For the first time, scientists have succeeded in transforming human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells, an advance that could lead to the growth of lung tissue for transplantation – with no risk of rejection. The breakthrough, by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, is reported in the journal Nature Biotechnology. “Researchers have […]
The processes involved in the formation of complex tissues and organs involving multiple cell types are still mostly a mystery to scientists, but Japanese researchers have made a major breakthrough in the creation of retinal optic tissue using embryonic mouse stem cells. The new work, published in Nature, answers important questions as to whether signaling […]
University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) researchers have for the first time shown that human stem cells can be engineered into a genetic vaccine that can target and kill HIV-infected cells – a technique that could potentially be used against a number of other viral diseases. The researchers caution that the work to date, […]
Before it was established that matter burns by taking up oxygen, most chemists sought to explain combustion as the release of a mysterious substance, which they named “phlogiston.” Phlogiston theory was a conceptual breakthrough that helped chemists conduct experiments and share ideas, but when it came to pinning down the distinctive physical properties of phlogiston, […]
New research from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University suggests that embryonic stem cells may develop much better under shaky conditions. The researchers discovered that moderate and controlled physical movement of embryonic stem cells in fluid environments, similar to the shaking that occurs in the womb, improves their development. The study, published in […]
Evidence is mounting that rogue stem cells brandishing epigenetic marks (changes in gene regulation that occur without a change in DNA sequence) are at the heart of some, if not all, cancers, says Maarten van Lohuizen, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute. He recently told a conference that his team in the Netherlands has uncovered a […]
Men tend to be especially sensitive about their testes, so they might understandably wince at new research from Europe that aims to extract sperm-producing stem cells found in the testicles and grow them into mature sperm in the laboratory. The research is primarily intended to restore fertility in young men undergoing cancer treatment, but it […]
Building on the University of California’s spinal repair stem cell research from last year, a group of researchers from the University of Toronto has also managed to repair damaged spinal cord tissue, this time in rats. The new research, appearing in The Journal of Neuroscience, could eventually lead to pioneering treatments for humans with spinal […]
