Single-cell transcriptional logic of cell-fate specification and axon guidance in early-born retinal neurons
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), cone photoreceptors (cones), horizontal cells and amacrine cells are the first classes of neurons produced in the retina. However, an important question is how this diversity of cell states is transcriptionally produced.
Making cancer stem cells visible to the immune system
Bone marrow aspirate showing acute myeloid leukemia. Several blasts have Auer rods. Credit: Wikipedia Leukemia stem cells protect themselves against the immune defense by suppressing a target molecule for killer cells. This protective mechanism can be tricked with drugs
Repair of tooth enamel by a biomimetic mineralization frontier ensuring epitaxial growth
The regeneration of tooth enamel, the hardest biological tissue, remains a considerable challenge because its complicated and well-aligned apatite structure has not been duplicated artificially.
Study identifies cells required for the development of a healthy uterus
Knowledge of the biological processes involved in the development of the uterus is important for understanding uterine health and fertility. A research team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has uncovered important insights on a type of cell that is critical for the formation of a functioning uterus.
Biotech company 3D-prints a miniature human heart from stem cells
It’s not science fiction anymore: 3D-printing a human heart is now a reality.
Space Station Research Into Brain Cells Aims to Better Understand Parkinson’s, MS
Research conducted aboard the International Space Station will look at how nerve cells interact with key immune cells of the brain in low-gravity conditions. The goal is to better understand nervous system damage in Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis (MS) — and help improve their treatments.
Liver transplants could be redundant with discovery of new liver cell
Researchers at Kings College London have used single cell RNA sequencing to identify a type of cell that may be able to regenerate liver tissue, treating liver failure without the need for transplants.
Heart cells’ environment a potentially major factor in heart disease
When it comes to heart disease, the health of the scaffold where cardiac cells grow may be a much bigger factor than previously believed.
CRISPR used to reduce symptoms of muscular dystrophy in mice models
A team of researchers from Canada, the U.S. and Sweden has found that editing a gene involved in producing proteins that promote muscle strength in muscular dystrophy mice models could reduce symptoms. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes their experiments with mice and what they learned from them.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell Study Takes a Step Towards the Cell-free Treatment of Diabetes
Previous studies on islet regeneration from the laboratories of Gilles A. Lajoie (Western University) and David A. Hess (Robarts Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada) revealed that transplants of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) led to the emergence of small recipient‐derived islet‐like structures in the pancreas, thereby producing the β-cells required to battle the insulin deficiency associated with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes [1-3]
