Kanazawa, Japan – A Japan-based research team led by Kanazawa University has identified the MAPK Erk5 as a novel player controlling skeletogenesis. Their research sheds light on the question of how the complex our skeleton generates.
Barcelona, Spain – Researchers at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain, have identified the mechanism by which an important enzyme involved in the differentiation of stem cells is brought to the DNA.
Cleveland, OH, USA – In two newly published papers, a scientific team at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine reports on the discovery and implementation of a new, more efficient method for generating an important brain stem cell in the laboratory. The findings pave the way for greater understanding of the underlying mechanisms of neurological disorders of myelin and ultimately, possible new treatment and prevention options. The studies were published in the September issues of Nature Communications and Stem Cell Reports.
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.
