The ingredients for pluripotent stem cells are more ancient than we thought
By studying our closest single-celled relatives, scientists find that proteins important for stem cell pluripotency existed before the evolutionary jump to multicellularity.
Stem Cells
Gene Editing to Treat Disease: A success story in sickle cell disease
by Sophia Renauldfigures by Salvador Balkus
Our understanding of the genetic material, or DNA, that makes up organisms has exploded over the last several decades. We have discovered that DNA is made up of multiple genes, and that different genes have…
Researchers create interspecies brain chimeras from mice and rats
In a first, two groups of researchers have created a chimeric mouse brain with rat cells, providing a new way to understand brain evolution.
The birth of the first chimeric monkey that survived for 10 days
The Chimera of Greek myth had a lion's head, goat's body, and snake's tail. Scientists have made a chimeric monkey with cells from two types of monkeys, which could one day lead to better lab models for scientists and donor organs for patients.
Our Body’s Stem Cells use an Ancient Mechanism to Defend against Viruses
Lacking the antiviral mechanisms of the rest of our body, stem cells use an ancient trick from plants and worms - RNA interference - to protect against viral infection.
People With Young-Onset Parkinson’s May Have Been Born With It
New research from Cedars-Sinai suggests that patients with young-onset Parkinson’s may have been born with the beginnings of the disorder.
“Cyborg” Human Organ Grown in a Dish
To achieve seamless cell-electronics interfacing, researchers have developed cyborg organs by growing human heart tissue together with dispersed, flexible electronics. Read Anqi Zhang’s article to learn more about cyborg organs!
Make No Bones About It: Human skeletal stem cells discovered for first time
Human stem cells are specialized cells that can be harvested from the body and engineered to turn into various tissues and organs. Perhaps the greatest potential use of stem cells is the generation of new tissues for organ transplants. Unfortunately,…
World's first clinical trial to treat Parkinson’s disease with stem cells
Researchers from Kyoto University in Japan started a clinical trial this month to treat Parkinson’s disease with reprogrammed stem cells. This follows the successful restoration of brain cell function in monkeys using these stem cells reported last…
Promising results for a treatment for blindness
Progressive blindness has been reversed in two patients with age-related macular degeneration, also known as AMD. AMD is a leading cause of blindness in people over 50. AMD damages the central portion of the retina, called the macula, which decreases…