Stem Cells in Focus – Blog – Closer Look at Stem Cells

Oct 03, 2017

Stem cell research is revolutionizing the way scientists study human disease in many ways. One of the most fascinating, is through the creation of human diseases in a dish, which are giving scientists a better way to study disease biology and test new drugs. Read how Dr. Kevin Eggan from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute is using this technology to better understand diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and schizophrenia.

Sep 07, 2017

Scientists and clinicians have long suspected and recently confirmed that a persons genetic makeup contributes to the likelihood of their having a heart attack. However, there has remained a gap between our knowledge of genetic indicators and medicine; a gap that Dr. Chad Cowan, of Harvard University, is trying to bridge with stem cell research.

Sep 07, 2017

The ISSCR celebrates Stem Cell Awareness Day on October 8 with a Stem Cells in Focus webcast entitled The Science of Regenerative Medicine, presented by PhD candidate Ben Paylor of the Canadian Stem Cell Network. The webinar will explore the basics of stem cell biology and will include three StemCellShorts*, voiced by stem cell experts Drs. Jim Till, Janet Rossant and Mick Bhatia, as well as a question and answer period.

Sep 07, 2017

This week, nations around the world recognize Remembrance Day and Veterans Day. The ISSCR is proud of the role stem cell research is playing in advancing the field of regenerative medicine, which stands to benefit wounded servicemen and women. Dr. Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, North Carolina, U.S.A., leads the consortium of researchers that make up the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM). We spoke with him about the organization, which is working to develop advanced treatment options.

Sep 07, 2017

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers have discovered a new way to model malaria using stem cells in a petri dish, which will allow them to test potential antimalarial drugs and vaccines.

Sep 07, 2017

Today, we welcome you to the blogs new home, the expanded Closer Look at Stem Cells website (www.closerlookatstemcells.org). The website is a perfect complement to the Stem Cells in Focus blog, housing informational pages on basic stem cell biology, the process by which science becomes medicine, clinical trials and the use of stem cells in understanding and potentially treating specific health conditions.

Sep 07, 2017

In the past few days, you may have heard about new research describing the editing of the DNA sequence in human embryos. This new research raises critical scientific, social, legal and ethical questions to be addressed by all of us.

Sep 07, 2017

You may have heard the news this week about exciting new developments in the field of stem cell research, published in the January 30 issue of Nature. A Japanese scientist, Dr. Haruko Obokata, and her colleagues demonstrated a new way to reprogram specialized stem cells from a newborn mouse to a pluripotent state; which is to say, the cells gained the ability to turn into any sort of cell in the body, much the same way embryonic stem cells can. Learn more about this discovery and its potential implications.

Sep 07, 2017

What if, in this dawning era of regenerative medicine, we could help the body heal itself? Not by replacing diseased or damaged cells, as is so often the paradigm in this field, but by stimulating the stem cells already present in a given tissue to differentiate and then repair the damage. No, this isnt science fiction, like using one of Dr. McCoys futuristic devices from Star Trek to heal the injured Captain Kirk. This approach is now being assessed as a potential treatment for multiple sclerosis.

Sep 07, 2017

Stem cell researchers are getting closer to a new treatment for sickle cell disease, moving promising laboratory research into human clinical trials. Millions of people worldwide suffer from this hereditary disease.

Sep 07, 2017

At the ISSCR public symposium in Stockholm, stem cell scientists from Germany, Sweden and the U.S. will explore during a moderated panel discussion the role of stem cells in the brain during our lives from development and through adulthood. Panelists will discuss how scientists are investigating what happens to these cells as we age, how this knowledge is being used to guide new strategies to boost brain health and to develop therapies utilizing stem cells to treat diseases of the brain.

Sep 07, 2017

Organoids, or miniature organs, are a relatively new model system that has emerged from stem cell research and are making a big impact. These laboratory-grown, three-dimensional, mini-organs are microscopically small and are started from stem cells. Within a specialized growth environment, the stem cells, either adult or embryonic, depending on the tissue needed, are stimulated to grow and specialize into specific types of organoids. Although they are not exact replicas of the adult organ, they do replicate many aspects and thus give us a model of human development that we would not otherwise have.

Sep 07, 2017

Summary of a panel discussion at the recent annual meeting of the International Society of Stem Cell Research in Stockholm, featuring international experts discussing the complex issues surrounding the sale and marketing of experimental stem cell treatments.

Sep 07, 2017

Professional guidelines provide a practical and ethical framework for decision making and instill a sense of responsibility and accountability. Learn more about the ISSCR's guidelines for stem cell research and clinical translation.

Sep 07, 2017

Sleep is important for our body. With modest sleep deprivation it can be a struggle to function at our highest level and long term sleep deprivation, or disruption, can have significant health effects. It turns out that your sleep deprivation may also impact others....if you are donating your hematopoietic stem cells.

Sep 07, 2017

Question: What part of the nervous system has over 500 million neurons - the cells that transmit electrical or chemical signals throughout the nervous system and beyond - and regulates important bodily functions? Sounds like the brain, right? What if you knew that this part of the nervous system also spans approximately 30 feet in an average adult? Thats right, its the enteric nervous system (ENS). Never heard of it?

Sep 07, 2017

Stem cell science is advancing at a pace greater than ever before, and researchers are making significant discoveries toward medical therapies to treat diseases and injuries - many of which currently have no cure. In May 2016, the ISSCR developed guidelines to help protect the integrity of stem cell research and assure the public that it will proceed efficiently and remain responsive to public interests.

Sep 07, 2017

The ISSCR joins organizations and individuals around the world in celebrating the cells that are the building blocks of life: stem cells. Unlike other cell types, stem cells are unspecialized cells uniquely capable of making copies of themselves (self-renewing), differentiating into specialized cell types, and helping to maintain some tissues in the human body.

Sep 07, 2017

I dont even know whats in the soup, was the shocking quote from the founder of a chain of clinics highlighted in a recent Associated Press article about the increasing prevalence of clinics offering unproven stem cell therapies. The soup referred to the mixture of cells and fluid he extracted from a patients fat for re-injection into the same patients knees, one of many stem cell procedures being tried for more than 20 diseases and conditions.

Sep 07, 2017

Bacteria. What do you think of when you hear this word? Germs, antibiotics, or bleach may come to mind, depending on the context. What about powerhouse of scientific discovery? Thats a string of words, but one that accurately describes the impact this single-celled organism is having on stem cell biology and human health.

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Stem Cells in Focus - Blog - Closer Look at Stem Cells