adult stem cells

Bone Marrow Cell Infusions Do NOT Improve Cardiac Function After Heart Attack

Posted 18 April 2013 by Jalees Rehman

For over a decade, cardiologists have been conducting trials in patients using cells extracted from the bone marrow and infusing them into the blood vessels of the heart in patients who have suffered a heart attack. This type of a procedure is not without risks. It involves multiple invasive procedures in patients who are already quite ill, because they are experiencing a major heart attack: 1) Patients with a major heart attack (also referred to as ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction or... Read more

Posted in adult stem cells, cardiovascular, heart disease, regeneration, regenerative medicine, research, Stem Cells |

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Are Scientists Divided Over Divining Rods?

Posted 25 February 2013 by Jalees Rehman

When I read a statement which starts with "Scientists are divided over......", I expect to learn about a scientific controversy involving scientists who offer distinct interpretations or analyses of published scientific data. This is not uncommon in stem cell biology. For example, scientists disagree about the differentiation capacity of adult bone marrow stem cells. Some scientists are convinced that these adult stem cells have a broad differentiation capacity and that a significant proportion can turn into heart cells or brain... Read more

Posted in adult stem cells, science communication, science journalism, science writing, scientific method, Stem Cells |

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Stemming the Flow: Using Stem Cells To Treat Urinary Bladder Dysfunction

Posted 19 February 2013 by Jalees Rehman

Neurogenic bladder is a disorder which occurs in spinal cord diseases such as spina bifida and is characterized by an inability of the nervous system to properly control the urinary bladder and the muscle tissue contained in the bladder wall. This can lead to spasms and a build-up of pressure in the bladder, often resulting in urinary incontinence. Children with spina bifida and neurogenic bladder often feel urges to urinate after drinking comparatively small amounts of liquid and they can... Read more

Posted in adult stem cells, induced Pluripotent stem cells, iPSCs, mesenchymal stem cells, MSCs, patients, regenerative medicine, Stem Cells |

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Radical Tails: Antioxidants Can Prevent Regeneration

Posted 14 January 2013 by Jalees Rehman

Amphibians such as frogs or salamanders have a remarkable ability to regenerate amputated limbs and tails. The regenerative process involves the formation of endogenous pluripotent stem cells, which then expand and differentiate into the tissue types that give rise to the regenerated body part. The complex interplay of the cell types and signals involved in this regenerative response to the injury are not fully known and there is considerable interest in identifying all the necessary steps. The ultimate hope is... Read more

Posted in adult stem cells, antioxidants, oxidants, reactive oxygen species, regeneration, regenerative medicine, Stem Cells, wound healing |

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Can The Heart Regenerate Itself After A Heart Attack?

Posted 5 December 2012 by Jalees Rehman

Some cardiovascular researchers believe that the heart contains cardiac stem cells or progenitor cells which can become mature cardiomyocytes (beating heart cells) following an injury and regenerate the damaged heart. The paper "Mammalian heart renewal by pre-existing cardiomyocytes" published in the journal Nature by Senyo and colleagues (online publication on December 5, 2012), on the other hand, suggests that the endogenous regenerative potential of the adult heart is very limited. The researchers studied the regeneration of cardiomyocytes in mice using... Read more

Posted in adult stem cells, cardiovascular, cell biology, gene expression, heart disease, molecular biology, regenerative medicine |

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Recent Study Raises Questions About Using Adult Stem Cells for Chronic Heart Disease

Posted 15 November 2012 by Jalees Rehman

A recent clinical study (POSEIDON Randomized Trial) investigated the effects of transplanting bone marrow derived adult stem cells into patients with known heart disease. The results were presented at the 2012 American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in Los Angeles and also published in the article "Comparison of Allogeneic vs Autologous Bone Marrow–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Delivered by Transendocardial Injection in Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy: The POSEIDON Randomized Trial". The article by Dr. Joshua Hare and colleagues appeared in the online... Read more

Posted in adult stem cells, clinical trials, Embryonic stem cells, Ethics, heart disease, induced Pluripotent stem cells, scientific method, scientific methodology, Stem Cells |

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The Importance of Being Embryonic

Posted 25 October 2012 by Jalees Rehman

There are three broad categories of human stem cells: 1) adult stem cells, 2) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and 3) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Adult stem cells can be found in selected adult tissues, such as the hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow which give rise to a variety of blood cells on a daily basis in an adult. Such adult stem cells are quite rare and, when compared to ESCs, somewhat limited in the type of cells... Read more

Posted in adult stem cells, Embryonic stem cells, Ethics, induced Pluripotent stem cells, Stem Cells |

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