The age-related decline of the immune system has several causes, but the involution of the thymus is an important one. The thymus is responsible for the production of mature T cells of the adaptive immune system, but the organ atrophies with age. The supply of new T cells falls off dramatically in later life, and...
By Christy Cheung, MRes Neuronal cell death in the nervous system is a major contribution to neurodegenerative diseases. Despite occasional neuronal deaths during the process of aging, extensive neuronal cell death is rare in adults with a mature central nervous system (CNS). Nevertheless, there is an increased neuronal loss in patients with neurodegenerative diseases compared...
by James L. Manley, Duke-NUS Medical School Reports show that cancer is the second-highest leading cause of death globally, with the possibility that every one in four to five people in Singapore may develop cancer in their lifetime. A recent study by scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School provides new evidence supporting the presence of a...
Researchers at Children’s Cancer Institute have discovered what could prove a new and improved way to treat the poor-prognosis blood cancer, acute myeloid leukaemia or AML Researchers at Children’s Cancer Institute have discovered what could prove a new and improved way to treat the poor-prognosis blood cancer, acute myeloid leukaemia or AML. Unlike acute lymphoblastic...
by NYU Langone Health After a brain injury, cells that normally nourish nerves may actually kill them instead, a new study in rodents finds. This “reactive” phenomenon may be the driving factor behind neurodegenerative diseases like glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness. Led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the study examined what...
The term Regenerative Medicine covers so much biomedical science these days including everything from just about any kind of cell therapy (not just stem cells) to CRISPR gene editing, and with the the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems this umbrella use of the term now includes potential treatment of viral illnesses. It can be hard to...
Durham, NC – Results of a study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine(SCTM) may point the way to a cure for a serious lung disease called silicosis that affects millions of workers worldwide. Silicosis results from years of breathing in dust microparticles of silica by workers in professions such as construction and sand blasting....
by Johannes Angerer, Medical University of Vienna A MedUni Vienna study group has identified a previously unknown mechanism involved in the development of intestinal cancer: The bacterial microbiome activates the so-called immune checkpoint Ido1 in Paneth cells, a special cell that is only found in the gastrointestinal tract, thereby preventing local intestinal inflammation. However, this...
Muscle stem cells, the reserve stem cell in the skeletal muscles, are responsible for muscle repair after damage. They are the ‘regenerative medicine’ to cure muscle diseases and muscle damage. In a healthy uninjured condition, muscle stem cells are in quiescence, a dormant state, to preserve them. Whenever there is muscle damage, they will wake...
Small and minimally invasive ‘Detachable Microneedle Depots’ effectively deliver stem cells for localized MSC therapy of skin disorders Credit: Khademhosseini Lab (LOS ANGELES) — Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent in that they naturally replenish the cell types that build our bone, cartilage and adipose tissues. However, their much broader regenerative potential, based on their...
