Category Archives: Stem Cells

As a potential method for producing cells to repair failing systems in human bodies, many scientists are looking to stem cells cells that have the power to differentiate or transform into many different cell types. Scientists already know how to extract stem cells from adult human fat and hope they will someday be able to take a persons own cells and develop the tissues they need.

But there is a major constraint to this plan out of all the cells drawn from adult fat, only a small percentage can successfully turn into the desired cell type. Some could even turn into harmful cell types. To tackle this challenge, Eric Darling, assistant professor of biology, and his lab are working to produce two methods to sort the useable cells from the chaos.

Youre reliant on these cells, said Hetal Desai GS, lead researcher on one of the projects. If youre trying to grow a bone, youre reliant on how well the cells going to respond to (the chemical stimulus), how well theyre going to accomplish turning into (something like) bone. So if you have a bunch of cells that are essentially going to just hang out and not do anything, thats bad. If you can weed those out and keep the ones that are optimal thats where these techniques really have a lot of power. Desais research, published Sept. 5, focused on developing a probe that would light up when stem cells were transforming into the correct cell type. The labs other recent project in the area took a different tack measuring the physical properties of cells to see their potential to turn into bone, cartilage or fat.

Glowing beacons When a stem cell is differentiating, it sends messenger RNA signals that produce specific proteins and help it transform. Darlings team created a probe that binds to specific RNA and lights up showing when specific cells are beginning to differentiate specifically into bone.

We were basically able to quantify, in living cells and in real time, how many of these cells are expressing the genes at different stages of turning into bone, Desai said. She started work on the project while she was on rotation in Darlings lab and stayed on to make it a main research focus.

The probe, which was developed in 1996 and can be designed to respond to any specific gene, was dispatched into two groups of stem cells derived from fat one which had been treated by a chemical to induce differentiation into bone and one that had not. Looking at the cells, an observer could immediately tell by the glow which cells were responding positively to the chemical signals. Over the course of three weeks, the group watched the waves of fluorescence mark the different stages in the cells transformations.

Desai said the hardest part of the study was designing the probe. We needed it to be a fly on the wall of the process, she said. We didnt want it to interfere with the cell, but we wanted to make sure we had a really clear signal that we could assess really easily. The team designed the probe to only interface with the specific RNA that indicated differentiation, and they ran several experiments to ensure the probe was not blocking the cells from using the RNA normally.

Eventually, the researchers hope the probe can be used to pick out cells responding well to the chemical signals in a clinical setting, providing a mechanism for sorting between cells. Richard Freiman, associate professor of biology at Brown who was not involved in the study, called this the most exciting aspect of the research.

In thinking about therapy, measuring changes on those cells before you actually put them back into a patient is absolutely essential, he said. Its rare to be able to do that with living cells if one can, its very powerful.

A predictive approach In addition to developing the molecular probe, Darlings lab tackled the sorting from a predictive angle in a study published this May. The idea came to Darling during his post-doctorate at Duke University, when he used an atomic force microscope to examine the physical properties of cells. Darling said he found that stem cells had a wide variation and wondered whether that variation could predict the cells ability to turn into different kinds of tissue.

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Biology prof finds methods of identifying usable stem cells

Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Hearing / Deafness Also Included In: Ear, Nose and Throat;Stem Cell Research Article Date: 13 Sep 2012 - 4:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Deafness Cure Step Closer With Stem Cells

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Project leader and stem-cell biologist Marcelo Rivolta and colleagues report their work in the 12 September online issue of Nature.

Many of the 275 million people worldwide with moderate-to-profound hearing loss have it because of a faulty link between the inner ear and the brain.

Using gerbils and human embryonic stem cells, Rivolta and colleagues describe how they repaired an important part of that link: the auditory nerve.

"We have the proof of concept that we can use human embryonic stem cells to repair the damaged ear," Rivolta told Nature News.

As well as proving that stem cells can repair damaged hearing, the researchers hope the breakthrough will lead to new treatments.

"More work needs to be done, but now we know it's possible," said Rivolta.

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Stem Cells Help Deaf Gerbils Hear Again

Researchers have found a way to use human embryonic stem cells to restore hearing to gerbils. Specifically, they were able to repair damage to the nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain, as they reported in Naturethis week. This type of hearing loss, which affects many people, is currently untreatable; it isnt helped by hearing aids or cochlear implants, both of which depend on the auditory nerve to send the final signals to the brain. Applied to humans, this research could perhaps help a group that are currently without treatment for hearing loss.

By bathing human embryonic stem cells in certain chemicals, the researchers turned the cells into the precursors of auditory nerve cells, something they already knew how to do. They then transplanted these precursor cells into gerbils whose auditory nerves had been disabled by a poison. After 10 weeks, the transplanted stem cells had repaired the broken connection between the ear and the brain, and the gerbils hearing improved by nearly 50 percent.

It could take 15 years for such research to translate to treatments for humans, Stefan Heller, a stem cell researcher not involved in the study but also working on treatments for hearing loss, told Nature Newsif the research makes that leap. Theres no guarantee that the technique will work as well in humans as it does in gerbils. Keep your ears pricked up for further progress on this front.

Gerbil photo courtesy of Eschold/Wikimedia Commons

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Human Stem Cells Repair Hearing Loss in Gerbils | 80beats

Published: Sept. 12, 2012 at 7:52 PM

SHEFFIELD, England, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Stem cells have been used to restore hearing in animals for the first time, a huge step toward treating deafness in humans, British researchers say.

Scientists at the University of Sheffield said hearing partially improved in gerbils when nerves in the ear which pass sounds into the brain were rebuilt using stem cells, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Achieving the same amount of improvement in people could lift hearing levels from being unable to hear traffic to hearing a conversation, they said, although they caution treating humans with stem cells remains a distant prospect.

In some people, profound hearing loss occurs when nerve cells that should pick up electrical signal produced in the ear are damaged.

The goal of the University of Sheffield researcher was to replace those nerve cells, called spiral ganglion neurons, in gerbils with new ones created with stem cells.

The researchers detected the improvement in the animals' hearing by measuring brainwaves.

On average, 45 percent of their hearing range was restored by the end of the study, researchers said.

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Stem cells restore hearing in animals

Cleveland, OH-- It's almost every woman's dream. Getting rid of unwanted fat and getting a breast enhancement at the same time.

Dr. Lu Jean Feng is one of a handful of surgeons in the country using a revolutionary procedure that separates stem cells found in fat and then redistributing it into the breasts.

Colleen DeVito is a breast cancer survivor and, after a double mastectom,y she wanted a more natural option.

"I had immediate reconstruction using my own muscles, blood vessels and tissue," Colleen says.

She also used a new procedure called Adipocyte Derived Regenerative Stem Cells or ADRCs.

Researchers are studying fat stem cells to potentially treat burns, radiation injuries and inflammatory bowel disease and, while it's been used for the past few years in cosmetic surgery, it's still considered experimental and not FDA approved.

Dr. Feng uses liposuction to remove unwanted fat and then processes the fat in a device that separates the stem cells.

"An enzyme is thrown in there to release all the fat cells and growth factors and immature vessels and stem cells then it's separated from the fat cells and concentrated," Dr. Feng says.

After it's done, what's left is injected and formed into the breast.

"This breast is more of a teardrop shape that follows the natural breast skin lines and this is a great way to fill it and make a more natural looking breast," Dr. Feng says.

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Surgeon Enhances Breast Size With Fat Stem Cells

Human stem cell-derived otic neurons repopulating the cochlea of deaf gerbils are seen in this undated handout photo courtesy of the University of Sheffield.

Credit: Reuters/Marcelo Rivolta/University of Sheffield/Handout

By Ben Hirschler

LONDON | Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:09pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Scientists have restored hearing to deaf gerbils using human embryonic stem cells in an advance that could eventually help people with an intractable form of deafness caused by nerve damage.

The procedure needs further animal research to assess safety and long-term effectiveness but researchers said on Wednesday the experiment was an important proof of concept, marking a further advance in the growing field of regenerative medicine.

Marcelo Rivolta from Britain's University of Sheffield, who led the research, said the first patients could receive cell therapy for hearing loss in clinical trials in "a few years".

After treating 18 gerbils with complete deafness in one ear, his team reported in the journal Nature that stem cells produced an average 46 percent recovery in hearing function, as measured by electrical signals in the animals' brains.

"If this was a human patient, it would mean going from being so deaf as to be unable to hear a lorry or truck on the street to being able to maintain a conversation," Rivolta told reporters.

"What we have shown here is functional recovery using human stem cells, which is unique."

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Deaf gerbils hear again with human stem cells

Cancer Health Home>>Cancer>>Health news Written by: BEN HIRSCHLER, Reuters Sep. 12, 2012 A 10-month-old female Gerbil is seen in this file photo. (QMI Agency)

Scientists have restored hearing to deaf gerbils using human embryonic stem cells in an advance that could eventually help people with an intractable form of deafness caused by nerve damage.

The procedure needs further animal research to assess safety and long-term effectiveness but researchers said on Wednesday the experiment was an important proof of concept, marking a further advance in the growing field of regenerative medicine.

Marcelo Rivolta from Britains University of Sheffield, who led the research, said the first patients could receive cell therapy for hearing loss in clinical trials in a few years.

If this was a human patient, it would mean going from being so deaf as to be unable to hear a lorry or truck on the street to being able to maintain a conversation, Rivolta told reporters.

What we have shown here is functional recovery using human stem cells, which is unique.

Gerbils were selected for the test because their hearing range is similar to that of humans, while mice - the usual choice for laboratory tests - hear at higher frequencies.

The animals were deafened using a drug to destroy their auditory nerves before receiving an injection of around 50,000 human embryonic stem cells, which had previously been treated with growth factors to coax them into becoming ear cells.

The response among the gerbils varied, depending on how well the new cells were integrated into the cochlea, the spiral-shaped cavity in the inner ear.

Deafness is caused primarily by loss of sensory hair cells in the ear and auditory nerves. Since these cells are created only in the womb, there is no way to repair them once they have been damaged, resulting in permanent hearing loss.

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Deaf gerbils hear again with stem cells

TORONTO, Sept. 10, 2012 /CNW/ - Sigmacon Skin Sciences announced it is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Stemulation, a luxury skin care line that uses the healing power of human stem cells to combat wrinkles and other signs of aging.

Stemulation is based on the science that stem cells can be effectively used for skin rejuvenation, tissue repair and wound healing. A research team of specialists spent two years capturing growth factors from adult human skin cells, which they turned into an active ingredient and the basis for Stemulation products. These growth factors stimulate collagen and the reproduction of new skin cells to reduce wrinkles, eliminate sun spots and smooth scars and fine lines. It truly is a groundbreaking (and technology-backed) new way to achieve younger-looking skin!

The Stemulation line includes a serum, cleanser, exfoliant and face and body creams. The line will be sold through select doctors, estheticians and medical spas.

ABOUT Sigmacon Skin Sciences is the national distributor of a comprehensive set of performance skin care products with dedicated product specialists and trainings all across Canada. Our product lines include professional treatments, sun protection products and results-oriented home care. Sigmacon is also the distributor of advanced medical and aesthetic devices. Visit http://www.skinsciences.ca to learn more.

Image with caption: "The Future of Skin Care: Stemulation Facial Serum and Boost Crme used over 1 year. (CNW Group/Sigmacon Skin Sciences)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120910_C3135_PHOTO_EN_17420.jpg

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Introducing Canadians to a whole new way to treat aging skin: Stemulation

Cardiac stem cells from newborns show stronger regenerative ability than adult stem cells

BALTIMORE, Sept. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who are exploring novel ways to treat serious heart problems in children, have conducted the first direct comparison of the regenerative abilities of neonatal and adult-derived human cardiac stem cells. Among their findings: cardiac stem cells (CSCs) from newborns have a three-fold ability to restore heart function to nearly normal levels compared with adult CSCs. Further, in animal models of heart attack, hearts treated with neonatal stem cells pumped stronger than those given adult cells. The study is published in the September 11, 2012, issue of Circulation.

"The surprising finding is that the cells from neonates are extremely regenerative and perform better than adult stem cells," says the study's senor author, Sunjay Kaushal, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and director, pediatric cardiac surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "We are extremely excited and hopeful that this new cell-based therapy can play an important role in the treatment of children with congenital heart disease, many of whom don't have other options."

Dr. Kaushal envisions cellular therapy as either a stand-alone therapy for children with heart failure or an adjunct to medical and surgical treatments. While surgery can provide structural relief for some patients with congenital heart disease and medicine can boost heart function up to two percent, he says cellular therapy may improve heart function even more dramatically. "We're looking at this type of therapy to improve heart function in children by 10, 12, or 15 percent. This will be a quantum leap in heart function improvement."

Heart failure in children, as in adults, has been on the rise in the past decade and the prognosis for patients hospitalized with heart failure remains poor. In contrast to adults, Dr. Kaushal says heart failure in children is typically the result of a constellation of problems: reduced cardiac blood flow; weakening and enlargement of the heart; and various congenital malformations. Recent research has shown that several types of cardiac stem cells can help the heart repair itself, essentially reversing the theory that a broken heart cannot be mended.

Stem cells are unspecialized cells that can become tissue- or organ-specific cells with a particular function. In a process called differentiation, cardiac stem cells may develop into rhythmically contracting muscle cells, smooth muscle cells or endothelial cells. Stem cells in the heart may also secrete growth factors conducive to forming heart muscle and keeping the muscle from dying.

To conduct the study, researchers obtained a small amount of heart tissue during normal cardiac surgery from 43 neonates and 13 adults. The cells were expanded in a growth medium yielding millions of cells. The researchers developed a consistent way to isolate and grow neonatal stem cells from as little as 20 milligrams of heart tissue. Adult and neonate stem cell activity was observed both in the laboratory and in animal models. In addition, the animal models were compared to controls that were not given the stem cells.

Dr. Kaushal says it is not clear why the neonatal stem cells performed so well. One explanation hinges on sheer numbers: there are many more stem cells in a baby's heart than in the adult heart. Another explanation: neonate-derived cells release more growth factors that trigger blood vessel development and/or preservation than adult cells.

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University of Maryland Study Suggests Neonatal Cardiac Stem Cells May Help Mend Children's Broken Hearts