Durham, NC (March 26, 2020)– Researchers have potentially made a breakthrough in the war on antibiotic-resistant superbugs – including MRSA, which kills an estimated 20,000 people in the United States alone each year – with a new discovery whose details are published today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. The study, by researchers in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University, demonstrates for the first time that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are an effective weapon against bacteria in biofilm.
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Press Releases from AlphaMed Press
March 17, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. MARCH 17, 2020 - A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine could provide a major breakthrough in finding a cure for gastroparesis, a painful condition in which the stomach is unable to empty itself of food. Among the symptoms are heartburn, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting and feeling full quickly when eating. In the most severe cases, patients can experience dehydration, malnutrition and bezoars — which occur when food hardens and, in turn, can block the opening from the stomach into the small intestine (the pylorus).
The study, led by Prabhash Dadhich, Ph.D., and Khalil N Bitar, Ph.D. AGAF’s laboratory, at Wake Forest School of Medicine, shows how transplanting neural stem cells in combination with interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) can restore the stomach muscles’ function and enable food to once again move normally through the digestive system.
March 12, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. MARCH 12, 2020 - In a new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM), researchers at the University of California, Davis and the Chinese Academy of Science demonstrate how induced pluripotent stem cells can provide a renewable supply of endothelial cells. These cells can then be genetically modified to produce high levels of a clotting protein that was used to successfully treat hemophilia A in mice.
Hemophilia A is a disorder in which the blood does not clot normally, causing people with the condition to bleed more than normal after an injury or surgery. In the most severe cases, this can lead to disability or death.
February 26, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. FEBRUARY 26, 2020 - A new study released today in STEM CELLS identifies, for the first time, two morphologically and functionally different types of cancer stem cells found in cervical cancer. Of the two types, one exhibits an overexpression of cPLA2α, a key enzyme that triggers the transformation of dormant cancer stem cells into active ones, resulting in cervical cancer metastasis and recurrence. The information in this study could lead to new targets for treatments to halt tumor recurrence and metastatic spread. Also, it might accelerate the development of combination therapies.
February 20, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. FEBRUARY 19, 2020 - A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine is the first to illustrate the presence of oxygen-deprived clusters throughout the damaged site of a compressed spinal cord. It is also the first to show how transplanting basic growth factor with the use of a viral vector to target the oxygen-deprived sites enhances the injured spinal cord’s recovery.
The study, conducted on a rat model that the study’s researchers developed just for their investigation, could eventually have great implications for cellular treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) in humans.
January 30, 2020
Durham, NC - Rohan Kulkarni, Ph.D., is named STEM CELLS's Young Investigator of 2019 for his work on the aging process of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). This award fosters advancements in the fields of stem cells and regenerative medicine by honoring a young researcher who is principle author of an article published in STEM CELLS that is deemed to have the most impact and to push the boundaries of novel and insightful research.
Dr. Kulkarni's work shows that young mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can rejuvenate aged HSCs via an intercellular transfer of microvesicles (MVs) harboring autophagy-inducing mRNAs. Such pretreatment of aged HSCs could improve the efficacy of autologous transplants and also expand donor cohort.
January 16, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. JANUARY 15, 2020 - When it comes to regenerating damaged brain cells, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) induced using an EP4 antagonist are superior to MSCs induced without the antagonist, according to a new study released today in the STEM CELLS Translational Medicine journal. The study, conducted on mice by researchers at the Institute of Cellular and System Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Taiwan, and the University of California, Los Angeles, provides information that could be used to develop new treatments for brain damage, including those caused by stroke and Parkinson’s disease.
January 9, 2020
Durham, NC - Mohamad Khazaei, Ph.D., scientific associate in Dr. Michael Fehlings' lab at Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, is the latest recipient of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine's (SCTM) Young Investigator Award. Launched in 2013, the award fosters advancements in the field of stem cells and regenerative medicine by honoring a young researcher who is the principal author of an article published in SCTM that, over the course of a year, is deemed to have the most impact.
January 8, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. (JAN. 08, 2020) - Allogenic transplantation of insulin-secreting islet β-cells offers the possibility of treating type 1 diabetes (T1D); however, the stress islets undergo during preparation for transplantation compromises their functional viability and poses a major obstacle to their adoption as a treatment for the majority of patients. A study released today in STEM CELLS offers information to help overcome this drawback.
Previous studies have shown that mouse mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can boost donor islet β-cells’ survival and function during the co-culturing process prior to transplantation. But the STEM CELLS study is the first to show that mitochondria – the organelles that power a cell — are what is behind the improvement.
January 6, 2020
DURHAM, N.C. (JANUARY 06, 2020) - A new, safe and efficient way to coax stem cells into bone cells is reported in a recently published article from STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM). The protocol, developed by researchers at the University of Sydney, Australian Research Centre (ARC) for Innovative BioEngineering, could lead to a shift in the treatment of bone regenerative medicine.
Large bone defects and loss due to cancer or trauma can result in scar tissue that impairs the bones’ ability to repair and regenerate. The current gold standard therapy, autografting, has inherent drawbacks, including limited availability and donor site morbidity. This leaves researchers seeking an alternative source of bone cells — and makes bone tissue engineering a growing field with considerable translational potential.
