Adult Stem-Cell Technique Named Scientific Breakthrough of the Year
7th Jan 09
A technique that lets researchers make versatile stem cells without killing embryos has been chosen as the top scientific breakthrough of 2008. The advance, which involves turning back the clock on adult tissue cells and “reprogramming” them with the properties of stem cells, could lead to new treatments for diseases such as Parkinson’s and diabetes.
The process lets scientists make a potentially limitless number of “induced pluripotent stem” (IPS) cells to order from a patient’s own cells, so they don’t face rejection by the patient’s immune system when transplanted into him or her. The technique doesn’t involve taking stem cells from human embryos.
Dr Robert Coontz of the journal Science, which placed this cellular reprogramming atop its list of the biggest...
More Adult Stem-Cell Progress: Brain Cells “Could Restore Hearing”
5th Jan 09
Brain cells could cure hearing loss, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . Tissue from the lateral ventricle's ependymal layer resembles crucial hair cells in the inner ear.
The latter can’t regenerate after suffering damage, but the former can. Scientists speculate that they could transplant...
UK Bishops Hail Promising New Adult Stem-Cell Treatments
17th Dec 08
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales has welcomed new adult stem-cell therapies for heart-disease and stroke patients. Last week the media reported that researchers at Imperial College London were developing a type of stem-cell heart surgery that could give patients more...