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News tagged with stem cells

Sirtuin protein discovery opens door to potential 'molecular fountain of youth'

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, represents a major advance in the understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind aging while providing new hope for the development of targeted treatments ...

Medical research created Jan 31, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (17) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Brain development is guided by 'junk' DNA that isn't really junk

(Medical Xpress)—Specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases, UC San Francisco scientists have found.

Genetics created Apr 15, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (14) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

New stem cell approach for blindness successful in mice (w/ video)

(Medical Xpress)—Blind mice can see again, after Oxford University researchers transplanted developing cells into their eyes and found they could re-form the entire light-sensitive layer of the retina. 

Ophthalmology created Jan 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Making cancer less cancerous: Blocking a single gene renders tumors less aggressive

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a gene that, when repressed in tumor cells, puts a halt to cell growth and a range of processes needed for tumors to enlarge and spread to distant sites. The researchers hope that ...

Cancer created May 02, 2013 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (10) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Retrovirus in the human genome is active in pluripotent stem cells

A retrovirus called HERV-H, which inserted itself into the human genome millions of years ago, may play an important role in pluripotent stem cells, according to a new study published in the journal Retrovirology by scient ...

Medical research created Jan 23, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (9) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Will cell therapy become a 'third pillar' of medicine?

Treating patients with cells may one day become as common as it is now to treat the sick with drugs made from engineered proteins, antibodies or smaller chemicals, according to UC San Francisco researchers. They outlined ...

Medical research created Apr 03, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Reprogramming cells to fight diabetes

For years researchers have been searching for a way to treat diabetics by reactivating their insulin-producing beta cells, with limited success. The "reprogramming" of related alpha cells into beta cells ...

Medical research created Feb 22, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Researchers use hydrogel to repair cartilage

(Medical Xpress)—Researchers in the US have created a type of hydrogel that has proven to be effective in treating patients with damaged cartilage. The gel, the team writes, in their paper published in ...

Medical research created Jan 11, 2013 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

Spring cleaning in your brain: New stem cell research shows how important it is

Deep inside your brain, a legion of stem cells lies ready to turn into new brain and nerve cells whenever and wherever you need them most. While they wait, they keep themselves in a state of perpetual readiness ...

Neuroscience created Apr 10, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Embryonic stem cell transplant restores memory, learning in mice

For the first time, human embryonic stem cells have been transformed into nerve cells that helped mice regain the ability to learn and remember. A study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the first ...

Medical research created Apr 21, 2013 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Scientists make insulin-producing cells self-replicate

(Medical Xpress)—Scientists have discovered a hormone that causes the body's insulin-producing factories, beta cells, to churn out more of themselves. Having enough insulin is critical to regulating the amount of sugar ...

Medical research created Apr 29, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (7) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Fighting fat with fat: Stem cell discovery identifies potential obesity treatment

Ottawa scientists have discovered a trigger that turns muscle stem cells into brown fat, a form of good fat that could play a critical role in the fight against obesity. The findings from Dr. Michael Rudnicki's ...

Medical research created Feb 05, 2013 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (8) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Organovo announces ability to print 3D human liver tissue

(Medical Xpress)—Organovo Holdings, Inc., a company that designs and creates functional human tissue has announced at this year's Experimental Biology Conference that it has developed a 3D printing technique ...

Medical research created Apr 24, 2013 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Recipe for large numbers of stem cells requires only one ingredient

Stem cells and tissue-specific cells can be grown in abundance from mature mammalian cells simply by blocking a certain membrane protein, according to scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the ...

Medical research created Apr 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Genetic master controls expose cancers' Achilles' heel

In a surprising finding that helps explain fundamental behaviors of normal and diseased cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have discovered a set of powerful gene regulators dubbed "super-enhancers" that control cell state ...

Cancer created Apr 11, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Stem cell

Stem cells are cells found in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. They are characterized by the ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types. Research in the stem cell field grew out of findings by Canadian scientists Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till in the 1960s. The two broad types of mammalian stem cells are: embryonic stem cells that are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and adult stem cells that are found in adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin or intestinal tissues.

Stem cells can now be grown and transformed into specialized cells with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves through cell culture. Highly plastic adult stem cells from a variety of sources, including umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, are routinely used in medical therapies. Embryonic cell lines and autologous embryonic stem cells generated through therapeutic cloning have also been proposed as promising candidates for future therapies.

For more information about Stem cell, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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