Spheroid Stem Cell Treatment for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) Shows Promise

In a small pilot study, researchers from North Carolina State University have demonstrated a rapid, simple way to generate large numbers of lung stem cells for use in disease treatment. This method of harvesting and growing a patient's own lung stem cells shows promise in mice for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and could one day provide human IPF sufferers with an effective, less invasive method of treatment for their disease.

The idea of using the body's own cells to fight diseases is not new, but current methods of isolating stem cells from bone marrow, fat tissue or cord blood are time consuming, costly and often wasteful. "In current stem cell harvesting, just the process of sorting the stem cells can damage them, wasting not only the cells, but also time and money," says Ke Cheng, lead researcher on the project. "We wanted to see if we could take healthy stem cells from an organ while they were still in a supportive environment, recreate and enhance that environment outside the body to encourage stem cell reproduction, then reintroduce those cells into a damaged organ to treat disease." Cheng is an associate professor of regenerative medicine at NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine and the UNC-Chapel Hill/NC State joint department of biomedical engineering.

The image above are lung stem cells (colored red and green) residing in a cultured lung spheroid.

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.

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.

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.

Creating New Beta Cells: Stem Cell Advances For Diabetes Treatment

The islets of Langerhans are responsible for the endocrine function of the pancreas. Each islet contains beta, alpha, and delta cells that are responsible for the secretion of pancreatic hormones. Beta cells secrete insulin, a well-characterized hormone that plays an important role in regulating glucose metabolism.

Stem cell treatment for diabetes is slowly progressing as scientists study the process of regenerating insulin producing beta cells from stem cells.

Diabetes is a disease where production of insulin by the, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels, is either not enough or not even produced.

Insulin is created in the pancreas, as part of the body's endocrine system. Within the pancreas, in a region called the islets of Langerhans are cells called Beta cells. These beta cells are the cells responsible for the actual production and secretion of insulin.

Diabetes occurs when these beta cells stop producing insulin or does not produce enough. The number of beta cells in the body are kept in balance within the pancreas. Studies have shown that obese people who have not contracted diabetes have a higher amount of beta cells than obese diabetics.

Stem Cells

Stem cells are special cells that can differentiate (transform) into a higher or specialized type of cell. The body has different types of stem cells such as blood stem cells, heart stem cells, and even brain stem cells. These cells can only differentiate into cells specific to the organ they are associated with.

There are also pluripotent stem cells that can differentiate into any type of cell. These are embryonic stem cells. But because embryonic stem cells are harvested from living embryos, some sectors consider it a moral issue.

Advances in medical technology and research have allowed scientists to induce other cells to become pluripotent. This allows the production of pluripotent stem cells without using an embryo.

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.