Newsweek has boiled down the the first decade of this millennium into a seven minute video, highlighting the good, the bad and the unforgettable. From Bush V. Gore, to 9/11, to the iPod, to Borat, to the Iraq war, to Twitter and much, much more. Watch and marvel at this busy decade.
It really makes you remember about all that has changed about that last 10 years around the worldNewsweek has boiled down the the first decade of this millennium into a seven minute... more
Apligraf is a matrix of cow collagen, human fibroblasts and keratinocyte stem cells (the kind found in skin), that, when applied to chronic wounds (particularly nasty problems like diabetic sores), can seed healing and regeneration.
The Cincinnati teen has undergone groundbreaking experimental surgery that is allowing him to grow new cheekbones, a procedure that could help others who have lost bone as a result of similar genetic conditions or traumatic injuries.
Brad had an experimental eight-hour operation in May at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where doctors implanted cadaver bone into his face. They then injected Brad's own stem cells into the donor bone.
From a medical standpoint, the results were miraculous.
"Lo and behold, the bone has come back to life," said Dr. Jesse Taylor of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. "I've been really pleasantly surprised by the results of this."
Brad now has solid bone in his cheeks, and said on "Good Morning America" today that he's happy with the results.The Cincinnati teen has undergone groundbreaking experimental surgery that is allowing... more
"Researchers in Australia have come up with an outwardly simple but incredibly ingenious way of curing blindness caused by corneal damage: Take everyday contact lenses, already used by millions (including me), and infuse them with a patient's own stem cells. After wearing them for about 2 weeks, test subjects reported a seemingly miraculous restoration of sight. Is it that easy?
Most of the patients had only lost vision in one eye, so stem cells were harvested from their good eye and then plated onto contact lenses. After letting the stem cells repair damaged tissues, 2 of the 3 patients went from legally blind to being able to read some of an eye chart. The third patient actually regained enough sight to pass a driving exam. Researchers are still monitoring the stability of the treatment, but the results seem promising, if not mind blowing.
So far they’ve only targeted corneal damage, which is estimated to be the cause of sight loss in about 1.5 million people every year. The simplicity and relatively low cost of the procedure could make it available in more impoverished areas. Even a congenital defect in both eyes, aniridia, was cured using stem cells taken from a different part of the eye. Once the process is perfected and tested extensively, researchers think in the future they can use it to cure blindness that afflicts other parts of the eye. "
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Yet another amazing advancement in the field of science. I love seeing things like this as they're developed. The article says that it's a pretty simple procedure, so how long do you think until it gains widespread prominence?"Researchers in Australia have come up with an outwardly simple but incredibly... more
Stem cells are now more efficient thanks to a study designed to bond the cells with blood vessels needed to promote tissue growth.
Daniel Anderson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted the study, using human bone marrow stem cells that were modified with the introduction of biodegradable nanoparticles. These nanoparticles contained the human gene for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), the same gene responsible for the 'calling' of blood vessels to damaged tissue.
The modified stem cells were injected into mice with injured limbs. Anderson found that blood vessel density of the tissue that regrew, had tripled in comparision to that of mice given regular stem cells.
A month after the experiment with the mice, Anderson discovered that only 20 per cent of mice given the modified stem cells had lost limbs, while mice given regular stem cells totalled 60 per cent.
This research opens up possibilities for stem cells to be merged with other genes, thus improving the cells' efficiency for various tasks.Stem cells are now more efficient thanks to a study designed to bond the cells with... more
This is the preview of a documentary intended to lift the cloud of negativity currently surrounding the idea of Stem Cell research by exposing a safe and humane method of procuring and then utilizing them from adults! They can then be used to preform "miracles," like treating previously uncombatible illnesses, diseases, and afflictions.This is the preview of a documentary intended to lift the cloud of negativity... more
As if you didn’t have enough to worry about, now you’ve got to figure out if storing your child’s umbilical cord blood might just save his or her life. With the advent of amazing and clinically tested stem cell treatments, today’s expecting parents are faced with the real possibility that their child may one day require a stem cell transplant. Umbilical cords, with a host of hematopoietic (blood-developing) stem cells, may be puffy tubes filled with the equivalent of medical miracles. So, to store or not to store, that is the question. Let’s take a look at the benefits, costs, likely uses, and possible alternatives to freezing the umbilical cord blood of your baby. There’s a video about the collection method itself, after the break.As if you didn’t have enough to worry about, now you’ve got to figure out if... more
Well, it’s Friday and before you all make a mad dash towards the weekend, let’s take a little time out for our final fastest growing group post for the week. In today’s top spot is lookmypix’s Organic group.
Here’s the full list: http://current.com/1mdl64cWell, it’s Friday and before you all make a mad dash towards the weekend, let’s... more
Though teeth have been grown in mice before, scientist revealed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences their success at growing a "fully functional" tooth from stem cells in mice.Though teeth have been grown in mice before, scientist revealed in the Proceedings of... more
Thanks to a little mouse named Tiny, researchers have now shown that full, living mammals can be grown from so-called induced pluripotent stem cells—cells from an adult that act in many ways like embryonic stem cells.Thanks to a little mouse named Tiny, researchers have now shown that full, living... more
Two teams of Chinese scientists have made a major advance in mice in the development of a new kind of stem cell that doesn't involve destroying embryos.
Those cells are derived from ordinary skin cells, and when they were created two years ago from human skin and genetically reprogrammed, it was hailed as a breakthrough. But questions remained whether they could act as chameleon-like as embryonic stem cells and morph into any cell type in the body.
One way to show that versatility is if the new reprogrammed stem cells could be used to produce an entire new life.
And now researchers have shown they can in mice.
For the first time, they were able to produce live mice from stem cells that were coaxed from skin tissue of adult mice and then reprogrammed. And while there were abnormalities and unusual deaths with some of the first generation of mice, one team produced enough normal mice this way to create hundreds of second and third generation mice.Two teams of Chinese scientists have made a major advance in mice in the development... more
Daniel Kraft demonstrates his Marrow Miner -- a new device that quickly harvests life-saving bone marrow with minimal pain to the donor. He emphasizes that the adult stem cells found in bone marrow can be used to treat many terminal conditions, from Parkinson's to heart diseaseDaniel Kraft demonstrates his Marrow Miner -- a new device that quickly harvests... more
Researchers have succeeded for the first time in reprogramming clearly defined adult cells into pluripotent stem cells -- directly and without viruses. These stem cells have the capacity to generate all types of body tissue. The culture conditions alone were the crucial factor behind the success of the reprogramming process.Researchers have succeeded for the first time in reprogramming clearly defined adult... more
Scientists in Newcastle claim to have created human sperm in the laboratory in what they say is a world first.Scientists in Newcastle claim to have created human sperm in the laboratory in what... more
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued official guidelines on Monday governing the federal funding of human embryonic-stem-cell research, four months after President Obama signed an executive order overturning the longstanding federal ban. The Obama Administration has significantly expanded the number of stem-cell lines that may now be eligible for study using federal funds. Since 2001, under a Bush Administration ban, no new stem-cell lines could be created or studied using government dollars (though financing was allowed for research on a few dozen or so stem-cell lines that were already in existence), but some estimates suggest that since Bush's policy was implemented, as many as 700 new human embryonic-stem-cell lines have been created through private funding, mostly using embryos discarded by IVF clinics — and many of those lines may now qualify for public funding. "The guidelines allow NIH to fund scientifically worthy research using responsibly derived human embryonic stem cells," Dr. Raynard Kington, acting director of the agency, said in a telebriefing with reporters on Monday.
The new rules, which also establish the first federal registry of eligible stem-cell lines, were immediately applauded by scientists and by various patient advocacy groups. "These guidelines will bring us closer than ever toward unleashing the promise of embryonic-stem-cell-research and maximizing its therapeutic potential for patients with Type 1 diabetes," said Alan Lewis, president of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Starting Tuesday, all U.S. stem-cell researchers must follow the NIH guidelines in creating new stem-cell lines in order to receive federal support. For all lines created before Tuesday, researchers may now receive federal funds if the creation of their stem-cell lines adhered to the spirit, if not the letter, of the new regulations.
The guidelines allow the NIH to fund the creation and study of new stem-cell lines, as long as they originate from embryos that were discarded during the IVF process and donated, with proper informed consent, to research. Government funds still may not be used, however, to create an embryo specifically to destroy it for research purposes, or to create or study stem cells derived from embryos generated by other methods, including cloning and parthenogenesis, in which the egg is directly activated to start dividing and generate an embryo.
In establishing standard criteria for obtaining informed consent from potential donors, the NIH said its main goal was to separate the donation process from the IVF process in order to ensure that donors understand that their IVF experience will not be affected in any way by their decision to discard or donate unused embryos. Donors must be specifically advised that their embryos may be used for stem-cell studies, and may result in commercial products for which they should not expect any financial or medical benefit.
The informed-consent guidelines reflect concerns expressed by researchers, IVF consumers and ethicists that while nobody can predict how donated embryos may end up being used in research, couples undergoing IVF should be made fully aware of the widest range of possibilities. Overall, the NIH rules took into account 49,000 comments submitted to the agency by scientists, patient advocates, medical and religious organizations, private citizens and members of Congress during a public comment period.
The largest concern among stem-cell experts involved the status of the few dozen stem-cell lines that had qualified for federal funding, even under Bush's more restrictive policy. Stem-cell lines derived from those embryos are currently seeding many different studies, but because the embryos were not donated under the same stringent informed-consent procedures that will be required starting Tuesday, it's possible they may no longer be eligible for federal financing.The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued official guidelines on Monday governing... more
Scientists have been talking about the medical promise of stem cells for more than a decade, even before human embryonic stem cells...NOW...i
Zumi Bio, is pursuing technology as new and full of promise as the lab itself--.
It revolves around induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells: adult cells genetically reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells, which can turn into just about any type of cell in the human body.
Science Fiction...
becoming...
Science Fact!!Scientists have been talking about the medical promise of stem cells for more than a... more
New York has become the first state to allow taxpayer-funded researchers to pay women for giving their eggs for embryonic stem cell research, a move welcomed by many scientists but condemned by critics who fear it will lead to the exploitation of vulnerable women.
The Empire State Stem Cell Board, which decides how to spend $600 million in state funding for stem cell studies, will allow researchers to compensate women up to $10,000 for the time, discomfort and expenses associated with donating eggs for experiments.New York has become the first state to allow taxpayer-funded researchers to pay women... more
In a world-first breakthrough, University of New South Wales (UNSW) medical researchers have used stem cells cultured on a simple contact lens to restore sight to sufferers of blinding corneal disease.
Sight was significantly improved within weeks of the procedure, which is simple, inexpensive and requires a minimal hospital stay.
The research team from UNSW’s School of Medical Sciences harvested stem cells from patients’ own eyes to rehabilitate the damaged cornea. The stem cells were cultured on a common therapeutic contact lens which was then placed onto the damaged cornea for 10 days, during which the cells were able to re-colonise the damaged eye surface.In a world-first breakthrough, University of New South Wales (UNSW) medical... more
"Sierra Journey Factor is 8 years old and has a terminal disease called Type 2 spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that affects parts of the nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. In addition, she has a restrictive lung disease and a kidney disorder. She has used a wheelchair since infancy.
Sierra's mother, her stepfather and her biological father, A.J. Factor, all know that Sierra is seriously ill. On the morning we met them, Sierra was treated at two hospitals before she was stabilized.
But the family is convinced of their next step -- taking Sierra on an arduous trip to southern China, where they believe the little girl will be injected six times with stem cells during a 34-day stay. It's the kind of treatment not yet approved in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration.
Sierra's treatment will cost $26,500, which does not include the cost of travel and living for the extended family. Those costs would mean an additional $25,000, according to Akery.
Stem cell therapy is routinely performed at clinics in China. When CNN correspondent John Vause reported on one stem cell therapy clinic near Beijing in December, the clinic refused to release its records or put its cases forward for peer review.
The International Society of Stem Cell Researchers and the FDA discourage Americans from traveling overseas for stem cell therapy. But clinics are operating worldwide -- many in China, and several in Russia, Latin America and Mexico.
"We do not encourage patients to seek therapies overseas that are not FDA-approved in the U.S.," an agency spokesman said in an e-mail to CNN, "as the products or therapies have not undergone the agency's rigorous review."
The ALS Association is one group especially concerned. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a terminal illness also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, named after the baseball legend who most famously suffered from it. There are no accurate numbers, but ALS Association officials say dozens, perhaps hundreds, of ALS patients have traveled to China and other locations seeking relief.""Sierra Journey Factor is 8 years old and has a terminal disease called Type 2 spinal... more
Genetically engineered stem cells from bone marrow showed promise as a potential new way to deliver a cancer-killing protein to tumors, British researchers said on Tuesday.
Experiments in cell cultures and in mice showed the adult stem cells -- a type known as mesenchymal stem cells -- could home in on cancer cells and deliver a lethal protein that attacked only the cancer while sparing normal healthy tissue.
"We've developed cells which specifically target cancer through the body and deliver an anti-cancer protein to where it is needed in a seek-and-destroy approach," said Dr. Michael Loebinger of University College London, who presented his findings at the American Thoracic Society conference in San Diego.
"Essentially, we've combined two pieces of research. The first is that mesenchymal stem cells have an innate ability to seek out tumors throughout the body," Loebinger said in a telephone interview.
Loebinger, Dr. S. M. Janes and colleagues altered the cells to express or make the cancer-killing protein called TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand or TRAIL.
"This protein has the ability to cause the death only of cancer cells. By combining these two approaches, we have a cell which has the ability to go around the body and find and destroy tumors," Loebinger said.
Studies in cell cultures showed the cells were able to find and kill cells from lung, squamous, breast and cervical cancer. "Lots of cancers have sensitivity to this TRAIL protein," Loebinger said.
They also injected the cells into mice with breast tumors and showed they were able to safely kill the tumors but leave healthy tissue intact.
"When we delivered this therapy, 38 percent of the tumors were completely eliminated."
He said the goal would be to develop a cell-based cancer treatment.Genetically engineered stem cells from bone marrow showed promise as a potential new... more
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