Biologists have identified the specific region in vertebrates where adult blood stem cells arise during embryonic development. The researchers say their time-lapse imaging of the process, by which primitive embryonic tissues first produce the parent stem cells that produce all adult blood cells over the life of an individual, should help guide future efforts to repair and replace this cell population for therapeutic purposes.

Biopharmaceutical company Athersys (NASDAQ: ATHX) received a major boost in its stock price on February 10th, following the announcement that it had received US and European patents related to its MultiStem technology. Guess there’s nothing investors like more than learning your company has dibs on stem cells. MultiStem is a product that is essentially non-embryonic multipotent stem cells derived from the bone marrow of select human donors. Athersys is able to take these donated stem cells, isolate them, grow them, and then process them so they can be used in patients. A single donor could provide enough MultiStem doses for hundreds of thousands if not millions of recipients! Just as impressive, no immunosuppression or donor matching is needed when using MultiStem. Athersys is hoping to make their product the stem cell equivalent of Type O blood and is working with Pfizer, Angiotech and others to develop specific treatments.

Neurogenesis is a hot topic in neuroscience research, and it has been for a few years now. Yet there are still people, in our field, who know nothing about it (including a teacher I had last year). This is a good introduction for those who may want to know more about this emerging element of brain science.

Stem cells and brain tales

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Tiny circles of DNA are the key to a new and easier way to transform stem cells from human fat into induced pluripotent stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, say scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Unlike other commonly used techniques, the method, which is based on standard molecular biology practices, does not use viruses to introduce genes into the cells or permanently alter a cell's genome.

In Nature, Singapore scientists report that Tbx3 significantly improves quality of induced pluripotent stem cells.

Photoreceptors created from induced pluripotent stem cells.

Think twice the next time you wipe a few flecks of dandruff from your shoulder. You might be shedding cells that may someday restore human vision.

Mouse skin cells were changed into neurons by altering 3 genes. They formed connections with each other shown here.

Conventional wisdom tells us that you can’t teach an old cell new tricks. Scientists at Standard University, however, have been able to change adult mouse skin cells into mouse neurons. Unlike previous work with converting cells from one form to another, this research does not require the skin cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) first. The Stanford team was able to directly convert skin to nerve by altering just 3 genes in a method that was both quicker and more efficient than previous iPS experiments. This work was recently published online in Nature, and has important implications in establishing how scientists could convert any cell into any other type of cell. While these researchers are actively trying to translate this work for use in humans, for now it is simply an important leap forward in understanding the ways in which mammal cells can transform.

A natural material derived from crustacean shell and algae supports the growth of human embryonic stem cells.

Researchers from Chalmers University will build up body parts using nanocellulose and the body's own cells

Professor Paul Gatenholm at Chalmers is leading and co-ordinating this European research programme, which will construct an outer ear using nanocellulose and a mixture of the patient's own cartilage cells and stem cells.

The researchers will build up a three-dimensional nanocellulose network that is an exact copy of the patient's healthy outer ear and construct an exact mirror image of the ear. It will have sufficient mechanical stability for it to be used as a bioreactor, which means that the patient's own cartilage and stem cells can be cultivated directly inside the body or on the patient, in this case on the head.