New global guidelines for stem cell research and translation outline best practices and demand rigor, oversight, and transparency. Guidance addresses key scientific, ethical, social, and policy challenges raised by new technologies and emerging areas of stem cell discovery and application.
Stem cells have been used successfully, for the first time, to promote regeneration after injury to a specialized band of nerve fibres that are important for motor function.
The key to a new cellular therapy for diabetes may lie in the stomach, according to the results of a new study; researchers have used stomach cells to create “mini-organs” that produce insulin when transplanted in mice.
Nanotechnology is being heralded by many researchers as the future of medical science. A new study published this week in Nature Biotechnology provides an incredible insight into this brave, new, miniaturized future.
Despite huge advances, around half of kidney transplants will be rejected by the host’s immune system within 10 years of the operation. Research using molecular profiling sheds new light on the mechanisms behind this frustrating rejection.
An implantable artificial kidney could transform prospects for people whose kidneys have failed and who have to rely on dialysis or the rare chance of a transplant to stay alive. Now, researchers working on the first-of-its-kind device that aims to meet this need says they are hopeful of running pilot trials in humans within the year
For the first time, scientists have created vocal cord tissue starting with cells from human vocal cords. When tested in the lab, the bioengineered tissue vibrated—and even sounded—similar to the natural thing. The development could one day help those with severely damaged vocal cords regain their lost voices.
Scientists have developed a new, highly sensitive chemical probe that tags cells for detection by magnetic resonance imaging. The discovery, which could contribute to both research and the development of future therapies, is described in Nature Materials.
A new study describes a pioneering new cataract treatment – tested in animals and in a small trial with human patients – where, after the cloudy lens is removed, the eye grows a new lens from its own stem cells.
A lack of stem cells in the womb lining could be the reason behind thousands of miscarriages, says research published in the journal Stem Cells that could offer new hope of treatment for women who repeatedly experience failed pregnancy.