Abstract Somatic gene mutations can alter the vulnerability of cancer cells to T-cell-based immunotherapies. Here we perturbed genes in human melanoma cells to mimic loss-of-function mutations involved in resistance to these therapies, by using a genome-scale CRISPR–Cas9 library that consisted of around 123,000 single-guide RNAs, and profiled genes whose loss in tumour cells impaired the...
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Prostate cancer testing: has the bubble burst?
In 2010, I wrote a free book on prostate cancer testing with two colleagues, Alex Barratt (an epidemiologist) and Martin Stockler (a clinical oncologist), Let sleeping dogs lie? What men should know before getting tested for prostate cancer. It has been downloaded just short of 38,000 times, the highest of any item in Sydney University’s open access...
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Battling baldness by jumpstarting stem cells with lactate
Untreated mouse skin on the left versus skin that was treated with the drug UK5099 on the right If stem cells can do everything from growing skulls to generating new heart tissue, you’d think they’d also be able to help regrow hair on balding heads. In fact, they soon might be able to do just that. Last...
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First implants derived from stem cells to ‘cure’ type 1 diabetes
Stem cells have been cultured to treat many different of conditions Lewis Houghton/Science Photo Library Last week, two people with type 1 diabetes became the first to receive implants containing cells generated from embryonic stem cells to treat their condition. The hope is that when blood sugar levels rise, the implants will release insulin to restore them...
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Clinical trials of stem cell-based “functional cure” for type 1 diabetes underway
A new treatment currently undergoing human clinical trials could see the end of pin prick tests for diabetics A human clinical trial examining the safety and efficacy of a “functional cure” for type 1 diabetes is currently underway. Trials of the novel islet cell replacement therapy developed by ViaCyte involve a device containing stem...
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Cardiac stem cells from young hearts could rejuvenate old hearts, new study shows
Animal study reveals that cardiosphere-derived cells secrete tiny vesicles that could ‘turn back the clock’ for age-related heart conditions LOS ANGELES (EMBARGOED UNTIL AUG. 14, 2017, AT 10 A.M. EDT ) – Cardiac stem cell infusions could someday help reverse the aging process in the human heart, making older ones behave younger, according to a new study from...
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iPSC-Derived Retina Transplants Improve Vision in rd1 End-Stage Retinal-Degeneration Mice
Highlights iPSC retina reconstructs outer nuclear layer in the end-stage retina Contacts between the host bipolar cells and graft photoreceptors were visualized rd1 mice became responsive to light after iPSC-retina transplantation RGC responses to light were recorded from host rd1 retina after transplantation Summary Recent success in functional recovery by photoreceptor precursor transplantation in dysfunctional retina has led...
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Scientists identify a new way to activate stem cells to make hair grow
UCLA researchers have discovered a new way to activate the stem cells in the hair follicle to make hair grow. The research, led by scientists Heather Christofk and William Lowry, may lead to new drugs that could promote hair growth for people with baldness or alopecia, which is hair loss associated with such factors as...
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Data Mined Insurance Records Point to Interesting Disease Relationships
Data about who has what disease holds a lot of clues about the diseases themselves and their causes. Researchers at the University of Chicago undertook a data mining effort to figure out what genetic and environmental patterns that a few dozen common diseases share with each other. The team gathered data from insurance claims related...
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New malaria analysis method reveals disease severity in minutes
Red blood cells become less deformable as they undergo heme-induced oxidative stress caused by malaria parasites. Left untreated, malaria can progress from being mild to severe — and potentially fatal — in 24 hours. So researchers at the University of British Columbia developed a method to quickly and sensitively assess the progression of the mosquito-borne...