May 16, 2011
“Pitcher’s Treatment Draws Scrutiny,” proclaimed the headline for this week’s New York Times story about the medical treatment performed on New York Yankees pitcher Bartolo Colon’s elbow and shoulder. The Web browser banner for the story was: “Disputed Treatment Used … Read More
May 12, 2011
Scientists believe they’ve discovered stem cells in the lung that can make a wide variety of the organ’s tissues, a finding that might open new doors for treating emphysema and other diseases. When these human cells were injected into mice, … Read More
May 12, 2011
Researchers have found a way to cheaply produce millions of the cells that can be injected into the organ and help regenerate it. The technique involves converting skin and blood cells back to their original stem cell state and then … Read More
May 9, 2011
Europe’s largest stem cell clinic, which is at the centre of a scandal over the death of a baby given an injection into the brain, has been shut down. The closure of the XCell-Center in Dusseldorf follows an undercover investigation by … Read More
May 2, 2011
When Paula Aspinall, 35, gave birth to her second child, she and her husband, Peter, arranged to have blood from baby Daniel’s umbilical cord collected and frozen for storage. This procedure, done privately, cost £2,000. But the couple, from Northwich … Read More
April 19, 2011
The American Journal of Bioethics (Volume 11, Issue 3, 2011) is now available online. Articles include: “Sexless Reproduction: A Status Symbol” by Molly Harvard and David Magnus, 1. “The Many Moral Responsibilities of Independent Data-Monitoring Committees” by Alain Braillon, 16 … Read More
April 12, 2011
Study shows, for the first time, the successful reprogramming of diseased human hepatocytes into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). (Medical News Today)
April 12, 2011
Human umbilical cord blood-derived mensenchymal stem cells (uMSCs) have been found to offer benefits for treating lupus nephritis (LN) when transplanted into mouse models of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). SLE is an autoimmune disease with “myriad immune system aberrations” characterized … Read More
April 11, 2011
Scots scientists have grown kidneys in a laboratory – in a breakthrough that could solve the problem of organ donor shortages. Edinburgh University researchers created the kidneys from stem cells taken from human amniotic fluid and animal foetuses. (Daily Record)
April 5, 2011
In a new research study under way at the Methodist DeBakey Heart & Vascular Center, surgeons are adding a patient’s own stem cells to the heart during cardiac bypass surgery. The goal of this research study is to determine whether … Read More
April 4, 2011
The International Cellular Medicine Society has accomplished a significant milestone through its Stem Cell Patient Treatment Registry. Today the Society announced that the ICMS Treatment Registry has reached over 750 patient cases being tracked. As a nonprofit organization dedicated to … Read More
March 25, 2011
The notion of transplanting adult stem cells to treat or even cure age-related macular degeneration has taken a significant step toward becoming a reality. In a study published today in Stem Cells, Georgetown University Medical Center researchers have demonstrated, for … Read More
March 23, 2011
A long term study reports about the effectiveness of replacing bone marrow, purposely destroyed by chemotherapy, with autologous (self) stem cell rescue for people with aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is published in the March 22, 2011, … Read More
March 14, 2011
For years, ethical issues hampered progress in stem cell research. Now, experts believe that developments in reprogrammed ‘iPS’ cells will truly revolutionise the treatment of life-threatening illnesses. (The Guardian)
March 8, 2011
One of the latest advances in stem-cell research might have trumped the tooth fairy. Last year, before oral surgeon Dr. Greg Kewitt extracted the wisdom teeth of a teenage patient, the boy’s father asked him if he could save the boy’s … Read More
March 8, 2011
The fiery subject of medicine based on human stem cells usually evokes roiling controversy, often generating more questions than answers. So, stem cell therapies have yet to catch on among investors — and on Wall Street. No wonder a tiny … Read More
November 18, 2010
When Leidy Sanchez and her husband, Carlos Reyes, went to the hospital last week to deliver their baby, a nurse got her a gown, hooked her up to a fetal monitor and asked an unexpected question: Would they like to … Read More
November 11, 2010
Direct conversion of cell types could offer safer, simpler treatments than stem cells. (Nature News)
October 27, 2010
Scrapings taken from inside the nose – from the olfactory system, which provides the sense of smell – were found to contain adult stem cells very similar to those that would be active inside the brain. (The Age)
October 15, 2010
“First Patient Treated With Stem Cells,” blares one headline. “First Patient Treated in Stem Cell Study,” shouts another. They’re bogus. It was actually the first human trial using embryonic stem cells, or ESCs. Their Cinderella stepsister, adult stem cells, or … Read More
October 1, 2010
Scientists have invented an efficient way to produce apparently safe alternatives to human embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos, a long-sought step toward bypassing the moral morass surrounding one of the most promising fields in medicine. (Washington Post)
September 3, 2010
Ever since 1996, the law has been clear: The federal government may not pay for research in which existing human embryos are “destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death.†(Christian Post)
September 2, 2010
The two scientists behind the lawsuit that has temporarily blocked federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research said Wednesday they were motivated by ethical objections to destroying human embryos for medical research. (Wall Street Journal)
August 26, 2010
Congress may take up the issue of embryonic stem cell research when it reconvenes next month. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado) says there is a “new urgency” to pass legislation after a federal judge’s ruling on Monday essentially halted the research. … Read More
August 26, 2010
Monday’s decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia halting all federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research is a surprising milestone in the decade-long debate over this morally fraught field — and another opportunity to make the … Read More
