Scientists discover stem cell clue to lung cancer development – Cancer Research UK scientists have revealed that stem cells become ‘activated’ in severely damaged lungs and help to repair them, according to a study published in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.
Patients with Down syndrome have a reduced risk for cancer focused on endostatin, an anti-angiogenic compound made by the body. – Most cancers are rare in people with Down syndrome, whose overall cancer mortality is below 10 percent of that in the general population.
Embryo’s heartbeat drives blood stem cell formation – Clues about how blood forms could yield new strategies for treating blood diseases. – Biologists have long wondered why the embryonic heart begins beating so early, before the tissues actually need to be infused with blood. Two groups of researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) -? presenting multiple lines of evidence from zebrafish, mice and mouse embryonic stem cells -? provide an intriguing answer: A beating heart and blood flow are necessary for development of the blood system, which relies on mechanical stresses to cue its formation.
Gladstone scientists identify key factors in heart cell creation. Sequence of transcription factors may drive proces to repair damaged hearts. – Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease have identified for the first time key genetic factors that drive the process of generating new heart cells.
American Cancer Society awards 143 research grants to investigators at 83 institutions nationwide. Grants total more than $51 million in the second of two cycles for 2009. – The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 143 national research and training grants totaling more than $51 million in the second of two grant cycles for 2009. The grants go into effect beginning July 1, 2009.
Stem cells from fat tissue offer hope for Multiple sclerosis MS treatment. – A preliminary study on the use of stem cells obtained from a patient’s own adipose tissue in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has shown promising results.
UCL?Pfizer to develop pioneering stem cell sight therapies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). – UCL has entered into a collaboration with the biopharmaceutical group Pfizer, negotiated by UCL Business, to advance development of stem cell-based therapies for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
A major breakthrough in generating safer, therapeutic stem cells from adult cells. – In a paper publishing online April 23rd in Cell Stem Cell, a Cell Press journal, Dr. Sheng Ding and colleagues from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, report an important step forward in the race to make reprogrammed stem cells that may be better suited for use in clinical settings.
Stem cell transplantation helps patients with diabetes become insulin free – The majority of patients with type 1 diabetes who underwent a certain type of stem cell transplantation became insulin free, several for more than three years, with good glycemic control, and also increased C-peptide levels, an indirect measure of beta-cell function.
Scientists discover way to jumpstart bone’s healing process. In-body stem cell therapy has enormous potential for bone injuries. – Osteoporosis drug teriparatide or Forteo can boost bodies’ bone stem cell production to the point that adults’ bones appear to have the ability to heal at a rate typically seen when they were young kids, revealed by researchers.
This research is another step towards using stem cell therapy in treating and reversing the brain damage caused by stroke. – Effective stem cell treatment for strokes has taken a significant step forward today as scientists reveal how they have replaced stroke-damaged brain tissue in rats.
Naomi Campbell opens Breakthrough Breast Cancer research unit which aims to find treatments for aggressive type of breast cancer – Supermodel Naomi Campbell opened Breakthrough Breast Cancer’s new London research unit dedicated to finding treatments for an aggressive type of breast cancer.
