Osaka, Japan – The body needs to create a continuous supply of blood cells to enter circulation. Blood cells have a wide variety of functions ranging from supplying oxygen to tissues, fighting infections, and enabling the blood to clot upon injury. Avoiding deficiency of these cells or their excessive proliferation must involve a strict regulatory mechanism, but much remains to be clarified about how this works.
Utrecht, NL – Scientists from the Hubrecht Institute, Princess Máxima Center, Utrecht University and University Medical Center Utrecht have successfully created kidney organoids from urine cells. This could lead to a wide range of new treatments that are less onerous for kidney patients. The results of the research were published in Nature Biotechnology.
Trieste, Italy – A new study by SISSA identifies the gene which regulates the production ratio of neurons and support cells during cerebral cortex development. The study has been published in Cerebral Cortex.
Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Scientists from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg and from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have been able to rejuvenate stem cells in the brain of aging mice. The revitalised stem cells improve the regeneration of injured or diseased areas in the brain of old mice. The researchers expect that their approach will provide fresh impetus in regenerative medicine and facilitate the development of stem cell therapies.
Galveston, TX, USA – Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have developed a promising drug that has proven to significantly increase muscle size, strength and metabolic state in aged mice, according to a study just published in Biochemical Pharmacology.
Amsterdam, NL – Cell replacement may play an increasing role in alleviating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease in future. Writing in an open access special supplement the Journal of Parkinson's Disease, experts describe how newly developed stem cell technologies could be used to treat the disease and discuss the great promise, as well as the significant challenges, of stem cell treatment.
Minneapolis, MN, USA – The University of Minnesota Medical School continues its legacy of advancing cell replacement therapies with a scientific breakthrough that highlights the promise of cell therapies for muscular dystrophy.
Bergen, Norway – For the first time, researchers have shown that ordinary human cells can change their original function. The University of Bergen-research published in Nature may give new hope for diabetes patients.
Rochester, MN, USA – Induced pluripotent stem cells, the workhorse of many regenerative medicine projects, start out as differentiated cells that are reprogrammed to pluripotent stem cells by exposure to a complex set of genetic cocktails. Mayo researchers now report that using the measles virus vector; they’ve trimmed that multi-vector process with four reprogramming factors down to a single “one cycle” vector process. They say the process is safe, stable, faster and usable for clinical translation. The findings appear in the journal Gene Therapy.
Stanford, CA, USA – An antibody-based treatment can gently and effectively eliminate diseased blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow to prepare for the transplantation of healthy stem cells, according to a study in mice by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
