News & Commentaries

|
27 Aug 2019

Researchers Engineer Antibodies that Unlock the Body's Regenerative Potential

Toronto, Canada – Our body makes antibodies to fight infections. But the synthetic versions of these molecules could hold the key to stimulating the body's ability to regenerate.

The findings come from a decade-long collaboration between the teams of Sachdev Sidhu, a professor in the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, and Stephane Angers, Associate Dean of Research in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, that have been creating synthetic antibodies for diverse applications.

|
22 Aug 2019

Study Links Certain Metabolites to Stem Cell Function in the Intestine

“StemBook: Study links certain metabolites to stem cell function in the intestinestem cells)

Cambridge, MA, USA – MIT biologists have discovered an unexpected effect of a ketogenic, or fat-rich, diet: They showed that high levels of ketone bodies, molecules produced by the breakdown of fat, help the intestine to maintain a large pool of adult stem cells, which are crucial for keeping the intestinal lining healthy.

|
14 Aug 2019

Cambridge Scientists Reverse Ageing Process in Rat Brain Stem Cells

[STEMBOOK]: Cambridge scientists reverse ageing process in rat brain stem cells

Cambridge, UK – New research reveals how increasing brain stiffness as we age causes brain stem cell dysfunction, and demonstrates new ways to reverse older stem cells to a younger, healthier state. The results, published today in Nature, have far-reaching implications for how we understand the ageing process, and how we might develop much-needed treatments for age-related brain diseases.

|
12 Aug 2019

Bacteria Made to Mimic Cells, Form Communities

[STEMBOOK]: Bacteria made to mimic cells, form communities
Rice University synthetic biologists prompt dividing bacteria to differentiate like stem cells

Rice University scientists have found a way to engineer a new kind of cell differentiation in bacteria, inspired by a naturally occurring process in stem cells. They have created a genetic circuit able to produce genetically distinguished cells of Escherichia coli as the bacterium divides. By controlling this process, it is possible to create diverse communities of microbes that exhibit complex, non-native behaviors.

|
8 Aug 2019

Adding MS Drug to Targeted Cancer Therapy May Improve Glioblastoma Outcomes

[STEMBOOK]: Adding MS Drug to Targeted Cancer Therapy May Improve Glioblastoma Outcomes (Stemcells)
By reaching stem cells at the tumor’s root, multiple sclerosis drug teriflunomide, paired with targeted cancer therapy, markedly shrinks patient-derived glioblastomas grown in mice

San Diego, CA, USA – Glioblastoma is an aggressive form of brain cancer that infiltrates surrounding brain tissue, making it extremely difficult to treat with surgery. Even when chemotherapy and radiation successfully destroy the bulk of a patient’s glioblastoma cells, they may not affect the cancer stem cells. This small population of tumor cells have the capacity to grow and multiply indefinitely, and can lead to tumor recurrence.

|
6 Aug 2019

UCLA Study Links Progenitor Cells to Age-Related Prostate Growth

StemBook: UCLA study links progenitor cells to age-related prostate growth (stem cells)

Los Angeles, CA, USA – The prostates of older mice contain more luminal progenitor cells – cells capable of generating new prostate tissue – than the prostates of younger mice, UCLA researchers have discovered. The observation, published in Cell Reports, helps explain why, as people age, the prostate tends to grow, leading to an increased risk for prostate cancer and other conditions.

|
2 Aug 2019

Mount Sinai Researchers Make Immunotherapy Work for Rreatment-Resistant Lymphoma

New York, NY, USA – Mount Sinai researchers have developed a way to use immunotherapy drugs against treatment-resistant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas for the first time by combining them with stem cell transplantation, an approach that also dramatically increased the success of the drugs in melanoma and lung cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Discovery in August.

|
1 Aug 2019

Old Cells, New Tricks – Important Clue to AML Diagnosis and Cure Discovered

Clayton, Australia – Around 22,000 people will be diagnosed this year in the US with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the second most common type of leukemia diagnosed in adults and children, and the most aggressive of the leukemias. Less than one third of AML patients survive five years beyond diagnosis.

|
1 Aug 2019

Assessing Direct-to-Consumer Stem Cell Clinics

This direct-to-consumer stem cell marketplace has come under increasing scrutiny, but relatively little is known about the clinics or how the treatments they offer align with the expertise of their practitioners. Investigators now offer a detailed characterization of nearly 170 stem cell businesses across Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah, where about one-third of US stem cell clinics are located.

Pages