Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Adult stem cells from mice converted to antigen-specific T cells -- the immune cells that fight cancer tumor cells -- show promise in cancer immunotherapy and may lead to a simpler, more efficient way to use the body's immune system to fight cancer, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. (more)
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
A team of scientists at Penn State, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and other institutions have developed a method for recreating a schizophrenic patient's own brain cells, which then can be studied safely and effectively in a Petri dish. The method brings researchers a step closer to understanding the biological underpinnings of schizophrenia. The method also is expected to be used to study other mysterious diseases such as autism and bipolar disorder, and the researchers hope that it will open the door to personalized medicine -- customized treatments for individual sufferers of a disease based on genetic and cellular information. (more)
Friday, November 12, 2010
A team of researchers has used stem cells taken from the skin of patients with Rett syndrome -- the most physically disabling of the autism disorders -- to replicate autism in the lab and to study how the disease affects brain cells. The team's findings, to be published on Nov. 12 in the journal Cell, reveal disease-specific cellular defects, such as fewer functional connections between particular neurons, and demonstrate these defects are reversible. The results raise the hope that, one day, autism may become a treatable condition. (more)
Friday, June 25, 2010
A mechanism that regulates stem-cell differentiation in mice testes suggests a similar process that may trigger degenerative disease in humans, according to a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences reproductive physiologist. Research involved manipulating a protein called STAT3, which is active in tissues throughout the body and is essential for life, that signals stem cells to decide whether to differentiate into a specialized type of cell or self-renew and remain stem cells. (more)
Friday, October 16, 2009
Acclaimed stem-cell scientist John D. Gearhart, a 1964 graduate of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will present a special seminar titled "Instructing Ourselves to Rebuild Our Bodies" at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, in 324 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building on the University Park campus. The seminar is in conjunction with Gearhart's recognition as a university Alumni Fellow, the most prestigious honor bestowed on a graduate by the Penn State Alumni Association.
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Friday, March 20, 2009
A researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, collaborating with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, has identified for the first time a critical growth factor that stimulates the stem cells that produce sperm to thrive and renew themselves. (more)
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Imagine saving your child's life long before it needs saving. Proponents of stem cell banking suggest that such scenarios are now becoming possible. Most commonly drawn from bone marrow or umbilical cord blood, these versatile primitive cells are able to morph into any number of specialized cells within the body. Some parents are opting to bank a few ounces of blood drawn painlessly from their newborn's umbilical cord at birth, said Kent Vrana, professor and chair of the Penn State department of pharmacology. The hope? That presently undeveloped treatments will be able to be custom-tailored for their child in the event of an illness decades from now. (more)
