induced pluripotent stem cells

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

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Immune Cells Can Remember Past Lives

Posted 9 January 2013 by Jalees Rehman

The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is one of the most fascinating discoveries in the history of stem cell biology. John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka received the 2012 Nobel Prize for showing that adult cells could be induced to become embryonic-like stem cells (iPSCs). Many stem cell laboratories now routinely convert skin cells or blood cells from an adult patient into iPSCs. The stem cell properties of the generated iPSCs then allow researchers to convert them into a... Read more

Posted in aging, cancer, cell biology, hiv, immunology, induced Pluripotent stem cells, lymphocytes, medicine, molecular biology, senescence, Stem Cells |

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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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