Stem Cell Research
Cardiologists at the University of Louisville will extract tissue from patients, remove cardiac stem cells from the tissue and then inject them back into patients after a three-month recovery period in a Phase I trial. The researchers want to see if they can duplicate the results of animal studies that showed a 5 to 10 percent improvement in pumping ability. Story
A new study indicates that Ependymal stem cells may reverse paralysis related to spinal cord injuries. Report
Obama advisor David Axelrod says a presidential order loosening restrictions on stem cell research should be coming soon. Report
California's stem cell agency has awarded $4 million to the Broad Stem Cell Research Center at UCLA. The money will be used to train young scientists. Story
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have reprogrammed skin cells into heart cells. Report
Genetics
The genetic code for all 99 strains of the common cold has been deciphered, leading scientists one step closer to a new drug for the ailment. But don't look for a vaccine. It's possible to catch two strains of cold at once and have those strains mutate into a brand new one. Report
A new study has identified the first common gene variants associated with an increased incidence of hypertension--a significant risk factor for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Story
An international team of researchers including scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München has succeeded in identifying new gene variants associated with an increased risk for myocardial infarction, or heart attack. Release
Cancer Research
A team led by Marie Dutreix of the Curie Institute in Paris has created molecular decoys--dubbed Dbaits--that can convince cancer cells that they are badly damaged, triggering apoptosis, or cell death. This new approach is intended to treat patients who don't respond to chemotherapy. A combination of Dbaits and radiotherapy eliminated 75 percent to 100 percent of cancer cells in rats. Report
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic campus in Florida have found that a drug now being tested to treat a range of human cancers significantly inhibited colon cancer development in mice. Because the agent appears to have minimal side effects, it may represent an effective chemopreventive treatment in people at high risk for colon cancer, the investigators say. Release
The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society have partnered to award William Matsui, MD, Johns Hopkins University and Irving Weissman, MD, Stanford University, research grants totaling $500,000 to study the multiple myeloma cancer stem cell. Release
A new biomarker found for prostate cancer can help guide men to decide whether or not to seek treatment. Story