Stem+Cells+in+the+News+13

The field of regenerative medicine is trying to produce new, healthy tissues and organs with patients’ own DNA by turning some of the patient’s cells into stem cells that can then be guided to develop into healthy tissue. Scientists discovered a way to allow cells of adult mice to regain the ability to turn into any type of specialized cell. Scientists were able to erase disease or damage done to the cells over a lifetime. The experiment worked where as mice were engineered to convert adult cells into stem cells. The next step was to see if these cells could generate tissue of the pancreas, kidney, or liver. Totipotent cells were found in the stem cells as well. Add the news from each day in here with the date, a title hyperlinked to the article, a brief summary underneath and your name. Make sure you differentiate betcasey ween esc, iPSC and asc, human, mouse, __#|clinical trials__ etc.

Date, Article Title with link Name

September 17 Pancreatic Stem Cells Isolated from Mice http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130917113018.htm This article talks about the recent advances in the Netherlands in stem cell reshearch. The latest break through was growing two types of pancreatic cells from stem cells that can make up a healthy pancreas. It was tested only on mice but is a treatment that can be used on humans in the future. The article goes into detail about the methods of creating the cells and the process behind it. Casey Trezza

September 18 Stem cells made with near-perfect efficiency http://www.nature.com/news/stem-cells-made-with-near-perfect-efficiency-1.13775 This article discusses a recent advancement in stem cell research in which skin cells were efficiently transformed into stem cells. By taking out a certain protein called Mdb3, the process has been considerably more efficient and could now make producing stem cells in mass quantities possible, ultimately aiding new research on __#|treatments__. Although IPSC was discovered in 2006, the process was less efficient and not very helpful. Compared to IPSC, this new method is much faster and helpful. The article goes on to fruther describe the problems with IPSC and how that led Hannaa and other scientists to devising another way of creating stem cells. Priya Vaishampayan

September 19 ACT apies to test stem fell drugs in dogs, eventually aims at humans http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bioflash/2013/09/act-applies-to-test-stem-cell-drugs-in.html The article opens up stating how the Advanced Cell Technology Inc. plans to test its stem cell-based drug candidates against several diseases in dogs. hopefully this will have good results that we can then move on to human cli ical trials. The ACT will use mesenchymal stem cells which are derivred from pluripotent stem fells. since thy are pluripotent, they can differentiate into a variety of cell types. the diseases testing are common in both dogs and humans such as hepatitis, __#|Crohn's disease__, and pancreatitis, judt to name a few. the testing could help with vetenary drugs in the future, but if we can use the results for human trials, that would be great as well. Camille Ake

September 19 Scientists Hail Stem Cells "Leap" http://www.thisisjersey.com/news/uk-news/2013/09/18/scientists-hail-stem-cells-leap/ This article states that scientists are getting very close to being able to abandon risky organ transplants and use stem cells instead. Within the next ten years, hopefully, a patient in need of an organ transplant could simply use his or her own stem cells to create cells that will give rise to whatever organ cells are needed. This means it would be impossible for a patient to reject a new organ, and it would eliminate the need for donors and transplant lists that can take years to come through. This could treat a multitude of diseases, including cancer and Parkinson's. Lauren Charlton

September 20 Freeze Your Cells to Stop Nightmare of Ageing http://gulfnews.com/life-style/health/freeze-your-cells-to-stop-nightmare-of-ageing-1.1233348 This article is about the freezing and preservation of stem cells as a type of back up plan for people. For 62,000 dollars, a small sample of a person's skin tissue and it is shipped off to three different continents. This is simply to ensure that if a natural disaster were to happen in one of the continents where the cells were stored, the samples wouldn't be gone forever because there was only one sample, in one place. There, the samples are turned into iPSC cells and stored at the temperature of -180 degrees C. The cells will never age so they will always be young, fresh, and new when the time comes to use them. Jackie Eisenberg

September 20 Pancreatic Stem Cells Isolated From Mice http://www.research-in-germany.de/dachportal/en/Infoservice/News/2013/09/2013-09-20-pancreatic-stem-cells.html This article discusses the new findings regarding stem cells in the pancreas. A molecule called Wnts and a protein called Lgr5 are necessary when making adult stem cells so that the cells will grow and divide quickly. However, Wnts and Lgr5 have always been inactive in the pancreas until September 17th when they were activated in mice. This purposeful activation allows scientists to decide whether they want the stem cells to become hormome-producing beta cells or pancreatic duct cells. Although this research is still at its beginning stages, some of the beta cells were able to successfully proliferate and differentiate. This new finding could lead to the discovery of how to repair damaged insulin-producing beta cells or pancreatic duct cells in the future. Robin Lauber

September 20 Scientists Hail Stem Cells Leap http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130920/health-fitness/Scientists-hail-stem-cells-leap.486952 This article states that doctors could eventually treat patients much more quickly using their own cells rather than performing a risky transplant. The new simplified and improved process of stem cell production could eliminate any risk or concern involved in transplant patient's body rejecting an organ. Doctors hope in the near future give patients back the cells they need from their own stem cells. With this six day, 100 percent efficiency, stem cells could cure Parkinson's, Cancer patients, patients in need of donors, etc. Brandon Cresencia

September 21 [|Leukemia survivor meets his stem cell donor for first time] This article highlights one of the greatest uses of stem cells: treating diseases and saving lives. It is amazing that courageous individuals can now go through a medical procedure in which they can donate their adult stem cells to those in need. In this story, it must have come as a shock to 42-year old retired Naval Officer and frquent marathon runner, Mike Ansley, that an such an active person as himself had been diagnosed with lymphoblastic leukemia, cancer of the white blood cells. After months of futile treatments and on-and-off weight gain/loss, doctors suggetsted that he have a blood stem cell transplant. Thankfully, there was a matched-donor for Ansely, named David Gaumond, who was faceless to Ansely until a year after the transplant. The process for blood and bone marrow adult stem cell donation goes as follows: "The Adult Blood and Marrow Transplant Program uses bone marrow, cord blood or stem cell donations to treat leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The donors either go through a 6-hour procedure that’s comparable to giving blood or surgery that withdraws liquid marrow from the person’s pelvic bone." The transplantation went well for Ansely, and after a year of being anonymous to his donor, he finally met his hero at Duke Medicine's patient reunion. After an emotional first meeting, Gaumonds says of the experience, "I'm just happy everything worked out, and it was simple. It was easy." Clare Flanagan

September 21 @http://www.bioedge.org/index.php/bioethics/bioethics_article/10691 After working with mice in labs, researchers in Israel have now perfected a way to convert skin cells into iPS Cells. The percent yield has gone from approximately 10%, to near 100% according to the researchers.They have also sped up the process to be able to be done in almost one week, as compared to up to a few months.The study was done on mice cells, but the researchers are confident that this process will translate to human cells as well. This could possibly make iPS Cells more viable as a resource than ever before. Katie Paris

September 21 Weizmann scientists facilitate stem cell reprogramming

September 22 Parkinsions __#|study__ using iPSC http://www.pomeradonews.com/2013/09/21/poway-man-in-groundbreaking-stem-cell-parkinsion’s-study/ Gotta love a subject with vast real world applications. Finally we learn about something interesting. Stem cells are just plain cool. The more i learn about them the crazier it seems that this is not something that is going to be available to humans hundreds of years from now. But i digress, the article i chose was an example of how stem cell research is improving/saving the lives of so many people. The article is about a man who suffers from Parkinsion's disease. In Parkinson’s patients, dopamine producing neurons begin to die and do not produce enough dopamine. Dopamine regulates motor activity. The treatment works by reprogramming the patients own cells into induced pluripotent stem cells then reprogramming the iPSC into dopamine-producing neurons then implanting these neurons into the patient’s substantia nigra which is a small part of the brain which contains neurons that normally produce dopamine. If the treatment works for the man in the article, stem cells will become key in finding the cure for Parkinsion's. Dean Bogdanovic

September 22 New Step Towards Tissue Regeneration main.omanobserver.om/?p=15564 In this article we learn about how scientists in Spain have used iPS to revert tissue cells near damaged tissue back into stem cells in order to repair the tissue, they have had success in mice. They go through the process of getting the "Yamanaka Genes" into the mice and activate them with a drug in the water given to the mice. While regeneration occured in a smilar way to adult stem cells, this was not without drawbacks. Turmors were formed in the process of regeneration, this was to be expected. Sadly there is little to no desire to receive a treatment that fixes the tissue but leaves a person with tumors. This progress can be a game changer but it is in no way ready to be moved along to the next step futher work is needed. Daniel Zimmerman

September 22 Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation may heal a mother's childbirth injury (9/22/2013) http://www.cloningresources.com/research/Mesenchymal_stem_cell_transplantation_may_heal_a_mothers_childbirth_injury.asp Vaginal delivery presents the possibility of injury for mothers that can lead to "stress urinary incontinence" (SUI), a condition affecting from four to 35 percent of women who have had babies via vaginal delivery. Many current treatments, such as physiotherapy and surgery, are not very effective. Seeking better methods to alleviate SUI, researchers carried out a study in which female laboratory rats modeled with simulated childbirth injuries received injections of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs; multipotent cells found in connective tissues that can differentiate into a variety of cell types including: bone, cartilage and fat cells) to see if the cells would home to and help to repair the damaged pelvic organs. Dorothy Qu

September 23 How 'Bad' Cholesterol Causes Atherosclerosis in Humans: Stem Cells Play a Key Role http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130923114154.htm It has been found in mice that high 'bad' cholesterol levels (LDL) stimulate a release of stem cells (HSPC) from bone marrow to help lower the levels. This theory was recently tested in humans and was proven true by researchers at the University of Buffalo. A study of about 12 people who did not have any known heart diseases and were on statins for two week periods was done for a year The high LDL levels increase levels of IL-17 which boosts levels of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), which than releases stem cells from the bone marrow. Scientists hope to discover more about the correlation between LDL levels and HSPC's in hopes of preventing heart attacks and strokes. Sam Midwinter  September 23 Another Amazing Stem Cell Advance That You Won't Hear About From the BBC http://www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/news/2013/09/another-amazing-stem-cell-advance-that-you-wont-hear-about-from-the-bbc/#.UkI__OA8gd8 Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel have for the first time converted cultured skin cells into stem cells with near-perfect efficiency. This discovery could possibly allow scientists to produce stem cells in high volume on demand, and could potentially quicken the development of new treatments for numerous conditions. The researchers have produced these near perfect efficiency stem cells by producing Ips, but removing a protein called Mbd3, which has been able to increase the conversion rate up to almost 100% (ten times the normal average). Most importantly this new process has huge potential for therapeutic advance, and does not destroy potential life. Brian Mansfield Septemeber 23 Leading Stem Cell Clinic in California, TeleHealth, Now Offering 3 Different Stem Cell Therapy Treatments http://www.prweb.com/releases/californiastemcelltherapy/plateletrichplasma/prweb11148940.htm Stem cell therapy is becoming more available in the United States. specifically, in California. A leading medical clinic, TeleHealth, in California is offering 3 stem cell therapy treatments, which are mostly covered by insurance. The treatments can help with joint arthritis, tendonitis, spinal arthritis, and ligament injuries. The procedures being done are bone marrow derived stem cell injections, platelet rich plasma therapy, and fat derived stem cell injections. All these procedures are fairly "simple" and low risk, especially since the cells being involved are adult stem cells. All the stem cells being used are from the patients themselves and they can only be used for themselves. Bone marrow derived and fat rived stem cells are when the patients own cells from that particular area are are being harvested and reinserted into the problem area (specifically the same area from where the stem cells originated from). A platelet rich plasma therapy is when blood is drawn and separated, using a centrifuge, into concentrated platelets and growth factors; these are then injected into the body, calling the stem cells to facilitate repair. Jod Prado

September 24 Scientists Produce iPS Stem Cells By Removing One Protein [|www.nanowerk.com/news2/biotech/newsid=32409.php] This article explains how Dr. Yaqub Hanna and his group have identified the component that slows down the production of stem cells, which will increase efficiency and help facilitate the production of stem cells. Even though the use of induced pluripotent stem cells is a scientific breakthrough, the reprogramming process can take up to four weeks which causes less than one percent of the cells to actually become stem cells. By removing MBD3 from adult stem cells, which is a protein that first appears after differentiation begins, the time needed to produce stem cells was shortened from four weeks to eight days. By removing this protein, scientists are also able to follow the process of reprogramming. This discovery opens up many more opportunities because it increases efficiency in the stem cells process. Emily Molstad   September 25 Adult Stem Cell Treatment Is Changing Lives http://www.kutv.com/news/top-stories/stories/vid_7006.shtml Natalie Barrett This articles talks about a 42 year old man from Utah who was told he would never walk again. About 15 years ago he began to experience lots of fatigue and his health was deteriorating. Doctors told him there was nothing they could do, so he chose to become involved with an experimental program at NIH in Maryland where they extracted stem cells from his bone marrow and inserted them back into the diseased area. Six years after this procedure, he can walk a half mile and workout!    <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 25 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Patient's own cells might be used as treatment for Parkinson's disease http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-09/cp-poc091913.php This article describes how new iPS cell research performed on monkeys provides evidence against the idea that iPS cell might dispels trouser by our immune cells if we try to use they to heal diseases in our bodies. This is a huge advancement in stem cell research that bring us one step closer to being able to use stem cell to heal diseases and the legitimacy of iPS cell research. Also, in this study on monkeys scientists found that as a result of the iPS cell intake the monkeys developed certain neurons that are destroyed by Parkinson's disease. This result gives a possible treatment that can be used to fight Parkinson's disease and is a possibility that must be explored more now as a result. Matt Sullivan <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 25th <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> STEM CELL BREAKTHROUGH IN MICE POINTS TOWARD A WAY TO REPAIR TISSUE IN HUMANS http://singularityhub.com/2013/09/25/stem-cell-breakthrough-in-mice-points-toward-a-way-to-repair-tissue-in-humans The field of regenerative medicine is trying to produce new, healthy tissues and organs with patients’ own DNA by turning some of the patient’s cells into stem cells that can then be guided to develop into healthy tissue. Scientists discovered a way to allow cells of adult mice to regain the ability to turn into any type of specialized cell. Scientists were able to erase disease or damage done to the cells over a lifetime. The experiment worked where as mice were engineered to convert adult cells into stem cells. The next step was to see if these cells could generate tissue of the pancreas, kidney, or liver. Totipotent cells were found in the stem cells as well. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Anna Crisafi <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Sep. 26 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">International Stem Cell Corporation to Present New Data From Parkinson's Disease Program at the American Neurological Association 2013 Annual Meeting <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">link <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The scientific community hs been waiting for some time for cures of genetic and degenerative disorders. Finally, on October 15, we may find what we have been wating for at the American Neurological Association's 2013 Annual Meeting. International Stem Cell Corporation (ISCO) will be reporting its findings on it's latest project, trying to treat Perkinson's disease in primates. Although the research is not being conducted on humans, the results can carry significant weight in the future of stem cell therapy with respect to Parkinson's. ISCO has been using human parthenogenetic neural stem cells (hPNSC) in their research. These cells are self-renuing and multipotent, and are able to differentiate into the cells of the central nervous system. hPNSC are embryonic stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of donated IVF embryos. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Michael Wolak <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 26 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Stem Cell therapy for Parkinson's Proves Safe in Primates <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/09/26/stem-cell-therapy-for-parkinsons-proves-safe-in-primates/v This article explains how scientists in Japan have used stem cells to try to treat Parkinson's disease. They had tried to use iPS cells in rodents, but were facing trouble with the rejection of the immune system. They then tried the tests in primates which are much closer to humans. They converted stem cells to an embryonic like state in order to create neurons which are depleted with Parkinson's disease. The tests found success with cells from the own primate as well as foreign primates. These tests provide great advances in neural transplantation. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Michael Zamora <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 26 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">New Brain Cancer Treatment Targets Stem Cells and Tackles Tumor Growth <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[|Article] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">The article discusses the possibility for new brain cancer treatments that have been studied and been found successful so far. A research team has recently come up with a new way to treat brain tumors. They discovered that medulloblastoma cancer cells divide more quickly and have higher levels of enzymes that regulate that cell cycle. To stop the action of these enzymes, they used small-molecule inhibitors. When doing this researchers were able to block growth in the tumors in both mice and humans. This process destroys the ability for the cells to proliferate therefore leading to new cures for patients with brain cancer. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Adrienne Cirrotti <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 27 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Hospital begins using heart stem cells in transplant trials <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> http://video.foxnews.com/v/2700158650001/hospital-begins-using-heart-stem-cells-in-transplant-trials/?playlist_id=930909749001 Clinical trials throughout the country have been successful in rebuilding the damaged tissue of the heart after a heart attack and replacing it with new heart muscle. They have been able to do so by using a small sample of adult stem cells from the patients heart. These stem cells are them injected into the damaged area of the heart and replace the scar tissue with new heart muscle. These advancements give hope to those who have suffered from heart attacks. Veronica Kelly <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 27 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson's Proves Safe in Primates <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> [] Researchers in Japan have found that transplanting reprogrammed stem cells into the brains of primates elicits little rejection by their immune systems. In order to test animals closely related to humans, researchers studied macaques. Researchers took cells from the monkeys' mouths and created iPSCs, which were then transformed into neurons. The neurons created were those which are depleted by Parkinson's disease. Thomas Rispoli

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/26/stem-cells-could-lead-to-better-breasts-after-reconstructive-surgery/ <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Research done by Dr. Koelle and colleagues at Copenhagen University Hospital has show'd the potential of ASCs in helping reconstruct breasts. By using grafts containing stem cell enhanced bolus fat tissue instead of ones containing only adipose tissue researchers saw that the grafts containing stem cell-enhanced fat were 64% larger than those with adipose tissue. The stem cells for this procedure are found in the adipose tissue matrix and by using molecular they are able to easily capture this versatile population of cells. There is also a possibility that stem cells included in grafts made it so new fat cells were being created even as the transplanted ones die off. The main challenged faced by them is being able to nurture and grow enough cells that could seed a graft that could reconstruct and entire breats. Katherine Krump <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 27 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Stem Cells Could Lead to Better Breasts After Reconstructive Surgery. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 28 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Fat-Derived Stem Cells Help Preserve Grafts <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">A small Danish trial has just discovered that adipose-derived stem cells help maintain graft stability. Fat grafts have been used frequently recently because they don't cost much, are efficient, and aren't likely to be rejected. However, the process has not been used to its full potential because of resorption (which in essence is Fat Graft "death"). It has been found that by injecting stem cells from adipose tissue (these would be adult stem cells) into the affected area, such as breasts, lips, etc., along with the fat graft, the graft "stands up" much better; At the end of the trial, more adipose tissue was found in the experimental group (the patients injected with adipose-derived stem cells). Because the study was small, scientists are watching for any side effects, especially malignant tumors. However, these scientists also say that this is unlikely. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Dominique Paredes-Rupp

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 28 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Research on sister stem cells uncovers new cancer clues [|http://www.stemcellsfreak.com/2013/09/research-on-sister-stem-cells-uncovers.html#ixzz2gKql91ig] This article is about researchers finding out how to look at stem cells and figure out the different gene expression levels. This means that they can find out which genes are "turned up" or "turned down," so they know where the cancer is stemming from. The reason why this is so important is because the process called methylation, which controls which genes are expressed in cells tells us why there is a major molecular variation between cancer cells in the same tumor. Medication can be taken to help reduce methylation, which would help control variation and in turn it would make treatment easier. Scientists are coming up with tools and devices to separate pairs of sister cells to study and analyze. They have recently separated mouse stem cells from their sister pairs and measured the behaviors of the key genes. By doing this they were able to determine the levels of similarity between sister cells at the molecular level for the first time. Ashley Evangelos <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> September 28

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">A breakthrough in which stem cells are being developed inside the body rather than being taken out and nurtured in a lab has opened up many new possibilities. This is truly significant in many ways as it would remove several steps from existing stem cell treatments. Without having to remove the cells from the body and place them back inside there would be far less room for error. As opposed to removing stem cells from the body and applying them to a damaged organ, stem cells could simply be developed inside the body to regenerate that particular organ rendering organ transplants nearly obsolete. If perfected it would make stem cell treatments much cheaper. Researchers ultimately hope to be able to regenerate entire limbs. Researchers at University College London have managed to develop stem cells "in vivo" in two mice. However these cells have proven very unstable and can develop into cancer. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/12/very-significant-stem-cell-breakthrough-could-pave-way-to-regrow-legs-3960105/ -James Burke <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 28 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[|Stem Cell Scientists Identify Key Regulator Controlling Formation of Blood-Forming Stem Cells] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have learned that human embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, meaning that the cells can differentiate into any kind of human body cell, given the right "instructions." The scientists in this article are utilizing these stem cells to create blood-forming cells in the laboratory. Scientists like <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;">Dr. Gordon Keller, Director of the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, have been researching how to //direct// these pluripotent stem cells into making blood-forming stem cells. The goal is to develop a new and unlimited source of these stem cells (in a Petri dish) for transplantation for the treatment of different blood cell diseases. Dr. Keller's team studied mouse models to study the process of blood development, and were able to note that the retinoic acid signaling pathway is //required// for the formation of blood-forming stem cells. Essential for many areas of human growth and development, Retinoic acid is produced from vitamin A. When the pathway that produces the retinoic acid was **disrupted**, blood-forming cells were NOT produced. When the pathway was **activated** at the right time, a great deal of blood-forming cells were created. This is a CRITICAL regulator!! Hopefully this research brings the scientific community a step closer to achieving the goal of an unlimited number of blood-forming cells. <span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif;">Catherine Canete <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 29 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Patient's Cells Could Be Used As Treatment For Parkinson's Disease <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> [] The scientists were able to develop iPSCs from nonhuman primates into neurons depleted by Parkinson's disease, while causing just a minimal immune response. This study promises successful transplantations in human beings in the future. Previously, there was a study conducted on rodents, which suggested that iPSC-derived cells used for transplantations may be rejected by the immune system. Recently, the scientists in Japan took iPSCs from a monkey, which is closely related to humans, and developed them into certain neurons. When these neurons were injected into that monkey's brain, there was not a significant immune response. Iryna Melnyk <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 29 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> Centre scanner on West Bengal stem cell unit <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Kolkata/Centre-scanner-on-West-Bengal-stem-cell-unit/Article1-1128968.aspx

There is a believed scandal breaking out in India over a stem cell therapy unit in a West Bengal medical centre. Allegedly, the unit has no permission from the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) to issue stem cell therapy to patients coming to the unit. A team of state inspectors deemed that the site had inadequate infrastructure to preform the surgeries and would be a hazard to patients. Nirrajan Bhattacharya, a doctor and close associate of the centre's minister, believes the refusal to allow the unit to function is a "a clear attempt to stop research on stem cell therapy at STM." The therapy offered has only been recently approved for blood diseases, restricting what the centre can do for patients with other ailments. Treatment, however was allegedly still carried out without prior approval. It is unclear at this time whether or not there is justification for the lack of approval for the unit or if it is an attempt to undermine stem cell research. Bhattacharya still claims that they are "baseless charges" And that "They don’t know anything about stem cell therapy.” <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Lena Miskulin <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">September 30 <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">"Schizophrenia 'Fix' Shines Like a Lone Star" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> http://blogs.psychcentral.com/no-family-madder/2013/09/big-stem-cell-light-shines-from-darkness/ The author, a brother to a severly schizophrenic woman, discusses how University of Texas School of Medicine is studying treating schizophrenia with stem cells. Specifically, they are using iPS cells. The idea came from graduate student Stephanie Perez. She saw that an experiment to restore motor functions with stem cell transplants was having good results, so she got the idea to use stem cell transplants to treat schizophrenia. In rats, they are transplanting interneurons differentiated from iPS cells. If this would work, this replacement of cells would be a permanent fix as opposed to the medicine that is not permanent. Kirstie Peterson <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">October 2nd <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">Scientists Can Now Extract Stem Cells From Brains Using Magnets <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">[] <span style="background-color: #ffffff; display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">This article discusses how scientists recently extracted stem cells from a rat's brain using a magnet. Scientists understand how fragile the brain is, and the magnet caused no damage to the rat's brain. They extractedthe stem cells successfully and they grew in a perti dish very freely. It would definitely be more complicated to extract stem cells using a human brain, as it does not have as many neural stem cells as rats. This discovery is definitely a step in the right direction in treating diseases like Parkinson's. Becky Wirth