adult stem cells

Adult stem cells originate in a different part of the brain than is commonly believed, and with proper stimulation they can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury, a new study has shown.

In an approach that could become a new treatment for the 10 to 20 percent of people whose broken bones fail to heal, researchers have shown that transplantation of adult stem cells can improve healing of fractures.

(University of California - Berkeley) When UC Berkeley bioengineers tweaked how adult stem cells reacted to biochemical signals regulating cell division, they gave muscle in old mice a shot of youthful vigor.

The research sets the path for research on new treatments for age-related degenerative conditions, including muscle atrophy and Alzheimer's disease.

Enzyme induces adult stem cells to grow bone. Until now it has been difficult to induce adult human stem cells to produce bone, e.g. in order to repair bone tissue.

Researchers have just shown that if the enzyme PKA is previously activated in the stem cells in the lab, following implantation this results in substantial bone formation.

This opens up new ways of repairing bone tissue using cell material from the patient.

Scientists have for the first time identified stem cells that allow the pituitary glands of mice to grow even after birth.

They found that, in contrast to most adult stem cells, these cells are distinct from those that fuel the initial growth of this important organ.

The results suggest a novel way that the hormone-secreting gland may adapt, even in adolescents and adults, to traumatic stress or to normal life changes like pregnancy.

Researchers have made an important step towards the use of adult stem cells to repair damaged tissue. University of Manchester scientists report that they have uncovered a messaging system that instructs adult stem cells to contribute to tissue repair in response to chemical signals in the body.

Researchers in the United Kingdom are investigating a mechanism that normally drives adult stem cells to repair the intestine.

They have found that if things go wrong and a crucial gene called Apc is lost or damaged, then this normal function of controlling the adult stem cell population breaks down and ultimately leads to a tumour.

The extraordinary action of a new cellular therapy came to light as a result of powerful PET and SPECT imaging in a recent study reported in the April issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Researchers in Germany were able to observe the repair action of circulating progenitor cells, immature blood-derived cells capable of developing into adult stem cells, as they successfully preserved healthy heart tissue and corrected blood flow imbalance within the heart.

Adult stem cells may provide an explanation for the cause of a Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a rare disease that causes premature aging in children.

These findings, the first to indicate a biological basis for the clinical features of HGPS, also known as progeria, may also provide new insights into the biological mechanisms of normal aging.

A review of previously published research suggests that stem cells harvested from an adult's blood or marrow may provide treatment benefit to select patients for some autoimmune diseases and cardiovascular disorders.