Category REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

To become, or not to become… a neuron. Scientists find a factor that makes neural stem cells “deaf” to proliferative signals, turning them into neurons

Researchers led by Pierre Vanderhaeghen and Jérôme Bonnefont (VIB-KU Leuven and ULB), in collaboration with Stein Aerts (VIB KU Leuven) and François Guillemot (Crick Institute), have unraveled a new mechanism controlling the switch between growth and differentiation of neural stem cells during brain development. They discovered a specific factor that makes stem cells ‘deaf’ to proliferative signals,

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Liver transplants could be redundant with discovery of new liver cell

Researchers at King’s College London have used single cell RNA sequencing to identify a type of cell that may be able to regenerate liver tissue, treating liver failure without the need for transplants. In a paper published today in Nature Communications, the scientists have identified a new type of cell called a hepatobiliary hybrid progenitor (HHyP), that

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Designer Protein Acts as a Switch for Cellular Circuitry

Scientists have invented a synthetic protein designed to control the inner workings of cells. In a pair of papers, published yesterday (July 24) in Nature, the researchers demonstrate how the tool can be used to tweak gene expression, orchestrate protein binding events, and cue functional changes in the cell in response to environmental conditions.  “Cells receive stimuli, then have

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MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore launches new group, boosting cell therapy research

Cell therapies, in which cellular material is injected, grafted, or implanted into a patient to treat a range of illnesses and medical conditions, are a vital and integral component of medicine today — promising treatment of tissue degenerative diseases, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.  However, significant challenges currently exist to prevent its widespread adoption, including problems

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To understand a childhood brain tumor, researchers turn to single-cell analysis

Research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital digs into the cells of origin for key medulloblastoma subtypes Investigators at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, alongside others, have revealed the cells of origin for specific subtypes of medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. The work also has implications for how

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Position Statement from the German Biobank Alliance on the Cooperation Between Academic Biobanks and Industry Partners

Under the umbrella of the German Biobank Node (GBN), 11 biobanks and two IT development centers are funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to work together in the German Biobank Alliance (GBA). Their common aim is to make existing biomaterials hosted by different biobanks nationally and internationally available for biomedical research.

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The Landscape of Cellular and Gene Therapy Products: Authorization, Discontinuations, and Cost

Source Human Gene Therapy Clinical Development Background: Cell and gene therapy products belong to a diverse class of biopharmaceuticals known as advanced therapy medicinal products. Cell and gene therapy products are used for the treatment and prevention of diseases that until recently were only managed chronically. The objective of this study was to examine the characteristics

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Gata6+ Pericardial Cavity Macrophages Relocate to the Injured Heart and Prevent Cardiac Fibrosis

Researchers at the University of Calgary have discovered a previously unidentified cell population with the power to heal injured hearts. The cells were found in the pericardial fluid inside the sac around the heart.  Gata6+ pericardial cavity macrophage The study was led by Drs. Paul Kubes, PhD, Justin Deniset, PhD and Paul Fedak, MD, PhD. The specific

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