Stem Cells News
The Moral Frontiers of Stem Cell Research
2010-12-06
THE PUBLIC DISCOURSE
Though recent progress in induced pluripotent stem-cell research may reduce reliance on embryonic stem cells, it is no moral panacea.
Canadian scientists transform human skin into blood
2010-11-07
VANCOUVER SUN
Canadian scientists have transformed pinches of human skin into petri dishes of human blood — a major medical breakthrough that could yield new sources of blood for transfusions after cancer treatments or surgery.
Leukemia breakthrough suggested in lab finding
2010-11-07
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
In a breakthrough that could revolutionize the way leukemia is treated, Canadian researchers have found a way to create blood from a patch of a person's own skin.
Canadian researchers transform skin into blood
2010-11-07
NATIONAL POST
When scientists at Hamilton's McMaster University noticed that a petri dish full of long, thin skin cells now also had a quite different occupant — distinctive, round blood cells — they suspected they were on to something big.
Stem Cells Generated to Further Treatments for Lung Disease
2010-10-30
SCIENCE DAILY
A team of researchers from Boston University's Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Pulmonary Center has generated 100 new lines of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from individuals with lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis and emphysema. The new stem cell lines could possibly lead to new treatments for these debilitating diseases.
U.S. trial marks dawn of the 'stem-cell age'
2010-10-11
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
In the world's first rigorous clinical trial of a groundbreaking new therapy, millions of stem cells derived from human embryos have been injected into the crushed spine of a paralyzed patient.
Embryos not as good for stem cell progress
2010-08-27
CALGARY HERALD
A ruling by a U.S. District Court judge has apparently revived the embryonic stem cell debate and, in doing so, plunged American society back into the Dark Ages. The debate has indeed resurfaced but, based on reaction by the American media, any hope for real discussion is lost. The debate is still being fought on the basis of erroneous perceptions and, without the facts, there can be no intelligent resolution. As a reminder, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) come from days-old embryos and the embryo must be destroyed to extract them. But they are pluripotent -- they have the potential to turn into any one of the body's approximately 200 kinds of mature cell types. They could be blood, bone, brain or heart cells. Consequently, those in favour of ESC research live in the hope that one day these cells will regenerate organs, heal spinal cord injuries and reverse progressive diseases like Alzheimer's. In contrast, adult stem cells are mature cells that typically come from the bone marrow or the blood. But they only have the potential to turn into the cells from their tissue of origin.
Stem Cells From Own Eyes Restore Vision to Blind
2010-06-18
BLOOMBERG BUSINESS WEEK
Patients blinded in one or both eyes by chemical burns regained their vision after healthy stem cells were extracted from their eyes and reimplanted, according to a report by Italian researchers at a scientific meeting.
New Type of Human Stem Cell May Be Easier to Manipulate
2010-06-11
SCIENCE DAILY
Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Regenerative Medicine (MGH-CRM) and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have a developed a new type of human pluripotent stem cell that can be manipulated more readily than currently available stem cells. As described in the June 4 Cell Stem Cell, these new cells could be used to create better cellular models of disease processes and eventually may permit repair of disease-associated gene mutations.
Scientists convert cells while bypassing embryonic state
2010-01-27
JSONLINE
In a feat of biological alchemy, scientists at Stanford have turned the skin cells of a mouse into brain cells without ever taking the cells back to the embryonic state, raising hopes that medicine may be approaching a new era.
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