Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells Technologies

Functional B-1 cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells are capable of long-term engraftment and secrete natural antibodies after transplantation in mice, researchers report February 7th in the journal Stem Cell Reports. Scientists are interested in B-1 cells generated from pluripotent stem cells because they could be tested as a therapeutic for a broad range of immunological disorders.

There is good news for all patients suffering from relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A new drug is one step closer to helping them, after it has received FDA approval.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed to cover chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies approved by the FDA, under “Coverage with Evidence Development,” according to a recent press release issued by the agency.1

Cell replacement may play an increasing role in alleviating the motor symptoms of Parkinsons disease (PD) in future. Writing in a special supplement to the Journal of Parkinsons Disease, experts describe how newly developed stem cell technologies could be used to treat the disease and discuss the great promise, as well as the significant challenges, of stem cell treatment.

Cancer remains a frightening and largely incurable disease. The toxic side effects of chemotherapy and radiation make the cure often seem as bad as the ailment, and there is also the threat of recurrence and tumour spread.

T-lymphocytes are cells in the immune system that act as "intelligence agents"—they circulate throughout the body, detect threats, and determine what kind of response the immune system should make. These cells are crucial in certain cancer therapies in which they are persuaded to attack cancerous cells.

UC San Francisco researchers have for the first time transformed human stem cells into mature insulin-producing cells, a major breakthrough in the effort to develop a cure for type 1 (T1) diabetes.

IUPUI biologists are growing mini retinas in the lab from stem cells to mimic the growth of the human retina. The researchers hope to use the research to restore sight when critical connections between the eye and the brain are damaged

"Cancer would not be so devastating if it did not metastasize," said Pradipta Ghosh, MD, professor in the UC San Diego School of Medicine departments of Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Medicine, director of the Center for Network Medicine and senior study author.

Stem cells are the true jacks-of-all-trades of our bodies, as they can turn into the many different cell types required by different organs. This allows the tissues such as muscle or even brain to renew and to heal after injury, and this amazing multipotency makes stem cells in the adult body key tools for the future of regenerative medicine.