name from … Continue reading No Fear of Rejection? Partial Stem Cell Transplant Reverses Sickle Cell Disease—even without Immunosuppressant Drugs