Stem Cells Translational Medicine News

St. Jude Researchers Discover 'Bodyguard' Against Brain Tumors

April 27, 2012, DURHAM, NC (US) — St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists in Memphis, Tennessee (US) have rewritten the job description of the protein TopBP1 after demonstrating that it guards early brain cells from DNA damage.

Stem Cells Seek and Kill HIV in Living Organisms

LOS ANGELES, California (US) — A team of researchers at the University of California-Los Angeles has demonstrated that human stem cells can actually seek out and attack HIV-infected cells in a living organism.

Texas Medical Board Approves Controversial Stem Cell Policy

Austin, Texas (US) — The Texas Medical Board on April 13 approved the use of adult stem cell therapy by the state's doctors as long as they have patient consent and the approval of a review board that evaluates clinical research for safety. The therapy has been in the news since Texas Gov. and former presidential candidate Rick Perry received it for an ailing back last year.

Medical Expert Says Nigeria Health Bill Would Lead to Human Embryo Trading

Lagos — A medical expert has urged Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan not to sign the new National Health Bill because it would legitimize trade in human embryos.

The Nigerian daily newspaper Vanguard reported on April 6 that Dr. Philip Njemanze, chairman of General and Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, said that a section of the bill stating "no person shall, without the permission of the minister, export and import human embryos and zygotes" actually legitimized trade in human beings.

Gibbons to Head Up National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Atlanta, GA (US) — A cardiologist and scientist at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta has been named director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health in the United States. The appointment of Gary Gibbons was announced April 5.

Molecule Discovery Offers Hope for Arthritis Sufferers

Durham, NC – Arthritis sufferers might have new hope for relief after researchers at the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation in San Diego (California, US) have discovered a molecule that can prompt stem cells to turn into cartilage. Nearly 52 million people in the US alone suffer from arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

New Growth Technique Could Lead to Mass Stem Cell Production

Durham, NC - A new method to grow stem cells could lead to cost-effective, large-scale stem cell manufacturing and research.

The technique, developed by post-doctoral researcher David Fluri and Professor Peter Zandstra of the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto (Canada), pairs the stem cell creation process known as reprogramming with a bioreactor, an apparatus that creates stable environmental conditions. Using this process the two were able to reprogram mouse cells to become first, pluripotent stem cells, and then cardiac cells.

CIRM Extends Research Funding to South America

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has signed agreements with state funding agencies in Brazil and Argentina that will foster collaborations between stem cell researchers in the three countries.

CIRM is the California state stem cell agency created by Proposition 71. The act was passed in 2004 and made stem cell research a state constitutional right and allocated $3 billion over a period of 10 years to stem cell research and research facilities.