Human Nuclear Transfer and iPSCs: New Strategies for the Treatment of Mitochondrial DiseaseJuly 27, 2015We recently brought you news of an exciting study led by Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte in which his group successfully eliminated mutant mitochondrial (mt)DNA in oocytes to inhibit germline transmission of currently incurable mitochondrial diseases. Well he’s back, and this time he brought a friend. Shoukhrat Mitalipov has teamed up with Izpisua Belmonte in a […]
Stem Cell Derived Brain Orginoids Reveal a Root of AutismJuly 27, 2015Two cutting edge stem cell techniques have joined forces this week to produce a breakthrough in our understanding of the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Years of study have gone into assessing if specific mutations in autism-associated genes contribute to the abnormal brain development observed in ASD with little or no luck. Seeing this […]
Stem Cell Reprogramming – Leaner, Quicker, Cheaper, BetterJune 20, 2015“More for less” is a phrase that generally gets most people excited, and scientists trying to make induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are no exception. The reprogramming of somatic cells to generate iPSCs aims to bring patient-specific cell replacement therapies to the masses, but the process currently suffers from obstacles common to new technologies – […]
Nukes Aid Stem Cell Research in the HeartJune 20, 2015Researchers from the laboratory of Jonas Frisén at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have recently put radioactive carbon from nuclear bomb tests to good use, testing whether the adult human heart has the ability to repair itself. So how does that work? Well, a sharp rise in atmospheric radioactive carbon in the 1950-60s due to […]
KeyGenes Helps Predict Differentiated Humans iPSCsJune 15, 2015Cells differentiated from embryonic stem cells are generally phenotypically immature, so identifying what cell type they are can be a bit like trying to figure out what exactly the picture your child drew for you in kindergarten is supposed to be. “That’s lovely darling but…” Luckily, for biologists at least, a team of Dutch researchers […]
miRNA-Switches Makes Stem Cell Selection Pure and SimpleMay 28, 2015As any sports coach, hopeful lottery winner, or child in a candy store will tell you, an effective selection strategy is vitally important to a successful outcome. Selection is also an important concept for scientists and clinicians hoping to take advantage of the ability that human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have to differentiate into multiple […]
Could Chromatin Organization be the Key to Eternal Youth?May 13, 2015For thousands of years great men such as Alexander the Great and Ponce de León have searched far and wide in their search for the fountain of youth and the hope of eternal life. But where they previously failed, an enterprising group of scientists may have now just succeeded! A report published recently in Science […]
A TET-à-TET Between SIRT6 and 5hmC Controls Embryonic Stem Cell FateMay 12, 2015With many political parties fighting it out for influence in the UK general election last week, it is nice to see the spirit of cooperation alive and well in embryonic stem cells. In their latest study, Raul Mostoslavsky and colleagues show that two giants of epigenetic regulation, histone acetylation and DNA hydroxymethylation, team up to […]
CRISPR-Cas9 Gene Editing of Human Embryos: A Look at the ScienceApril 28, 2015Unless you were on Mars or in the middle of a Netflix binge, you couldn’t have missed the paper that has been hitting the headlines all over the world this week – the first example of the genetic modification of human embryos. The study led by Junjiu Huang (Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou) used CRISPR-Cas9 gene […]
Pioneering Transcription Factors Wiggle Towards PluripotencyApril 24, 2015Canoes, camels, cars and catamarans have carried human pioneers far and wide; taking us to undiscovered lands to encounter unseen beauty, encouraged by the hope of fame, glory, and a lust for adventure. How pioneer transcription factors brave the inhospitable exterior of a compacted DNA-histone complex to induce transcription of tightly guarded genes is, however, […]