“Latest Stem Cells News”

An Iranian scientist managed to develop a new method to propagate human spermatogonial stem cells from small testicular biopsies to obtain adequate number of cells for successful transplantation for 18000-fold in vitro, leading to protection of the fertility of immature boys suffering from cancer.

The research carried out jointly with Amsterdam University in Holland is the first developed method in the world.

Hooman Sadri-Ardekani, Ph.D in Reproductive Medicine and a Professor in Avicenna Institute-ACECR told ISNA, “Young boys treated with high-dose chemotherapy are often confronted with infertility once they reach adulthood and cryopreserving testicular tissue before chemotherapy and auto transplantation of spermatogonial stem cells at a later stage could theoretically allow for restoration of fertility.”

Incoming search terms:

Vet-Stem Inc. announced that over 8000 animals have now been treated with Vet-Stem cell therapy.

Vet-Stem began providing stem cells to veterinarians in 2004 and has now provided stem cells for the treatment of over 8,000 animals. Vet-Stem was the first company to introduce rapid turnaround stem cell services in the US.

After providing stem cells for thousands of horses, Vet-Stem pioneered stem cell therapy in dogs and cats and is now the world leader in Regenerative Veterinary Medicine. The rapid adoption of stem cell therapy by equine veterinarians and horse owners provided a springboard for use in small animal veterinary medicine.

Greater than 75% of horses treated with Vet-Stem cell therapy for tendon and ligament injuries are able to return to their previous level of performance. Dog owners report that greater than 80% of dogs treated with Vet-Stem cell therapy have an improved quality of life.

Incoming search terms:

A study published this week reinforces the potential value of stem cells in repairing major injuries involving the loss of bone structure.
The study shows that delivering stem cells on a polymer scaffold to treat large areas of missing bone leads to improved bone formation and better mechanical properties compared to treatment with the scaffold alone. This type of therapeutic treatment could be a potential alternative to bone grafting operations.

“Massive bone injuries are among the most challenging problems that orthopedic surgeons face, and they are commonly seen as a result of accidents as well as in soldiers returning from war,” said the study’s lead author Robert Guldberg, a professor in Georgia Tech‘s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering. “This study shows that there is promise in treating these injuries by delivering stem cells to the injury site. These are injuries that would not heal without significant medical intervention.” (…)

Incoming search terms:

Researchers using stem cells must work to make their treatments safer after a 17 year-old boy with a rare genetic disease in 2001 was cured with an embryonic stem cell transplant in Moscow, but then developed benign brain and spinal tumors four years later. According to ‘Plos Medicine’ magazine, Israeli doctors removed cancer from the boy, the tumors developed due to a stem cell treatment that he received.

Incoming search terms:

A STEM cell therapy offering “natural” breast enlargement is to be made available to British women for the first time.
The treatment could boost cup size while reducing stomach fat. It involves extracting stem cells from spare fat on the stomach or thighs and growing them in a woman’s breasts. An increase of one cup size is likely, with the potential for larger gains as the technique improves.

A trial has already started in Britain to use stem cells to repair the breasts of women who have had cancerous lumps removed. A separate project is understood to be the first in Britain to use the new technique on healthy women seeking breast enlargement.
Professor Kefah Mokbel, a consultant breast surgeon at the London Breast Institute at the Princess Grace hospital, who is in charge of the project, will treat 10 patients from May. He predicts private patients will be able to pay for the procedure within six months at a cost of about 6,500 pounds (about 9200 USD).

Incoming search terms:

Researchers said on Sunday they had found a safer way to transform ordinary skin cells into powerful stem cells in a move that could eventually remove the need to use human embryos.
It is the first time that scientists have turned skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells — which look and act like embryonic stem cells — without having to use viruses in the process.
The new method also allows for genes that are inserted to trigger cell reprogramming to be removed afterwards.
Stem cells are the body’s master cells, producing all the body’s tissues and organs.

Embryonic stem cells are the most powerful kind, as they have the potential to give rise to any tissue type. However, many people object to their use, making iPS cells an attractive alternative, provided they can be made safely.
Researchers have known for some time that ordinary skin cells can be transformed into iPS cells using a handful of genes.
But to get these genes into the cells they have had to use viruses, which integrate their own genetic material into the cells they infect. This can cause cancer.

The alternative approach, described in the online edition of the journal Nature by two teams of researchers from Britain and Canada, appears to avoid the risk of such abnormalities.
The researchers harnessed a little piece of DNA called a transposon — sometimes known as a “jumping gene” because of its ability to move around inside the genetic code — to carry four genes.

Incoming search terms: