Durham, NC, USA – Biomedical engineers at Duke University have found a critical component for growing self-healing muscle tissues from adult muscle – the immune system. The discovery in mice is expected to play an important role in studying degenerative muscle diseases and enhancing the survival of engineered tissue grafts in future cell therapy applications. The results appeared online October 1 in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Copenhagen, Denmark – A new method enables non-invasive monitoring of oxygen metabolism in cells that are 3D bioprinted into complex living structures. This has great implications for studies of cell growth and interactions e.g. under tissue-like conditions, as well as for the design of 3D printed constructs facilitating higher productivity of microalgae in biofilms or better oxygen supply for stem cells used in bone and tissue reconstruction efforts.
Singapore, Singapore – A new method developed by researchers at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) can potentially ensure patient safety for future stem cell-based therapies, by enhancing native stem cell bioelectric signals.
Lund, Sweden – This year’s Eric K. Fernström foundation Grand Nordic Prize – one of the largest awards for medicine in Scandinavia – goes to neurology researcher Maiken Nedergaard, who works at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Rochester. She has discovered and investigated how the brain gets rid of harmful products using its own purification system, the glymphatic system – knowledge that is significant in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, among other conditions.
Heidelberg, Germany – The German Stem Cell Network (GSCN) honors researchers studying the processes to further the understanding of molecular processes. This week, the 2018 GSCN prize winners were announced at the 6th Annual GSCN Conference in Heidelberg.
Baltimore, MD, USA – Body organs such as the intestine and ovaries undergo structural changes in response to dietary nutrients that can have lasting impacts on metabolism, as well as cancer susceptibility, according to Carnegie’s Rebecca Obniski, Matthew Sieber, and Allan Spradling.
Augusta, GA, USA – With age, expression of a small molecule that can silence others goes way up while a key signaling molecule that helps stem cells make healthy bone goes down, scientists report.
New York, NY, USA – The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and the Tufts University Initiative for Neural Science, Disease & Engineering (INSciDE) today announced a collaborative initiative focused on deciphering the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases by employing a new generation of human stem-cell-based experimental technologies. The goal of the initiative is to elucidate the molecular pathways and cellular and neural circuit defects that cause neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
San Diego, CA, USA – UC San Diego researchers develop new protocol for creating human cortical organoids, mini-brains derived directly from primary cells that can be used to better explore and understand the real thing.
Würzburg, Germany – Scientists of University of Würzburg have for the first time succeeded in generating beating cardiac muscle cells from special stem cells. They may provide a new approach for the treatment of heart attacks.
