UC Irvine study exposes risks of direct-to-consumer stem cell, exosome COVID-19 therapy ads

Irvine, Calif., Oct. 26, 2023 — A study from the University of California, Irvine has revealed that in 2022, 38 North American businesses used direct-to-consumer advertising to promote unproven stem cell interventions and exosome products as purported treatments and preventatives for COVID-19. Collectively, these organizations operated or facilitated access to 60 clinics – with 24 in the U.

Researchers discover disease-causing stem cells in lungs of cystic fibrosis patients

Two nationally recognized experts in cloning and stem cell science from the University of Houston, Wa Xian and Frank McKeon, are reporting that five lung stem cell variants dominate the lungs of patients with advanced cystic fibrosis (CF), and that these variants drive key aspects of CF pathology including inflammation, fibrosis and mucin secretion.

Study: Blood stem cell diversity arises in embryonic development

All humans have a diverse set of blood stem cell types that help govern overall health. As people age, they tend to lose this diversity, increasing their risk for blood cancers, cardiovascular disease and all-causes death. Yale School of Medicine…

UC Irvine-led researchers reveal new molecular mechanism for stimulating hair growth

Irvine, Calif., June 21, 2023 — The process by which aged, or senescent, pigment-making cells in the skin cause significant growth of hair inside skin moles, called nevi, has been identified by a research team led by the University of California, Irvine. The discovery may offer a road map for an entirely new generation of molecular therapies for androgenetic alopecia, a common form of hair loss in both women and men.

UTHealth Houston awarded nearly $13M in grants to study treatments for traumatic brain injury

Nearly $13 million in federal grant funds to study treatments for traumatic brain injury, which kills an average of 190 people and hospitalizes another 600 in the U.S. every day, has been awarded to UTHealth Houston by the Department of Defense’s Office of Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP).

Research identifies new target that may prevent blood cancer

An international coalition of biomedical researchers co-led by Alexander Bick, MD, PhD, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has determined a new way to measure the growth rate of precancerous clones of blood stem cells that one day could help doctors lower their patients’ risk of blood cancer. The technique, called PACER, led to the identification of a gene that, when activated, drives clonal expansion.

Nanofiber-Hydrogel Loaded with Stem Cells Shows Success Treating Severe Complication of Crohn’s Disease

In a new study using a rat model of Crohn’s disease, a biodegradable hydrogel composite loaded with stem cells, developed by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers, in a collaborative effort with the Whiting School of Engineering, has shown significant success in treating perianal fistulas (PAF) — one of the many complications of Crohn’s disease.

Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness

Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.Over a decade ago, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed a way to grow organized clusters of cells, called organoids, that resemble the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

NIH researchers use 3D bioprinting to create eye tissue

Scientists used patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue that will advance understanding of the mechanisms of blinding diseases. The research team from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, printed a combination of cells that form the outer blood-retina barrier—eye tissue that supports the retina’s light-sensing photoreceptors. The technique provides a theoretically unlimited supply of patient-derived tissue to study degenerative retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Cleveland Clinic Studying Stem Cell Treatment for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Cleveland Clinic was awarded $5.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop a stem cell treatment for complex regional pain syndrome, a disease that causes debilitating chronic pain.
The research shows long-term potential for providing patients suffering from chronic pain an alternative to addictive treatments like opioids.

See-through zebrafish, new imaging method put blood stem cells in high-resolution spotlight

MADISON — For the first time, researchers can get a high-resolution view of single blood stem cells thanks to a little help from microscopy and zebrafish.Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the University of California San Diego have developed a method for scientists to track a single blood stem cell in a live organism and then describe the ultrastructure, or architecture, of that same cell using electron microscopy.

Scientists develop blueprint for turning stem cells into sensory interneurons

Key takeaways:
• Just like the real thing. The stem cell–derived interneurons, which play a role in sensations like touch and pain, are indistinguishable from their real-life counterparts in the body.
• Tomorrow’s therapies. In addition to potential treatments for injury-related sensation loss, the discovery could lead to new methods for screening drugs for chronic pain.
• Moving forward. While stem cells from mice were used in the research, scientists are now working to replicate the findings with human cells.

Piezo1 Possible Key to Supporting Muscle Regeneration in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Tracing the impact of a single protein, Piezo1, Penn researchers found that restoring it in muscles affected by Duchenne muscular dystrophy could improve their ability to heal efficiently

Researchers Use Model of Hypothalamus to Implicate Genes Associated with Sleep, BMI, Puberty, and More

A new study has implicated several genes involved in a variety of bodily functions associated with the hypothalamus, a notoriously difficult-to-study region of the brain. The findings could help clinicians identify potential causes of dysfunction for many important traits regulated by the hypothalamus, such as sleep, stress, and reproduction.

Albert Einstein Cancer Center Researcher Receives NCI Outstanding Investigator Award to Study Two Deadly Blood Diseases

Ulrich G. Steidl, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the Blood Cancer Institute and associate director of basic science at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center (AECC), has received a prestigious Outstanding Investigator Award from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

UCI receives 5-year, $5 million CIRM award for training of diverse researchers

The University of California, Irvine has received a five-year, $5 million award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to support a comprehensive doctoral, postdoctoral and clinical researcher training program to prepare the current and next generation of leaders in stem cell biology, gene therapy and regenerative medicine.

UCI-led team develops transplant biomaterial that doesn’t trigger immune response

Irvine, Calif., June 3, 2021 — A multidisciplinary research team led by Jonathan Lakey, Ph.D., professor of surgery and biomedical engineering at the University of California, Irvine, has developed a biomaterial for pancreatic islet transplants that doesn’t trigger the body’s immune response. Based on stem cell technology, hybrid alginate offers a possible long-term treatment for Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune reaction that destroys pancreatic islets’ beta cells, which regulate blood glucose levels.