Stem Cell Research
The British scientist Christine Mummery says that embryonic stem cells could be used as an alternative to animal testing. Report
The FDA has given StemCells a green light to pursue a Phase I trial of its HuCNS-SC product candidate cells as a therapy for Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease, a fatal brain disorder. Story
A Stanford research team was able to make adult stem cells biolumescent so they could easily track the repair work the stem cells were able to do after they were transplanted into immune-suppressed mice. Report
Taking skin cells from children with spinal muscular atrophy, researchers were able to grow new nerve cells with the same defect, making it possible to study how the disease develops and how it can be cured. Story
South San Francisco-based VistaGen Therapeutics has inked a licensing deal with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation for the development and commercialization of stem cell-based research tools. Release
Genetics
Researchers have discovered a genetic variation in younger heart attack patients that raises the risk of death, a second heart attack or other heart problems when they are given the blood thinner Plavix. Report
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University have identified a new anti-tumor gene called SARI that can interact with and suppress a key protein that is overexpressed in 90 percent of human cancers. The discovery could one day lead to an effective gene therapy for cancer. Release
Cancer Research
Low levels of two enzymes has been linked to shorter survival time for women with ovarian cancer. Report
An international team of scientists say they're closing in on the cells that cause bowel cancer. Story
More Research
Bioinformatics researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Genentech have developed a new, quicker way to sequence monoclonal antibodies--a process that is many times faster than the sequencing technology typically used by academic and industry researchers today. Report