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Stem Cells: The Building Blocks of Life
Breaking News!
 Cure for Baldness?In 2014, we are able to restore sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, but still figuring out a way to reverse hair loss eludes us. Well, 2015 may prove otherwise, as researchers in Spain believe they’ve found a way to spur new hair growth by using our body's immune defense to stimulate stem cells in the surrounding skin. |
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 Cell Biologists Discover On-Off...A new study by cell and systems biologists at the University of Toronto (U of T) investigating stem cells in mice shows, for the first time, an instance of such a relationship between the Sox2 gene which is critical for early development, and a region elsewhere on the genome that effectively regulates its activity. The discovery could mean a significant advance in the emerging field of human regenerative medicine, as the Sox2 gene is essential for maintaining embryonic stem cells... |
 Can Scientists Clone a Rhinoceros?When the northern white rhinoceros Angalifu died at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park last week, he left his species a step closer to extinction. Only five of his kind remain, most of them elderly. However, the gentle, two-ton animal also left behind a part of himself that may let scientists breathe new life into the imperiled species. They plan to use DNA samples preserved in the San Diego Frozen Zoo to create more white rhinos. |
 Two Thirds of Cancer Cases...Last year saw more than 1.6 million new cancer cases diagnosed in the US. While environmental and genetic factors are known to drive cancer development, a new study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore, MD, claims two thirds of cancer cases in adults are a result of "bad luck." According to Dr. Vogelstein, it is well established that tissue-specific stem cells make random mutations... |
 Functional HIV Cure Step Closer To..A possible “functional cure” for HIV has recently been granted FDA approval for further human testing. The method uses genetic modification to cause a specific mutation in the white blood cells of HIV patients which mirrors those found in the naturally immune. It has so far shown to be both receptive and long-lasting. The novel therapy involves taking stem cells from HIV-infected patients and using a gene editing tool to cause them to form into white blood cells with a specific mutation. |
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