Problem: embryonic stem cell lines vary & iPS lines too

Finally I started to digest all the articles (usually on the streetcar on my way to work and home) from the recent Nature Insight: Regenerative Medicine and I try to pick up some stories for you (& interesting enough for me) from that, in case you are not lucky enough to have an available copy.…

Out of 8 embryo cells: if 1 turned to an ES cell, 7 could still become a child

At least I know how to start my stem cell comprehensive exam tomorrow (The trick is to use blastocyst medium supplemented with laminin and fibronectin): Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Generated without Embryo Destruction Young Chung, Irina Klimanskaya, Sandy Becker, Tong Li, Marc Maserati, Shi-Jiang Lu, Tamara Zdravkovic, Dusko Ilic, Olga Genbacev, Susan Fisher, Ana…

California embryonic stem cell dollars: beyond the embryonic phase

According to the newest Request For Applications (RFA) of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the New Cell Line Awards will support two categories of research: Category 1: Derivation of new hESC lines using excess or rejected early stage human embryos generated by in vitro fertilization. Category 2: Derivation of pluripotent human stem cell…

Unofficial and hypercritical peer review of a paper on p53’s role in hESC regulation

Once I wrote shortly about the following peer review paper which was popped out of my PubMed feeds to draw some attention to it: Han Qin, Tianxin Yu, Tingting Qing, Yanxia Liu, Yang Zhao, Jun Cai, Jian Li, Zhihua Song, Xiuxia Qu, Peng Zhou, Jiong Wu, Mingxiao Ding, Hongkui Deng Regulation of apoptosis and differentiation…

The first stem cell related Nobel prize: Martin Evans, 2007

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institute has today decided to award The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2007 jointly to Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies for their discoveries of “principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of embryonic stem cells” Link It’s rather a 2/3…

Vincent van Gogh and human embryonic stem cells

Let’s continue our Hit art illustrations for scientific slides project this time with van Gogh’s “Starry night“. The slide is from Chang-Kyu Lee’s presentation on the SENS3 conference, entitled Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer for establishing embryonic stem cells with desired genotype.

George Daley explains the source of Hwang’s “cloned” ES cells on Youtube

George Daley, the new president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research explains shortly the notorious case on a not embeddable (??????) YouTube video. If you are too busy to read the story, than watch it, it is 2 minutes and 13 seconds. Thanks for the video tip, Alexey Bersenev. If you have a…

Donating Frozen Embryos for Stem Cell Research: a survey in Science

EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS: Willingness to Donate Frozen Embryos for Stem Cell Research by Anne Drapkin Lyerly and Ruth R. Faden, Science 6 July 2007: Vol. 317. no. 5834, pp. 46 – 47 DOI: 10.1126/science.1145067 We conducted a survey of 2210 infertility patients receiving treatment at one of nine major, geographically diverse infertility centers and asked…

Prepare for the ISSCR 2007 stem cell party! June, 17-20

5th International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISCCR) Annual Meeting will be held this weekend June 17-20, at the Cairns Convention Centre Queensland, Australia and the schedule is exciting. Unfortunately it is improbable that there will be a pioneer web coverage on this mainstream congress as it happened in the case of the Edmonton Aging…

Nature Reports Stem Cells is live from now on…for stem cell enthusiasts

No more waiting: Nature Reports Stem Cells (NRSC) launched today, and so finally there is a fully web native, scientifically high-end (naturally), freely accessible, all-in-one stem cell research hub site for everyone (especially for the researchers) to read, share, contribute and turn the acquired insights back into new experiments, policies, ethics, businesses and clinical trials.…

On CIRM’s Medical and Ethical Standards in Plos Medicine

Geoffrey P. Lomax, Zach W. Hall, Bernard Lo: Responsible Oversight of Human Stem Cell Research: The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine’s Medical and Ethical Standards Source: Plos blog, In the May issue of PLoS Medicine

Anthony Atala on regenerative medicine at New Yorker’s 2012 conference

Dr. Anthony Atala of pluripotent amniotic fluid-derived stem cell and tissue engineered bladder fame gave a presentation on Regenerative Medicine at the 2007 New Yorker Conference “2012: Stories from the Near Future”. Atala, the director of the Biopolis-like huge Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine with circa 150 people, talks amongst others on the differences…

Stem Cell Cup: California Embryonics vs Massachusetts Oldies: $3 vs $1.25 Billion

While people in California can think they are in the centre of the (embryonic) stem cell universe due to Proposition 71’s $3 Billion and the invasion of good scientists into the West Coast, Massachusetts academic and biotech people also are thinking along those lines, so state officials quickly set up a $1.25 Billion package for…

2 models of embryonic and adult blood formation: Figure by Ueno and Weissman

If you have previously thought (in your spare time) that the conventional wisdom concerning blood formation is that the yolk sac’s embryonic blood-forming cells serve only the embryo, while the source of adult blood-forming stem cells is the region called aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM), it’s time to think it again due the elegant experiments of Samokhalov et…

Stem Cell Research Budget Cutting in Florida

It is just $20 million but look at the policy behind: Stem cell research faces budget shortfall

First differentiated cell types in mammals are…

…blood cells, “generated in early-stage embryos, for instance in mice in the yolk sac at embryonic day (E) 7.0.-7.5, just 2 or 3 days after the undifferentiated conceptus implants in the uterus.” Source: Ueno-Weissman: Blood lines from embryo to adult Nature 446, 996-997 (26 April 2007)

Stories from my PubMed feeds: hESCs, p53, apoptosis and differentiation

Short peer-review storytelling : One big technical problem of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) (in contrast to mouse embryonic stem cells) that hESCs normally undergo high rates of spontaneous apoptosis and differentiation, making them difficult to maintain in culture. Now we are getting to know a bit more on the molecular background of these processes.…

What is the birth date of present day stem cell biology?

If there is any? Stem cell biology and regenerative medicine as an institutionally specified discipline is quite young, about a decade old. Bone marrow transplantation traces its roots back to the 1970-s, but many people don’t realize that it is the most useful although restricted form of stem cell therapy till this day. In my…

Competitive strength of California Institutions measured by stem cell grants

Press Release of California Institute of Regenerative Medicine: LOS ANGELES, March 16, 2007 – “Just a month after approving nearly $45 million for embryonic stem cell research, California’s stem cell agency authorized another $75.7 million in additional funds for established scientists at 12 non-profit and academic institutions.” With this latest round of CIRM donation more…

Functional blood vessels from hESCs durable for at least 151 days

A really pushing-the-limits paper published by the Scadden lab as a Brief Communication in Nature Biotechnology Advance Online, just like the De Coppi, Atala et al. paper on human amniotic stem cells in January. This time human embryonic stem (hES) cells were differentiated into endothelial cells using a scalable step-by-step two-dimensional method, avoiding the formation…

Public list of researchers behind the first approved embryonic stem cell grants in California

Little history: SAN FRANCISCO, February 16, 2007 – The governing board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved 72 grants totaling approximately $45 million over two years, to researchers at 20 academic and non-profit research centers throughout the state focused solely on human embryonic stem cell research. So here is what the future…

Early progenitor cell number as organ size determinant: pancreas

Developmental biology is the gold mine of stem cell biology. A pioneer, but elegant quantitative cell biology paper was published in Nature advance online publication on 28, January 2007 by U.S. researchers Stanger, Tanaka, Melton along developmental lines. Based on the strict regulation of vertebrate development it was thought that extrinsic or systemic signals, growth…

Studies recommended for funding by California Stem Cell Rush dollars

The working future of embryonic stem cell biology and regenerative medicine is in the 38 projects listed and linked below. Or at least in some of them. These are the research projects that were recommended for funding available by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine after a thorough evaluation and all applications can be found…

How to isolate amniotic stem cells from the placenta, at home!

/Thanks for spreading the idea of biotech diy: Make, Pharyngula, kottke.org, Scientific American Blog, BoingBoing, Digital Bio, Clock among others…/ The placenta is a very valuable and scarce human tissue, although the proper recycling of it is not placentophagy, but the isolation of stem cells from its amnion layer, and storing them for later regenerative…

Symbolic and embryonic NIH grant to Advanced Cell and Burnham Institue

Press release: Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. a leader biotech company in human embryonic stem (ES) cell technology concerning regenerative medicine, has been awarded a research grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the amount of $204,439 in conjunction with a research project currently underway with one of its academic partners, The Burnham Institute…

Best talk at Cambridge today, Austin Smith: self-renewal is default

Is is easy to realize on a conference when you are hearing a good talk. The audience starts to take notes and gets focused. That happened today during Austin Smith‘s talk (look at Day 1 picture). Straightforward, not overcomplicated line of thought presented by easily conceivable, step by step slides, and hardcore science (facts). These…

Cambridge Embryonic Stem Cell Symposium, Day 1

Wow, the promo materials are extremely good (background: my favourite logical towel) And when people are watching….speakers (like here Austin Smith, the leader of the Wellcome Trust Center for Stem Cell Research) try to say interesting things… Best talk point goes to Allan Bradley, Martin Evans‘ disciple – in science these genealogical tales really matter…

Cambridge Embryonic Stem Cell Symposium promoted by Nature

18-19, December, Babbage Lecture Theatre, Cambridge: Opening Symposium including “A celebration of 25 years of embryonic stem cell research in Cambridge” From the intro: In 1981 two papers appeared that reported the derivation of pluripotent stem cell lines from cultured mouse embryos (1, 2). Now called embryonic stem (ES) cells, they have since transformed research…

Adult stem cells and astronauts in the ISS with one screwdriver

“Allowing research into the medical uses of adult stem cells, but not embryonic stem cells, is the equivalent of sending astronauts to work on the international space station with a single tool” according to Dr. Geoffrey Lomax, senior officer for medical and ethical standards of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, running California’s $3 billion…

Real arguments not just echo chambering in embryonic stem cell funding debate

Finally a journalist at Wired, Brandon Keim thought it’s time to check out some facts and formulate real arguments in the embryonic stem cell funding debate instead of boondoggling. He has collected good historical examples of long-term funding in drug research, which then saved many lives, like Taxol, and has enumerated fields of promising science,…

Whatbox, Upper Lost Side, Stem Cell Connect-icut (weekend back links)

Links I enjoyed recently all from mainstream media: San Fransisco Chronicle: THE LOST TAPES Conversations tape-recorded in the early years with Google’s founders illuminate how their actions forged the growth of a Silicon Valley giant via Philipp Lenssen’s blog. New York Magazine: The Death of (the Idea of) the Upper East Side by Jay McInerney…

London Regenerative Medicine Network Meeting, 13th Dec., King’s College

spacetime coordinates: 6.00 pm Wednesday 13th December 2006, King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital Campus at London Bridge, London SE1. REGISTRATION IS FREE. Link (funny, Apple-type site) AGENDA: 18.00 – Registration + networking over tea and coffee 18.30 – Welcome – Dr. Stephen Minger (KCL) – Co-organiser – LRMN 18.35 – “Retinal repair by transplantation of…

hESCs derived from single blastomere by Lanza et al.: second trial in Nature with success

In science you can always correct yourself. In stem cell research it is of utmost importance to correct what you’re claiming, if you’ve claimed it not accurately enough before. Now in November 23 Nature magazine the Lanza group has a corrected manuscript on Human embryonic stem cell lines derived from single blastomeres on the possibility…

Election perspectives in tech support: New York City as California’s rival in stem cell billions?

Check this fresh Wired review about US Midterm elections’ effects on high-tech possibilities for the United States: In New York, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer‘s gubernatorial victory was no surprise, but it’s a big win for stem-cell research in that state. Spitzer wants to commit several billion dollars of the state’s money to the science. Link…

Blogterview with Fight Aging!’s Reason: answers to life extension questions

Our first answerer to the 6 questions is Reason, who is the main driving force of the biggest and most established life extension site, Fight Aging! (Technorati Rank) and The Longevity Meme, continuously from 2001. 1. What is the story of your life extension commitment? I don’t like the idea of decaying, suffering and dying.…

What would happen if Bill Gates invested 3 billion dollars to embryonic stem cell research?

There is a dense comment debate on Bodyhack for more than a week concerning the electoral Missouri Stem Cell Hunter issue, celebs with ESC pro- or contra ads. Here is an effective comment from today’s related post by the commenter named Orrin: “I wonder what would happen if Bill Gates invested 2 billion dollars to…

New England All-Stars Award goes to Advanced Cell’s Lanza

Dr. Robert Lanza, vice president of Research and Scientific Development for Worcester-based Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), will be honored at the 11th annual Mass High Tech All-Stars Awards Networking Reception on Wednesday at the category biotechnology. Link Lanza is a key person in American human embryonic stem cell technology. Some public rearguard actions of the…

Stem cell-related videos: the sides of (how many) coins?

As time goes by stem cells not just become more and more political, but a part of pop culture beyond the scientific experiments.

FDA Stem Cell Therapy Regulation: the Framework

Dina Gould Halme and David A. Kessler wrote an article, called FDA Regulation of Stem-Cell–Based Therapies in The New England Journal of Medicine. The key concerns are: i., Stem-cell–based products as therapeutic agents are or could be: biologic products, drugs, devices, xenotransplantation products, human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products. Human cells, tissues, and…

Embryo research history to understand the Science effect