News

Researchers Turn Back the Clock on Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Scientists report success in using a cocktail of cell-signaling chemicals to further wind back the biological clock of human embryonic stem cells, giving the cells the same flexibility researchers have prized in mice. The results can help in developing better therapies.

Brain Cell ‘Executioner’ Identified
Despite their different triggers, the same molecular chain of events appears to be responsible for brain cell death from strokes, injuries and even such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer’s. Researchers have pinpointed the protein at the end of that chain of events that delivers the fatal strike by carving up a cell’s DNA.

New Treatment Strategy Could Cut Parkinson’s Disease Off at the Pass
Researchers report they have identified a protein that enables a toxic natural aggregate to spread from cell to cell in a mammal’s brain — and a way to block that protein’s action.Their study suggests that an immunotherapy already in clinical trials as a cancer therapy should also be tested as a way to slow the progress of Parkinson’s disease.

MRI Guidance Shows Promise in Delivering Stem Cell Therapies
A team of scientists reports it has delivered stem cells to the brain with unprecedented precision by threading a catheter through an artery and infusing the cells under real-time MRI guidance. This new technique could be used to treat Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and other brain damaging disorders.