Archive for stem cells
Creating hairy human skin: Not as easy as you think
Key takeaways· Scientists have created the first cultured human skin capable of growing hair embedded with fat and nerve cells. · Potential applications include burn treatments, and testing medications and cosmetics· The skin organoid system developed is a proof of concept for creating other human organoids, such as the inner ear. For more than 40 ... Read More
Tracking an organism’s development, cell by cell
A new mouse model allows scientists to track every cell in the body — from the embryo stage until adulthood. The system is the first of its kind and should yield a greater understanding of development, aging, and disease. Scientists described it last week in the journal Cell. “The dream of many developmental biologists for ... Read More
Long-term hemophilia treatment could lie in patients’ own cells
Children (and adults) with hemophilia are slow to form blood clots, so are at constant risk for uncontrolled bleeding. Even when the skin isn’t broken, a fall or a simple toe stub can become a serious medical issue: internal bleeding cause permanent damage to muscles and joints. While regularly replacing the missing or malfunctioning clotting ... Read More
Following blood stem cells in the body could yield better, safer treatments
Blood stem cells make all the different kinds of blood and immune cells in our body. Scientists have long been trying to make these cells in the lab and use them to make different blood cell types on demand. Mastering these feats could help make bone marrow transplants more efficient and less toxic, and could ... Read More
Going into science: Women scientists at Boston Children’s offer advice to girls
In honor of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (February 11), we invited women scientists at all stages of their careers at Boston Children’s Hospital to share their scientific agendas. Here is some of what they had to say. The scientists also offered their advice for girls interested in entering the field. ... Read More
Tissue models and a gene therapy for a deadly heart arrhythmia
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a leading cause of sudden death from cardiac arrest in children and young adults. Marked by racing, irregular heartbeats, the inherited arrhythmia is typically silent until a child suddenly collapses and faints, at an average age of 12. The trigger is an adrenaline surge, caused by exercise or emotional ... Read More
New stem cell pipeline makes more lifelike cell products
Researchers in many fields of science and medicine engineer different types of human cells for drug testing and other purposes. They often begin with stem cells — unspecialized cells that have the potential to form many different types of tissue. By turning on certain genes, the scientists attempt to coax the stem cells into becoming ... Read More
Genetics drive deep investigations into blood cell production
Knowing how different kinds of blood cells form from their stem cell progenitors can shed light on blood disorders and aid in finding new treatments. A series of recent studies co-led by researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center applied a variety of genetic tools to provide new insights on blood cell production. ... Read More
Blood stem cell transplants from any donor, without toxicity?
Many blood disorders, immune disorders and metabolic disorders can be cured with a transplant of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells, also known as bone marrow transplant. But patients must first receive high-dose, whole-body chemotherapy and/or radiation to deplete their own defective stem cells, providing space for the donor cells to engraft. These “conditioning” regimens are highly ... Read More
Creating custom brains from the ground up
Scientists studying how genetics impact brain disease have long sought a better experimental model. Cultures of genetically-modified cell lines can reveal some clues to how certain genes influence the development of psychiatric disorders and brain cancers. But such models cannot offer the true-to-form look at brain function that can be provided by genetically-modified mice. Even ... Read More