On 30th January, a research group from Japan unveiled a new and seemingly simple method for making stem cells in the lab. Since then, their unusual findings have been met with a mixture of excitement and skepticism. So what exactly did this group do, and what does it mean for stem cell research? Niamh Higgins, a Genetics and Cell Biology student at Dublin City University in Ireland, has been exploring this news for us. Read on to discover what she found.
Several new stem cell research projects are off the starting blocks, thanks to major funding from the European Commission’s Framework 7 Programme. We’re excited that four of the new projects are collaborating with EuroStemCell. They all focus on different disease areas and types of stem cells, but they all have a common goal: to understand how stem cells work and how to control them so they can be used in treatments for patients. Read on to find out more about the new research.
A major research initiative could pave the way for new stem cell therapies for people with damaged immune systems.
The £5 million project may translate into new treatments that benefit older people and those who have received a bone marrow transplant.
It aims to develop stem cell therapies that can boost the immune system by repairing the thymus, an organ in the body located next to the heart that produces important immune cells.
As stem cell research moves towards new medical applications, research teams must resolve new ethical questions. For example, if cells are obtained from a human donor, how can they be used? What type of permission has been obtained from the donor or his/her family and what are the limits of this permission? These are the issues currently being tackled by the EU-funded stem cell research project STELLAR. Ton Rabelink, Coordinator of STELLAR, describes his experience of bringing biologists and ethicists together to tackle the practical ethical questions raised by their planned research.
Neurostemcellrepair (European stem cell consortium for neural cell replacement, reprogramming and functional brain repair) is formed to create a world-leading consortium that aims at taking human stem cells through the final steps toward clinical application in cell replacement therapy. Neurostemcellrepair is expected to close the gap between development and clinical implementation of stem cell replacement therapies for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and make significant advance towards stem cell therapy in Huntington’s Disease (HD).
A grant of 6 million euros for the HumEn project brings together leading European stem cell-research groups and industrial partners in a coordinated and collaborative effort aimed at developing glucose-responsive, insulin-producing beta cells for future cell-replacement therapy in diabetes. The project will contribute significantly to better treatment and quality of life for the increasing population of diabetics.
Image: Pancreatic progenitor cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. The cells are co-expressing PDX1 (red) and CDH1 (green). PDX1 is a transcription factor necessary for pancreatic development and beta-cell maturation. CDH1 codes for proteins that help cells stick together.
