Repair damaged eyes with stem cell discs
Engineers have developed a new technique to graft a biodegradable disc loaded with stem cells onto damaged eyes.
Futurity: 11 December 2012
Brain cells made from urine
Human excreta could be a powerful source of cells to study disease, bypassing some of the problems of using stem cells.
Nature News: 9 December 2012
An introduction to induced pluripotent stem cells
The story of this extraordinary scientific discovery that has changed the way we think about human biology.
Eurostem cell: Video 28 November 2012
Stem cells being made from blood
A patient’s own blood has been used to make personalised stem cells, which doctors hope will eventually be used to treat a range of diseases.
BBC: 30 November 2012
Unproven stem cell treatments pose risks
Unproven stem cell treatments behind an increase in international ‘stem cell tourism’ are also proliferating in Australia.
The Australian: 26 November 2012
More TechNyou stuff on stem cell tourism
Pancreas stem cell discovery may lead to new diabetes treatments
Stem cells in the adult pancreas have been identified that can be turned into insulin producing cells.
WEHI: 14 November 2012
Stem cells from strangers can repair hearts
Stem cells donated by strangers proved as safe and effective as patients’ own cells for helping restore heart tissue.
PhilStar: 6 November 2012
TechNyou
A cautionary note to this study. It was a study done to asess safety only and done with small number of patients in each group and no controls. Another larger study with a different methodology and source of cell showed no improvement in heart function
See JAMA editorial
And this review of the review in Science Codex of the larger study
UPDATE
Here is a recent report on this research
It has also been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
A First: Organs Tailor-Made With Body’s Own Cells
Or more acurately, an overview of the use of stem cells to grow new organs and what progress we are making.
New York Times: 15 September 2012
Missing link found between stem cells, immune system
The discovery of a cell that is the “missing link” between bone marrow stem cells and all the cells of the human immune system will boost understanding of how our immune system functions
Medical Express: 2 September 2012
Stem cell therapy: The hope and the hype
Uni Melbourne Up Close podcast: where stem cell research is going, their therapeutic potential and what we should and shouldn’t expect from this fast-developing research field.