01-Nov-2010
BBC News - Miniature livers 'grown in lab'
Scientists have managed to produce a small-scale version of a human liver in the laboratory using stem cells.
The success increases hope that new transplant livers could be manufactured, although experts say that this is still many years away.
The team from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center presented its findings at a conference in Boston.
Update Oct-2011
Geron Starts First Human Embryonic Stem-Cell Study - BusinessWeek: "Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Geron Corp. used a therapy made from stem cells taken from human embryos to treat a patient paralyzed by a spinal-cord injury in the first U.S.-authorized test of the technology."
Update 24-Jan-2012
Once they were blind, now they see. Patients cured by stem cell 'miracle'.
Two blind people have shown signs of being able to see again – despite having incurable eye disease – following a revolutionary operation involving the transplant of stem cells derived from a human embryo.
"Despite the progressive nature of these conditions, the vision of both patients appears to have improved after transplantation of the cells, even at the lowest dosage," said Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer of Advanced Cell Technology, the Massachusetts company that supplied the cells. "This is particularly important, since the ultimate goal of this therapy will be to treat patients earlier in the course of the disease where more significant results might potentially be expected," Dr Lanza said.
In a separate clinical trial being conducted in Britain by Professor Douglas Bainbridge, a 34-year-old Yorkshire man suffering from Stargardt's disease underwent an embryonic stem cell transplant in his right eye last Friday at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London.
Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/once-they-were-blind-now-they-see-patients-cured-by-stem-cell-miracle-6293706.html
Update 31-Jan-2012
Skin transformed into brain cells.
Skin cells have been converted directly into cells which develop into the main components of the brain, by researchers studying mice in California. The experiment, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, skipped the middle "stem cell" stage in the process.
Stem cells, which can become any other specialist type of cell from brain to bone, are thought to have huge promise in a range of treatments. Many trials are taking place, such as in stroke patients or specific forms of blindness.
Dr Deepak Srivastava, who has researched converting cells into heart muscle, said the study: "Opens the door to consider new ways to regenerate damaged neurons using cells surrounding the area of injury."
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16788809
Update 15-Feb-2012
Bone marrow stem cells give 'some' heart Hearing
Bone marrow stem cell therapy offers "moderate improvement" to heart attack patients, according to a large UK review of clinical trials.
The report by Cochrane pooled the data from all 33 bone marrow trials which had taken place up to 2011.
It concluded that bone marrow therapy "may lead to a moderate long-term improvement" in heart function which "might be clinically very important".
Lead author Dr Enca Martin-Rendon, from NHS Blood and Transplant at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said: "This new treatment may lead to moderate improvement in heart function over standard Treatments. "Stem cell therapy may also reduce the number of patients who later die or suffer from heart failure, but currently there is a lack of statistically significant evidence based on the small number of patients treated so far."
Prof Anthony Mathur, from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, is leading the largest ever trial of stem cells in heart attack patients.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17025593
Update: 15-Feb-2012
Stem cells used to 'heal' heart attack scars
Damage caused by a heart attack has been healed using stem cells gathered from the patient's own heart, according to doctors in the US. The amount of scar tissue was halved in the small safety trial reported in the Lancet medical journal.
Prof Anthony Mathur is co-ordinating a stem cell trial involving 3,000 heart attack patients.
Prof Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "It's the first time these scientists' potentially exciting work has been carried out in humans, and the results are very encouraging.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17012688
Update 15-Feb-2012
Bone marrow stem cells give 'some' heart Hearing
Bone marrow stem cell therapy offers "moderate improvement" to heart attack patients, according to a large UK review of clinical trials.
The report by Cochrane pooled the data from all 33 bone marrow trials which had taken place up to 2011.
It concluded that bone marrow therapy "may lead to a moderate long-term improvement" in heart function which "might be clinically very important".
Lead author Dr Enca Martin-Rendon, from NHS Blood and Transplant at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said: "This new treatment may lead to moderate improvement in heart function over standard Treatments. "Stem cell therapy may also reduce the number of patients who later die or suffer from heart failure, but currently there is a lack of statistically significant evidence based on the small number of patients treated so far."
Prof Anthony Mathur, from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, is leading the largest ever trial of stem cells in heart attack patients.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17025593
Update: 15-Feb-2012
Stem cells used to 'heal' heart attack scars
Damage caused by a heart attack has been healed using stem cells gathered from the patient's own heart, according to doctors in the US. The amount of scar tissue was halved in the small safety trial reported in the Lancet medical journal.
Prof Anthony Mathur is co-ordinating a stem cell trial involving 3,000 heart attack patients.
Prof Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "It's the first time these scientists' potentially exciting work has been carried out in humans, and the results are very encouraging.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17012688
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