Stem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide (through mitosis) and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells. In mammals, there are two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and adult stem cells, which are found in various tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all the specialized cells (these are called pluripotent cells), but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues. There are three sources of autologous adult stem cells: 1) Bone marrow, which requires extraction by harvesting, that is, drilling into bone (typically the femur or iliac crest), 2) Adipose tissue (lipid cells), which requires extraction by liposuction, and 3) Blood, which requires extraction through pheresis, wherein blood is drawn from the donor (similar to a blood donation), passed through a machine that extracts the stem cells and returns other
Turn out the light: 'Switch' determines cancer cell fate
(Phys.org) —Like picking a career or a movie, cells have to make decisions – and cancer results from cells making wrong decisions.
May 03, 2013
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Scientists made fundamental discovery about how properties of embryonic stem cells controlled
The study, which focuses on the process by which these cells renew and increase in number, could help research to find new treatments.
May 02, 2013
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Clones of clones can make clones
Since the first reports of successful cloning of mammals by somatic cell nuclear transfer, concerns have been raised about the efficiency and repeatability of cloning techniques, and the health of cloned ...
Apr 01, 2013
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Researchers succeed in making generations of mouse clones
Using the technique that created Dolly the sheep, researchers from the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan have identified a way to produce healthy mouse clones that live a normal lifespan ...
Mar 07, 2013
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Study shows potential of differentiated iPS cells in cell therapy without immune rejection
A new study from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows that tissues derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in an experimental model were not rejected when transplanted back into genetically identical ...
Jan 25, 2013
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A relationship between cancer genes and the reprogramming gene SOX2 discovered
A team of researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), led by Manuel Serrano, from the Tumour Suppression Group, together with scientists from London and Santiago de Compostela, has discovered that ...
Dec 06, 2012
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Feedback loop maintains basal cell population
Notch – the protein that can help determine cell fate – maintains a stable population of basal cells in the prostate through a positive feedback loop system with another key protein – TGF beta (transforming growth factor ...
Nov 01, 2012
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First mouse, now human, lab-grown eye tissue
Producing retinal tissue from human embryonic stem cells is now possible thanks to a team of researchers led by Yoshiki Sasai of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan.
Nov 01, 2012
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Scientists create germ cell-supporting embryonic Sertoli-like cells from skin cells
Using a stepwise trans-differentiation process, Whitehead Institute researchers have turned skin cells into embryonic Sertoli-like cells.
Sep 06, 2012
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Stem cells can become anything -- but not without this protein
In a finding that could be important to the use of all kinds of stem cells in treating disease, scientists have discovered the crucial role of a protein called Mof in preserving the 'stem-ness' of stem cells, ...
Aug 21, 2012
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Critical process in stem cell development identified
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that environmental factors critically influence the growth of a type of stem cell--called an iPS cell--that is derived from adult skin cells. This discovery offers newfound ...
Jul 05, 2012
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Scientists see new hope for restoring vision with stem cell help
Human-derived stem cells can spontaneously form the tissue that develops into the part of the eye that allows us to see, according to a study published by Cell Press in the 5th anniversary issue of the journal ...
Jun 13, 2012
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Researchers develop new muscular dystrophy treatment approach using human stem cells
Researchers from the University of Minnesota's Lillehei Heart Institute have effectively treated muscular dystrophy in mice using human stem cells derived from a new process that – for the first time – makes the ...
May 04, 2012
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Study reveals dynamic changes in gene regulation in human stem cells
A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and the University of California (UC) San Diego has discovered a new type of dynamic change in human stem cells.
May 03, 2012
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New stem cell line provides safe, prolific source for disease modeling and transplant studies
Researchers have generated a new type of human stem cell that can develop into numerous types of specialized cells, including functioning pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. Called endodermal progenitor (EP) cells, ...
Apr 05, 2012
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