Research and Development: September 2007 Archives

Sydney, Sep 27, 2007 (RWE via COMTEX) -- STCSF | charts | news | PowerRating -- A BIOTECH AT AN EXCITING STAGE OF ITS DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGY (RWE Aust Business News) OVERVIEW

Stem Cell Sciences plc (ASX:STC) is at an exciting stage of its research into technology which could unlock the key to treat cancer, Alzheimer's, stroke and epilepsy.
 
Ferret's Stock to Watch: STEM CELL SCIENCES PLC
 (tradingmarkets.com)

Cloning. Stem cells. Regenerative medicine. These are terms you may have heard or read about in the news over the last decade.

For students in Stem Cells and Cloning taught by Visiting Professor of Biology Bill Anderson, these are topics they will be examining first hand â€" literally. They will perform experiments most undergraduates just read about. Some of the laboratory exercises include splitting flatworms to observe re-growth of entire body parts and instructing mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells to develop into specialized tissue.

Stem cell lab pushes conventional boundaries
 (phoenix.swarthmore.edu)

Stempro hESC SFM is the first serum- and feeder-free media for hESCs that has been shown to maintain these cells in a genetically normal state
Invitrogen has launched a new fully-defined, serum- and feeder-free media specifically formulated for the growth and expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs).

Human embryonic stem cell media 'breakthrough'
 (laboratorytalk.com)

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University have come together to propose a new organization called the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. If funding passes for the institute, this statewide initiative would build a research building dedicated to the study of stem cells, with over 400 million dollars from the state to do so.
 
UMDNJ conceives stem cell institute
 (media.www.dailytargum.com)

Paying close attention to how a canary learns a new song has helped scientists open a new avenue of research against Huntington's disease - a fatal disorder for which there is currently no cure or even a treatment to slow the disease.
In a paper published Sept. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have shown how stem-cell therapy might someday be used to treat the disease. The team used gene therapy to guide the development of endogenous stem cells in the brains of mice affected by a form of Huntington's. The mice that were treated lived significantly longer, were healthier, and had many more new, viable brain cells than their counterparts that did not receive the treatment.
 
Stem-cell therapy opens new avenue of research against Huntington's disease
 (news-medical.net)

Lung cells made from embryonic stem cells have been injected into live animals for the first time. All the mouse cells settled in the lungs, raising hopes that the human equivalent could find and repair damage in people with lung disease.
 
Stem cells may breathe new life into lung therapy
 (newscientist.com)

 The NIH unveiled its new plan last week for funding research on alternative sources of embryonic stem cellsâ€"essentially embryonic stem cells that aren’t derived from embryos. This plan comes under the aegis of the president’s Executive Order 13435, which requires the Department of Health and Human Services to “conduct and support research on the isolation, derivation, production, and testing of stem cells that are capable of producing all or almost all of the cell types of the developing body ... but are derived without creating a human embryo ... or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus.”
 
Jumping the Gun on Alternative Sources of Stem Cells
 (americanprogress.org)

For more than a decade, Steve Stice has dedicated his research using embryonic stem cells to improving the lives of people with degenerative diseases and debilitating injuries. His most recent discovery, which produces billions of neural cells from a few stem cells, could now aid in national security.

“It's like a canary-in-a-coal-mine scenario,” said Stice, a University of Georgia animal science professor and Georgia Research Alliance eminent scholar in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

New Use For Stem Cells Found In War On Terrorism
(sciencedaily.com)

Sydney, Sep 26, 2007 (RWE via COMTEX) -- STCSF | charts | news | PowerRating -- (RWE Aust Business News) Stem Cell Sciences plc (ASX:STC) will lead an EU-funded, multinational novel drug screening collaboration using stem cells.

The project, named NEUROscreen, will use Stem Cell Sciences' proprietary neural stem (NS) cell technology and has received a contribution from the EU's 6th Framework Program for Research and Technical Development (FP6).

The EU's contribution to the NEUROscreen project is worth 2.4 million euro over three years, of which approximately 420,000 euro will flow directly to SCS over the three year period.
 
Stem Cell Sciences to lead EU-funded drug discovery
(tradingmarkets.com)

Scientists have discovered a new way of treating liver failure that could save the lives of thousands of patients on transplant waiting lists.

The technique involves inserting stem cells into the damaged organ so that it is encouraged to repair itself and create new tissue.

According to the researchers, the treatment will allow patients to live long enough for a new organ to found and could even enable the liver to completely heal itself so a transplant is no longer needed.
 
Stem cell therapy 'could cut liver transplants'
(telegraph.co.uk)

NEW YORK, Sept. 18 PRNewswire â€" iiBIG is pleased to announce the never- before assembly of Global Cancer Experts at the 2008 Global Cancer Congress: Lighting the Onco-Pipeline â€" Innovations in Stem Cell, Biomarker, Chemistry & Novel Therapeutic R&D, January 28-29, 2008 in Tampa, Florida. iiBIG is particularly pleased to join forces with our Florida affiliates from University of South Florida, University of Florida, Shands Cancer Center, Scripps Florida, and the other Florida cancer and academic institutes along with our nationally recognized distinguished faculty at this cutting-edge event.
 
Lighting the Onco-Pipeline, Stem Cell Cancer, and More at Global Cancer Congress, January 28-29, 2008, Tampa
(digital50.com)

Human white blood cells, engineered to recognize other malignant immune cells, could provide a novel therapy for patients with highly lethal B cell cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).

By administering repeated doses of T cells designed to express an artificial receptor which recognizes human B cells, the researchers were able to eradicate cancer in 44 percent of mice bearing human ALL tumors.

Re-engineered Human T Cells Effectively Target And Kill Cancerous B Cells
(sciencedaily.com)

Düsseldorf's Rheinische Post newspaper reported the success story of stem cell therapy conducted on a 64-year-old patient.

Bodo-Eckehard Stauer, the director of the cardiology department at Düsseldorf University Hospital, told the Rheinische Post that the patient was "on the verge of dying" after having suffered a severe heart attack. The man spent seven weeks in the intensive care unit with no sign of improvement.

Doctors: Stem Cell Therapy Breakthrough for Heart Patients
(dw-world.de)

While humans are still waiting for stem cell treatments to become available, animals like horses and dogs already are getting this opportunity. Poway, Calif.-based Vet-Stem, which is a world leader in veterinary regenerative medicine, has been using its licensed stem cell therapy in horses for three years and is now extending its commercial service to include dogs, who are treated with their own stem cells to repair tendons and ligaments. The first and only company in the United States to offer fat-derived stem cell treatments for commercial use, Vet-Stem has trained 65 board-certified small-animal surgeons to treat osteoarthritis.
 
Stem Cell Cures Arthritis & Repairs Tendons & Ligaments in Dogs & Horses
(stemcell.taragana.net)

ReachBio LLC announced today the official opening of its business operations. The company will focus on providing specialized contract assay and contract research services utilizing in vitro and in vivo stem cell and progenitor cell assays to biopharma, biotechnology, agri-chemical, and other related industries. In particular, the company will draw on their unique depth of experience in clinical and industrial stem cell and progenitor cell biology to offer services for evaluating the toxic, inhibitory or stimulatory effects of compounds on hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells.

These sensitive, multiparametric high-content assays can evaluate such things as bone marrow toxicity (hematotoxicity, myelotoxicity, lymphotoxicity, neutropenia, etc.), stem cell engraftment kinetics, maximum tolerated dose, and colony forming cell (CFC) content in clinical samples (i.e., cord blood, disease-specific samples and samples from patients undergoing clinical trials). ReachBio will also offer assay design and validation services, as well as a unique on-site contract assay service for clients with particularly demanding assay requirements.
 
ReachBio, LLC Launched by Experienced Stem Cell Management Team
(newswiretoday.com)

Endometriosis, a disorder in which womb lining cells grow abnormally in the abdomen, causing scar tissue now can be treated by stem cell research as Australian scientists have discovered the process of isolating stem cell from the lining of women’s wombs.

This discovery also could lead to tissue engineering which could be used to build up natural tissue to repair pelvic floor prolapse, a condition affecting more than 50% of women after childbirth.

Stem Cell Cures Pelvic Floor Prolapse In Women Through Tissue Engineering
(stemcell.taragana.net)

 (NewsRx.com) -- How do adult stem cells protect themselves from accumulating genetic mutations that can lead to cancer?
For more than three decades, many scientists have argued that the "immortal strand hypothesis" - which states that adult stem cells segregate their DNA in a non-random manner during cell division -- explains it. And several recent reports have presented evidence backing the idea.

But in this week's issue of the journal Nature, University of Michigan stem cell researcher Sean Morrison and his colleagues deal a mortal blow to the immortal strand, at least as far as blood-forming stem cells are concerned.
 
U-M researchers dispute widely held ideas about stem cells
(newsrx.com)

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is to fund a research proposal from a team at the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI) for a project to find ways of improving the efficiency of therapeutic cloning - a technique which would allow scientists to create patient-specific stem cells and develop regenerative therapies for many debilitating conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson's disease.
 
Women undergoing IVF to donate eggs for stem cell research in return for reduced treatment costs
(news-medical.net)

In the past I have frequently mentioned the willingness of female family members such as my son Jason’s four sisters to donate egg cells, to enable the development of a treatment that repairs damage to his cortico-spinal tracts and thus restores motor function to him.

Fortunately women, who themselves are patients, will now be given the opportunity to donate egg cells that would otherwise be thrown out as a byproduct of their own treatments.

<a href="http://stemblog.net/?p=126">
Women Helping Patients Get Cures From Stem Cell Research
</a> (stemblog.net)

WALTHAM, Mass., Sept. 13  /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Research Group (MRG) has conducted a detailed analysis of the stem cell therapy market in its US Markets for Stem Cell Therapies 2007 report. The analysis reveals that although the market for stem cell therapies is in its infancy, it will grow rapidly as products are approved in the US.  Today, only two products are on the market, but by 2017, almost 90 are expected to be available.

Stem cells have regenerative capabilities, and promise lasting treatments for chronic disorders and potential cures for currently 'incurable' diseases. In 2007, the US stem cell therapies market earned over $25 million in revenues, with only two orthopedic products available in the US-Osiris Therapeutics' Osteocel, and Blackstone Medical's Trinity. Aside from these two products, the development of the US market for stem cell therapies is largely dependent on the success of clinical trials, regulatory approval, and public acceptance. The first products in the cardiovascular, diabetes, neurological, and tissue and organ stem cell therapy markets are expected to enter the market between 2009 and 2013. The entry of these products will open up a new realm of treatable disorders, offering hope to patients and vast market potential.

<a href="http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,177211.shtml">
Stem Cell Therapy to Skyrocket by 2017
</a> (earthtimes.org)

The Royan International Twin Congress, the 8th Congress on Reproductive Biomedicine, 3rd Congress on Stem Cell Biology and Technology, was held in Tehran on September 5-7.

“Iran is in the frontline of world stem cell research,” Press TV quoted honorary chairman of the congress Professor Ariff Bongso, as saying.

""I have already heard the news of Iran's outstanding achievements in stem cell research and now, by attending the congress and visiting Iran's Stem Cell research center Royan, I observed the fact that Iran is really a leading country in stem cell research,"" he added.

<a href="http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=152854">
Iran in frontline of stem cell research: Professor Bongso
</a> (tehrantimes.com)

Researchers at Monash University have identified stem cells in the lining of women's wombs that have the ability to switch into a range of fat, bone or muscle cells as needed.

The find, reported in the international journal Human Reproduction, could help explain the mechanics of common gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis, a painful and poorly understood disorder affecting 6 per cent of women.

<a href="http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22412072-5006544,00.html">
Stem cell find to shed light on womb disorders
</a> (news.com.au)

Scientists have identified a distinct subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that is responsible for metastasis of a deadly human pancreatic cancer. The research provides insight into the role of CSCs in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis and suggests new directions for development of more effective therapeutics.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma ranks as the fourth leading cause of cancer death and is relatively incurable due to early metastatic spread and high resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. In order to better understand the pathology of this deadly cancer, scientists have recently begun to explore the role of CSCs in pancreatic tumors. CSCs are thought to be a small population of tumor cells that have similar properties to normal stem cells in that they are self-replicating and capable of giving rise to populations of differentiated cells.

<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912121905.htm">
Cancer Stem Cell Subpopulation Drives Metastasis Of Human Pancreatic Cancer
</a> (sciencedaily.com)

All blood cell production in adults depends on the steady work of a vital gene that if lost results in early bone marrow failure, Dartmouth Medical School cancer geneticists have found.

Their research reveals an unexpected role for the gene in sustaining the adult blood-forming system, and opens novel strategies for targeting the gene, which is often involved in a type of childhood leukemia.

<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912121902.htm">
Unique Role For Blood Formation Gene Identified
</a> (sciencedaily.com)

Imperial College is ranked in the top ten universities of the world, according to the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement league tables.

Applications are invited for a Research Fellow/Non-Clinical Lecturer in Stem Cell Therapy leading to a permanent academic post within the University. We are looking for a scientist to develop an independent research programme preferably in areas that complement existing strengths in stem cell biology, studies of experimental models of human disease and programmes in regenerative medicine. Research areas of interest include (i) studies of stem cell maintenance and experimental manipulation in vitro to investigate cell fate determination and cell function, (ii) studies of stem cell engraftment, maintenance and function in experimental models of human disease.

<a href="http://www.jobs.ac.uk/jobs/FH150/Research_Fellow_Non-Clinical_Lecturer_in_Stem_Cell_Therapy/">
Putting Stem Cell Research on the Fast Track
</a> (jobs.ac.uk)

Two groups of researchers provide tools to speed stem cell research

A machine creates a 3-D microarray slide. Later, Dordick and his team will add live stem cells to each drop of specialized fluid.
Photo Credit: Rensselaer/Tiago Fernandez

Engineers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed tools to help solve two of the main problems slowing the progress of stem cell research â€" how to quickly test stem cell response to different drugs or genes, and how to create a large supply of healthy, viable stem cells to study from only a few available cells.

The researchers have created methods to study millions of stems cells on devices the size of a standard microscope slide. The techniques enable thousands of individual stem cell experiments to be carried out quickly and in parallel on one small device.

<a href="http://www.sflorg.com/technews/tn091207_01.html">
Putting Stem Cell Research on the Fast Track
</a> (sflorg.com)

Internationally renowned expert Dr Alan Colman will deliver a lunchtime talk at the Centre for Health Science on Friday 14 September.

Dr Colman's most recognised contribution is working in conjunction with the Scotland based research team to clone Dolly the Sheep in 1997.

Sponsored by the Scottish Stem Cell Network, the talk will focus on what Dolly the sheep has done for biomedical science, 10 years on.   The event will highlight the latest advances in stem cell therapies particularly for treating cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

<a href="http://www.allmediascotland.com/media_releases/1638/stem_cell_expert_delivers_lunch_time_talk_in_inverness">
Stem Cell Expert Delivers Lunchtime Talk in Inverness
</a> (allmediascotland.com)

ENUGUâ€"DETERMINED to play a leading role in the development of stem cell transplant as a solution to various incurable  diseases claiming lives across the globe including the dreaded Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Nigeria is to host  an international workshop on the new treatment system between 5th and 6th of October this year.

The workshop which will hold in Abuja is being organized by the Stem Cell Transplantation Project for Africa in Partnership  with the Bio-Cellular Research Organization of the United States of America and the National Biotechnology Development  Agency.

<a href="http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/east/se112092007.html">
Nigeria to host stem cell transplant int'l  workshop
</a> (vanguardngr.com)

LONDON - The UK regulator has agreed to the generation of human/animal hybrid embryos for stem cell research, paving the way for it to consider two applications for licenses to conduct such research.

The move follows from extensive and lengthy deliberations, and a series of open consultations. The meeting at which the regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) made the decision was held publicly.

Two research teams, at Newcastle University and King's College, London, have applied for permission to make hybrids, which involves fusing an adult human cell nucleus with the shell of an enucleated animal egg. Scientists hope the technique will help make up for the shortage of human eggs that are available for stem cell research.

In accordance with a long-standing law, any embryos created through this method would have to be destroyed after 14 days.

<a href="http://www.bioworld.com/servlet/com.accumedia.web.Dispatcher?next=bioWorldHeadlines_article&forceid=45389">
UK Opens Door to Work With Hybrid Embryos
</a> (bioworld.com)

HOUSTON - A tailored virus destroys brain tumor stem cells that resist other therapies and cause lethal re-growth of cancer after surgery, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Sept. 18 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"We have shown first in lab experiments and then in stem cell-derived human brain cancer in mice, that we have a tool that can target and eliminate the cells that drive brain tumors," says co-senior author Juan Fueyo, M.D., associate professor in M. D. Anderson's Department of Neuro-Oncology. A request to launch a clinical trial of the virus, called Delta-24-RGD, is expected to go to federal regulators this month.

<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070911163338.htm">
Customized Virus Kills Brain Tumor Stem Cells That Drive Lethal Cancer
</a> (sciencedaily.com)

HOUSTON  --  Biological engineers at Rice University have developed a way to make use of stem cells to replace lost cartilage in humans.

Without cartilage between bones, such as at knee and elbow joints, injuries and pain would be more common because of frequent bone on bone friction.

<a href="http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4318225&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1">
Rice Engineers Develop New Stem Cell Use
</a> (myfoxhouston.com)

UCSF scientists are reporting what they say is a significant improvement in the technique for genetically reprogramming mouse cells to their embryonic state, a process that transforms the cells, in essence, into embryonic stem cells.

The finding, published on-line as an immediate early publication in “Cell Stem Cell” (Sept. 6, 2007), builds on the strategic breakthrough reported by Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, in 2006, and confirmed in the spring of 2007 both by Yamanaka’s team and, in independent studies, by scientists at MIT, Harvard and UCLA.

<a href="http://pub.ucsf.edu/newsservices/releases/200709104/">
Embryonic stem cell strategy advanced with UCSF finding
</a> (ucsf.edu)

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have discovered stem cells in adult tendons can regenerate tissue -- a finding that promises new treatments for tendon injury and disease.

A consortium of scientists that included University of Southern California School of Dentistry researcher Songtao Shi identified unique cells within the adult tendon that have stem-cell characteristics -- including the ability to proliferate and self-renew.

The researchers were able to isolate the cells and regenerate tendon-like tissue in an animal model.

<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20070910-10283800-bc-us-stemcells.xml">
Scientists identify stem cells in tendons
</a> (sciencedaily.com)

An important finding has been made about fragile X syndrome, a sex-linked genetic disorder that affects approximately one in 4,000 males and one in 6,000 females. Fragile X syndrome is the most common genetic disorder associated with mental impairment. Many children go undiagnosed with fragile X.

<a href="http://www.rootly.com/topics/science/Stem_Cell_Research_Produces_A_Key_Discovery_For_Fragile_X_Syndrome_2/">
Stem Cell Research Produces A Key Discovery For Fragile X Syndrome
</a> (rootly.com)

LOS ANGELES  -  University of California, Los Angeles, is set to receive a $20-million donation to fund stem cell research from billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad.

Broad said that the gift, along with the Proposition 71 ballot measure that allocated $3 billion for stem cell research in 2004, would help put the state's universities at the forefront of research using the technology.

``California, in my mind, will without a doubt be the leader in North American stem cell research as a result of Proposition 71 and the great research universities we have,'' Broad told the Los Angeles Times Sunday.

<a href="http://www.kfwb.com/pages/923524.php?contentType=4&contentId=897481">
Broad Donates $20 Million for Stem Cell Research
</a> (kfwb.com)

Declining Support for Stem Cell Research â€"- The Pew Forum for Religion and Public Life has released a public opinion poll that shows weakening support for stem cell research, dropping from 57 percent two years ago to 51 percent in August this year. It also showed that 55 percent of the public had heard little or nothing about stem cell research. The polling question involving support used the phrasing "destroying potential life." The results certainly would have been more negative if the word "potential" had been omitted. "Destroying life" is how many opponents view the issue. The "take-home" point? Support for human embryonic stem cell research is fragile and can easily be undermined by events ranging from a dubious experiment or result or perceived misconduct by those funding stem cell research.

<a href="http://californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com/2007/09/stem-cell-snippets-drooping-support.html">
Stem Cell Snippets: Drooping Support, Farmland, Goldstein's Views and CIRM Scholar
</a> (californiastemcellreport.blogspot.com)

(NewsRx.com) -- "We have recently reported the induction of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) into dentin-secreting odontoblast-like cells after stimulation by isolated dentin matrix components, thus mimicking the nature of tissue regeneration seen after tooth disease and injury. After confluency, the cells were further cultured for 21 d in the 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) (control), and in this medium, with the addition of dentin extract (DE) and the mineralization supplement (MS) of ascorbic acid and beta-glycerophosphate (treatment)," scientists in the United States report.

<a href="http://www.newsrx.com/articles/706479.html">
Research on Stem Cell Research reported by scientists at University of Michigan
</a> (newsrx.com)

You have to be there, if there is any way possible. The Summit is sponsored by the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Burrill Life Sciences Media Groupâ€" and the Genetics Policy Institute, which is, of course, chaired by the advocate’s friend, Bernard Siegel.

Bernie Siegel is brilliant at bringing together the giants of stem cell science, industry, politics, and advocacy. In addition to being a lawyer with three decades experience, he is also a natural showman, and he uses his talents on everyone’s behalf.

<a href="http://stemblog.net/?p=124">
Bernie Siegel and The Great Stem Cell Summit
</a> (Don Reed, stemblog.net)

An event co-sponsored by the Rutgers Stem Cell Research Center and Applied Biosystems, Inc. Our goal is to bring together stem cell scientists from New Jersey's academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology labs to discuss current trends in stem cell technologies.

<a href="http://scrc.rutgers.edu/symposium.html">
2007 NJ Stem Cell Technology Symposium
</a> (scrc.rutgers.edu)

Rice University biomedical engineers have developed a new technique for growing cartilage from human embryonic stem cells, a method that could be used to grow replacement cartilage for the surgical repair of knee, jaw, hip, and other joints.

"Because native cartilage is unable to heal itself, researchers have long looked for ways to grow replacement cartilage in the lab that could be used to surgically repair injuries," said lead researcher Kyriacos A. Athanasiou, the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor of Bioengineering. "This research offers a novel approach for producing cartilage-like cells from embryonic stem cells, and it also presents the first method to use such cells to engineer cartilage tissue with significant functional properties."

<a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070906104136.htm
"> Embryonic Stem Cells Used To Grow Cartilage
</a> (sciencedaily.com/)

RIVERSIDE, Calif. â€" A plant cell biologist at UC Riverside has received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate how plant stem-cells maintain their identity and how they eventually get specialized into different cell types.

According to G. Venugopala Reddy, the principal investigator of the four-year grant, the research, which will focus only on plants, has potential to lead to better insights into how stem cells communicate with each other both before and after they are transformed into specialized cells that lead to the development of different plant organs.

<a href="http://www.newsroom.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/display.cgi?id=1658
"> UCR Plant Cell Biologist to Study How Plant Stem-Cells Maintain and Change Their Identity
</a> (newsroom.ucr.edu)

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the governmental body that regulates fertility treatments in the U.K., looks set to approve the use of hybrid embryos for stem cell research at a meeting later on today.

Earlier this week, the HFEA published its public consultation on the subject. This revealed that, although many people found the idea of human-animal hybrid embryos to be repugnant, most approved of it when they better understood the reasons for it.

<a href="http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/09/hfea_set_to_approve_use_of.php
"> HFEA set to approve use of hybrid embryos for stem cell research
</a> (scienceblogs.com)

Cardiac patients could have their own or donated cells engineered into heart valve or muscle replacements and implanted within six weeks from donation. This could be possible in as little as three to five years say top heart surgeons in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences - published recently.

Professor Magdi Yacoub, the world's leading heart surgeon and Professor of Cardiac Surgery at Imperial College, based at the Heart Science Centre at Harefield Hospital has compiled the progress of his team and researchers worldwide for a special edition of the journal entitled 'Bioengineering the heart'.

<a href="http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/81178.php
"> Growing Heart Tissue For Implantation Is Possible In Six Weeks Says Top Heart Surgeon
</a> (medicalnewstoday.com)

The Associated Press

SEATTLE â€" The federal government is giving the University of Washington $10 million to expand its research into human embryonic stem cells.

About 70 researchers at the UW Medical Center's Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine are studying how to use stem cells to repair hearts, fight blindness and deafness, and combat bone, blood and joint diseases. The institute, which opened in March 2006, has also attracted $17 million in private donations.

<http://www.theolympian.com/northwest/story/207844.html
"> UW awarded $10 million for human embryonic stem cell research
</a> (theolympian.com)

HOUSTON -- (September 4, 2007) -- An $8.7 million five-year grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences promises to kick-start research with human embryonic stem cells in Texas, involving scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, said its BCM principal investigator.

"We hope this will become a regional cornerstone for human embryonic stem cell research," said Dr. Margaret Goodell, professor of pediatrics and molecular and human genetics at BCM and director of the STaR Center . All stem cell lines used for the project will be those approved by the National Institutes of Health.

<a href="http://www.bcm.edu/news/item.cfm?newsID=944
"> Federal grant anchors Texas embryonic stem cell research</a> (Kimberlee Barbour, bcm.edu)

HOOD RIVER, Ore./EWORLDWIRE/Sep. 4, 2007 --- Unite 2 Fight Paralysis is proud to join forces with the leaders in stem cell research and regenerative medicine as they gather for their annual global conference. The "Stem Cell Summit" is scheduled for October 2-3, 2007, in Boston, Mass.

The Burrill Life Sciences Media Group, the Genetics Policy Institute (GPI), and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) are jointly hosting the Summit. According to Bernard Siegel, founder and executive director of GPI, the Summit "will help energize the entire community by connecting patients with leading researchers and other experts in related fields of policy, law, ethics and commerce, and thereby advance our mutual goal to derive treatments and cures sooner rather than later."

<a href="http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/view_release.php?id=17557
"> October 2-3: Unite 2 Fight Paralysis Joins Leading Research Organizations to Support Stem Cell Summit.</a> (newsroom.eworldwire.com)

For the first time, scientists at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC have discovered a unique population of adult stem cells derived from human muscle that could be used to treat muscle injuries and diseases such as heart attack and muscular dystrophy.

In a study using human muscle tissue, scientists in Children's Stem Cell Research Center - led by Johnny Huard, PhD, and Bruno Péault, PhD - isolated and characterized stem cells taken from blood vessels (known as myoendothelial cells) that are easily isolated using cell-sorting techniques, proliferate rapidly and can be differentiated in the laboratory into muscle, bone and cartilage cells.

<a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-09/chop-psi090407.php
"> Pittsburgh scientists identify human source of stem cells with potential to repair muscle</a> (eurekalert.org)

Research involving the creation of hybrid human-animal embryos could provide a breakthrough in treating currently incurable diseases, the Royal Society has said today.

The issue of stem cell research has long been regarded with distain by anti-abortion groups, as it involves the destruction of the human embryo.

<a href="http://www.politics.co.uk/issueoftheday/opinion-former-index/health/royal-society-new-research-vital-$477944$477933.htm
"> Royal Society: New research is vital </a> (politics.co.uk)

With a new President on the horizon, things are definitely looking up in the cutting-edge science arena that will lead to innovative discoveries to cure devastating medical conditions.

Those of us who are dealing with debilitating and deadly disorders in our families, will be pleased to find out about the latest advances that have been made in hESCR and other stem cell research.

<a href="http://stemblog.net/?p=123
"> The Stem Cell Summit in Boston, Oct 2-3, 2007</a> (stemblog.net)

(NewsRx.com) -- A report, "Requirement of Rac1 distinguishes follicular from interfollicular epithelial stem cells," is newly published data in Oncogene. According to recent research from the United States, "Epithelial stem cells in the bulge region within the hair follicle maintain the cyclic hair growth, but whether these stem cells also contribute to the epidermal renewal remains unclear. Here, we observed that the conditional deletion of the Rac1 gene in the mouse skin, including the potential follicular and epidermal stem cell compartments, results in alopecia owing to defective hair development."

<a href="http://www.newsrx.com/articles/698761.html
">Researchers from National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research publish new studies and findings in the area of stem cell research </a> (newsrx.com)