Aijun Wang has identified stem cell byproducts that protect neurons. Credit: UC Regents / UC Davis Health Researchers on the path to finding a cure for spina bifida have identified specific elements in stem cell secretions as key to protecting neurons and ultimately reducing the lower-limb paralysis associated with the birth defect. Those elements are exosomes—vesicles...
Tag: <span>Stem Cells</span>
Post
Promising compound selectively kills brain cancer stem cells
Scripps Research scientists have discovered a compound that potently and selectively kills the stem-like cells that make glioblastoma brain cancers so deadly. In a study published this week in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the Scripps Research scientists found that the new compound, which they dubbed RIPGBM, kills glioblastomastem-like cells cultured from patients’ tumors with more than 40...
Post
Honeybee protein keeps stem cells youthful
An active protein component of royal jelly helps honeybees create new queens. Stanford researchers have identified a similar protein in mammals, which keeps cultured embryonic stem cells pluripotent. Kevin Wang holds a flask of cells that have been engineered to produce the Regina protein, a mammalian protein similar in structure to the active component of...
Post
Queen bee’s secret sauce uncovers a key ingredient that keeps stem cells young
The simply named and intriguingly effective royal jelly is what separates queen bees from the rest. These lucky bees are selected by the colony during the larval stage and coated in the milky, nutritious substance and then go on to become large and fertile leaders of the pack. For the first time, scientists at Stanford...
Post
Skeletal stem cells regress when tasked with extensive regeneration
Adult mouse skeletal stem cells in the jaw revert to a more developmentally flexible state when called upon to regenerate large portions of bone and tissue, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The finding is the first to show that mammalian adult stem cells can march backward along...
Post
Can Young Stem Cells Make Older People Stronger?
Small trials using younger donors and elderly recipients hint that mesenchymal stem cell transfers might reduce frailty. Can one grow old without growing frail? One company is banking on the idea that with the right treatment, the answer can be ‘yes’ for many more people. In clinical trials published in October in the Journals of Gerontology, Longeveron, the firm...
Post
Stem cells in intestinal lining may shed light on behavior of cancer cells
URBANA, Ill. – The lining of the intestines – the epithelium – does more than absorb nutrients from your lunch. It grows, shrinks, and adjusts the very makeup of its cells in response to whatever you just ate. And understanding that process might just give scientists new insights into the behavior of cancer cells. “We...
Post
Electrical Guidance of Human Stem Cells in the Rat Brain
Highlights Developed a technology and device delivering electric current to the brain in vivo Achieved stable delivery of currents to brain with monitoring and safety concerns Exhibited effective guidance of migration of transplanted human NSCs in live brain Demonstrated enhanced motility, survival, and differentiation of the guided hNSCs Summary Limited migration of neural stem cells in adult...
Post
Finding a key to unlock blocked differentiation in microRNA-deficient embryonic stem cells
Such basic research supports the goal of using stem cells in therapy, where an important hurdle is efficient differentiation BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The more than 200 different types of human cells have the same DNA but express different ensembles of genes. Each cell type was derived from embryonic stem cells, which are called pluripotent stem...
Post
What are stem cells and why are they important?
The idea of a miracle cure, bodies healing themselves, holds a certain fascination. Stem cell research brings regenerative medicine a step closer, but there is also controversy. So what are stem cells, and why are they so important? Stem cells are a type of cell that can develop into many other different types of cell....