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Is 2010 the year of the stem cell Nobel?

For the second year running, mainstream media in Canada and abroad has picked up on Nobel buzz surrounding stem cell scientists James Till and Ernest McCulloch, both Senior Scientists at the Ontario Cancer Institute in Toronto. Speculation surrounding a Nobel prize...

Tread lightly in the valley of death…

Last week, a major kerfuffle erupted in the UK stem cell community as leading scientists and pro stem cell organizations argued that Britain’s range of economic austerity measures would jeopardize their ability to be a major player in translational research. Articles...

Even in pharmaceuticals, it’s an RNA world

In the RNA world hypothesis, RNA based biological life can exist without the need for DNA and proteins to store information, make decisions, and in general, control cells. In 1998, the discovery that small RNAs can play important roles in controlling cells...

Fluid shear stress promotes cell differentiation

The transplantation of stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, where diseased or degenerated tissue is replaced with a new cell source, is an exciting field of research. However, prior to the implementation of a cell therapy, large amounts of cells will be...

In the blood – part two

In my last post, I introduced the use of clinical stem cell therapy in treating multiple myelomas and lymphomas. The treatment focuses blood stem cells, known as hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). By transplanting healthy HPCs into patients, nearly normal white...

What’s in a label?

Replacing dead or dying cells with new, healthy ones is the holy grail of regenerative medicine. Even sustaining damaged cells with toxin-mopping, growth-factor-spewing stem-cell-derived support cells would be a tremendous feat. But while clinical trials have hinted...

Enhancing cancer stem cell drugs

When cells are subject certain types of mild stress, it activates a protein called NF-κB and downstream pathways that can lead to future stress resistance in a process called pre-conditioning. This is useful for preparing cells for transplant into harsh environments....

Ghosts of stem cells past

One of the coolest breakthroughs of the last five years is the ability to reprogram adult, differentiated cells into pluripotent cells, effectively allowing us to change one cell type into virtually any other. Reprogramming is achieved by expression of a set of genes...

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