STEM CELLS is proud to announce the appointment of new Associate Editor, Dr. Toru Kondo of Hokkaido University, Japan. Dr. Kondo has served as an outstanding member of the STEM CELLS Editorial Board since 2007 and we are delighted that he has accepted our invitation to become an Associate Editor. He joins Associate Editors, Dr. Majlinda Lako and Dr. Noel Buckley, Concise review Editor Dr. Terry Lappin, and Editor Dr. Jan Nolta.
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Press Releases from AlphaMed Press
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February 3, 2014
Previous studies have shown that multiple stem cell implantations might assist adults suffering from complete spinal cord injuries (SCI). Now a groundbreaking study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine shows for the first time that children with SCI might benefit, too.
Marcin Majka, Ph.D., and Danuta Jarocha, Ph.D., led the study at Jagiellonian University College of Medicine in Krakow, Poland. “Although it was conducted on a small number of patients carrying a different injury level and type, preliminary results demonstrate the possibility of attaining neurological, motor and sensation and quality-of-life improvement in children with a chronic complete spinal cord injury through multiple bone marrow derived cell (BMNC) implantations. Intravenous implantations of these cells seem to prevent and/or help the healing of pressure ulcers,” Dr. Majka said.
January 29, 2014
In a study just published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, researchers have found what might prove to be a rich new source of adult stem cells for use in regenerative medicine — the tissue normally discarded during routine hip replacement surgery. With well over 300,000 hip replacements taking place each year in the United States alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control, this tissue might provide an unprecedented source of autologous stem cells for aging patients and have “profound implications” in clinical use, the scientists say.
January 20, 2014
January 17, 2014 - A new assessment tool is helping scientists determine which treatments might benefit patients with a type of eye disorder called limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). The tool, developed by researchers at University College London and Moorfields Eye Hospital in London and funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at these institutions, has already shown that the majority of these patients can benefit in the short term from a stem cell transplantation and up to 30 percent are still experiencing better sight three years later, according to the study published in the current issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.
January 14, 2014
A new study released in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine indicates that stem cells can be effective in treating a debilitating and sometimes lethal genetic disorder called brittle bone disease.
Brittle bone disease, or osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), is characterized by fragile bones causing some patients to suffer hundreds of fractures over the course of a lifetime. In addition, according to the OI Foundation, other symptoms include muscle weakness, hearing loss, fatigue, joint laxity, curved bones, scoliosis, brittle teeth and short stature. Restrictive pulmonary disease occurs in the more severe cases. Currently there is no cure.
December 19, 2013
A new study released today in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine demonstrates that the therapeutic value of stem cells collected from fat declines when the cells come from older patients.
“This could restrict the effectiveness of autologous cell therapy using fat, or adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADSCs), and require that we test cell material before use and develop ways to pretreat ADSCs from aged patients to enhance their therapeutic potential,” said Anastasia Efimenko, M.D., Ph.D. She and Nina Dzhoyashvili, M.D., were first authors of the study led by Yelena Parfyonova, M.D., D.Sc.,at Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow.
December 9, 2013
Generating new cardiac muscle from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and/or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) could fulfill the demand for therapeutic applications and drug testing. The production of a similar population of these cells remains a major limitation, but in a study just published in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, researchers now believe they have found a way to do this.
By combining small molecules and growth factors, the international research team led by investigators at the Cardiovascular Research Center at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai developed a two-step system that caused stem cells to differentiate into ventricular heart muscle cells from hESCs and iPSCs. The process resulted in high efficiency and reproducibility, in a manner that mimicked the developmental steps of normal cardiovascular development.
December 4, 2013
A new study appearing in STEM CELLS Translational Medicine (SCTM) demonstrates the potential of a subset of stem cell called CD34+ in treating hard to heal bone fractures.
While most patients recover from broken bones with little or no complication, up to 10 percent experience fractures that won’t heal. This can lead to a number of debilitating side effects, from infection to bone loss, and it can require extensive treatment involving multiple operations and prolonged hospitalization as well as long-term disability.
Regenerating broken bone using stem cells could offer an answer. Adult human peripheral blood CD34+ cells have been shown to contain an abundance of a type of stem cell called endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) as well as hematopoietic stem cells, which give rise to all types of blood cells. As such, they could be good candidates for this therapy.
November 14, 2013
A team of researchers from Gifu Pharmaceutical University and Gifu University in Japan has published results demonstrating that a type of protein found in stem cells taken from adipose (fat) tissue can reverse and prevent age-related, light-induced retinal damage in a mouse model, offering hope for those faced with permanent vision loss.
The research, published in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, has determined that a single injection of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) reduced the retinal damage induced by light exposure in mice. Also, the study found that adipose-derived stem cells in conditioned medium inhibited the retinal damage by hydrogen peroxide and visible light both in the medium and in live mice.
Moreover the research revealed that a type of protein called progranulin found in the ASCs might be what plays the pivotal role in protecting against light-induced eye damage.
November 4, 2013
A stem cell therapy previously shown to reduce inflammation in the critical time window after traumatic brain injury also promotes lasting cognitive improvement, according to a pre-clinical study reported in the current issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.
Cellular damage in the brain after traumatic injury can cause severe, ongoing neurological impairment and inflammation. Few pharmaceutical options exist to treat the problem. About half of patients with severe head injuries need surgery to remove or repair ruptured blood vessels or bruised brain tissue.
A stem cell treatment known as Multipotent Adult Progenitor Cell (MAPC®) therapy, has been found to reduce inflammation in rats immediately after traumatic brain injury, but no one had yet gauged its usefulness in promoting recovery of neurological function over time. Now, a group of scientists studying that question has come up with a preliminary answer.
