February 8, 2010
Virus-free technique enables scientists to easily make stem cells pluripotent
Tiny circles of DNA are the key to a new and easier way to transform stem cells from human fat into induced pluripotent stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Unlike other commonly used techniques, the method, which is based on standard molecular biology practices, does not use viruses to introduce genes into the cells or permanently alter a cell’s genome. (PhysOrg)
February 7, 2010
New Issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association is Now Available
JAMA (Vol. 303; No. 4; January 27, 2010) is now available by subscription only.
Articles include:
- “Assessing the Legal Standard of Care in Public Health Emergencies” by James G. Hodge Jr and Brooke Courtney, 361-362.
- “Improving Health by Taking It Personally” by Ralph Snyderman and Michaela A. Dian, 363-364.
- “Ethnic Shifts Raise Issues in Elder Care” by Rebecca Voelker, 321.
- “Stem Cell Lines Cleared” by Bridget M. Kuehn, 322.
February 2, 2010
Journal stem cell work ‘blocked’
Stem cell experts say they believe a small group of scientists is effectively vetoing high quality science from publication in journals. In some cases they say it might be done to deliberately stifle research that is in competition with their own. (BBC)
January 28, 2010
Britain grants patent for iPS cells
A Californian biomedical company, iPierian, has been granted the first patent issued outside Japan for the genetic reprogramming technology used to create induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. (Nature News)
January 25, 2010
Bush stem cell line ok for approval
For the first time since the National Institutes of Health released its new guidelines for the derivation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines last summer, a line approved under the Bush administration has been recommended for inclusion into the growing federal registry of lines eligible for federal funding. (The Scientist)
Lawmakers To Debate Embryonic Stem Cell Bill
State lawmakers could be taking a vote soon on embryonic stem cell research. And there are some who want to make sure that full-fledged human cloning doesn’t inadvertently get the green light, according to WWJ Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick. (WWJ Newsradio 950)
January 22, 2010
Improved cord blood transplantation to treat leukaemia
A paper in Nature Medicine has been has been heralded as a major advance for bone marrow transplantation, reporting a new way of manipulating cord blood stem cells to expand their numbers without causing differentiation from stem cells into normal blood cells (which are unsuitable for transplantation). (PHG Foundation)
January 21, 2010
First U.S. stem cells transplanted into spinal cord
For the first time in the United States, stem cells have been directly injected into the spinal cord of a patient, researchers announced Thursday. Doctors injected stem cells from 8-week-old fetal tissue into the spine of a man in his early 60s who has advanced ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It was part of a clinical trial designed to determine whether it is safe to inject stem cells into the spinal cord and whether the cells themselves are safe. (CNN)
January 19, 2010
New Issue of Trends in Pharmacological Sciences is Now Available
Trends in Pharmacological Sciences (Volume 31, Issue 1, January 2010) is now available by subscription only.
Articles include:
- “Homeopathy, a ‘Helpful Placebo’ or an Unethical Intervention” by Edzard Ernst, 1.
- “Small Molecules that Modulate Embryonic Stem Cell Fate and Somatic Cell Reprogramming” by Winlin Li and Sheng Ding, 36.
New Issue of Cell Stem Cell is Now Available
Cell Stem Cell (Volume 6, Issue 1, January 2010) is now available by subscription only.
Articles include:
- “Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Keratinocytes: How Close to Clinics?” by Graziella Pellegrini and Michele De Luca, 8.
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January 13, 2010
California’s Proposition 71 Failure
Five years after a budget-busting $3 billion was allocated to embryonic stem cell research, there have been no cures, no therapies and little progress. So supporters are embracing research they once opposed. (Investors)
January 11, 2010
Grant money could speed stem cell cures
State money from 2004’s Proposition 71 is being channeled toward research with the most potential for near-term benefits. (Los Angeles Times)
January 6, 2010
Geron Sees Anticancer Activity in Lab Study
Biotechnology company Geron Corp. said Tuesday its developing stem-cell technology inhibited tumor activity and reduced tumor size in a laboratory study focusing on the most common form of brain cancer. The company, citing a study authored by collaborators at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, said its drug candidate imetelstat specifically inhibited the activity of the brain cancer, glioblastoma. (ABC News)
January 4, 2010
The Modern Dilemma of Making a Whole New You
Humanity has always longed to possess the regenerative powers of other living things. The Mexican walking fish can regrow a severed limb, and if you cut the freshwater hydra into pieces, each will become a new creature.
The idea of possessing such powers is the stuff of ancient myths and science fiction. But with a new technique known as cell reprogramming, the reality may be soon upon us. (The Age)
December 18, 2009
Shinya Yamanaka Crucial to Bay Area’s Role in Stem Cell Research
When Dr. Shinya Yamanaka arrived in the United States from Japan in 1993, he recalled recently, he was “half a scientist, half a failed surgeon.” A disaffected doctor with a newly minted Ph.D. in pharmacology, he had but one job offer, from the Gladstone Institutes, wedged into crowded laboratories by San Francisco General Hospital. (New York Times)
December 17, 2009
Stem-cell research leaving minorities behind?
Scientists using stem cells to chase cures for disease and to repair debilitating injuries may be unknowingly focused on only part of the world’s population — mostly that with northern and western European ancestry, according to a new study by University of Michigan researchers. (Detroit Free Press)
Stem cell company launches commercial product
Cellular Dynamics International’s iCell Cardiomyocytes beat like a human heart and can be used early in the development of new drugs to determine whether they will be effective or toxic to people, the company said in a news release. (JSOnline)
Consent issue dogs stem-cell approval
The US expansion of federal funding for human embryonic stem-cell research is being hampered by details in consent forms. Earlier this month, researchers celebrated the government’s approval of funding for a broad variety of work on 13 stem-cell lines — the first approved under the policy announced by US President Barack Obama in March. [Premium (Nature News)]
December 16, 2009
Op-Ed: State shouldn’t over-regulate stem cell research
A year after Michigan voters approved the broader use of donated embryos for stem cell research, some state legislators are seeking to put limits on the science. Since the voters already have spoken, Lansing shouldn’t meddle in this promising research. (The Detroit News)
December 10, 2009
Stem cells from skin hold promise, ethical questions
When Japanese scientists found a way to tease out high-quality stem cells from adult skin, their discovery was hailed as a major breakthrough, all but rendering moot the controversy around embryonic stem cells and the related destruction of embryos. (National Post)
December 9, 2009
Bone Marrow Transplants May Cure Sickle Cell in Adults
Researchers say that a new method of bone marrow transplantation cured nine out of 10 adult patients with sickle cell disease, an inherited condition that causes bouts of severe pain, organ damage and sharply limits life expectancy. (Forbes)
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