Early promise for human embryonic stem cell therapy
Two clinical trials testing the eye’s retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells report positive preliminary results.
Nature News Blog: 23 January 2012
Other media reports:
Note that the Reuters article doesn’t mention that the eyesight improvement in one patient was thought to be due to the placebo effect
First primate chimeric offspring produced
The first successful birth of monkeys developed from stem cells taken from two separate embryos.
Science Daily: 5 January 2012
TechNyou
Note that this research provides significant new information about how early embryonic stem cells develop and take part in formation of the primate species. There is no intention of creating chimeric humans. Even if some scientist did want to do it, it would never (one would hope) get past the gauntlet of ethics committees.
Homepage Image: Oregon Health and Science University
New stem cells, new chronic spinal cord injury clinical trial
The first cohort of in a Phase I/II clinical trial in chronic spinal cord injury has been successfully transplanted with neural stem cells.
University California Irvine: 15 December 2011
DNA discovery may boost stem cell safety
A region of DNA that can boost the growth of stem cells has been found in the largest ever study of human embryonic stem cells.
ABC Science Online: 28 November 2011
Cosmos Magazine: 28 November 2011
TechNyou
This story reports on a finding from the International Stem Cell Inititative (ISCI), which is a collaboration of a massive number of research institutes and researchers worldwide – count the number of contributing authors on the paper associated with the above story. Essentially the ISCI is pooling the expertise of all these researchers to understand and learn all they can about embryonic stem cells to enable to be used in the clinic to treat disease. Don’t expect miracle cures anytime soon, but I find it encouraging that such scientific collaborations exist. And from a social or humanitarian perspective, note also where these scientists are from: everywhere from Israel, Iran, UK, Australia, Czech…etc Science can obviously bypass politics
Breast-milk stem cells may bypass ethical dilemmas
Embryonic-like stem cells have been isolated from breast milk in large numbers.
New Scientist: 14 November 2011
Stem cells transformed into brain cells to treat Parkinson’s disease
Brain cells that die off in Parkinson’s Diseasehave been grown from stem cellsand grafted into monkeys’ brains in a step towards new treatments for the condition.
The Guardian 6 November 2011
TechNyou
The stem cells used were embryonic stem cells. More information can be found in the published paper from Nature
To patent or not. The EU’s embryonic stem cell ruling
Blog/opinion post exploring some of the potential implications of the EU court ruling on the patentability of embryonic stem cells.
American University Washington College of Law: 29 October 2011
And another opinion from the UK
Cambridge Network 27 October 2011
Are we finally able to repair our own organs?
Stem cell research has been a hot topic for decades, but how close are we to seeing medical benefits?
The Guardian 30 October 2011
European court bans stem cell patents – what about Australia?
Will the European Court decision affect Australia’s legal tussle over invention versus discovery?
The Conversation: Fady Aoun, 19 October 2011
Diabetic rats cured with their own stem cells
Neural stem cells, extracted from rats via the nose, have been turned into pancreatic cells that can manufacture insulin to treat diabetes.
New Scientist: 7 October 2011
And other interesting stem cell stuff
New Scientist have written a number of editorial and opinion articles related to the latest stem cell advances
Regenerating a stem cell ethics debate