“Latest Stem Cells News”

Scientists have taken the first steps toward producing the “heart patch,” a design for a medical implement used to repair damage from heart disease, a new study suggests.

Last week, researchers from Duke University presented the results of a study which, using mouse embryonic stem cells, examined the way these cells develop into heart muscle, HealthDay News reports (…)

from http://www.privatemdlabs.com/news/Heart_Health_and_Cholesterol/Mouse-stem-cell-study-examines-heart-repair$19405309.php

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Understanding the genetic underpinnings of the biology of stem cells is crucial for their use in disease research and treatment. Scientists have identified a variety of genetic factors that maintain self renewal properties in embryonic, fetal, and adult stem cells. But whether these cell types are controlled by the same or different molecules is a persisting question.

Recent work from HSCI Principal Faculty Konrad Hochedlinger, PhD, begins to crack that mystery. Sox2 is a gene whose expression is required for maintaining pluripotency in early embryonic cells and regulating tissue development in the fetal stage. But until now, Sox2 expression had only been observed fleetingly in a few adult stem cells.

Hochedlinger and his team have shown that Sox2 is nearly pervasive among adult stem cells, absent in only a few tissue types such as muscle, blood, and heart. The work, which establishes Sox2 as the only known factor to control self renewal across all three stem cell types, provides fertile ground for a variety of investigations.

In particular, since Sox2 expression can be seen as a marker for adult stem cells, it may provide an easier way to isolate and manipulate the otherwise difficult cellular population. Additionally, manipulating Sox2 expression could help generate particular adult stem cell types from embryonic stem cells, as well as particular desired tissue types from adult stem cells.

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While only a small portion of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can be traced to their genetic roots, those that can are most often part of Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most commonly known single-gene cause of autism. FXS is associated with the loss of the FMR protein (FMRP) coded by the mental retardation gene 1, FMR1 gene.

While scientists understand the biochemical nuances of these mutations, their implications on neuronal development and function remain a mystery. To address this puzzle, HSCI Associate Faculty member Stephen Haggarty, PhD, reprogrammed a series of both mutated and non-mutated cells back into a stem cell state in which they have the ability to derive new tissues.

Haggarty and his team found that the FMR1 mutations present in the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) do not always resemble those in the naturally occurring cells from which they came. This offers valuable information as other researchers begin to design investigations using these iPSCs.

Additionally, the team used the cell lines to generate a variety of neuronal cell types. While FMRP loss did not prevent neurodevelopment, it did impact cell quality, suggesting an important role for FMRP early in human neurodevelopment. These findings will allow researchers to characterize existing drugs and develop new therapies for the treatment of some ASDs.

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An international team of scientists led by researchers at The Scripps Research Institute has developed a straightforward technique to determine the ethnic origin of stem cells.

The team’s analysis of a variety of human embryonic stem cell lines currently in use in research laboratories around the world found that these cells originated largely from Caucasian and East Asian populations, with little representation from populations originating in Africa. In response to these results, the scientists used skin cells from an individual of West African Yoruba heritage to create a new stem cell line, the first to carry the genetic profile of this ethnic group.

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Dr. Donald Leslie, medical director at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, has high hopes.

“We want to cure paralysis,” he said. “We want to stop spinal cord injury. How incredible would that be?”

Leslie’s mission has begun with T.J. Atchinson, the first step in research that he believes could lead to many steps for those who were told they would never walk again. Atchinson, 21, was the first human with a spinal cord injury to undergo embryonic stem cell therapy.

The athletic college student’s life took a hard turn in September when he was home from the University of Alabama visiting his family in Chatom and lost control of his car. Even before he was cut loose from the vehicle, he knew something was wrong.

“I realized I couldn’t feel from about here down,” nursing student Atchinson said, pointing to his waist. “When I got to the hospital, they said I would never walk again.”

The accident took place on the birthday of Christopher Reeves, the actor who had fought hard for embryonic stem-cell therapy but never lived to receive it. Atchinson was still accepting the news about his situation when doctors told him he’d be a great candidate for the therapy.

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Transplanting own stem cells into heart of severe angina patients lessens their pain and improves their ability to walk, a new study has revealed.

The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed that transplant subjects also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn’t receive stem cells.

In the 12-month Phase II, double-blind trial, subjects’ own purified stem cells, called CD34+ cells, were injected into their hearts in an effort to spur the growth of small blood vessels that make up the microcirculation of the heart muscle (…)

He also said that this study provides the first evidence that a person’s own stem cells can be used as a treatment for their heart disease. However, he cautioned that the findings of the 25-site trial with 167 subjects, require verification in a larger, Phase III study.

The stem cell transplant is the first therapy to produce an improvement in severe angina subjects’ ability to walk on a treadmill. Twelve months after the procedure, the transplant subjects were able to double their improvement on a treadmill compared to the placebo group (…)

from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life/health-fitness/health/Your-own-stem-cells-can-help-treat-heart-disease/articleshow/5242519.cms

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