Stem Cells

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The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced the launch of Stem Cell Medicine: Parkinson's Disease, a new continuing education course designed to equip clinicians with an evidence-based understanding of emerging stem cell therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD).

Nanogel integrated spheroids increase cell retention and repair injured swallowing muscles.

Swallowing is a fundamental human function that supports nutrition and communication. Damage to swallowing muscles can reduce quality of life and even lead to aspiration pneumonia or malnutrition. Many patients suffer from swallowing difficulties after being treated for head or neck cancer, and swallowing disorders are also common in older adults, yet effective therapies have been limited.

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

The study focused on safety, but the results offer hope the approach could give kids a chance to walk. The post In a First, Researchers Use Stem Cells and Surgery to Treat Spina Bifida in the Womb appeared first on SingularityHub.

A new biotech company forged through an Australian and Danish partnership will accelerate treatments for children and adults with heart disease. Harnessing cellular therapies, the company aims to conduct human clinical trials within three to five years.

A new study has uncovered how an exceptionally scarce protein can orchestrate the assembly of large-scale gene-silencing structures inside cells, and what happens when that process breaks down. The findings, published today in Molecular Cell, identify a self-clustering mechanism in the Polycomb protein CBX2 that is essential for initiating the formation of gene-repressive condensates and guiding stem cells toward their proper fates.

Cerebral palsy is a condition usually caused by brain damage before or during birth, resulting in impaired posture and movement.

Induced pluripotent stem cells could help treat diseased hearts and brains

Aging muscles heal more slowly after injury — a frustrating reality familiar to many older adults. A new

Scientists at the University of California, Irvine's School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences have discovered how muscle stem cells "flip a switch" to rebuild damaged muscle – a finding that could help address muscle loss linked to aging, injury and widely used weight-loss medications.

In a Phase I trial, the treatment appeared to be safe in children with spina bifida.

Frailty can typically only be lessened through lifestyle changes, but a stem cell therapy seems to target the underlying causes of the condition, boosting the mobility of frail older people

A first-in-human trial shows the feasibility and safety of delivering placenta-derived stem cells during prenatal myelomeningocele repair.

The congenital condition spina bifida is often treated surgically in the womb, but many children still go on to have mobility issues. The addition of a patch made up of stem cells from donated placentas could improve their long-term outcomes

A phase 1 clinical trial published in The Lancet has shown that combining stem cell therapy with standard fetal surgery before birth is a safe and promising approach to treat myelomeningocele, a severe form of spina bifida.

The study is now scaling up to do more in utero procedures and evaluate effects on disability as children grow

A wide variety of stem cell therapies exist at various stages of development and clinical use. A broad range of cell sources and processing techniques are unprotected by intellectual property and are thus employed by clinics both within and outside the more heavily regulated regions of the world. Stem cell therapies have long been a staple of the medical tourism industry. These first generation stem cell therapies may be widely used but do not contribute much in the way of robust data to improve our understanding of how well they work. It appears to be the case, from what little we can see, that the benefits of treatment vary notably between patients and clinics. Even similar approaches can produce very different outcomes in different hands, […]

Hematopoietic stem cells are responsible for generating red blood cells and immune cells. With age, this production of cells becomes dysfunctional in a variety of ways, contributing to the aging of the immune system. For example, production of immune cells becomes biased to myeloid cells at the expense of lymphoid cells, a change that contributes indirectly to the more inflammatory behavior of the aged immune system. Identifying specific mechanisms involved in hemotopoietic aging is the first step on the road to finding ways to reverse these issues. Aged hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) show diminished capacity of self-renewal, skewed lineage output and compromised proteostasis. Ubiquitin proteasomal systems are critical for maintaining protein homeostasis. We show that the levels of Ube2g1, a E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme likely involved […]

A groundbreaking clinical trial is testing whether specially engineered stem cells can help the brain restore its own dopamine production in people with Parkinson’s disease. Because the condition is driven by the gradual loss of dopamine-producing cells—leading to tremors, stiffness, and slowed movement—researchers are implanting lab-grown cells directly into the brain’s movement center to replace what’s been lost.

In a new study published in Nature Communications, a research team at the University of Oslo have examined how cancer cells develop in the bone marrow and whether it might be possible to stop them.

Scientists in China have unveiled a breakthrough way to mass-produce powerful cancer-fighting immune cells in the lab. By engineering early-stage stem cells from cord blood—rather than trying to modify mature natural killer (NK) cells—they created a streamlined process that generates enormous numbers of highly potent NK cells, including CAR-equipped versions designed to hunt specific cancers.

A new study has found that L1td1, a protein evolutionarily co-opted from the Long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE1) retrotransposon, functions as a critical "gatekeeper" restricting pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) from reverting to a totipotent state. The research demonstrates that loss of L1td1 triggers the reactivation of totipotency-associated genes and endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), prompting cells to spontaneously regress to a totipotent-like (or 2-cell-like) state that mirrors the earliest stages of embryogenesis. Notably, the study identifies L1td1 as a key post-transcriptional regulator that suppresses endogenous viral elements to sustain pluripotency.

Cellares, the first Integrated Development and Manufacturing Organization (IDMO), today announced a collaboration with the Stanford Center for Definitive and Curative Medicine (CDCM) and Stanford Innovative Medicines Accelerator (IMA) to automate manufacturing and release testing for gene-edited hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) therapies, expanding the application of Cellares' automation platforms beyond T cell therapies into a new cell modality.

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects more than one million people in the United States, with approximately 90,000 new cases diagnosed each year.

One of the most enduring goals in regenerative medicine is deceptively simple: replace a person's damaged or dying cells with healthy new ones grown in the laboratory.

Researchers in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources have developed a novel line of bovine embryonic stem cells, which have significant potential for a variety of new innovations, from lab-grown meat to models for human tissue replacement. This work, led by Xiuchun "Cindy" Tian, professor of biotechnology in the Department of Animal Science, and her former and current graduate students Yue Su, Jiaxi Liu, and Ruifeng Zhao, was published in Stem Cells.

Aging muscles heal more slowly after injury—a frustrating reality familiar to many older adults. A UCLA study conducted in mice reveals an unexpected cause: Stem cells in aged muscle accumulate higher levels of a protein that slows their ability to activate and repair tissue, but helps the cells survive longer in the harsh environment of aging tissue.

Aging muscles heal more slowly after injury - a frustrating reality familiar to many older adults.

The composition of the gut microbiome changes with age. A variety of factors likely contribute, including reduced physical activity, changes in diet, and a decline in the ability of the immune system to keep unwanted microbial populations in check. With age, microbes capable of provoking inflammation grow in number while microbes responsible for generating beneficial metabolites diminish in number. This is not an inevitable fate: the composition of the gut microbiome can be permanently changed by fecal microbiota transplantation. Studies have shown rejuvenation of the aged gut microbiome, improved health, and extended life span following fecal microbiota transplantation from young donor animals to old recipient animals. In human medicine, fecal microbiota transplantation was up until recently conducted in something of a gray area of regulation, […]

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

The therapies developed by Immunis represent the less well trodden path when it comes to the ongoing but still early stages in the replacement of stem cell therapies. This replacement is possible because the benefits provided by presently widespread forms of stem cell therapy result from the signals secreted by those cells in the short period of time before they die. Few such therapies have demonstrated any meaningful degree of long-term engraftment and survival of transplanted cells. Benefits are thus a matter of signals from the stem cells favorably adjusting the behavior of native cells for some extended period of time. The most reliable beneficial outcome of such therapies is a reduction in chronic inflammation. Most efforts to replace stem cell therapies with a logistically […]

Scientists are developing a "sponge" that can soak up pain signals in the body before they reach the brain, potentially offering an alternative to painkillers.

A new study led by Hartmut Geiger at the University of Ulm, Germany, and Yi Zheng and Kodandaramireddy Nalapareddy, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), USA reveals that age-related changes in the gut microbiota directly impair intestinal stem cell (ISC) function and that restoring a youthful microbial environment can reverse this decline.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced the upcoming release of "Charting the Translational Pathway: ISSCR Best Practices for the Development of Pluripotent Stem Cell (PSC)-Derived Therapies," a new paper highlighting some of the most critical aspects of the ISSCR's breakthrough interactive resource designed to transform how PSC-derived therapies are developed, evaluated, and advanced toward clinical and commercial success.

Researchers at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS Medicine), have found that a key protein can help to regenerate neural stem cells, which may improve aging-associated decline in neuronal production of an aging brain.

In a study published in Cell Research, researchers have identified a fibrous-layer resident subpopulation of P-SSCs labeled by Angptl7. They found that these cells are crucial for bone fracture repair by mediating endochondral ossification, but exhibit minimal osteogenic capacity during postnatal bone development and maintenance.

Among allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with influenza infection, seasonal influenza vaccination lowers the risk for progression to lower respiratory tract disease.

Study in mouse models of stroke showed how transplanted stem cell-derived neurons contain intrinsic codes for navigating and forming connections with the nervous system, which may help develop future cell therapies. The post Stem Cell-Derived Neurons Navigate to Form Connections in the Injured Brain appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Some parts of our bodies bounce back from injury in fairly short order. The outer protective layer of the eye-called the cornea-can heal from minor scratches within a single day.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded $7.4 million to support a University of California San Diego team developing a first-of-its-kind stem cell-based gene therapy for Friedreich's ataxia, a rare inherited neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive loss of coordination, muscle strength, heart function and overall mobility.

For the first time, researchers at the University of British Columbia have demonstrated how to reliably produce an important type of human immune cell-known as helper T cells-from stem cells in a controlled laboratory setting.

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and AlveoliX have developed the first human 'lung-on-chip' model using stem cells taken from only one person.

Intestinal Stem Cells (ISCs) derived from a patient's own cells have garnered significant attention as a new alternative for treating intractable intestinal diseases due to their low risk of rejection.

Nature is the foremost international weekly scientific journal in the world and is the flagship journal for Nature Portfolio. It publishes the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology on the basis of its originality, importance, interdisciplinary interest, timeliness, accessibility, elegance and surprising conclusions. Nature publishes landmark papers, award winning news, leading comment and expert opinion on important, topical scientific news and events that enable readers to share the latest discoveries in science and evolve the discussion amongst the global scientific community.

To date, more than 100 clinical trials with human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived products have been initiated worldwide and an increasing number of potential hPSC-derived clinical products have entered early developmental pipelines.

With a Kobe University-developed procedure, induced pluripotent stem cells can now be frozen directly in their dishes without losing their viability or undifferentiated state after thawing. This marks a significant step for research automation, personalized medicine and drug discovery research.

Imagine if our bodies could grow new organs throughout our entire lives. Plants do this constantly, thanks to tiny, powerful reservoirs of stem cells. But how do these cells know when to divide, and how do they ensure each division is perfectly oriented to build a leaf, a stem, or a flower?

From the moment an embryo starts to take shape, two-way communication is critical for making sure tissues and organs develop correctly.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related, progressive, neurodegenerative condition, caused by loss of dopamine-producing neurons.

SereNeuro Therapeutics revealed promising results for SN101, a first-in-class iPSC-derived therapy designed to treat chronic osteoarthritis pain while protecting joint tissue. Instead of blocking pain pathways, SN101 uses lab-grown nociceptors that act like sponges, soaking up inflammatory pain factors without sending pain signals. These cells also release regenerative molecules, offering disease-modifying potential that stands apart from traditional corticosteroids and single-target drugs like Nav1.8 inhibitors.

The aging of the extracellular matrix is not as well studied as is the case for cell biochemistry. There are likely many important changes that take place in the extracellular matrix over a lifetime that meaningfully affect cell function in aged tissues, but have yet to be discovered and understood. One example is outlined here, a matrix protein that declines with age but seems necessary to maintain the normal function of muscle stem cells. Declining muscle stem cell function is one of the important contributions to the characteristic loss of muscle mass and strength that occurs with age. Skeletal muscle regeneration occurs through the finely timed activation of resident muscle stem cells (MuSC). Following injury, MuSC exit quiescence, undergo myogenic commitment, and regenerate the muscle. […]

The production of cultured meat depends on the isolation, expansion, and differentiation of animal stem cells into edible tissues. Muscle stem cells, or satellite cells, are central to this process due to their ability to regenerate and form muscle fibers.

Leslie M. Thompson, Donald Bren Professor of psychiatry and human behavior as well as neurobiology and behavior at the University of California, Irvine, has received an $11,999,933 grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for an unprecedented clinical trial of a novel neural stem cell therapy for Huntington's disease.

Canine induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells possess the ability to differentiate into any type of cell, making them a useful tool for investigating common canine diseases and disease states, including those of humans.

Over the past few decades, advances in hematology have illuminated how a delicate balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation sustains healthy blood formation.

Much of the benefit of stem cell therapies results from the signals released by those cells in the short time they survive in the body following transplantation. Much of that signaling is carried by extracellular vesicles, membrane-wrapped packages of molecules. Extracellular vesicle therapies can in principle become considerably less costly than stem cell therapies, because manufacture can be centralized, and because extracellular vesicles are much more readily stored and transported, but we are not there yet. Thus while extracellular vesicle therapy is certainly available to those with the time and patience to navigate the medical tourism space, or find suppliers and a cooperative physician inside the US, the schedule of 36 doses over 18 months used in this study is beyond the financial reach of […]

For years, the search for a stem cell donor has felt like a quest for a rare key-one that fits a lock with eight intricate tumblers, each representing a genetic marker.

This study shows that vacancy-engineered MoS₂ nanoflowers drive mitochondrial biogenesis in human mesenchymal stem cells by activating SIRT1–PGC-1α signaling and reducing oxidative stress. These treated cells transfer more functional mitochondria to injured recipient cells, restoring energy metabolism and redox balance in multiple in vitro models.

Kylie Jenner posted about stem-cell therapy for chronic back pain and named Eterna Health; social media has speculated a BBL reversal, but no medical records or legal filings confirm the allegation.

Syntax Bio, a synthetic biology company programming the next generation of cell therapies, has published new research in Science Advances detailing the company's CRISPR-based Cellgorithm technology, which lays the groundwork for programmable control of gene activity in human stem cells and offers an alternative to the slow, variable manual processes researchers use today.

Protein composition of muscular extracellular matrix impacts the function of muscular stem cells in repair and regeneration of muscles during aging. The role of tenascin-C has been clarified in a new study in mice. The post Muscle Stem Cells Bolstered by ECM Protein Tenascin-C appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Your skin is in a constant state of reinvention. Every month, your body sheds and regenerates its entire outer layer—a complete turnover powered by tiny, tireless stem cells. These same cells spring into action when you get a cut, healing wounds with remarkable speed.

Scientists in Melbourne have discovered how tiny electrical pulses can steer stem cells as they grow, opening the door to new improved ways of creating new tissues, organs, nerves and bones.

Scientists in Melbourne have discovered how tiny electrical pulses can steer stem cells as they grow, opening the door to new improved ways of creating new tissues, organs, nerves and bones.

Stem cells exist in order to minimize the number of cells capable of unrestricted replication; most cells in the body are limited in the number of times that they can divide. This limit serves to reduce the risk of cancer - and other severe disruptions that could result from unlimited replication of a malfunctioning cell - to an acceptably low level to enable evolutionary success. Stem cells provide a supply of daughter somatic cells to replace those that are lost over time, due to limited somatic cell replication. In actuality, stem cells spend much of their time in a state of quiescence, without replicating. This is necessary to preserve their function and minimize damage over the course of a lifetime. When forced into excessive activity, […]

Age-related loss of function in hematopoietic stem cells resident in the bone marrow is an important component of immune system aging, and thus important to aging as a whole. There is a tendency to think of cells only in terms of chemistry, but some of that chemistry is linked to structure, mechanical forces, and the physical properties of surrounding tissues. Researchers here find that RhoA, a key protein in a cell's response to mechanical stimulus, is important in loss of function in aged hematopoietic stem cells. It is something of an open question as to how much of this importance is driven by changes in the mechanical properties of surrounding tissues versus epigenetic changes inside the cell that affect its structure, but RhoA inhibition clearly […]

A new study, led by the University of Vienna and the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, shows how the eyes of adult marine bristleworms continue to grow throughout life – driven by a ring of neural stem cells reminiscent of vertebrate eyes.

A new study, led by the University of Vienna and the Alfred Wegener Institute in Bremerhaven, shows how the eyes of adult marine bristleworms continue to grow throughout life—driven by a ring of neural stem cells reminiscent of vertebrate eyes. What's more, these stem cells respond to environmental light.

Lysosomes are a vital component in the recycling systems of the cell, organelles that break down harmful or unwanted molecules in order to provide raw materials for manufacture of new molecules. As is the case for all cell components, lysosomes become dysfunctional with age. The buildup of persistent metabolic waste, such as lipofuscin, that cells struggle to break down is implicated in age-related lysosomal dysfunction in long-lived cells, such as neurons. Sweeping epigenetic and transcriptomic changes that alter the production of proteins occur with age in all cells, and it is likely that a subset of these changes contributes meaningfully to impaired lysosomal function. Today's open access paper is interesting not just for the connection between specific forms of lysosomal dysfunction and hematopoietic stem cell […]

A handful of people with HIV have been cured after receiving HIV-resistant stem cells – but a man who received non-resistant stem cells is also now HIV-free

One of the ways in which transplanted stem cells aid native cells in the short period of time before they die is by transferring mitochondria. This happens in much the same way as the cells also transfer signals via extracellular vesicles. A mitochondrion and a vesicle are both membrane-wrapped packages of molecules, albeit that the former is much more complex and functional. Mitochondria are important to cell function, as they generate the chemical energy store molecule adenosine triphosphate (ATP) required to power the cell. Unfortunately, loss of mitochondrial function occurs with age, and is thought to be an important component of degenerative aging. The roots of age-related mitochondrial dysfunction are complex, involving damage to mitochondrial DNA, epigenetic changes that alter the expression of important mitochondrial […]

In preclinical studies, researchers found that priming the immune system with a Treg-expanding therapy before stem cell transplant boosted survival, protected vital organs, and promoted a balanced gut microbiome-offering hope for safer, more effective treatment of blood cancers.

Texas A&M researchers found a way to make stem cells produce double the normal number of mitochondria using nanoflower particles. These energized stem cells then transfer their surplus “power packs” to weakened cells, reviving their energy production and resilience. The method bypasses many limitations of current mitochondrial therapies and could offer long-lasting effects. It may open the door to treatments for aging tissues and multiple degenerative diseases.

Scientists have discovered a method of helping human stem cells thrive in an animal embryo—a key development in efforts to grow human organs in animals for medical transplants.

Researchers use nanoflower-enhanced stem cells to supply extra mitochondria to damaged cells, restoring energy production and cell function without genetic modification.

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have discovered how to reverse aging in blood-forming stem cells in mice by correcting defects in the stem cell's lysosomes.

A first-of-its-kind trial is testing adult stem cell transplants for advanced dry macular degeneration. Early results show the treatment is safe and can significantly improve vision, even in severely affected patients. Participants gained measurable sight improvements in the treated eye. Researchers are now monitoring higher-dose groups as the therapy advances toward later trial phases.

In research, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are derived from skin, urine, or blood samples and developed into other cells, like heart tissue, that researchers want to study.

The selection of suitable donors is crucial for the long-term recovery of patients after an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Studying tail regeneration in tadpoles, researchers discovered that putative muscle stem cells produce a secreted protein, c1qtnf3, which shifts macrophages from immune to regenerative functions. The post Stem Cell Signal Redirects Macrophages to Promote Regeneration of Tadpole Tails appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Researchers Sumika Kato, Takeo Kubo, and Taro Fukazawa of the University of Tokyo have discovered that c1qtnf3, a secreting factor, namely a protein molecule that is secreted by a cell and influences functions of other cells, is expressed in putative muscle stem cells and shifts macrophages from immune to regenerative functions in the regenerating tails of tadpoles.

A leading bioethicist at Hiroshima University is calling for an anticipatory, rather than reactive, approach to ethics after a Japanese government panel in August backed a report that brings the country a step closer to becoming the first in the world to allow research on human embryos created from stem cell–derived sperm and eggs.

For the first time, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB), and the Allen Institute are collaborating to present a three-day scientific symposium led by early-career scientists.

Platelets are small, disc-shaped cell fragments in the blood that are essential to stop bleeding and to initiate blood clotting after injury.

Scientists at the University of Osaka have developed a novel hydrogel that enables the efficient, three-dimensional (3D) culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

A research team in South Korea has successfully developed a novel technology that combines nanoparticles with stem cells to significantly improve 3D bone tissue regeneration. This advancement marks a step forward in the treatment of bone fractures and injuries, as well as in next-generation regenerative medicine.

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has demonstrated a new application for its cell-expansion bioreactor to advance tissue engineering and cell-based therapies for treatment of injuries and diseases.

Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have used nanorobots to precisely stimulate stem cells, leading to their consistent transformation into bone cells.

A research team in South Korea has successfully developed a novel technology that combines nanoparticles with stem cells to significantly improve 3D bone tissue regeneration.

Researchers created a nanoparticle-stem cell technology that greatly enhances 3D bone regeneration, advancing treatment for fractures and regenerative medicine.

Researchers here demonstrate a novel way of delivering stem cells as a therapy for bone fractures that occur in the context of osteoporosis, by forming spheroids of stem cells combined with a bone mineral scaffolding material. The approach appears to encourage the survival of a larger fraction of transplanted cells, producing a greater regeneration of bone tissue. More usually near all of the transplanted cells die shortly after a transplantation procedure, and whatever benefits are obtained are derived from the signaling generated by the stem cells prior to that point. Osteoporotic vertebral fractures substantially contribute to disability and often require surgical intervention. However, some challenges, such as implant failure and suboptimal bone regeneration, limit current treatments. Adipose-derived stem cells are promising for regenerative therapy because […]