Archive for October, 2009

Placental Precursor Stem Cells Require Testosterone-free Environment To Survive

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Trophoblast stem cells, found in the layer of peripheral embryonic stem cells from which the placenta is formed, are thought to exhibit "immune privilege" that aids cell survivability and is potentially beneficial for cell and gene therapies. Survivability of TSCs has been thought to require the presence of ovarian hormones. ...

Stem Cells Changed Into Precursors For Sperm, Eggs

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Human embryonic stem cells derived from excess IVF embryos may help scientists unlock the mysteries of infertility for other couples struggling to conceive, according to new research. Researchers at the school have devised a way to efficiently coax the cells to become human germ cells -- the precursors of egg ...

Stem Cell Therapy May Offer Hope For Acute Lung Injury

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Researchers have shown that adult stem cells from bone marrow can prevent acute lung injury in a mouse model of the disease.

Endocrine Society Calls For Expanded Scope And Funding For Stem Cell Research

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Stem cell research holds great promise for the treatment of millions of Americans with debilitating and possibly fatal diseases. Current legislation and guidelines, however, continue to limit researchers' endeavors in unlocking the potential breakthroughs that stem cell research can provide. To address this concern, today The Endocrine Society issued a ...

Gladstone Scientists Receive $10 Million To Identify Genetic Cause Of Congenital Heart Disease

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) will receive $10 million over the next 6 years to find the genetic causes of congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease affects 1 percent of all children and often leads to death or long-term illness. The team of investigators, led by ...

Embryonic Stem Cells Transformed Into Human Germ Cells

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Researchers funded in part by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how to transform human embryonic stem cells into germ cells, the embryonic cells that ultimately give rise to sperm and eggs. The advance will allow researchers to observe human germ cells - previously inaccessible - in laboratory dishes. ...

Stem Cell Therapy May Offer Hope For Acute Lung Injury

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have shown that adult stem cells from bone marrow can prevent acute lung injury in a mouse model of the disease. Their results are reported online in the October issue of the journal Stem Cells. ...

Concerns About Size of Disease Team Round

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Some CIRM directors seem to be concerned about the overall size of the disease team package and the original budget of $210 million. There may well be an effort to trim the overall size, which would mean that some grants in tier one are removed. Normally all grants in tier ...

California Stem Cell Agency Approves $230 Million Aimed at Clinical Trials

Friday, October 30th, 2009

The California stem cell agency today formally awarded $230 million to 14 teams of scientists in the largest and most ambitious round of research grants in CIRM history.Already the world's largest source of funding for human embryonic stem cell research, the $3 billion agency said the grants and loans would ...

CIRM News Conference Link

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Here is a link to the live news conference on CIRM's $230 million disease team program.

CIRM News Release: More than $250 Million in Disease Team Round, Including International Partners

Friday, October 30th, 2009

The California stem cell agency has posted its press release on the largest research round in its history.The release notes that, with funding from international partners, the total comes to more than $250 million. The release also contains the identities of all the winning researchers and their institutions.

A Peek at News Coverage of CIRM’s $230 Million Disease Team Round

Friday, October 30th, 2009

California's stem cell research effort today climbed over the $1 billion mark with its whopping disease team round. The awards began generating news coverage internationally this afternoon, and more stories will surface later today and tomorrow.Erika Check Hayden filed a report on Nature magazine's breaking news blog. She said CIRM ...

Beating the Stem Cell Drum

Friday, October 30th, 2009

PR practitioners for California stem cell researchers moved quickly today to tout the disease team awards to their institutions and businesses. Here is an initial list of links to the various news releases we have seen, along with institutions yet to be heard from.Novocell, $20 million shared with UCSFSalk Institute. ...

NY Times: CIRM Moves Away From hESC

Friday, October 30th, 2009

The New York Times today reported that the California stem cell agency has made a “tacit acknowledgment that the promise of human embryonic stem cells is still far in the future.”Reporter Andrew Pollack wrote that only 4 of the 14 disease team projects approved by CIRM today involve embryonic stem ...

Disease Team News Coverage, Irony and a ‘Sinking’ State

Friday, October 30th, 2009

The California stem cell agency's $230 million disease team research effort, which boosted CIRM's spending beyond $1 billion, attracted moderate news coverage this morning and late yesterday.Some publications, however, appeared to ignore the story entirely, including the Los Angeles Times and The Sacramento Bee, based on our Internet searches. The ...

Blogger Talks to Novocell About First CIRM Loan

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Little information was dispensed yesterday by the California stem cell agency about the first step in what is proposed to be a $500 million loan program for the biotech industry.But a biopharmaceutical industry blogger provided some information about the $20 million loan to Novocell, Inc., a San Diego stem cell ...

Shades of Moby Dick

Friday, October 30th, 2009

Stories are told from time to time and then retold and retold about whales attacking sailboats. Some of them sound fanciful and are third and fourth hand.Here is a current account of what appears to be a genuine attack by whales or whales on a sailboat yesterday off the Baja ...

Stem Cell Review: Looking Forward to 2015

Friday, October 30th, 2009

How will stem cells change the way we think about treating diseases? Here is the 5 year forward look at the world of Stem Cells, from some of the greatest experts in the field. What are the diseases we’ll be treating, and the tools we’ll be using ...

News From Plastic Surgery 2009

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Plastic Surgery 2009 keeping you up-to-date on embargoed studies and other news presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) held October 23-27 in Seattle.

New ‘Schizophrenia Gene’ Prompts Researchers To Test Potential Drug Target

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Scientists report having used a commercially available drug to successfully "rescue" animal brain cells that they had intentionally damaged by manipulating a newly discovered gene that links susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and autism.