SCIENCE NEWSJoining Forces to Unveil Cell Division The European Union-funded project MitoCheck has successfully determined the genetic basis of cell division by systematically inactivating each and every human gene, in total 22 000, in cultured cells. [Press release from the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology discussing online prepublication in Nature and Science] Israeli Advance in Stem Cell Tech Researchers recently demonstrated that human embryonic stem cell lines can be developed and grown while floating within a cultivation medium. [Press release from Hadassah University Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Nature Biotechnology] Gene Flaw Found in Induced Stem Cells A team led by Konrad Hochedlinger at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has now derived induced pluripotent stem and embryonic stem cells with identical DNA. [Nature News Press Release] Tomato Genes Produce Promising Results Against Brain Tumors Tomato genes could be used as a future treatment in gene therapy, according to new research results. [Press release from Lund University discussing online prepublication in Neuro-Oncology] Joint Fluid May Have Regenerative Effect German scientists say concentrations of the hormones testosterone in men and estrogen in women might have a positive effect on cartilage tissue regeneration. [Press release from United Press International discussing online prepublication in the Journal Arthritis and Rheumatism] Promoting Healing by Keeping Skeletal Stem Cells ‘Young’ Scientists seeking new ways to fight maladies ranging from arthritis and osteoporosis to broken bones that won’t heal have cleared a formidable hurdle, pinpointing and controlling a key molecular player to keep stem cells in a sort of extended infancy. [Press release from the University of Rochester Medical Center discussing online prepublication in Development] New Tool for RNA Silencing Researchers have created the first class of reagents to potently and selectively inhibit miRNAs in the widely used model organism C. Elegans. [Press release from AlphaGalileo discussing online prepublication in Silence] Making the Blind See: Gene Therapy Restores Vision in Mice In a recent research report, scientists describe how they used a non-viral, synthetic nanoparticle carrier to improve and save the sight of mice with retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease characterized by progressive vision loss and eventual blindness. [Press release from EurekaAlert! discussing online prepublication in The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Journal] Gene Therapy Boosts Recovery from Heart Attack In a new study, researchers in Bristol investigated whether nerve growth factor could help the heart recover from a heart attack by encouraging new blood vessels to grow into and nourish the injured muscle. [Press release from the University of Bristol discussing online prepublication in Circulation Research] Stem Cell Therapy to Tackle HIV A novel stem cell therapy that arms the immune system with an intrinsic defense against HIV could be a powerful strategy to tackle the disease. [Science Daily Press Release] One Step Closer to Personalized Medicine: University of Alabama at Birmingham Researchers Find First Bio-Marker for Multiple Sclerosis Researchers have found the first bio-marker for multiple sclerosis that might predict which patients will respond to a standard therapy and which will not. [Press release from the University of Alabama at Birmingham discussing online prepublication in Nature Medicine] Prosensa Initiates Clinical Development of PRO044 in an Open Label Phase I/II Study – Prosensa’s Second Clinical Candidate for Treatment of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy The objective of this open label, dose-escalating study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the systemic delivery of PRO044 in twelve Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patients receiving weekly subcutaneous injections for a period of five weeks. [Prosensa Press Release] Living Cell Technologies Phase II Diabetes Trial Success: Approval to Progress Living Cell Technologies announced that it has received approval to advance to the next phase of its New Zealand Phase II human clinical trial with its groundbreaking DIABECELL®. [Living Cell Technologies Limited Press Release] CURRENT PUBLICATIONS Conversion of Adult Pancreatic Alpha-Cells to Beta-Cells After Extreme Beta-Cell Loss Researchers show beta-cell regeneration in a transgenic model of diphtheria-toxin-induced acute selective near-total beta-cell ablation. [Nature] Phenotypic Profiling of the Human Genome by Time-Lapse Microscopy Reveals Cell Division Genes As part of the Mitocheck consortium, this study provides an in-depth analysis of cell division phenotypes and makes the entire high-content data set available as a resource to the community. [Nature] Systematic Localization and Purification of Human Protein Complexes Identifies Chromosome Segregation Proteins This work has led to the discovery of previously unknown, evolutionarily conserved subunits of the anaphase-promoting complex and the gamma-tubulin ring complex, large complexes which are essential for spindle assembly and chromosome segregation. [Science] T Helper Type 1 and 17 Cells Determine Efficacy of Interferon-Beta in Multiple Sclerosis and Experimental Encephalomyelitis Investigators have found congruence in outcome between responses to interferon-beta in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. [Nature Medicine] Derivation, Propagation and Controlled Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Suspension Researchers show that human embryonic stem cells lines can be derived from floating inner cell masses in suspension culture conditions that do not involve feeder cells or microcarriers. [Nat Biotechnol] Gene Delivery to Mitotic and Postmitotic Photoreceptors via Compacted DNA Nanoparticles Results in Improved Phenotype in a Mouse Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa These findings, using a clinically relevant treatment paradigm, illustrate the potential for application of nanoparticle-based gene replacement therapy for treatment of human retinal degenerations. [FASEB J]
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