MetaFilter posts tagged with stemcells

Learn.Genetics

netbros — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:35:03 -0800

grumblebee's post about cell size and scale the other day was quite fascinating. Pulling back to the home for that site, the Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah delivers educational materials on genetics, bio-science and health topics ranging from stem cells to gene therapy, and from epigenetics to heredity. Explore the neurobiology of normal and addicted brains and the genetic contribution to this chronic disease.

I give them 50 years for me.

StrikeTheViol — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:56:07 -0800

Functional Neurons Induced From Adult Stem Cells. Meanwhile, stem cells may be better than bone marrow for certain cancers, and have the potential to revolutionize the supply of blood. Anecdotal success stories continue to pile up.

Clones produced from mice frozen for 16 years

homunculus — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:42:14 -0800

Production of healthy cloned mice from bodies frozen at −20°C for 16 years. Mammoths next?

retrovirally transforming pancreatic cells from adult mice into insulin-producing beta cells

kliuless — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:51:39 -0800

Scientists Repurpose Adult Cells - "Scientists have transformed one type of fully developed adult cell directly into another inside a living animal, a startling advance that could lead to cures for a variety of illnesses and sidestep the political and ethical quagmires associated with embryonic stem cell research." [nature abstract, nature writeup, audio announcement]

Stem Cell Breakthrough

homunculus — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 20:32:15 -0800

Scientists report a breakthrough in stem cell production: Stem cells created from ALS patient and used to make neurons. [Via]

28 Days Later...more stem cells!

Asparagirl — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:32:43 -0800

Scientists have discovered that "endometrial regenerative cells" (ERC's) -- in other words, human menstrual blood -- contains stem cells. ERC-derived stem cells seem to have a number of superior traits to both bone marrow derived and umbilical cord derived stem cells, the previous gold standards: they can give rise to a variety of different cell lines without differentiation, they multiply more quickly than other stem cells, they are able to replicate more times without adversely mutating, and they apparently do not need to be closely genetically matched to the recipient. Now some women have even begun banking their menstrual blood to preserve their stem cells through a company called "C'Elle: Your Monthly Miracle" -- check out their FAQ and online video. This follows last May's announcement that menstrual blood derived cells can pretty much cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in mice, a disease for which there is no current therapeutic treatment available.

How to breed a minotaur, step one.

WalterMitty — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 12:38:49 -0800

Researchers at Newcastle University have created a human-cow hybrid embryo. While previous posts on MetaFilter have addressed successful monkey cloning and the first kid to have three parents, researchers at Newcastle University have successfully created human-cow hybrid embryos as a source of stem cells for research. The controversy has been brewing for several years in the UK, where legislation and public opinion have weighed in for and against hybrid embryos. While the Catholic Church has opined that these experiments are "of Frankenstein proportion", scientists claim that this research will help them gain insights into diseases including cancer and Parkinson's Disease, as well as overcoming a shortage of available human eggs. The process used - the injection of skin cell-derived human DNA into a cow ovary - is different from what is termed a "full hybrid", which involves the fusion of sperm and egg, which is decidedly illegal. Despite the Church's distaste for embryos, its distaste for abortion continues to be even stronger. The scientists, OTOH, promise that any and all such embryos are destroyed within 14 days of creation, and that these embryos will never be allowed to come to term. BBC and Guardian Q&As on hybrid embryos. Could this be the first step to creating a minotaur or a chimera? Perhaps the debate regarding a minotaur versus a centaur can finally be resolved.

Children's Hospital Boston

homunculus — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:54:59 -0800

Interactive Features at the Children's Hospital Boston's Website. [Via Mind Hacks.]

Is the Stem Cell Debate (almost) Over?

switchsonic — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:41:14 -0800

After recent promising results demonstrating the ability to change mouse skin cells into stem cells, researchers have replicated this change in human skin cells in papers published in Science and Cell (access to full articles requires subscription) . The White House, somehow, is trying to take credit for this. The potential of all this: huge.

Stem Cells Today

StrikeTheViol — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:22:32 -0800

Stem Cell Treatment in China. A site showcasing Beike Biotech, a company that seems to be getting more attention nowadays, with a very straightforward approach. Meanwhile, some recent hard science.

Fishy miscegenation

orthogonality — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 01:57:27 -0800

More cuckoo than cuckoos: mate two salmon, get a... trout! Just give the parents a sperm transplant. And the sperm stem cells work in females too:

...Injecting the male cells into female salmon sometimes worked, too, prompting five female salmon to ovulate trout eggs.... The stem cells were still primitive enough to switch gears from sperm-producers to egg-producers when they wound up inside female organs....

Adult skin stem cells heal spinal injuries

Artifice_Eternity — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 20:50:06 -0800

Canadian scientists heal spinal injuries with stem cells from skin (in rats). "Over the course of their research, the team found that skin-derived stem cells share characteristics with embryonic neural stem cells, which generate the nervous system. ... After 12 weeks, the rats were able to walk better, with more co-ordination." Previously on the Blue: Making adult stem cells embryonic, regenerating liver tissue with adult bone marrow stem cells

Is "Virgin Birth" hyperbolic enough?

nowonmai — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 14:02:25 -0800

I'm sure everyone remembers last year's kerfuffle about Hwang Woo-Suk, the disgraced scientist who fraudulently claimed to have created human embryonic stem cells by cloning. Well, it turns out he actually did something more remarkable - he created human stem cells from unfertilised eggs by parthenogenesis. The verification of this was published with a suitably dry title for consumption by scientists, but the popular press was quick to jump on more loaded phrases.

Embryo-free Embryonic Stem-Cells

homunculus — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:56:32 -0800

Simple switch turns cells embryonic. "Researchers have finally hit the jackpot: Embryo-free embryonic stem-cells!"

Sperm Precursor Cells Created From Stem Cells

jason's_planet — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 08:55:15 -0800

Scientists say they have successfully made immature sperm cells from human bone marrow samples.

British Scientists Grow Heart Valve Tissue from Stem Cells

jason's_planet — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 08:09:25 -0800

A British research team led by the world's leading heart surgeon has grown part of a human heart from stem cells for the first time.

Creating Liver Tissue from Bone Marrow Stem Cells

jason's_planet — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 07:58:46 -0800

For the first time, researchers have used adult bone marrow stem cells to regenerate healthy human liver tissue, according to a study published in the April issue of the journal Radiology.

Sea squirts are totally sweet

homunculus — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 21:58:32 -0800

Sea Squirt Regrows Entire Body from One Blood Vessel. Most famous as the creature that settles down and eats its own brain (though that is not exactly correct), it appears the humble sea squirt has spectacular regenerative abilities as well, thanks to regeneration niches packed with stem cells. All glory to the sea squirt!

Creation of Lung Cells from Embryonic Stem Cells

jason's_planet — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 12:25:08 -0800

"Molecular scientists . . . have developed a new procedure for the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells, with which they have created the first transplantable source of lung epithelial cells."

Jersey caught the gay

jourman2 — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 18:15:27 -0800

The gay. So New Jersey approved civil unions for same-sex relationships joining Connecticut and and Vermont in the CUS-SR club. Need another reason to move to the Garden State? Here's one. And another. Don't worry, we have room for everyone. Er...maybe not.

It's about the egg, stupid.

ninjew — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 17:33:30 -0800

Senator Brownback is a... vagina? Another esteemed politician's take on something he may not be fully informed on. Full video and transcript if you'd like to skip the YouTube Jon Stewart commentary.

just ANOTHER reason why Bush is a soulless bastard.

Doorstop — Wed, 19 Jul 2006 10:41:53 -0800

Bush's threat to veto stem cell funding is a joke. Scott Rosenberg says flat out why Bush's threat is shamelessly amoral and hyporcritical, and purely political in nature. (via)

G-d hates (smoking of) fags

ericbop — Fri, 07 Jul 2006 13:42:25 -0800

Jewsfilter: Rabbinic Council of America bans smoking for all Orthodox Jews "Jewish law is fully able to incorporate new realities, recognize new and reliable scientific findings, and embrace the need to change heretofore acceptable behavior." Read the full technical legal opinion here. [pdf] Now if only the Orthodox Union would stand up for the LBGT community in same the way that it has for Darfur, stem cell research, heck, even global warming...

Stem Cells in nature

Gyan — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 08:12:29 -0800

Nature has a somewhat technical but free supplement on stem cells (alongwith a podcast and related blog).

We've got big balls

the giant pill — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 16:49:53 -0800

Mouse balls aren't the only testes that can heal. PrimeGen Biotech has announced just a few days later that they have discovered the same thing in human balls. That was quick.