Stem Cell Recreates 3D Neural Structure of Brain's Cerebellum

Scientist have successfully coaxed undifferentiated stem cells to form functioning cerebellar neurons that mimiced the dorsal/ventral patterning and multi-layer structure found in the cerebellum.

The experiment conducted at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan applied signaling molecules to 3D cultures of human embryonic stem cells which prompted the cells to form into cerebellar neurons. These neurons self-organized to form the proper dorsal/ventral patterning and multi-layer structure found in the natural developing cerebellum. The image above are that of mature Purkinje cells (a type of neuron) that was grown from Human Embryonic Stem Cells.

The researchers noted that the experiment may lead to technologies and other discoveries that will be useful for modeling cerebellar diseases such as spinocerebellar ataxia; a progressive, neurodegenerative,genetic disease that has no known treatment or cure.

Neurons are cells of the nervous system that transmits information and signals to and from the brain. They the main component of the nervous system which also includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral ganglia (relay points and intermediary connections between different neurological structures in the body). Neurons are not made or replaced after birth. Scientists are looking at stem cell technology to address medical conditions and disorders that are affected by neurons since stem cells can differentiate into neurons.

Stem cells, specifically human embryonic stem cells, are cells that can change itself into a higher form of cell, tissue, or organ.

Their findings are published in Cell Reports.

Imaging The Process of How Blood Stem Cells Take Root

Scientists at Stem Cell Research Program of the Boston Children's Hospital has successfully imaged the process on how blood stem cells work inside the body to generate blood.

Using see-through zebrafish and genetic tagging, the scientists got a direct visualization of how the stem cells take root in the body to generate blood.

Owen Tamplin, PhD, the paper's co-first author says, "Stem cell and bone marrow transplants are still very much a black box--cells are introduced into a patient and later on we can measure recovery of their blood system, but what happens in between can't be seen. Now we have a system where we can actually watch that middle step.

The steps are detailed in the video below.

This discovery can lead to new therapies and processes that can improve bone marrow transplants in patients that require it.

Stem cells are special cells in the body that can differentiate into a higher form of cells such as cell tissues and organs. There are different types of stem cells that are associated with a biological system such as heart stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are cells that can differentiate into any type of cell regardless of origin.

Hematopoietic stem cells are stem cells that comes from the bone marrow ,umbilical cord blood, embryo, or in peripheral blood of the human body. These are the type of stem cells used to treat blood based diseases such as lymphoma and leukemia.

Stem Cells Help In Identifying New Treatments for Dementia

Researchers in Belgium are using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to create neurons that are targeted by dementia.

By studying these neurons, the scientists have found a defect that prevents normal neurodevelopment. Stem cells were taken from patients who has an inheritable type of dementia that is responsible for 50% of dementia cases for people below the age of 60.

Dementia is a neurological disorder that causes loss of brain function. Memory, language, behavior, judgement and how the patient thinks are affected by dementia. It is a serious loss of global cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired or normal person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging. It may be static dementia, the result of a unique global brain injury, or progressive dementia, resulting in long-term decline due to damage or disease in the body.

The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer's disease.

Usually associated with elderly patients, there are cases of dementia occurring to patients below the ages of 60/65.

The type of dementia that the Belgian scientists are studying is frontotemporal dementia. It is the result of damaged neurons in the frontal and temporal lobs which affects the patient's behavior, language, and emotions.

By reconstructing the damaged neurons using stem cells, the scientists identified the defective neuron pathway, the Wnt signalling pathway, that when genetically corrected and treated, restored the ability of the iPSCs to turn into cortical neurons.

This novel method may help scientist better understand the disease and create a cure or therapy for the disease.

Researchers Study How Heart Stem Cells Work

Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have discovered the heart stem cell components responsible for regenerating and repairing the heart.

Stem cells are are cells that can transform itself into a higher biological component such as muscle, tissue or an organ. There are different type of stem cells that are exclusive to a biological system. Brain stem cells are responsible for the brain, blood stem cells for the blood, and heart stem cells for the heart. There are also pluripotent stem cells that can change into any type of cell or tissue in the body.

Their research show that cell membranes called exosomes are an important factor in promoting the growth of new heart tissue and also develops healthy blood vessels.

Although the study is still in its early stages, it is a promising discovery that can aid millions of heart patients towards a better quality of life.

Transforming Skin Cells To Insulin Producing Beta Cells To Treat Type 1 Diabetes

Credit: Catherine Twomey for The National Academies

Scientists have developed a technique that could replenish insulin producing beta cells using stem cell technology. They used skin cells and transformed them into cells that could secrete insulin. The transformed cells called PPLCs, can mimic early pancreas-like cells that can manufacture insulin.

Early testing shows that the technique is successful.

Type 1 diabetes is disease where the immune system of the body attacks and destroys beta cells in the pancreas. This results in the loss of insulin which is needed to control the blood sugar levels. If left untreated, high sugar levels can be fatal.

There is no cure for diabetes yet but it can be managed with regular glucose monitoring and insulin injections.

Because stem cells have the ability to transform into any type of cell in the body, scientists have high hopes that this may be the key to finding a cure for diabetes and other diseases. This latest discovery is a positive step in finding a permanent cure for type 1 diabetes.

Studying the Validity of Stem Cell Therapy on Spinal Cord Injuries

A new study conducted a meta-analysis of previous lab experiments in 156 previously published studies on the effects of stem cell treatment for spinal cord injury.

The paper, "Stem Cell Transplantation in Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Animal Studies", is published in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Ana Antonic, David Howells and colleagues from the Florey Institute and the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Malcolm MacLeod and colleagues from the University of Edinburgh, UK. It addresses the validity of stem cell therapy on spinal cord injuries.

The study finds that stem cell treatment results in about a 25% average improvement in both sensory and motor outcomes.

The spinal cord, combined with the brain, makes up the Central Nervous System (CNS). It is about 43 cm (17 in) to 45 cm (18 in) long and around 0.25 to 0.50 inches thick.

The spinal cord transmits the neural signals from the brain to the rest of the body. Neural circuits that can independently control numerous reflexes and central pattern generators also can be found in the spinal cord.

The spinal cord is very delicate, any major damage to the spinal cord may result in death or paralysis. Aside from stem cell therapy, scientists are looking into neuroprosthetics and robotics in treating spinal cord injury.

Slowing Down Aging Process Through Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Molecular Protein Wnt5a

Human Stem Cell

Scientists are studying a signalling pathway that links hematopoietic stem cells and the Wnt5A protein that can slow or even reverse aging. They noted that the WNT pathway that signals the production of Wnt5a leads to the activation of another protein called Cdc42 which results in stem cell aging. By suppressing the pathway, stem cells are rejuvenated and functionally acts younger.

Stem cells are cells in the body that can transform into other higher types of cells, tissue, or even organs. The stem cell observed in this study are hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). HSCs can be found in the bone marrow and also in the umbilical cord blood, embryo or peripheral blood in the human body. They can transform into many different types of blood cells such as erythrocytes, basophils, neutrophils and B-lymphocytes.

By suppressing the Cdc42 protein through the molecular signalling pathway, HSC starts to function younger which can lead to therapies that will boost their immune systems, fight illnesses and enhance overall vitality especially for the elderly.

Stem Cell Production Through Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Ushers In Era of Personalized Medicine

The first step during SCNT is enucleation or removal of nuclear genetic material (chromosomal) from a human egg. An egg is positioned with holding pipette (on the left) and egg's chromosomes are visualized under polarized microscope. A hole is made in the egg's shell (zone pellucida) using a laser and a smaller pipette (on the right) is inserted through the opening. The chromosomes then sucked in inside the pipette and slowly removed from the egg.
Credit: Cell, Tachibana et al.

A technique used by scientists have, for the first time, produced human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) that will open up developments in personalized medicine and treatments.

The scientists used a process known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT) to produce human embryonic stem cells. Stem cell study is widely known as the next step in medical technology. Stem cells are specialized cells that can transform itself into a higher form of cell, tissue, or organ.

Because of this capability, stem cells can be used to repair damages or "grow" new tissues or organs for replacement. With the discovery of this new process, repairing or replacing damaged cells, tissues, or organs would be safer since these would be genetically identical and avoid rejection.

It also ushers in the age of personalized medicine since the treatments would be sourced from the patients themselves. Human embryonic stem cells are regarded as the top level form of stem cells since they can differentiate into any kind of tissue in the body.

Stem cell research have opened up discoveries such as optic nerve repair, heart tissue replacement, diabetes treatments, and even spinal cord repair.

Stem Cells Transformed Into Brain Neurons For the First Time

Stem cell research and development have grown tremendously over the past few years. Stem cell technology have opened up novel therapies against complicated neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have, for the first time, used human embryonic stem cells to create new neurons in the brain that can help it regain memory and cognitive functions.

Stem cells are special type of cells that can transform itself into a higher form of cell, tissue, or organ. Each biological system or organ has its own specialized stem cell that can transform into a tissue within that system (a heart stem cell can differentiate into a heart tissue). But human embryonic stem cells are a higher form of stem cells in that it can differentiate into any other type of cell; a characteristic called pluripotency.

This pluripotency is what drives stem cell research as it can be used to treat conditions such as Alzheimer's where brain cells are slowly being destroyed. Neurons behave different from other types of cells in that they cannot replicate or grow back if damaged. Using stem cells to differentiate into neurons mean that the brain can be treated and possibly healed.

BubR1 Protein, Stem Cells, and Cell Senescence

Researchers are studying the role of the BubR1 protein and cellular senescence in adult stem cells.

Cellular senescence is the condition where a cell loses its ability to divide. Although they are no longer able to replicate, these cells are still metabolically active.

Senescent cells are cells that are attributed to aging. They are associated with features such as wrinkles and dry skin. Some cells become senescent after undergoing fifty cell division cycles (called the Hayflick phenomenon) or through other factors such as harmful toxins or damage to its DNA. For DNA related cellular senescence, the ends of DNA strands that shorter and shorter after each cell division. Once the ends called telomeres are used up, the actual genetic strands get damaged. This is when the cells stops dividing.

Senescence is an irreversible process and scientists are studying this phenomenon in relation to aging and the growth of cancerous tumors. Studies show that when senescent cells are purposely removed, it can prevent or delay tissue degradation and extend the healthspan of the body.

Cellular Structure
Credit: Wikipedia

Cell Therapy Ushers In Future Of Medical Technology

For the past few years, medical science has grown leaps and bounds in the development of treatments and therapies based on living cells. Cell therapy has entered mainstream medical studies with living cell based technologies such as stem cell therapy, bionanotechnology, and probiotics.

For years, common medical treatments are based on medications that are drived from chemicals and proteins. These are targeted to react on specific biological tissues, organs, and functions. But with the advent of cell therapy, of which stem cell therapy is the most known, treatments are now based on living cells.

Complex diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and neurological disorders are fast benefiting from cell therapy. Researchers are now finding novel techniques using cells to treat and manage these diseases.

Traditional drug based medication are limited to the functions it can perform in the body. Cells are more adaptable and can carry out more functions in the body. It can also can vary their responses to better suit physiologic conditions.

Regenerative Heart Treatment Through Stem Cells, Nanoparticles, and Ultrasound

Researchers at Stanford University have devised a technique that may allow the treatment of damaged heart tissues through mesenchymal stem cells guided by nanoparticles and ultrasound. Mesenchymal stem cells are a type of stem cells found in human fat that can differentiate into beating heart cells

A common problem with using stem cell therapy in treating medical conditions is guiding the stem cells to the right organ. Short of an invasive surgical procedure such as surgery to directly apply stem cells to the affected area,it is virtually impossible to guarantee that the stem cells will address the specific problem by just injecting the stem cells into the body using a syringe.

Stem cell technology has been in the forefront of medical science research in addressing medical conditions that affect the brain, heart, and other complex organs. Although the premise is simple (stem cells can regenerate into tissues) the application is complicated.

With the use of silicon nanoparticles and ultrasound, the Stanford researchers have devised a way to track the movement of the stem cells as it travels through the body.

Potential Glioblastoma Treatment Through Mesenchymal Stem Cells Under Study

Researchers have found that stem cells from human fat can be used as a treatment for Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma multiforme or GBM is the deadliest brain cancer around. It is also the most common. A patient diagnosed with GBM usually has one to two years to live.

In GBM, tumors called gliomas start in the brain or spine. Mild forms of GBM is considered Grade I GMB while the most aggressive and deadliest is Grade IV GBM. A Grade IV GBM is the most advanced and the hardest to treat of all the types.

In the study, using stem cells from both fat and bone marrow may lead to a treatment for GBM.

Stem cells are cells that can transform into a higher form of cell such as a tissue or organ. This process of transformation is called differentiation. There are many kinds of stem cells in the body and are related to a specific function or biological system.

For example, heart stem cells are used to form tissues and organs related to the heart. Blood stem cells are related to functions and elements of blood. There are also brain stem cells that grow into cells used by the brain.

The most commonly known stem cell is the embryonic stem cell. It is a special kind of stem cell because of its pluripotency. Pluripotency is the ability to differentiate into different kind of cells regardless of the biological system.

Stem Cell May Repair Damage or Loss of Neurons in The Enteric Nervous System

The Enteric Nervous System is a collection of nerve cells (neurons) in the gut from the esophagus to the rectum. It is known as the brain of the gut. It is autonomous to the central nervous system and functions independently from it.

Proper function of the digestive system requires coordinated contraction of the muscle in the wall of the intestinal tract, regulated by the enteric nervous system. Damage or loss of these neurons can result in intestinal motility disorders, such as Hirschsprung's disease, for which there is a dearth of effective treatments.

Experiment Shows Stem Cell Therapy Improves Stroke Recovery

Credit: Catherine Twomey for The National Academies

A recent stem cell experiment in stem cell treatment showed fast and improved functional recovery after a stroke within 24 hours.

Stem cells are cells that can differentiate to other type of cells, usually a higher class such as tissues and organs. Various body systems generate different kind of stem cells. Blood stem cells which are used to generate red blood cells come from the bone marrow.

Because of the unique property of stem cells, medical researchers are constantly finding ways to use stem cells in the treatment of difficult diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease, diabetes, cancer, and for the treatment and recovery of stroke patients.

Neurobiologists Transform Projection Neuron To Motor Neuron Inside Brain Through Direct Lineage Reprogramming

Neurobiologists have converted a brain neuron from one type to another. By successfully transforming a projection neuron to a motor neuron, their research can open up positive developments in the treatment and cure for neurological diseases such as ALS.

Neurons are cells that transmits information to and from the brain. They are the main component of the nervous system which includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral ganglia (relay points and intermediary connections between different neurological structures in the body).

There are about 80 to 100 billion neurons in the human brain. These are interconnected to each other through synapses in which there are about 100 trillion. The neural network transmits information through electrical and chemical signals.

No new neurons are made during one's life. Because of that, the brain has the most number of neurons during the last trimester as a fetus. From there, the number of neurons in the brain stay the same all throughout one's life.

Neurons need a lot of the body's resources to perform efficiently. The metabolic requirements for these require about 15% of the output of the heart (cardiac output), 20% of the body's oxygen consumption, and 25% of the body's glucose utilization. The brain only takes energy from glucose.

There are different types of neurons, each with a specialized function. Sensory neurons are responsible for sound, touch, sight, and other stimuli corresponding to the sensory organs. Motor neurons use signals from the brain and spinal cord to move and contract muscles and organs. There are also interneurons that connect neurons to other nearby neurons within the network. Another type of interneuron is the projection neuron that connects to far more distant neurons within the neural network.

Neurons do not undergo cell division. Most neurons are generated by special types of stem cells. Astrocytes, a type of glial cell, have also been observed to turn into neurons by virtue of the stem cell characteristic pluripotency.

Researchers Discover Bacteria That Can Transform Regular Cells Into Stem Cells

Stem cells (green) carrying bacteria differentiate into skeletal muscles, passively transmitting the infection to muscles.
Credit: Dr Toshihiro Masaki, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, The University of Edinburgh

Researchers discover that bacteria can transform regular stem cells into stem cells. This discovery can lead to better stem cell treatments in the future.

Pluripotent Stem Cells are being considered the next best miracle cure for most diseases. Its pluripotency is what makes these cells special when it comes to medical science. Pluripotency is the ability to change into any other type of cell or tissue. This process is called differentiation.

There are different kinds of stem cells. There are blood stem cells, cardiac stem cells, brain stem cells and others. These can only differentiate into a specific cell or tissue. Only embryonic stem cells are pluripotent and can differentiate into any other cell except into another embryo.

Stem cell research hit a snag when President Bush vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005 allowing the federal funding of embryonic stem cells because of moral reasons. Scientists were permitted to use existing stem cell lines harvested before the bill was vetoed.

In 2007, Shinya Yamanaka and his team at Kyoto University successfully transformed a non-pluripotent cell into a pluripotent stem cell without using embryonic stem cells. This was done by inducing specific genes within the cells to revert back to being pluripotent again. Yamanaka and fellow stem cell researcher John Gurdon were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent."

Currently, there are four types of pluripotent stem cells:

• Embryonic Stem Cell
• Nuclear Transplant Stem Cell
• Parthenote Stem Cell
• Induced Stem Cell

The first three types require a fertilized egg cell to form.

Scientists are looking into stem cells as treatment for incurable diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, and cancer.

Stem Cell Treatment For Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS) Being Researched

A promising study on stem cell transplantation to treat Lou Gehrig's Disease will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease is a neurological disease that affects voluntary muscle movement.

When a person wants to move a part of the body, like the hand, the signal first starts in the brain (the motor cortex), travels through the central nervous system (the spine) and to the peripheral nervous system (the nerves connecting to the particular muscle).

In ALS, the two systems, The central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS) start to deteriorate. There is nothing wrong with the muscle but because the nerve connection is lost, the muscle starts to shrivel up and dies. In advance stages of the disease, the ability to speak is also affected.

ALS is not as common as other neurological diseases like Parkinson's Disease or Alzheimer's Disease. In the United States, 5,600 each year gets diagnosed with ALS and there are around 30,000 Americans living with the disease at any given time.

Although muscle twitches (involuntary small movement of muscles) is a symptom of ALS, these twitches are a common occurrence due to an overactive nerve cell. It doesn't necessarily mean that one has ALS because of it. Difficulty chewing or swallowing, speaking problems, and muscle weakness and stiffness are additional symptoms.

There is no definitive test to diagnose the disease. Instead, physical examinations, blood tests, MRI imaging, and electrical study of nerves and muscles are used to detect the disease.

There is no cure for ALS.

Treating Cancer With Killer T Cells Produced From Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS)

Japanese researchers at Riken have successfully created cells that will specifically attack cancer cells. These Killer T cells or lymphocytes were developed from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Stem Cells

Stem cells are cells that can differentiate (transform) into other type of cells, usually a higher form such as tissues and organs. There are specialized stem cells such as heart stem cells or blood stem cells that differentiates into specific type of cells.

Stem cells that can differentiate into other type of cells are called pluripotent stem cells. These are usually found in human embryos and what is generally known to the public as stem cells.

Scientists have recently discovered a method to convert an adult stem cell (whose differentiation is limited to certain types of tissues/organs) into a pluripotent stem cell. These are called Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPS). iPS cells are special in that it circumvents the controversy on harvesting stem cells from human embryos.

Killer T Cells

White blood cells or leukocytes are cells used by the immune system in attacking foreign and harmful cells. A subgroup of leukocytes are lymphocytes or killer t-cells.

Killer T cells are responsible for identifying and attacking infected cells. But when it comes to cancer cells, killer t-cells are not as efficient in weeding out these harmful cells. For one, some cancer cells have a property that prevents if from being attacked by killer t-cells. Another is that, lymphocytes have a short life span that proves ineffective in a prolonged fight.

Cancer Stem Cells From Kidney Tumors Promises New Therapy In Treating The Disease

Cancer stem cells isolated from kidney tumors may give rise to new and effective treatments in treating aggressive forms of the disease.

Stem cell technology has been gaining wide attention because of its potential to treat diseases and conditions that with conventional methods are difficult even impossible. This technology is centered on embryonic and pluripotent stem cells. These are cells that have the capability to differentiate (transform) into various other cells and even organs.

But aside from these type of stem cells, there are other kinds of stem cells around.

There are blood stem cells (hematopoietic stem cells) that resupplies blood cells. There are also heart stem cells recently discovered that are responsible for heart tissues. Even the skin has stem cells.

These stem cells are limited to the organ it is associated with. There are procedures that can transform them back to its pluripotent stage but that technology is still in its early stages.

Cancer Stem Cells

There are also cancer stem cells (CSC). These behave the same way as stem cells do but instead of building back healthy tissues, these are responsible for creating cancer tumors. They are tumor forming stem cells (tumorigenic).

CSCs may generate tumors through the stem cell processes of self-renewal and differentiation into multiple cell types. They are present in tumors and may cause a relapse in the disease and even be responsible for metastisis (growth and propagation of cancer tumors in other parts of the body).