A new phase of the IGNITE Network will conduct clinical trials of genomic medicine interventions. The National Institutes of Health will fund clinical trials to assess the benefits, applicability and efficacy of applying genomic medicine interventions to improve management of diseases such as high blood pressure, depression and chronic pain. The trials are part of
An international stem-cell body says the country’s proposed law could put patients at risk. An international group of stem-cell researchers is urging China to cancel draft regulations that would permit some hospitals to sell therapies developed from patients’ own cells, without approval from the nation’s drug regulator. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) sent a
Harvard University breakthrough research shows that stem cell genes can be edited in living systems New research led by Harvard scientist Amy Wagers has demonstrated that gene-editing machinery can be delivered straight to stem cells where they live, rather than in a dish. Published in Cell Reports, the findings have major implications for biotechnology research and
esearchers have made a major advance in the development of human brain “organoids” — miniature, 3D tissue cultures that model brains in a dish. The new method, published in Nature, consistently grows the same types of cells, in the same order, as the developing human cerebral cortex. The advance could change the way researchers study neuropsychiatric
In a recent decision (Ra 2015/11/0113), the Austrian Supreme Administrative Court (VwGH) inter aliaaddressed the question whether the application of stem cell therapy violates Section 49 of the Austrian Act on the Medical Profession (Ärztegesetz, ÄrzteG), which requires physicians to treat patients “… in accordance with state of the art medical science and practice” and to at all
Source BIOPROCESS ONLINE Innovation in gene therapy brings the potential for transforming patient care and obviating the need for chronic therapy through single-dose cures. Despite the potential long-term benefits of this new therapeutic modality, gene therapy companies face a number of underappreciated challenges. While there have been recent curative achievements in hepatitis C virus, curative
Source NIH With advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, it’s now possible to reprogram adult skin or blood cells to form miniature human organs in a lab dish. While these “organoids” closely mimic the structures of the liver and other vital organs, it’s been tough to get them to represent inflammation, fibrosis, fat
Researchers funded by British Heart Foundation have shown that heart ‘patches’ grown in the lab are safe to move on to trials in people with hearts damaged after a heart attack, in research presented at the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS) Conference in Manchester today. These patches could one day cure debilitating heart failure, which affects
Source Elsevier One of the most exciting advancements in stem cell research has been the development of organoid systems, which are organ-like three-dimensional structures that mimic their corresponding organ in vivo. In this important review in Digestive and Liver Disease, published by Elsevier, scientists highlight some of the established and exciting novel uses for organoids or
Expanded Potential Stem Cell lines of pig and human cells established A new approach has enabled researchers to create Expanded Potential Stem Cells (EPSCs) of both pig and human cells. These stem cells have the features of the very first cells in the developing embryo, and can develop into any type of cell. The research
