It’s hard to grow stem cells in a dish. In particular, while it is possible to multiply mouse embryonic stem cells in culture, propagating stem cells that are specific to distinct tissues (e.g. neural stem cells) has proven to be a challenge. Neural stem cells are normally found in a specialized environment known as a neurosphere, which is thought to provide the necessary cellular signals to maintain populations of these undifferentiated cells.
A team of researchers, led by Roger Davis of the San Diego State University Heart Institute, has executed a war plan from Greek mythology to help grab the upper hand in the fight against heart disease.
Researchers at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center have determined that stem cells in a certain region of the brain may be the source of a particular type of incurable brain tumor and may be implicated in other types of brain cancers as well.
Acute renal failure, or ARF, is as serious as it sounds. An estimated 40% of critical care hospital admissions experience ARF. Estimates of their death rate range from 50% to 80%, complicated by the fact that patients with ARF often simultaneously suffer failure of other major organ systems.
Routinely discarded as medical waste, placental tissue could feasibly provide an abundant source of cells that may have the potential to treat diseases and regenerate tissues as their more controversial counterparts, embryonic stem cells, suggests a University of Pittsburgh study to be published in the journal Stem Cells and available now as an early online publication in Stem Cells Express.
An experimental therapy that combines stem cells and gene therapy to repair spinal cord injuries in rats may lead to a new way to treat the same injury in humans.
For type 1 diabetes patients, a episode of psychological stress significantly slows the decline in blood sugar concentrations following a spike after food intake — but has no effect on sugar levels during fasting — a new study shows.
Export opportunities into the lucrative American market have been thrown wide open for a unique South Australian range of medical lambskin products.
While uncommon in developed nations, heating and cooking indoors with solid fuels contributes to an increased risk of developing lung cancer, according to the results of a multicenter study.
A recently developed patch containing the analgesic drug ketoprofen appears to be useful in treating tendinitis, according to a new study.