Archive for the ‘Research’ Category
Using stem cells to cure… extinction?
In last week’s Right Turn, we talked about how stem cells are responsible for the colours and patterns of bird feathers—and birds, as the graphic on the right demonstrates, are basically just tiny dinosaurs. Given that there is much promise in stem cell research (and also a great deal of hype), it makes one wonder:…Read more
Right Turn: Feathers as an example of stem cell complexity
Pea Hen Feather. Credit: Bill Gracey The arrival of summer’s songbirds to much of Canada over the past month makes this a fitting time to talk about feathers. Coincidentally, a paper was released in Science in late April that revealed how stem cells function to create an incredible array of colours and patterns in bird…Read more
At the forefront of biomaterial research
. The work by Joe Landolina and Suneris Inc., highlighted by Stacey Johnson in her recent post, helps bring to the forefront the industry’s motivation to utilize “smart biomaterials”. The Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine has been researching smart biomaterials that could be used to treat soldiers injured in the field. Photo: Flickr Commons…Read more
The importance of unequal division in stem cells
. Stem cells must strike a balance between different types of divisional outcomes in order to provide the correct numbers and types of cells for the lifetime of an organism. At each cell division, a stem cell either makes two replicates of itself to expand the population (a self-renewal division), makes two highly proliferating cells…Read more
Oldies but still goodies: how we continue to transform the field of haematopoietic stem cells
“A Rat’s Past Lives, a Giraffe and Bull” depicts the interaction between the extracellular matrix and differentiated hematopoietic stem cells. Image by Elizabeth Cambridge from the Cells I See library . If you Google the term “stem cells”, you will be inundated by search results that range from the expected to the truly bizarre. For…Read more
Rejuvenation therapy for our aging T-cells (and what it may mean to cancer treatment)
It is said that with age comes “wisdom”; however, I often think that “exhaustion” might serve as a reasonable substitute. As we deal with life’s stresses, and new hairs sprout of snowy white hues, it is hard not to think of our younger days of freedom and vitality. If I could anthropomorphize a cell, I…Read more
How to “micro” manage your injured heart
When we accidentally burn ourselves while cooking or nick our fingers on a piece of paper, most of us experience a fleeting moment of irritation but never worry that the wound won’t heal. Our everyday lives have taught us that skin is a tissue with great regenerative capability. Unfortunately, the merits of self-healing seem to…Read more
Male infertility: Stem cells to the rescue?
Last month, I blogged about recent stem cell advances toward a solution for female infertility. While this post may have left you excited about the potential for stem cells to help women with fertility complications start a family, it may also have left you wondering: “What about the other half?” After all, male infertility accounts…Read more
