Stem Cell Research
A group of UK researchers have begun a human trial of a new stem cell therapy, extracting stem cells from the hips of patients and then injecting them into patients with an irreversible heart condition. "We are using stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine to try to improve the heart's function and maybe prolong their lives," Professor Anthony Mathur tells the Guardian. "These patients have such a poor prognosis, so it's very important for them to be exposed to a potential new therapy that might change the outcome of their condition." Report
Australian scientists from the Monash Institute of Medical Research have "reprogrammed" adult mouse fat cells and neural cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells capable of differentiating into a variety of different cells. The work indicates that fat and neural cells may work best for iPS research. Story
Russian researchers say that a combination therapy involving nanoparticles and adult stem cells was used to first burn away arterial plaque and then spurred the growth of new bleed vessels. Article
Professor Neil Scolding of the University of Bristol Institute of Clinical Neurosciences has won a £25,000 grant from the Catholic Church to help support his work on adult stem cell therapies for multiple sclerosis. The church is morally opposed to embryonic stem cell research and has encouraged a larger focus on the adult stem cell field. Item
Genetics
Lorena Havill, a researcher at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, has won a $450,000 grant to study the genetic triggers of osteoarthritis. Report
The GAO went undercover to test the utility of home genetic tests and found that they were woefully lacking. Story
New research points to a genetic link that increases the risk of dangerous blood fat, which can trigger heart disease and strokes. Report
Cancer Research
Questions have been raised about the validity of a cancer research study undertaken by Duke's Anil Potti. And Lancet Oncology issued an "expression of concern." Story
A new study has ID'd a new approach to identifying abnormal cells in the bodies of patients suffering from non-small cell lung cancer, which should help advance the identification and treatment of the disease. Story