The Griffith University study published today in the journal Stem Cells found that adult stem cells harvested from the noses of Parkinson’s patients gave rise to dopamine-producing brain cells when transplanted into the brain of a rat. The debilitating symptoms of Parkinson’s such as loss of muscle control are caused by degeneration of cells that produce the essential chemical dopamine in the brain. Current drug therapies replace dopamine in the brain, but these often become less effective after prolonged use. The discovery is the work of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research, part of Griffith’s Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies. (Physorg.com)

A CD26 Inhibitor increases the efficiency and responsiveness of umbilical cord blood for bone marrow transplants and may improve care for blood cancer patients according to research from Rush University Medical Center being presented at the 6th Annual International Umbilical Cord Blood Transplantation Symposium, June 6-7 in Los Angeles. (Science Daily)

H.R. 5940, the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008 passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 407 to 6. H.R. 5940 reauthorizes and refines the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), notably strengthening the commitment to environmental and safety research.

“The promise of nanotechnology is enormous, but potential downsides need to be addressed from the beginning in a thorough, transparent process,” said Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN). “The federal interagency nanotechnology research program has not yet put in place a well designed, adequately funded, and effectively executed research program focused on the environmental and safety aspects of nanotechnology. H.R. 5940 addresses this deficiency by requiring that a research plan, with detailed objectives and funding targets, be developed and quickly implemented.”  (NanoTechWire.com)

AUSTRALIA’S first licences to clone human embryos could be granted as early as this week.

A National Health and Medical Research Council panel met in Canberra on Friday to consider applications from two separate research groups.  (The Daily Telegraph)

Using stem cells from umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, researchers have apparently cured a fatal genetic disease in a 2-year-old Minneapolis boy, which could open the door for other stem cell treatments. For the first time in his life, Nate Liao is wearing normal clothes, eating food that has not been pureed, and playing with his siblings.  (Los Angeles Times)

In a finding that researchers found surprising, the public’s attitudes about embryonic stem cell research appear to be shaped more by things other than an understanding of science.

Writing in a recent issue of the International Journal of Public Opinion, a team of three communications researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports that for many people, scientific knowledge has an “almost negligible” impact on how people view stem cell research.  (WTN News)

AUSTRALIA’S first application for a licence to clone human embryos for stem cell research should be knocked back because recent scientific discoveries have made the procedure redundant, critics say.

Ethicists, religious heads and anti-cloning groups yesterday hit out at the joint move by Sydney IVF and Victoria’s Monash Immunology and Stem Cell laboratories to seek permission from the National Health and Medical Research Council to clone human embryonic stem cells. The scientists want to implant discarded eggs left over from IVF treatment with diseased cells from an adult to create embryonic stem cells that are an exact replica of the donor, to help develop treatments for diseases. Australians for Ethical Stem Cell Research national director David van Gend said scientific breakthroughs meant cloning was no longer needed to create embryonic stem cells. (The Australian)

With several companies and dozens of academic researchers pushing to turn stem cells into therapeutics, officials at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are striving to stay a step ahead. Yet judging from
an advisory meeting held in April, anticipating the regulatory challenges associated with cell therapies will entail a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, such cell therapies may offer new therapeutic avenues for intractable diseases and injuries; on the other, they pose difficult-to-appraise risks, such as cancer and immunogenicity. (Premium content from Nature Biotechnology)

A Nobel Prize-winning scientist says it could be tougher than first thought to harness the healing power of stem cells in medicine.

It had been hoped a single “master” cell could potentially be used to repair all damage in a single organ. Professor Mario Capecchi, from the University of Utah, found surprising clues that different stem cells might be working together in the same organ. This means experimental treatments relying on the wrong type might fail. (BBC NEWS)