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364 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud

Ep. 113: “Heart Patch” Featuring Dr. Nenad Bursac

29 maart 2018 · 1 uur 18 min
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Guest:
Dr. Nenad Bursac talks about a technology his group has developed and tested as a candidate therapy for myocardial infarction and heart failure. Dr. Nenad Bursac’s research interests include pluripotent stem cell therapies for heart and muscle disease, cardiac and skeletal muscle tissue engineering, cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias, genetic modifications of stem and somatic cells, micropatterning of proteins and hydrogels, and organ-on-chip technologies.
Featured Resource: Celebration of Science Lees meer

Resources and Links
Congress Budget Good for Science - The American Association for the Advancement of Science currently estimates R&D spending in the FY 2018 omnibus at $176.8 billion, an increase of 12.8 percent or $20.1 billion above FY 2017 estimated R&D.
Male Birth Control Passes Safety Test - After decades of research, reproductive biologists are on the verge of developing new birth control options that stop sperm from maturing or save a woman's eggs for later.
How Bees Combat Pesticides - Honeybees and bumblebees can resist a type of neonicotinoid insecticide, thanks to a family of enzymes that metabolize toxic compounds.
Pacific Garbage Patch 16 Times Bigger Than Thought - It has been predicted that at least 79 (45–129) thousand tonnes of ocean plastic are floating inside an area of 1.6 million km2; a figure four to sixteen times higher than previously reported.
Game Changing Stem Cell Treatment for MS - Results from an international trial showed that a stem cell treatment involving wiping out a patient’s immune system using cancer drugs and then rebooting it with a stem cell transplant can stop multiple sclerosis (MS) and improve its symptoms.
Converting Blood Vessels to Blood Stem Cells - A switch has been discovered that instructs blood vessel cells to become blood stem cells during embryonic development in mice.
iPSC Based Vaccines Elicit Anti-Tumor Response - Cancer cells and embryonic tissues share a number of cellular and molecular properties…
Ep. 112: “Science Careers” Featuring Dr. William Dunworth

13 maart 2018 · 1 uur 5 min
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Guest:
Dr. William Dunworth is an Account Manager at STEMCELL Technologies and will be talking about his transition from bench to industry, and what advice he has to offer in terms of careers in stem cell science beyond the bench.
Featured Resource: Celebration of Science Lees meer

Resources and Links
Study on Gun-Policy Effects Finds Important Gaps in Existing Research - One of the largest-ever studies of U.S. gun policy finds there is a shortage of evidence about the effects of most gun laws, although researchers from the RAND Corporation found there is some persuasive evidence about the effects of several common gun policies.
Penguin Supercolony Identified - Despite the concerted international effort to track and interpret shifts in the abundance and distribution of Adélie penguins, large populations continue to be identified.
Language Not Affected after Strokes in Newborns - Researchers from the Georgetown University Medical Center found that people who'd had a stroke as a newborn that damaged the left side of their brain -- the side that normally controls language -- used the other side of their brain for language.
Fake Organ that Mimics the Human Eye - Real human cells from a cornea and conjunctiva were used to build a blinking model of the surface of an artificial eye.
A Cheaper Way to Culture Human Pluripotent Stem Cells - Scientists at Japan's Kyoto University, with colleagues in India and Iran, have developed a more cost-effective culture by using a new combination of chemical compounds.
Genes for Age-Linked Brain Deterioration Identified - An improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms that drive age-associated neurogenic deficiency could lead to the development of strategies to alleviate cognitive impairment and facilitate neuroregeneration.
Dual Mechanism for Embryonic Stem Cells to Maintain Pluripotency - NCCS researchers have found two mechanisms that turn off the expression of endocytosis-associated genes, thus helping the stem cells to maintain thei…
Ep. 111: “ALS Cell Death” Featuring Dr. Justin Ichida

27 februari 2018 · 1 uur 14 min
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Guest
Dr. Justin Ichida is the Assistant Professor in the Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine at the University of Southern California. Dr. Ichida’s laboratory creates in vitro models of human neurodegenerative diseases by converting patients’ cells into disease-affected neural cells.
Featured Resource: Madeline Lancaster on Brain Organoids: Modeling Human Brain Development in a Dish Webinar Lees meer

Resources and Links
New Budget Not So Bad for Science - Following a new congressional deal that will boost federal spending by nearly half-a-trillion dollars this year and next, the administration rescinded many of the planned cuts and instead requested flat funding at major research agencies.
Household Products Significantly Contribute to Pollution - A detailed mass balance demonstrates that the use of volatile chemical products—including pesticides, coatings, printing inks, adhesives, cleaning agents, and personal care products—now constitutes half of fossil fuel volatile organic compound emissions in industrialized cities.
Hunting Threatens Endangered Orangutan - From 1999 to 2015, numbers of orangutans on the island of Borneo declined by nearly 150,000 individuals, a new study estimates.
Lowering an Enzyme Eliminates Brain Plaques - According to researchers, sequential and increased deletion of BACE1 in an adult Alzheimer's disease mouse model (5xFAD) was capable of completely reversing amyloid deposition resulting in significant improvement in gliosis and neuritic dystrophy.
Tribute to Stem Cell Scientist Ihor Lemischka - Ihor Lemischka, PhD, Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, known for his great sense of humor and his pioneering work on embryonic and hematopoietic stem cells, died much too young from a stroke early in December 2017.
New Stem Cell Treatment for Stroke – Researchers have developed a new treatment called AB126 using extracellular vesicles for stroke that reduces brain damage and accelerates the brain'…
Ep. 110 “Blood Stem Cell Lineage” Featuring Dr. Fernando Camargo

13 februari 2018 · 1 uur 16 min
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Guest
Dr. Fernando Camargo is a Principal Investigator at Boston Children's Hospital and Professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Camargo’s laboratory’s ultimate goal is to understand the signals that regulate adult stem cell maturation and tissue regeneration and has a strong interest in studying the cellular and molecular biology of hematopoietic stem cells.
Featured Resource: Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cell Phenotyping Wallchart
Resources and Links
A New Blood Test to Predict Alzheimer’s Disease - Accumulations of a sticky protein called amyloid-β can appear in the brain decades before a person develops Alzheimer’s disease.
Zika Is Not Alone in Its Effects on Fetal Damage - Many viruses, including some similar to Zika, can infect the placenta and the cells of the baby.
CRISPR to Treat Muscle Disorder - Genome editing with CRISPR/Cas9 is a promising new approach for correcting or mitigating disease-causing mutations like that of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Development of a New Influenza Vaccine - Researchers present a systematic approach for vaccine development that eliminates interferon–modulating functions genome-wide while maintaining virus replication fitness.
Researchers Create First Primate Clones - Scientists successfully cloned cynomolgus monkeys by somatic cell nuclear transfer.
Scientists Culture Human Placenta Stem Cells- Cells need certain proteins activated and others inhibited to stay alive and maintain the same characteristics they would have in utero.
Why Nerve Cells Die in ALS - A mutation in a gene, called C9ORF72, leads to toxicity in nerve cells, causing 10 percent of all cases of ALS and an additional 10 percent of frontotemporal dementia.
Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Fernando Camargo Lees meer

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Ep. 109: “CILIA and RPE” Featuring Dr. Kapil Bharti

30 januari 2018 · 1 uur 17 min
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Guest
Dr. Kapil Bharti is a Principal Investigator at the National Eye Institute at the NIH. His work involves performing translational research on degenerative eye diseases using induced pluripotent stem cell technology. Dr. Bharti’s group uses this technology to develop in vitro disease models to study patient-specific disease processes, to set up high throughput drug screens, and to develop cell-based therapy for retinal degenerative diseases.
Featured Resource: Extracellular Matrix News
Resources and Links
Normal Childbirth May Take Longer Than Thought - A study in two African countries found a slower rate of dilation for many women who went on to have healthy, vaginal births.
Aging Is in the Blood - A protein located in the cells that forms a barrier between the brain and blood can prematurely age the brains of young mice.
There Are Different Types of Strep Infections - Extra genes picked up by some pathogens can cause different strains to have wildly different effects on the immune system, even in the same person.
Probing a 3D Brain – BrainFacts.org, which has long been sponsored by the Society of Neuroscience and other organizations, now has an interactive 3D brain that offers more information about the organ’s structures.
Epigenetic and Blood Stem Cell Differentiation –Investigators demonstrated that the epigenetic silencing factor Ezh1 limits multilineage differentiation potential of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in mouse embryos and human pluripotent stem cell derivatives.
New Method for Expanding T-Cells – Researchers from Harvard University describe a system that mimics natural antigen-presenting cells and consists of a fluid lipid bilayer supported by mesoporous silica micro-rods.
CRISPR to Transiently Express Genes – Dr. Izpisua Belmonte and colleagues from Salk Institute report a robust system for in vivo activation of endogenous target genes through trans-epigenetic remodeling.
CRISPR Based Reprogramming to Pluripotency - Scientists show that … Lees meer
Ep. 108: “Skeletal Muscle” Featuring Dr. April Pyle

12 januari 2018 · 1 uur 8 min
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Guest
Dr. April Pyle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She is also a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Stem Cell Center, the Center for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA. Dr. Pyle's lab uses multi-disciplinary approaches to study human pluripotent stem cell biology and differentiation of these cells for use in regenerative medicine.
Featured Resource: MyoCult™ Media to Expand, Maintain and Differentiate Skeletal Muscle Progenitor Cells (Myoblasts)
Resources and Links
Learning How to Tolerate the Cold from Squirrels – When Elena Gracheva, a neurophysiologist at Yale University School of Medicine, and her colleagues exposed hibernators like the thirteen-lined ground squirrel and the Syrian hamster to low temperatures in the lab, they saw very little activity in their TRPM8 pathway, an area of the central nervous system known to process information about cold.
Brain Organoids Wrinkle and Fold Like Real Brains Do - Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel from working with the lab-grown brains or organoids, discovered that cells inside the brains contract, while cells on the outside grow and push outward.
Not All Ribosomes Are Equal - Developmental biologist and geneticist Maria Barna of Stanford University School of Medicine and colleagues discovered that ribosomes actually come in many varieties, incorporating different proteins.
Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual High Schoolers Report ‘Tragically High’ Suicide Risk – A new study reports that high school students who identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual are more likely to report planning or attempting suicide compared with their heterosexual peers.
How Alcohol Damages Stem Cell DNA and Increases Cancer Risk - Scientists have shown how alcohol damages DNA in stem cells, helping to explain why drinking increases your risk of cancer.
Cellular B… Lees meer
Ep. 107: “Skin Regeneration” Featuring Dr. Michele De Luca

29 december 2017 · 1 uur 15 min
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Guest
Dr. Michele De Luca has been involved in epithelial stem cell biology aimed at clinical applications in regenerative medicine for over 20 years. He joins the show to discuss his work and latest groundbreaking paper published in Nature. Lees meer

Featured Resource: Growing Organoids from Stem Cells Wallchart
Resources and Links
New Tax Plan Closer to Passing and Impacting Science – If the new tax plan is enacted and passed, it could limit the ability of graduate students to complete their training programs and would particularly affect those students without other means to help support their studies.
Hospitals Can Help Opioid Addiction Epidemic – New opioid prescribing guidelines tested over a five-month period in Michigan kept thousands of opioid pills from being unnecessarily doled out.
When We Lock Eyes with a Baby, Our Brain Waves Sync Up – The baby’s and the adult’s brain activity appeared to get in sync by meeting in the middle.
SARS Bat Reservoirs – Genetic studies of viruses from horseshoe bats in one cave in China suggest the animals are reservoirs of SARS coronaviruses.
A New Way to Prevent Stem Cell Loss – A nutrient sensing pathway target of rapamycin (TOR) can be subdued in order to prevent stem cell loss.
114 Million Raised to Bring Stem Cell Trial for Diabetes to Humans – Semma Therapeutics, a company that got its start in 2014, and is researching ways to use stem cells that act like key cells responsible for regulating blood sugar levels in the bodies of healthy people has just raised $114 million.
Yamanaka Asks Fujifilm to Keep Licensing Fees Low – A noted Japanese stem cell researcher, Shinya Yamanaka, has asked Fujifilm Holdings to keep fees in check for using patented technology related to induced pluripotent stem cells.
Stem Cells and Gene Therapy Replace Entire Epidermis of Young Boy – A 7-year-old who lost most of his skin to a rare genetic disease has made a dramatic recovery after receiving an experimental gene therapy involving a whole-body gr…
Ep. 106: “Ethical Concerns” Featuring Dr. Leigh Turner

5 december 2017 · 1 uur 19 min
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Guest
Dr. Leigh Turner is an associate professor in the center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota. Turner’s research addresses ethical, legal, and regulatory issues associated with clinics engaged in direct-to-consumer marketing of unproven and unlicensed cell-based interventions. Dr. Turner is an author of numerous publications including a recent paper in Cell Stem Cell along with The Stem Cell Podcast’s past guest, Paul Knoepfler.
Featured Resource: Organoid Research
Resources and Links
New Insight on How Mosquitos Interact with Humans – This article reveals that nasty experiences can change an Aedes aegypti mosquito’s inclination to follow certain odors, such as the whiff of human skin.
Dolly the Sheep’s Severe Arthritis Not from Cloning – Experts at the University of Nottingham and the University of Glasgow say original concerns that cloning caused early-onset osteoarthritis (OA) in Dolly the sheep are unfounded.
E. Coli Outbreak Traced to Raw Flour – This article reports that in 2015 and 2016, Escherichia coli-tainted flour sickened dozens of people in the United States, most of whom had eaten raw dough or batter while baking.
Current CRISPR Gene Drives Are Too Strong for Outdoor Use, Studies Warn – A computer simulation released November 16 at bioRxiv.org predicts that standard forms of CRISPR gene drives, as the tools are called, can make tweaked DNA race through a population so easily that a small number of stray animals or plants could spread it to new territory.
Stem Cells in Intestinal Lining May Shed Light on Behavior of Cancer Cells – A team of researchers looked for signals and cellular responses of intestinal epithelial cells during growth and renewal.
Drug-Delivering Nanoparticles Seek and Destroy Elusive Cancer Stem Cells – University of Illinois researchers are sending tiny drug-laden nanoparticles on a mission to seek and destroy cancer stem cells, the elusive and rare cells that can cause cancer to come back even when years have passed… Lees meer
Ep. 105: “Careers in Science” Featuring Dr. Kiki Sanford

21 november 2017 · 1 uur 17 min
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Guest
The Stem Cell Podcast and STEMCELL Technologies introduce the first interview in a new series called, "Alternative Science Careers." For the first part of this series, we are pleased to interview the host of our very own Stem Cell Podcast, Dr. Kiki Sanford.
Featured Resource: Organoid Research
Resources and Links
In New Budget, Graduate Student Taxes Could Go Up – This editorial reports that many graduate students would face a tax hike under a clause in the federal-tax-reform bill passed by the US House of Representatives.
More People Now Have High Blood Pressure after New Guidelines – According to this article, nearly half of U.S. adults now have high blood pressure, thanks to a new definition of what constitutes high: 130/80 is the new 140/90.
15,000 Scientists Signed a "Warning to Humanity" – Thousands of scientists from all around the world have come together to issue another "warning to humanity" about the unprecedented threats that we as a species, and more importantly our planet as a whole, are currently facing.
Scientists Can Make Things Invisible?! – Top scientists from Ben-Gurion University have come up with a cloaking device that scatters light away from an object so it cannot be detected.
Genetic Manipulation to Enhance Neurogenesis – A team of researchers at the Cologne Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD) has now found an efficient way for cells to spontaneously differentiate into neurons by silencing one single protein with the gene-editing method CRISPR.
Direct Differentiation into Blood Brain Barrier Cells – This article reports that researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison detail a defined, step-by-step process to make a more exact mimic of the human blood-brain barrier in the laboratory dish.
Space Station to Host Stem Cells for Cardiac Research – Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta have been using space-simulation machines to en… Lees meer
Ep. 104: “CRISPR, iPSC and Disease” Featuring Dr. Chad Cowan

7 november 2017 · 1 uur 12 min
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Guest
Dr. Chad Cowan is a Principal Investigator and Associate Professor in Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. Chad joins the hosts to talk about CRISPR and its uses with stem cell biology to study disease.
Featured Resource: Investigating Metabolic Disease with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Webinar
Resources and Links
E-Cigarettes Can Lead Teens to Higher Smoking Rates in Teens – According to this article, teens who vaped liquids containing higher concentrations of nicotine reported heavier and more frequent smoking and vaping six months later.
9 Million People Died from Pollution in 2015 – This article reports that in the most severely polluted countries, 25 percent of premature deaths could be attributed to pollution, especially in the air.
Laws to Protect Athletes from Concussion Dangers Has an Impact – According to this article, more than 2½ years after the laws to protect young athletes against the dangers of concussions went on the books, repeat concussions began to decline among high school athletes.
Inbreeding Impairs Reproductive Success – In this article, mating with a close relative, known as inbreeding, reduces human evolutionary fitness — measured by the ability to produce offspring.
Method to Accelerate Maturation of Neurons Derived from Stem Cells – This article reveals that hydrogel can be used as a scaffold for engineering artificial brain tissue and promotes the development of neurons.
Mutation Plus Sun Tanning (Really UV Exposure) Causes Skin Cancer – In this article, a group of scientists based at Cornell University now report that melanoma may arise from melanocyte stem cells (MCSCs), specifically, MCSCs that have become “melanoma competent” because they have accumulated a sufficient number of genetic mutations.
Naked Mole Rat Cells Have a Stable Epigenome that Resists iPSC Reprogramming – Researchers observed that the reprogramming efficiency of naked mole rat fibroblasts in response to OSKM was drastically… Lees meer
Ep. 103: “Leukemia and Stem Cells” Featuring Catherine Coombs

24 oktober 2017 · 1 uur 5 min
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Guest
Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina Medical Center, Catherine Coombs, talks to us about her work and her recent paper in Cell Stem Cell on the subject of clonal hematopoiesis.
Featured Resource: Targeting Self-Renewal Function in Normal Hematopoietic and Leukemic Stem Cells Webinar
Resources and Links
An Estimated 124 Million Boys and Girls Are Now in the Highest Weight Range – The rising trends in children's and adolescents' BMI have plateaued in many high-income countries, albeit at high levels, but have accelerated in parts of Asia, with trends no longer correlated with those of adults.
Global Survey Finds Pesticides in Much of World’s Honey – The authors report that neonicotinoid pesticides are turning up in honey on every continent with honeybees.
Gun Waiting Periods Could Save Lives – A new study funded by Harvard Business School suggests that one policy—a mandatory waiting period between the sale of a gun and its delivery—could save hundreds of U.S. lives each year if implemented nationally.
Dogs Learn While Sleeping – Scientists reveal that dogs learn when sleeping—just like people, a study done by researchers in Hungary with the use of electroencephalograms (EEGs) says.
Establishment of Mouse Expanded Potential Stem Cells – According to this article, the most versatile stem cells ever created called "expanded-potential stem cells" (EPSCs) could enable researchers to better understand the biological mechanisms behind many failed early pregnancies.
Dentists Get Cracking on the Stem Cell Front – A team of researchers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas have developed a device they hilarious call the "Tooth Cracker 5000" to extract 80 percent of the stem cells a pulp contains from a wisdom tooth.
Bioengineering of Functional Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Intestinal Grafts – Scientists have built a new rat intestine by combining part of the animal’s own bowel with human stem cells hoping that one day, this… Lees meer
Ep. 102: “Stem Cells and Graduate School” Featuring Sierra Marable

10 oktober 2017 · 1 uur
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Guest
Sierra Marable is a graduate student in the Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She previously worked at the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina where she became interested in stem cell research while researching induced pluripotent stem cells as a method for modeling development and disease at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Sierra joins the show to talk to us about her research and life as a graduate student.
Featured Resource: Neural Stem Cells Wallchart
Resources and Links
Cracking the Body Clock Code Wins Trio a Nobel Prize – Three Americans, Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young are recognized and won the Nobel Prize for discovering the cellular gears that drive circadian rhythms.
A Single Mutation in the prM Protein of Zika Virus Contributes to Fetal Microcephaly – A single genetic mutation made the Zika virus far more dangerous by enhancing its ability to kill nerve cells in developing brains.
Bed Bug Aggregation on Dirty Laundry: A Mechanism for Passive Dispersal – In the absence of humans to latch onto, bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) flock to dirty clothing.
Prevalence of Concussion Among US Adolescents and Correlated Factors – Scientists report that about 20 percent of U.S. adolescents have had at least one concussion.
Trispecific Broadly Neutralizing HIV Antibodies Mediate Potent SHIV Protection in Macaques – According to this article, combining the antibodies, called broadly neutralizing antibodies, may stop more strains of HIV than any single one can do alone.
Senate Panel Blocks NIH From Revising Translational Research Awards – The authors report that a congressional spending panel has backed scientists running a $516 million network of bench-to-bedside research centers in their fight with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, over how it manages the network.
Organo… Lees meer
Ep. 101: “Stem Cells and Brain Injury” Featuring Dr. Jack Parent

26 september 2017 · 1 uur 8 min
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Guest:
Dr. Jack Parent is a professor of neurology, director of the Neurodevelopment and Regeneration Laboratory, and co-director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in the University of Michigan Medical School.
Featured Resource: CloneR™ Defined Supplement for Single-Cell Cloning of Human ES and iPS Cells
Resources and Links
Potential Role of Intratumor Bacteria in Mediating Tumor Resistance to the Chemotherapeutic Drug Gemcitabine – Tumor cells grown with bacteria could stave off a common chemotherapy drug gemcitabine because some bacteria can inactivate it.
Seasonal Cycling in the Gut Microbiome of the Hadza Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania – The microbiota of a group of hunter-gatherers in Tanzania undergo changes in composition depending on seasonal changes in their diets.
Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation – Six scientists emerged from eight months of earthly isolation atop Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano in a NASA-funded experiment intended to simulate the social isolation of a Mars mission and explore the resulting psychological effects.
Once-Abundant Ash Tree and Antelope Species Face Extinction – IUCN Red List – Populations of North America’s ash trees are in dramatic decline as a result of infections with invasive emerald ash borer beetles, with all but one the continent’s six species reclassified as critically endangered—one category away from extinction.
UCLA Opens First Engineered Blood Stem Cell Clinical Trial for Cancers with the NY-ESO-1 Tumor Marker – UCLA opens first engineered blood stem cell clinical trial for cancers with the NY-ESO-1 tumor marker.
Replacing Reprogramming Factors with Antibodies Selected from Combinatorial Antibody Libraries – Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute led by Kristin Baldwin have found a new approach to the "reprogramming" of ordinary adult cells into stem cells.
Human Stem Cells Alter the Invasive Properties of Somatic Cells via Paracrine Activation of mTORC1 – Scientists from Markus Hengstschläger's… Lees meer
Ep. 100: “State of CIRM” Featuring Kevin McCormack

12 september 2017 · 1 uur 8 min
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Guest:
For the interview portion of the show of our 100th episode, we welcome Kevin McCormack from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, to talk about all of CIRM’s progress, past, present, and future...CIRM was created in 2004 to translate stem cell discoveries into therapies, and we will talk to Kevin about the progress this funding has made.
Featured Resource: mTeSR™1 cGMP, Feeder-Free Maintenance Medium for Human ES and iPS Cells
Resources and Links
First Hurricane Harvey, Now Irma: Is Climate Change to Blame for Destructive Storms? – The connection between climate change and hurricanes is to say that climate change doesn't cause individual storms, but it can make them stronger than they would have been otherwise.
Multicohort Analysis Reveals Baseline Transcriptional Predictors of Influenza Vaccination Responses – A set of nine genes can signal whether a young adult will develop a strong response to the flu vaccine.
Zika Virus Has Oncolytic Activity Against Glioblastoma Stem Cells – Zika virus can infect and kill stem cells in human glioblastoma tissue, without infecting healthy brain cells.
Human iPS Cell-Derived Dopaminergic Neurons Function in a Primate Parkinson’s Disease Model – The Jun Takahashi lab shows monkeys with Parkinson's disease symptoms show significant improvement over two years after being transplanted neurons prepared from human iPS cells.
Photo Reference: Courtesy of Kevin McCormack Lees meer

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Ep. 99: “Wound Healing” Featuring Dr. Chandan Sen

29 augustus 2017 · 1 uur 9 min
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Guest:
Dr. Chandan Sen is Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Department of Surgery at The Ohio State University Medical Center. Dr. Sen’s program is focused on tissue injury and repair. His group works across small and large animal models, to human and patient-based research.
Resources and Links
Embryos Kill Off Male Tissue to Become Female – A protein called COUP-TFII is necessary to eliminate male reproductive tissue from female mouse embryos.
How an Itch Makes Its Way to Your Brain – Scientists have found the spot in your brain that makes you itch when others scratch.
A New Tool to Improve Lyme Disease Diagnoses – This article reports that a new testing method can distinguish between early Lyme disease and a similar tick-borne illness.
Gene Editing Creates Virus-Free Piglets – Researchers used molecular scissors known as CRISPR/Cas9 to snip embedded viruses out of pig DNA.
Stem Cells May Be the Link Between Bacteria and Cancer – An interdisciplinary research team at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin in collaboration with researchers in Stanford, California, have now discovered that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori sends stem cell renewal in the stomach into overdrive – and stem cell turnover has been suspected by many scientists to play a role in the development of cancer.
Stem Cells to Solve Hair Loss? – Researchers from UCLA have found a way to successfully reactivate stem cells in dormant hair follicles to promote hair growth in mice.
Estrogen Receptor Stem Cells Found in Mammary Glands – Researchers have now identified a novel lineage-restricted stem cell in the mammary gland which in the future, will be used to assess whether the clinical heterogeneity observed in breast cancers arises from their different cancer cell of origin.
Vitamin C Could Help Kill "Faulty" Blood Cancer Stem Cells – According to this article, vitamin C may 'tell' faulty stem cells in the bone marrow to mature and die normally, instead of multiplying to cause blood cancers.
Photo … Lees meer
Ep. 98: “Parkinson’s Cell Therapy” Featuring Dr. Dustin Wakeman

15 augustus 2017 · 1 uur 13 min
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Guest:
Dr. Dustin Wakeman is Senior Research Scientist at RxGen and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Wakeman focuses his career on determining the long-term therapeutic value of stem cell therapy in neurodegenerative disorders. His interests include stem cell-based therapeutics, disease modeling, neural transplantation, and morphological and molecular changes in aging and neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and more.
Featured Resource: STEMdiff™ Cerebral Organoid Kit
Resources and Links
Gene Editing of Human Embryos Gets Rid of a Mutation that Causes Heart Failure – Molecular scissors known as CRISPR/Cas9 corrected a gene defect that can lead to heart failure.
Mice with a Mutation Linked to Autism Affect Their Littermates’ Behavior – This article suggests that genetically normal littermates behave like mice that carry an autism-related mutation, despite not having the mutation themselves.
One in Three U.S. Adults Takes Opioids, and Many Misuse Them – The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that in an in-person survey of more than 50,000 people, researchers estimated that 91.8 million, or 37.8 percent, of adults used prescription opioids in 2015.
Stem Cell Brain Implants Could 'Slow Ageing and Extend Life', Study Shows – This article reveals that scientists have slowed down the ageing process by implanting stem cells into the brains of animals, raising hopes for new strategies to combat age-related diseases and extend the human lifespan.
ONC201 May Inhibit Cancer Stem Cell Self-Renewals by Altering Their Gene Expression – According to this article, ONC201 alters the gene expression of cancer stem cell markers and signaling pathways prior to killing the tumor cells, providing pharmacodynamic biomarkers of response.
Researchers Develop New Way to Develop Purer Insulin-Producing Stem Cells – Researchers have found that the cell surface protein glycoprotein 2 allowed them to isolate the pancre… Lees meer
Ep. 97: “CryoPause” Featuring Dr. Mark Tomishima

1 augustus 2017 · 1 uur 12 min
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Guest:
Dr. Mark Tomishima is an Associate Laboratory Member and Sloan Kettering Institute Stem Cell Research Facility Manager. Mark joins us to talk about all things stem cells, including his latest published work on standardizing protocols that start with pluripotent stem cells.
Featured Resource: FreSR™-S Animal Component-Free Medium for Freezing ES and iPS Cells as Single Cells
Resources and Links
Cows to Produce HIV Antibodies – This article reveals that in a first for any animal, including humans, four cows injected with a type of HIV protein rapidly produced powerful antibodies against the virus.
The Impacts of Rising Temperatures on Aircraft Takeoff Performance – Steadily rising mean and extreme temperatures as a result of climate change will likely impact the air transportation system over the coming decades.
CRISPR to Store Movies in DNA – A team from Harvard University use the current trendy gene-editing system CRISPR to encode images and a short movie into the DNA of living bacteria.
Beverage Intake During Pregnancy and Childhood Adiposity – The more sugary beverages a mom drank during mid-pregnancy, the heavier her kids were in elementary school compared with kids whose mothers consumed less of the drinks.
Just One Night of Poor Sleep Can Boost Alzheimer’s Proteins – This article reports that sleep deprivation increases amyloid-β, suggesting that chronically disrupted sleep may promote amyloid plaques and other downstream Alzheimer’s disease pathologies including tauopathy or inflammation.
Innate Reaction of Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Severe Infections – Researchers have shown that hematopoietic stem cells detect infectious agents themselves and begin to divide – that is, without signals from growth factors.
New Approach to Kill Tumor Cells in the Brain – A team of investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have developed cancer-killing viruses that can deliver stem cells via the carotid artery, and applied them… Lees meer
Ep. 96: “STDs and Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Robert Hancock

18 juli 2017 · 1 uur 10 min
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Guest:
Dr. Robert Hancock is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, UBC, and a Canada Research Chair in Health and Genomics. Bob has published more than 660 papers and reviews, and has 50 patents awarded. The fundamental interest of Dr. Hancock and his laboratory is in designing new therapeutic strategies to treat infections in the light of increasing antibiotic resistance coupled with a dearth of new antibiotic discovery. Recently his team and their collaborators at the University of British Columbia have created an innovative technique for studying how chlamydia interacts with the human immune system. The researchers used a combination of gene editing and stem cell technologies to make the model. The results, reported in Nature Communications, identify novel drug targets for the sexually transmitted disease.
Featured Resource: ImmunoCult™ Activation, Expansion, Maintenance and Differentiation of Immune Cells
Resources and Links
Genetic Loci Associated with Coronary Artery Disease Harbor Evidence of Selection and Antagonistic Pleiotropy – Researchers report that some gene versions stuck around because fertility advantage outweighs heart disease risk.
Do It Yourself Vaccinations? – According to this article, Band-Aid‒like patch studded with dissolving microneedles can safely and effectively deliver a dose of influenza vaccine.
Stats to Help Prevent Gun Injury in Children – The authors report that new numbers on firearm deaths and injuries provide most in-depth look yet at impact of firearm violence on children.
Scientists Have Uncovered the Atomic Structure of a Key Alzheimer's Protein for The First Time – Scientists have revealed the chemical structure of one of the key markers of Alzheimer's disease, capturing high-resolution images of the abnormal tau protein deposits suspected to be behind Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative conditions.
'Stem-Cell Tourism' Needs Tighter Controls, Say Medical Experts – Stem-cell tourism involving patients who travel to … Lees meer
Ep. 95: “Lung from Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Darrell Kotton

4 juli 2017 · 1 uur 4 min
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Guest:
Dr. Darrell Kotton is a David C. Seldin Professor of Medicine and works as the Director in the Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center. Dr. Kotton’s research focuses on stem cell biology and gene therapy related to lung injury and repair. Dr. Kotton’s laboratory currently utilizes several stem cell populations, including bone marrow-derived stem cells and embryonic stem cells in order to develop novel stem cell-based therapies for lung disease. In addition, Dr. Kotton specializes in the genetic manipulation of stem cells as well as resident lung cells using lentiviral vectors.
Featured Resource: PneumaCult™ Culture System for Airway Epithelial Cells
Resources and Links
A Newly Discovered See through Frog – A newly discovered glass frog from Ecuador’s Amazon lowlands (Hyalinobatrachium yaku) has a belly so transparent that the heart, kidneys and urine bladder are clearly visible.
A Possible Mechanism to the Cause of Parkinson’s Disease – In a blood test, immune cells called T cells became activated when exposed to the protein in about 40 percent of Parkinson’s patients.
A Protein Made by the Fetus May Lead to Preeclampsia in Moms – Researchers report that in some women, the pregnancy condition preeclampsia, which can cause blood pressure to soar, may be triggered by DNA variations carried by the fetus.
How Facial Recognition Changes Wasp Brain – Biologist Ali Berens of Georgia Tech and her colleagues set up recognition exercises of faces and basic patterns for P. fuscatus wasps and P. metricus wasps — a species that doesn’t naturally recognize faces but can be trained to do so in the lab.
Clinical Trial to Begin with Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells – The authors report that surgeons in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou will carefully drill through the skulls of people with Parkinson’s disease and inject 4 million immature neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells into their brains.
Compound in Grapes Can… Lees meer
Ep. 94: “Unlimited Blood Cells” Featuring Drs. Shahin Rafii and Raphael Lis

20 juni 2017 · 1 uur 21 min
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Guest:
In this episode, we welcome Drs. Shahin Rafii and Raphael Lis. Dr. Rafii is director of the Ansary Stem Cell Institute, chief of the Division of Regenerative Medicine, and the Arthur B. Belfer Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine. His lab investigates stem cell biology and angiogenesis using in vivo mouse models. Dr. Lis who was the first author on their recent Nature paper and is an Instructor in Medicine and the TRI-SCi Flow Cytometry Core Manager at Weill Cornell Medicine.
Featured Resource: Bone Marrow Niches and HSC Fates Wallchart
Resources and Links
US to Pull Out of Paris Climate Accord – President Donald Trump announced June 1 that the United States will leave the Paris climate accord, calling it “simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States.”
Plants – A Source of Air Pollution When Temperatures Rise – During heat waves, city trees actually boost air pollution levels with as much as 60 percent of ground-level ozone created with the help of chemicals emitted by urban shrubbery.
Climate Change May Be Beneficial for Earworms – Researchers analyzed 21 years of data from Maryland cornfields and suggest that rising temperatures might help corn earworms (Helicoverpa zea) develop resistance faster to a widespread genetically built-in crop protection.
Humans Love Looking at Faces Even Before Birth – In the first-ever study of prenatal visual perception, fetuses were more likely to move their heads to track facelike configurations of light projected into the womb than non-facelike shapes.
New Therapy “Flags” DNA to Boost Cancer Fighting T-Cells – An antibody sold as the drug Keytruda helps turn on cancer-fighting T cells by blocking PD-1 proteins, freeing T cells to attack the cancer.
Trump Retains Collins as NIH director – President Donald Trump has decided to appoint the director of the National Institutes of Health even though pro-life advocates called on Francis Collins to be replaced because of hi… Lees meer
Ep. 93: “Blood Brain Barrier” Featuring Dr. Clive Svendsen

6 juni 2017 · 1 uur 5 min
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Guest:
Dr. Clive Svendsen is the Director of the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Cedar Sinai Medical Center. One focus of his current research is to derive cells from patients with specific disorders, which can then be “reprogrammed” to a primitive state and used as powerful models of human disease. The other side of his research involves cutting edge clinical trials.
Featured Resource: iCell® Human iPSC-Derived Products
Resources and Links
New Administration Budget Would Bludgeon Science Funding – Under President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, federal research spending would decline abruptly.
Mouse Sperm Survive Trip to Space – Sperm freeze-dried and sent into space for months of exposure to high levels of solar radiation later produced healthy baby mice.
40 More Intelligence Genes Identified – By sifting through the genetics of nearly 80,000 people, researchers have uncovered 40 genes that may make certain people smarter which brings the total number of suspected “intelligence genes” to 52.
Statin Drugs May Not Benefit Older Adults – This article reveals that statins did not cause a meaningful reduction in heart attacks, coronary heart disease deaths or deaths from any cause in people age 65 and older.
Bookmarks on Stem Cells – Stem cells preserve their identities after cell division by using a series of protein “bookmarks” on their genes, according to new research published by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine.
High-Throughput Protocol for Deriving Microglia from Human Stem Cells – Scientists from the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute have developed a robust, efficient method for deriving microglia, the immune cells of the brain, from human stem cells according to a paper published in Stem Cell Reports.
HIV May Cause Emphysema by Taking Over Stem Cells – HIV may cause emphysema by reprogramming the stem cells, called basal cells, to produce enzymes that can destroy lung tissue.
A … Lees meer
Ep. 92: “Stem Cells for Arthritis” Featuring Dr. Farshid Guilak

23 mei 2017 · 1 uur 8 min
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Guest:
Dr. Farshid Guilak, a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University and Director of Research for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. His laboratory is pursuing a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the etiology and pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, as a basis for the development of new pharmacologic and stem-cell therapies.
Featured Resource: Mesenchymal Stem and Progenitor Cell Research
Resources and Links
Toddlers’ Screen Time Linked to Speech Delays and Lost Sleep, But… – The use of tablets and other handheld digital devices are associated with speech delays and less night sleep in young children, links that scientists, doctors and parents are all eager to explore.
Breast Cancer Cells Spread in Groups – A study says breast cancer cells may break away from the main tumor in clumps, already bearing most of the mutations that will drive cancer recurrence.
An 'Exercise Pill' – An experimental drug touted as “exercise in a pill” has dramatically increased endurance in couch potato mice, even after a lifetime of inactivity by adjusting the body’s metabolism, allowing muscles to favor burning fat over sugar.
Immune Cells May Help Regulate Our Heart Beat – Immune system cells called macrophages, which usually protect the body from invading pathogens, also help electricity flow between muscle cells to keep the heart pumping.
Bone Marrow Stem Cells for ALS – Researchers at the University of South Florida show in a new study that bone marrow stem cell transplants helped improve motor functions and nervous system conditions in mice with the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by repairing damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier.
Large Bank of Human Stem Cell Lines Made in Europe – The 711 induced pluripotent stem cell lines derived from 301 healthy volunteers were released by a large European consortium – the Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Initiative – in the journal Nature.
Vitamin Deficiency Not Good for Blood Stem C… Lees meer
Ep. 91: “3D Cell Library” Featuring Dr. Rick Horwitz and Dr. Graham Johnson

9 mei 2017 · 1 uur 13 min
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Guest:
In this episode, we bring you Drs. Rick Horwitz and Graham Johnson from the Allen Institute for Cell Sciences. They discuss the Allen Cell Explorer, a 3-D cell library created using induced pluripotent stem cells.
Featured Resource: STEMdiff™ Trilineage Differentiation Kit
Resources and Links
A March for Science Happened – Scientists had to engage and take their demands to political leaders and policymakers, so they stood for hours on a sodden National Mall and then marched through puddles to Capitol Hill.
HPV Vaccine as a Cancer Prevention Needs to be Emphasized – In the United States, HPV vaccination rates lag for girls and boys mainly because the message that the vaccine prevents cancer isn’t getting out there.
All Crossed Up-Neuron Miswiring Can Lead to Depression – Researchers have pinpointed a gene called Pcdhαc2 that keeps important brain cells in mice from crossing their wires, providing a possible link between brain wiring and mood disorders like depression.
Zika Virus Hangs Out in Your Body – Weeks after the virus disappears from the bloodstream, it still lingers in the lymph nodes and the central nervous system of rhesus monkeys.
CIRM is on Its Last Leg – Major investment in regenerative medicine enters its last stage — and the money might run out before treatments are ready.
CRISPR Editing to Fight Arthritis – Scientists have rewired stem cells' genetic circuits known as SMART cells (Stem cells Modified for Autonomous Regenerative Therapy) to produce an anti-inflammatory arthritis drug when the cells encounter inflammation.
CRISPR and Stem Cells Identify Novel Chlamydia Drug Targets – Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and their colleagues at the University of British Columbia have developed a novel method for studying how the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis interacts with the human immune system.
Activating Stem Cells for Quicker Healing – Recent research, led by assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine … Lees meer
Ep. 90: “Eating Disorder Gene” Featuring Dr. Alysson Muotri

25 april 2017 · 1 uur 10 min
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Guest:
Dr. Alysson Muotri is a Professor at the School of Medicine, University of California in San Diego. His research focuses on modeling neurological diseases, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders, using human induced pluripotent stem cells. His lab has developed several techniques to culture human neurons and glia for basic research and drug-screening platforms. Most recently he and his group published a paper reporting the first cellular model of anorexia nervosa, reprogramming induced pluripotent stem cells derived from adolescent females with the eating disorder.
Featured Resource: CloneR™ Defined Supplement for Single-Cell Cloning of Human ES and iPS Cells
Resources and Links
How a Budget Squeeze Can Lead to Sloppy Science and Even Cheating – A funding crunch for scientific research is creating incentives for scientists to cut corners and even occasionally to cheat.
New Tech Harvests Drinking Water from (Relatively) Dry Air Using Only Sunlight – A new device the size of a coffee mug can generate drinkable water from desert air using nothing but sunlight.
New CRISPR Tool Can Detect Tiny Amounts of Viruses – The new exquisitely sensitive and specific CRISPR tool promises to help detect diseases that other diagnostics miss, and it’s simple and cheap to use.
Allen Cell Explorer – Graham Johnson and the Allen Institute for Cell Science’s team of nearly 50 cell biologists, microscopy specialists, and computer programmers revealed what they’ve been working on the past two years: the Allen Cell Explorer, which is the largest public collection of human cells ever visualized in 3D, that serves as fuel for the project’s engine: the first-ever deep learning model to predict how cells are organized.
The EPS Cell, a New Stem Cell – Salk Institute and Chinese researchers said they have created a new kind of stem cell called an extended pluripotent stem cell or EPS cell, one that is more versatile than any other grown in the lab and can grow into any tissue in the body.
Patie… Lees meer
Ep. 89: “MSCs in Vivo” Featuring Dr. Fabio Rossi

11 april 2017 · 1 uur 28 min
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Guest:
Dr. Fabio Rossi is a Professor at the Department of Medical Genetics and Director of Biomedical Research Centre at the University of British Columbia. He joins us to discuss the role of mesenchymal stem cells in regeneration and fibrosis in vivo.
Featured Resource: CloneR™ Defined Supplement for Single-Cell Cloning of Human ES and iPS Cells
Resources and Links
New Steel Modeled After Bones – A new type of steel mimics bone to make the metal more resistant to failure.
The First Fluorescent Frogs – Scientists say South American polka dot tree frog gives off an “intense greenish-blue glow” under UV light.
Brain Differences Seen Between Girls and Boys with ADHD – Girls and boys with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder don’t just behave differently but parts of their brains look different, too like the cerebellum.
Getting Dengue First May Make Zika Infection Much Worse – Experiments in cells and mice suggest that a previous exposure to dengue or West Nile can make a Zika virus infection worse by facilitating entry of the Zika virus into susceptible cells, and exacerbating the disease outcome.
For Kids Daily Juice Most Likely Won’t Pack on Pounds – This article shows that an analysis of existing studies linked daily juice drinking to very small amounts of extra weight in young children.
Man Receives Someone Else’s Reprogrammed Stem Cells – Doctors took skin cells from a donor bank and reprogrammed them into induced pluripotent stem cells, grew them into a type of retinal cell, and then injected them into the retina of the macular degeneration patient's right eye.
Stem Cell Fabric Innovation Regrows Rotator Cuff Tendons – A team of researchers from University of Connecticut Health has found a way to regenerate rotator cuff tendons after they’re torn, using a nano-textured fabric seeded with stem cells.
New Stem Cell Screening Platform Opens Door to Novel Ways to Treat Neuro Diseases – Scientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have succes… Lees meer
Ep. 88: “Homing Neural Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Shawn Hingtgen

28 maart 2017 · 1 uur 21 min
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Guest:
For this episode’s interview, we bring on Dr. Shawn Hingtgen, Assistant Professor at the Department of Molecular Pharmaceutics at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Matthew G. Ewend, Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at UNC School of Medicine. Dr. Hingtgen’s research focuses on utilizing molecular imaging to characterize and validate novel stem cell-based targeted therapeutics for treatment of highly aggressive brain cancers. Most recently, Hingtgen and Ewend published a paper in Science Translational Medicine describing a novel method using neural stem cells to home to and infiltrate brain tumors in mouse models.
Featured Resource: Sample Request: NeuroCult™ NS-A Proliferation Kit (Human)
Resources and Links
New Administration Will Deeply Cut Science Budgets – The harshest budget cuts appear to be directed at biomedical research, which will see a dramatic 20 percent drop in funding for the National Institutes of Health
Making a Mistake Can Make Your Brain Pause – When facing a fast and furious stream of decisions, even the momentary distraction of noting an error can decrease accuracy on the next choice.
Genetically Engineered Corn to Ward Off Fungal Growth – Genetically altered corn infected with Aspergillus fungus may be able to prevent the fungus from releasing carcinogenic toxins or aflatoxins.
Insight into Neandertals’ Diet and Disease from Preserved Dental Plaque – Dental plaque preserved in fossilized teeth confirms that Neandertals were flexible eaters and may have self-medicated with an ancient equivalent of aspirin.
3 Women Blinded by Unproven Stem Cell Treatments – Researchers document the cases of three elderly women who were blinded after getting stem cells derived from fat tissue at a for-profit clinic in Florida.
A New Report Aims to Decipher How the Body Controls Stem Cells – Researchers from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine of the University of Luxembourg and an international team have now identified an ingenious me… Lees meer
Ep. 87: “Cancer Stem Cell Evasion” Featuring Dr. Justin Lathia

14 maart 2017 · 1 uur 13 min
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Guest:
For this episode’s interview, we bring on Dr. Justin Lathia, Assistant Professor in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Lathia’s research focus is on how stem cell programs drive tumor progression and therapeutic resistance. Most recently his group published a paper in Cell Stem Cell, describing a novel method on how stem cells in brain tumors evade immune signals around them.
Featured Resource: Sample Request: NeuroCult™ NS-A Proliferation Kit (Human)
Resources and Links
Certain Birth Defects Are on the Rise Since Zika Arrived in the U.S. – Certain birth defects were 20 times more prevalent in babies born to Zika virus–infected mothers in the U.S. in 2016 than they were before the virus cropped up in the United States, a CDC study suggests.
Bacteria Genes Offer New Strategy for Sterilizing Mosquitoes – A pair of bacterial genes called cifA and cifB, connected to the sterility mechanism of Wolbachia may enable genetic engineering strategies for curbing populations of virus-transmitting mosquitoes.
New Imaging Technique Catches DNA ‘Flickering’ On – This article describes a new imaging technique that takes advantage of DNA’s natural ability to “blink” in response to stimulating light.
Gastric Bypass Controls Diabetes Long Term Better Than Other Methods – People who undergo gastric bypass surgery are more likely to experience a remission of their diabetes than patients who receive a gastric sleeve or intensive management of diet and exercise, according to a new study.
Scientists Use Two Types Of Stem Cells To Grow Artificial Mouse "Embryo" – Scientists combine mouse embryonic stem cells and extra-embryonic trophoblast stem cells in a 3D-scaffold to generate structures whose morphogenesis is remarkably similar to natural embryos.
Stem Cell Science in Space Happening with SpaceX Rocket – SpaceX rocket carrying samples of donated adult stem cells from a research laboratory at Mayo Clinic’s Flor… Lees meer
Ep. 86: “Human-Pig Chimera” Featuring Dr. Jun Wu

28 februari 2017 · 55 min
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Guest:
For this episode, we bring on Dr. Jun Wu, a Staff Scientist in the lab of Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte at the Salk Institute. Dr. Wu will discuss his latest work published in Cell on human-pig chimeras.
Featured Resource: Wallchart: Stem Cell States - Naive to Primed Pluripotency
Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Jun Wu Lees meer

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Ep. 85: “Killer Antibodies” Featuring Dr. Christopher Park

14 februari 2017 · 1 uur 13 min
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Guest:
Dr. Christopher Park is an Associate Professor and Director of Pathology Education and Translational Research at the NYU Langone Medical center. His lab is currently looking at new ways to combat blood cancers like leukemia by attacking and destroying the blood stem cells. In this episode, Dr. Park discusses his lab’s work and the details of their most recent publication in Science Translational Medicine.
Featured Resource: Hematopoiesis Hub: Culture Your Expertise in Hematopoiesis with Us
Resources and Links
Scientists Plan to March – A few months from now, thousands of scientists will leave their labs and take to the streets to rally on behalf of publicly funded, openly communicated, evidence-based research.
CRISPR Used in Cows to Help Fight Tuberculosis – Researchers are able to obtain transgenic cattle with increased resistance to tuberculosis through somatic cell nuclear transfer.
An Artist’s Amnesia Could Help Better Understand Memory – Despite having amnesia, artist Lonni Sue Johnson can still create art, which makes neuroscientists curious about Johnson’s brain in part because her education and expertise before her illness contrast sharply with that of the most famous amnesiac known to science, Henry Molaison.
Shining Light on Eggs Leads to More “Chilled” Out Chickens – Researchers at the University of California, Davis found that broilers given at least 12 hours of light daily during incubation were less fearful.
First Human-Pig 'Chimera' Created in Milestone Study – Scientists from the Salk Institute have created a human-pig hybrid in a milestone study that raises the prospect of being able to grow human organs inside animals for use in transplants.
Study by Cleveland Clinic Researchers Explains How Brain Cancer Cells Avoid Immune System – A new study by Cleveland Clinic researchers has uncovered some of the mystery behind what enables glioblastoma – one of the most deadly and recurring brain cancers – to resist most cancer treatments, including ch… Lees meer
Ep. 84: “Visual Restoration” Featuring Dr. Deepak Lamba

31 januari 2017 · 1 uur 8 min
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Guest:
Dr. Deepak Lamba is an Assistant Professor at the Buck Institute. His research is focused on identifying new methods to treat degenerative vision disorders, including macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, using stem cell technology. His work is considered pioneering amongst those focused on developing efficient methods of making retinal cells in a laboratory dish.
Featured Resource: Neural Stem Cells Wallchart
Resources and Links
Rumours Swirl about Trump’s Science Adviser Pick – Climate sceptic William Happer and ardent critic of academia David Gelernter have met with the president.
For Three Years in a Row, Earth Breaks Heat Record – For the third year running, Earth’s thermostat broke a new record: 2016 was the warmest year since record-keeping began in 1880.
Heart-Hugging Robot Does the Twist (And Squeeze) – A silicone sleeve slipped over pigs’ hearts helped pump blood when the hearts failed.
Promise and Perils of Marijuana Deserve More Scientific Scrutiny – The report, released January 12 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine in Washington, D.C., calls for expanding research on potential medical applications of cannabis and its products, including marijuana and chemical components called cannabinoids.
Here's How Earwax Might Clean Ears – The self-cleaning marvel known as earwax may turn the dust particles it traps into agents of their own disposal.
Scientists Say It's Time We Discussed Creating Humans from Stem Cells – A Kyoto University scientist, Shinya Yamanaka, and his graduate student, Kazutoshi Takahashi, re-energized the stem cell field by devising a technique to “reprogram” any adult cell, such as a skin cell, and coax it back to its earliest “pluripotent” stage where it can become any type of cell, from a heart muscle cell to a neuron.
Irish Researchers Make Stem-Cell Cancer Breakthrough – Irish-led researchers have found a way to make it potentially easier to kill off tumor cells and make radiotherapy more ef… Lees meer
Ep. 83: “Big Picture Zika” Featuring Dr. Hongjun Song

17 januari 2017 · 1 uur 15 min
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Guest:
Dr. Hongjun Song is a Director of the Stem Cell Program at John Hopkins University. The research in the Song laboratory focuses on understanding mechanisms regulating neural stem cells and neurogenesis in the mammalian brain. He recently published a review regarding Zika virus, what’s known, how stem cells can help and we talk with him about this topic and more.
Featured Resource: Neural Stem Cells Wallchart
Resources and Links
Cancer Death Rates Fall as Prevention, Treatment Advance – Deaths from cancer in the United States have dropped 25 percent since hitting a peak in 1991 attributed to reductions in smoking and advances in early detection and treatment.
Ebola Vaccine Proves Effective, Final Trial Results Show – This article reports that of 5,837 people in Guinea who received a single shot of the vaccine, rVSV-ZEBOV, in the shoulder, none became infected with the Ebola virus 10 to 84 days after vaccination.
Among High School Seniors, Interest in Science Varies by Race, Ethnicity – A majority of high school seniors in the U.S. say they enjoy science and around four-in-ten (44%) would like to have a job in the field although this tend to vary by race and ethnicity – a pattern that also is reflected in American students’ test scores in science.
Figuring Out How Women Respond to Hormones – Researchers suppressed then added back the hormones estrogen and progesterone in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder and found that their symptoms disappear only to re-emerge when the hormones were added back.
NYSCF and PGP Announce Availability of Unique New Stem Cell Resource for Scientific Research – The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and the Personal Genomes Project announced the availability of a unique new stem cell resource – the stem cell lines – for scientists around the world.
Conversion of Terminally Committed Hepatocytes to Culturable Bipotent Progenitor Cells with Regenerative Capacity – Researchers report that a cocktail of small mole… Lees meer
Ep. 82: “Year in Review” Featuring Dr. Daylon James

3 januari 2017 · 1 uur 19 min
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Guest:
For the interview portion of the show, we talk to our very own Dr. Daylon James. In addition to hosting the Stem Cell Podcast, Daylon is an Assistant Professor at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City where he uses stem cells as a tool to investigate cardiovascular and reproductive disorders.
Resources and Links
World Health Organisation Declares a Public Emergency of International Concern Over Zika – World Health Organization declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects an international public health emergency, a rare move that signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries new tools to fight it.
2016 Was 10 Year Anniversary of Yamanaka iPSC Paper – This article discusses the 10 years of iPSC where Cell published the original iPS cell papers, in which Dr. Kazutoshi Takahashi, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka and colleagues showed that mouse and human fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells by introducing into them four genes.
World's First Baby with Three Genetic Parents Was Born – A five-month-old boy is the first baby to be born using a new technique that incorporates DNA from three people.
Stem Cells Can Make Oocytes – This paper reveals that scientists have for the first time reprogrammed murine embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells into fully functional oocytes in the laboratory.
CO2 Turns into Solid Stone When Pumped into the Ground – Researchers working in Iceland say they have discovered a new way to trap the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground: by changing it into rock.
In Vivo Genome Editing Improves Muscle Function in A Mouse Model of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – Exon 23 deletion by CRISPR/Cas9 resulted in expression of the modified dystrophin gene, partial recovery of functional dystrophin protein in skeletal myofibers and cardiac muscle, improvement of muscle biochemistry, and significant enhancement of muscle force.
Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice Volumes Both Fal… Lees meer
Ep. 81: “Organoids and Zika” Featuring Drs. Kevin Eggan and Michael Wells

20 december 2016 · 1 uur 15 min
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Guest:
Dr. Eggan is a Professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University. On this show he joins us, along with a post-doctoral fellow from his lab, Dr. Michael Wells, to discuss their latest publication on investigating mechanisms of infection in Zika virus.
Resources and Links
Microcephaly Cases Surge in Colombia following Rise in Zika Infections – Colombia saw a surge on 2016 in babies with microcephaly — more than four times the number reported in the previous year caused by Zika virus infections.
Having an Extra Chromosome Slows Cancer Cell Growth – This article reveals that smaller tumors, less cancer-driving proteins are seen with cells with an extra copy of a chromosome — known as trisomic cells.
Gut Microbes Mix May Regulate Motor Deficits in Parkinson’s – Gut impulse signals from gut microbes can activate immune cells called microglia in the mouse brain, causing inflammation that’s characteristic of Parkinson’s disease.
Solar Panels Are Almost Truly Green – This article reports that solar panels are about to break even on their energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.
Telomere Balance between Elongation and Trimming in Stem Cells – Researchers report that telomere length is determined by the balance between telomere elongation, which is mediated by telomerase, and telomere trimming, which is controlled by XRCC3 and Nbs1, homologous recombination proteins that generate single-stranded C-rich telomeric DNA and double-stranded telomeric circular DNA, respectively.
Long-Term Self-Renewing Human Epicardial Cells Generated from Pluripotent Stem Cells under Defined Xeno-Free Conditions – Scientists show that the temporal modulation of canonical Wnt signaling is sufficient for epicardial induction from six different human pluripotent stem cell lines, including a WT1-2A-eGFP knock-in reporter line, under chemically defined, xeno-free conditions.
Development of a Rapid Screen for the Endodermal Differentiation Potential of Human … Lees meer
Ep. 80: “Gene Therapy in a Box” Featuring Dr. Jen Adair

6 december 2016 · 1 uur 12 min
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Guest:
Dr. Jen Adair, assistant member of the clinical research division at the Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center, and Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Adair's group investigates retrovirus-based gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells as a viable treatment for genetic, malignant and infectious diseases.
Resources and Links
Dogs Form Memories of Experiences – This article suggests that dogs possess some version of episodic memory, which allows them to recall personal experiences, and not just simple associations between, for instance, sitting and getting a treat.
Lower Social Status Can Alter the Immune System – A new study manipulating the pecking order of monkeys finds that low social status kicks the immune system into high gear, leading to unwanted inflammation akin to that in people with chronic diseases.
A New Fetal Genome Test – This article reports that by doing a Pap smear as early as five weeks into a pregnancy, researchers can collect enough fetal cells to test for abnormalities linked to more than 6,000 genetic disorders.
Old Blood Carries Risks for Brain – This article reveals that after transfusions of young blood, old mice still had lower numbers of newborn nerve cells in the hippocampus, a brain structure important for learning and memory.
Synthetic Recording and In Situ Readout of Lineage Information in Single Cells – Researchers developed a new method for reading the history and "family trees" of cells called MEMOIR (Memory by Engineered Mutagenesis with Optical In Situ Readout), which can record the life history of animal cells, their relationships with other cells, communication patterns, and the influential events that have shaped them.
Take a Journey into the Center of a Stem Cell – Scientists journeyed to the center of a stem cell that’s maturing into a nerve cell using a powerful X-ray microscope to snap pictures of stem cells at different stages of differentiation.
Neural Progen… Lees meer
Ep. 79: “Stem Cells and Spinal Injury” Featuring Dr. Alpa Mahuvakar

22 november 2016 · 1 uur 9 min
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Guest:
Dr. Alpa Mahuvakar Trivedi, a molecular biologist in the Department of Neurosurgery at University California, San Francisco, joins us in this episode. Alpa and her team have recently published a paper on generating neural cells from stem cells to help pain and bladder function after spinal cord injury.
Resources and Links
What Does Trump Win Mean for US Science? – This article reports that many scientists have been laying out their concerns about the future of the US research community under a Trump administration.
Poor Diet in Pregnancy, Poor Heart Health for Infants – Mothers who don’t eat enough during pregnancy could give birth to babies with long-lasting heart problems.
Using a Video Game to Speed Up Alzheimer's Research – This article describes the new game Stall Catchers, where citizen scientists help Alzheimer’s researchers find stalls in brain blood vessels in mice.
Antibody Therapy for Zika Virus? – Scientists found that a single dose of a human antibody called ZIKV-117 can protect mice from death after Zika infection — and shield mouse fetuses from the virus’s damaging effects.
Trump and Embryonic Stem Cells – Biomedical researchers are wondering what the Trump administration’s position is on embryonic stem cells research though he has vowed to “cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama.”
Single-Cell Sequencing of the Small-RNA Transcriptome – Researchers present a single-cell method for small-RNA sequencing and apply it to naive and primed human embryonic stem cells and cancer cells.
Conversion of Terminally Committed Hepatocytes to Culturable Bipotent Progenitor Cells with Regenerative Capacity – Scientists report that a cocktail of small molecules, Y-27632, A-83-01, and CHIR99021, can convert rat and mouse mature hepatocytes in vitro into proliferative bipotent cells, which we term chemically induced liver progenitors.
Widespread Chromatin Accessibility at Repetitive Elements Links Stem Cells… Lees meer
Ep. 78: “Stem Cell Burger” Featuring Dr. Mark Post

8 november 2016 · 1 uur 2 min
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Guest:
We bring on Mark Post, professor of vascular physiology at the Maastricht University. Dr. Post is an innovator, being the creator of the world’s first lab grown hamburger. Mark’s work has been highlighted in mainstream media and he has given a TEDx talk about his technology and the meat industry. Recently, Mark was back in the news with an announcement that the cost of these stem cell burgers has significantly come down.
Resources and Links
Science Textbooks May Need an Update – Textbook drawings might need to be updated based on new images of the endoplasmic reticulum, a multifaceted organelle within the cell, which shows that it’s a tangled web of interconnected tubes, instead of containing flat sheets as previously believed.
Finding HIV Patient Zero in America – DNA analysis shows HIV came to New York City between 1969 and 1973, long before the man known as Patient Zero became infected.
Training for Parents May Lessen Some Autism Symptoms in Kids – This article presents the idea called Preschool Autism Communication Trial for preschool autism communication trial, which shows that children with autism can be reached by training their parents to be better conversationalists.
Ancient Monkey Hookups – New DNA evidence is pointing to ancient affairs between bonobos and chimpanzees.
The Stem Cell Burger Is Back, and This Time It Might Even Be Affordable – This article reports that stem cell burgers, if mass-produced today, would cost $10 according to Mark Post, its creator, in an Arkansas Online interview.
Research on Rare Genetic Disease Reveals New iPSC Discovery – Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, who first created induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and his colleagues at the Gladstone Institutes found a way to increase the efficiency of stem cell reprogramming through research on a rare genetic disease.
Withholding Amino Acid Depletes Blood Stem Cells – A new study shows that a diet deficient in valine effectively depleted the blood stem cells in mice and made … Lees meer
Ep. 77: “Political Science” Featuring Michael Halpern

25 oktober 2016 · 1 uur 14 min
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Guest:
Michael Halpern, deputy director for the Center of Science and Democracy, discusses the election and how science might be affected.
Resources and Links
Storing Tomatoes in Refrigerator Affect Their Genes – Science explains why you shouldn't put tomatoes in the fridge. It’s because some of their genes chill out and are altered by cold temperatures, ultimately affecting the flavor.
A Clear Difference on Climate Change – This article describes the stark contrast between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on the climate change issue and their plans about it.
Drones that Carry Ads – Starting this year, commuters in Mexico City have been interrupted as they drive by flying robots carrying signs bearing simple slogans as part of ridesharing app Uber’s campaign for UberPool.
Common Household Chemicals Hurt Our Health... And Cost Us Billions – Routine contact with plastic bottles, toys, food cans, cosmetics and flame retardants containing "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" results in ingestion, leading to a toxic buildup and potentially a variety of medical conditions.
Scientists Grow Mouse Eggs from Stem Cells in Lab – Japanese scientists have grown mouse eggs entirely in the lab, then fertilized them to yield fertile offspring, a scientific first cautiously hailed by experts in human reproduction.
Stem Cells May Repair Broken Hearts – Researchers transplanted heart muscle cells that were made from the stem cells of a macaque into the damaged hearts of five other macaques integrating with the monkeys' own heart muscle cells thus allowing their damaged hearts to function better.
CRISPR Corrects Sickle Cell-Causing Gene in Human Cells – Scientists used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique to rewrite the genetic mutation in blood cells that causes sickle cell disease where once implanted in mice, the edited stem cells produced normal hemoglobin.
Glycolytic Metabolism Plays a Functional Role in Regulating Human Pluripotent Stem Cell State – Researchers show that naive hum… Lees meer
Ep. 76: “Glyco-Pure” Featuring Dr. Stephen Duncan

11 oktober 2016 · 1 uur 11 min
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Guest:
Dr. Stephen Duncan from the University of South Carolina discusses his work on the purification of cell lineages derived from pluripotent stem cells.
Resources and Links
Japanese Scientist Receives Nobel Prize for Autophagy Work – Yoshinori Ohsumi, a biologist at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, won this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work uncovering how cells break down old materials — a process critical for keeping cells healthy.
Measles Eliminated from the Americas – The highly infectious disease - measles, which is marked by flat red spots that can cover the body - has been eliminated from the Americas after decades of wide-spread vaccination.
Uncovering Facts about the Shady Sugar Industry – Researchers revealed that the sugar industry paid nutrition experts from Harvard University to downplay studies linking sugar and heart disease.
Gene Linked to Autism in People May Influence Dog Sociability – This article reveals that beagles with particular variants in a gene - SEZ6L - associated with autism were more likely to sidle up to and make physical contact with a human stranger.
Monsanto Buys Rights to CRISPR – Monsanto is taking genetically engineered crops to the next level, buying a license from the Broad Institute of Harvard University and MIT to use the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology.
Dr. Allen Eaves of STEMCELL Technologies Inc. Named EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ Pacific 2016 – Dr. Allen Eaves, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of STEMCELL Technologies, a global biotechnology company that supplies tools and services to enable life science research, is this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific winner.
Efficient Long-Term Cryopreservation of Pluripotent Stem Cells at −80 °C – Researchers report that a medium comprised of Ficoll 70 and dimethyl sulfoxide in presence or absence of fetal bovine serum can provide reliable cryopreservation of various kinds of human and porcine pluripotent stem cells at −80 °C fo… Lees meer
Ep. 75: “Culture Conditions” Featuring Dr. Joshua Brickman

27 september 2016 · 1 uur 10 min
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Guest:
Dr. Joshua Brickman from the University of Copenhagen discusses his work on stem cells and culture conditions. Professor Brickman’s and his group investigate the basis for transcriptional priming and commitment in embryonic stem cells and early in the specification of the endoderm lineage.
Resources and Links
Scientists Watch as Bacteria Evolve Antibiotic Resistance – A petri dish more than a meter long helped scientists visualize the evolution of antibiotic resistance in E. coli bacteria.
Lyme Bacteria Swap ‘Catch Bonds’ to Navigate Blood Vessels – The corkscrew-shaped bacteria that cause Lyme disease (Borrelia burgdorferi) attach themselves to the sides of blood vessels using special bonds that get stronger under stress.
Maybe You Don’t Need to Burp Your Baby – This article reports that there’s scant scientific evidence that burping after meals actually does anything helpful for babies.
Pigeons Can Read a Little Bit – Pigeons moved from learning to eat from a food hopper, to recognizing shapes, to learning words through gradual training.
Lack of T Cell Response to iPSC-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells from HLA Homozygous Donors – Researchers established human retinal pigment epithelial cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in HLA homozygote donors.
Scientists Use Stem Cells to Grow 3D Lung-in-a-Dish – Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have succeeded in creating three-dimensional lung “organoids” by coating tiny gel beads with lung-derived stem cells and then allowing them to self-assemble into the shapes of the air sacs found in human lungs.
Motherless Babies Possible as Scientists Create Live Offspring without Need for Female Egg – This article shows that embryos could be created from cells which carry all their chromosomes leading to the theory that any cell in the human body could be fertilized by a sperm.
Parkin and PINK1 Patient iPSC-Derived Midbrain Dopamine Neurons Exhibit Mitochondrial Dysfunction and α-Sy… Lees meer
Ep. 74: “Diabetes Drug Discovery” Featuring Dr. Shuibing Chen

13 september 2016 · 1 uur 10 min
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Guest:
Dr. Shuibing Chen from Weill Cornell Medical College discusses her work on stem cells and diabetes.
Resources and Links
A Ban on Antibacterial Soap – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned soap products containing 19 active ingredients, including the notorious chemical triclosan, marketed as antiseptics.
A New Book all about Cursing? – A cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen’s new book – What the F – examines the nature of profanity and the implications of obscene words for understanding human brains and minds.
Mosquito Moms Can Pass Zika to Offspring – This article reveals that Aedes aegypti mosquitoes don’t need to bite someone to pick up Zika virus; youngsters can inherit the virus from their moms according to lab tests.
Zika Mosquitos Now in Miami Beach – This article reports that Florida officials confirmed that the Zika virus was detected in three mosquito samples from a small area in Miami Beach.
New Info about Bacteria Causing Stillbirth Revealed – Group B Streptococcus secretes protein-filled balloons that can travel up into the uterus causing premature labor and stillbirth.
Will Embryonic Stem Cells Ever Cure Anything? – Douglas Melton tries to find ways to replace beta cells of the pancreas using new tissue manufactured from embryonic stem cells.
MMP-9 and MMP-2 Contribute to Neuronal Cell Death in iPSC Models of Frontotemporal Dementia with MAPT Mutations – This article reports that matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 production is elevated in human neurons with microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) mutations contributing to stress-induced neuronal cell death.
Researchers Use a Single Molecule to Command Stem Cells to Build New Bone – Researchers from the University of California, San Diego induce human pluripotent stem cells to differentiate into functional bone-building cells by feeding them adenosine, a naturally occurring molecule in the body.
Scientists Engineer Stem Cells to Find Potential Therapy for Medulloblastoma – … Lees meer
Ep. 73: “Bench to Big Business” Featuring Dr. Allen Eaves

30 augustus 2016 · 1 uur 11 min
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Guest:
CEO and Founder of STEMCELL Technologies Inc. Dr. Allen Eaves discusses his transition from a bench scientist to a biotech business man.
Resources and Links
Tired Parents Don’t Follow Newborn Sleep Guidelines – Babies should be put on their back in an empty crib with firm mattress.
Darwin’s Dogs Want Your Dog’s DNA – Darwin’s Dogs, a citizen science project headquartered at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, is looking for good — and bad — dogs to donate DNA.
Eating Shuts Off Nerves that Oppose Obesity – This article reports the role of orexin, also known as hypocretin, in weight gain and narcolepsy.
Pesticides and Pollination Problems – Butterflies of Northern California join the ranks of honeybees, bumblebees, moths and other organisms that may be feeling the effects of local neonicotinoid pesticide use.
Zika Virus Might Affect Learning, Memory in Adults, Study Says – This article reveals that Zika virus can infect neural progenitors in the adult mouse brain.
Melatonin Appears to Suppress Growth of Breast Cancer Stem Cells – Researchers at Michigan State University published a study that melatonin, a hormone produced in the human brain, appears to suppress the growth of breast cancer tumors.
Transcriptome Profiling of Patient-Specific Human iPSC-Cardiomyocytes Predicts Individual Drug Safety and Efficacy Responses In Vitro – Transcriptome-based toxicology analysis predicted and risk-stratified patient-specific susceptibility to cardiotoxicity, and functional assays in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) patient-specific cardiomyocyte. Using tacrolimus and rosiglitazone, drugs targeting pathways predicted to produce cardiotoxicity, validated inter-patient differential responses.
Modeling Dengue Virus-Hepatic Cell Interactions Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hepatocyte-like Cells – Researchers differentiated human pluripotent stem cells into hepatocytes, one of the target cells of Dengue virus (DENV), to investig… Lees meer
Ep. 72: “Modeling ALS with Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Ritchie Ho

16 augustus 2016 · 1 uur 8 min
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Guest:
Dr. Ritchie Ho, a postdoctoral fellow from Cedars-Sinai, joins us with his latest study on an induced pluripotent stem cell in vitro model of ALS.
Resources and Links
Circadian Clock Influences Young Sunflowers to follow the Sun – Research from University of California, Davis shows how sunflowers use their circadian clock to anticipate the dawn and follow the sun across the sky during the day.
Humans Prefer the Gait of Mutant Horses – Researchers examine historic horse remains for the DMRT3 SNP, tracking the origin of gaitedness to Medieval England between 850 and 900 AD.
Young Blood Antiaging Trial Raises Questions – A startup company, Ambrosia, has launched the first pay-to-participate clinical trial in the United States to test the antiaging benefits of young blood in relatively healthy people.
Science Literacy Isn't Just about What People Know, It's Also about Their Communities – Increasing science literacy will not lead to appreciably greater support for science, but may be shaped by factors such as values and beliefs.
NIH Proposes Removal of Moratorium on Chimera Research – A proposed National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy would require extra review for certain studies that create chimeras, or animals with both human and animal cells.
Gene Correction of iPSCs from a Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Patient Normalizes the Lymphoid Developmental and Functional Defects – Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were derived from a Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome patient (WAS-iPSCs) and the endogenous chromosomal WAS locus was targeted with a wtWAS-2A-eGFP transgene using zinc finger nucleases to generate corrected WAS-iPSCs.
Contributions of Mammalian Chimeras to Pluripotent Stem Cell Research – This article highlights the applications and current limitations presented by intra- and inter-species chimeras and their future contribution to the stem cell field.
Development of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone-Secreting Neurons from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells – Researchers… Lees meer
Ep. 71: “Stem Cells and Breast Cancer” Featuring Dr. Christine Pratt

2 augustus 2016 · 1 uur 12 min
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Guest:
We bring on professor and researcher Dr. Christine Pratt from the University of Ottawa to discuss her research on breast cancer.
Resources and Links
2016 Republican Platform against Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Other Science Issues – Live Science examined the Republican Party’s platform against embryonic stem cell research, climate change, fetal tissue research, and other science issues.
US behind in Road Safety – The United States tops 19 other high-income countries on overall death rate due to motor vehicle crashes.
Antibiotics May Help Fight Alzheimer’s Disease – This article reveals that a long course of antibiotics reduced the levels of a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease in the brains of mice, possibly by changing the species of bacteria in the gut.
Biting Your Nails and Sucking Your Thumb Might Have Some Positive Effects – Kids who sucked their thumbs or chewed their nails had lower rates of allergic reactions in lab tests.
New Brain Map Most Detailed Yet – Scientists have drawn a new map of the human brain with each side of the outer layer of the brain parceled into 180 distinct areas.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Signals Control the Behavior of Stem Cells in the Brain – The choroid plexus, a largely ignored structure in the brain that produces the cerebrospinal fluid, is an important regulator of adult neural stem cells.
Cartilage Grown from Stem Cells Could Replace Hip Implants – Researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Cytex Therapeutics have found a way to program stem cells to grow new cartilage on a 3D template of the ball of a hip joint.
Molecular Obstacles to Clinical Translation of iPSCs – This article discusses whether the therapeutic obstacles of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) clones are specific to transcription-factor-mediated reprogramming or inherent to every cellular reprogramming method.
Conversion of Human Gastric Epithelial Cells to Multipotent Endodermal Progenitors Using Defined Small Molecu… Lees meer
Ep. 70: “New MS Therapy” Featuring Dr. Mark Freedman

19 juli 2016 · 1 uur 17 min
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Guest:
Neurologist and researcher Dr. Mark Freedman discusses his research, including a new discovery and treatment for multiple sclerosis using stem cells.
Resources and Links
Greased Up Head Helps Swordfish Swim Fast – This article reveals that a newly discovered oil-producing organ in the fish’s head gives it slick skin that could boost its speed.
Activating Reward May Increase Immune System – Feeling good may help the body fight germs; when activated, nerve cells that help signal reward also boost the mice’s immune systems.
Major Hole in the Ozone Layer Is Closing – This article reports that the average size of the Antarctic ozone hole has shrunk by about 4.5 million square kilometers, an area larger than India, since 2000.
Mass Killings Are Contagious, Media Is the Vector – Mass killings and school shootings spread "contagiously," where one killing or shooting increases the chances that others will occur within about two weeks.
Young Stem Cell Scientists Struggle for Funding – A study led by government scientists showed that middle-aged and older stem cell researchers are crowding out younger scientists in competition for federal grants.
Zika Virus Disrupts Neural Progenitor Development and Leads to Microcephaly in Mice – Researchers found that Asian Zika virus (ZIKV) strain SZ01 replicates efficiently in embryonic mouse brain by directly targeting different neuronal linages and that ZIKV infection leads to cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, and inhibition of neural progenitor cell differentiation, resulting in cortical thinning and microcephaly.
A Stem Cell Therapy to Replace Root Canals? – Scientists from the University of Nottingham and Harvard University's Wyss Institute are developing a new treatment strategy that could someday help heal a damaged tooth using the patient's own stem cells.
A New Model of Autism Using Stem Cells – Researchers at the Salk Institute turned skin cells of people with autism spectrum disorder into neurons, showing specific defects co… Lees meer
Ep. 69: “Politics, Parkinson’s and More” Featuring Dr. Raj Kittappa

5 juli 2016 · 1 uur 16 min
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Guest:
Stem cell researcher and politician Dr. Raj Kittappa to discuss his political expertise as well as his latest research endeavors with stem cells and Parkinson’s disease.
Resources and Links
Wine Being Made 6300 Years Ago – Researchers have uncorked the oldest solid evidence of grape-based wine making in Europe, and possibly the world, at a site in northern Greece using a new method of analyzing the chemicals in liquids absorbed by clay containers.
Scientists Have Gained Insight to Why Mitochondrial DNA Is Passed Down to Children by Their Mothers — But Not Their Fathers – DNA inside energy-producing organelles called mitochondria is destroyed in a dad’s sperm shortly after it fertilizes an egg.
A New Cause of Lyme Disease – This article reveals that a new species of bacteria is causing Lyme disease, adding to worries that the infection will continue its relentless escalation across the United States.
Functional Coupling with Cardiac Muscle Promotes Maturation of hPSC-Derived Sympathetic Neurons – Researchers derive sympathetic neurons from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and show that they can form physical and functional connections with cardiac muscle cells.
In Vivo Tracking of Human Hematopoiesis Reveals Patterns of Clonal Dynamics during Early and Steady-State Reconstitution Phases – Scientists discovered that in vitro-manipulated hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells retain the ability to return to latency after transplant and can be physiologically reactivated, sustaining a stable hematopoietic output.
Derivation of Diverse Hormone-Releasing Pituitary Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells – This article presents a simple and efficient strategy to derive human pituitary lineages from human pluripotent stem cells using monolayer culture conditions suitable for cell manufacturing.
Retinoic Acid Is Sufficient for the In Vitro Induction of Mouse Spermatocytes – Researchers report that retinoic acid is sufficient for inducing leptotene/zygotene spermatoc… Lees meer
Ep. 68: “Gene Editing and Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Danwei Huangfu

21 juni 2016 · 58 min
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Guest:
Stem cell researcher Dr. Danwei Huangfu discusses her work and latest paper in Cell Stem Cell. Her team used CRISPR technology to genetically manipulate human pluripotent stem cells and induce pancreatic beta cells.
Resources and Links
FDA Warning about Imodium Ad Overdoses – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that higher-than-recommended doses of the antidiarrheal medicine loperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium, can lead to serious heart problems and even death.
Who Advises Women to Delay Pregnancy over Zika Virus Threat – World Health Organisation (WHO) issues advice to millions of people in regions affected by virus that can cause severe birth defects and microcephaly.
Sense of Touch and Autism – This article reveals that in mice, mutations in autism-related genes in skin nerve cells linked to anxiety, poor social skills.
Four New Elements Now Have Names – Four elements that were officially added to the periodic table have been named as nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson.
Integrated Genomic Analysis of Diverse Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell from the Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium – The Progenitor Cell Biology Consortium performed comprehensive experimental and genomic analyses of 58 induced pluripotent stem cells from ten laboratories generated using a variety of reprogramming genes, vectors, and cells.
A Cure for Multiple Sclerosis? – According to this article, chemotherapy, combined with stem cell transplants, could halt the onslaught of multiple sclerosis in people suffering from the disease.
New Techniques to Assess the Fate of Stem Cells In Vivo – Researchers from the Université Libre de Bruxelles Cancer Research Center, led by Cédric Blanpain, developed new methods to assess with great precision the multipotent or unipotent fate of mammary gland and prostate stem cells.
Generation of Mice with Longer and Better Preserved Telomeres in the Absence of Genetic Manipulations – This article reveals how researchers use… Lees meer
Ep. 67: “Blood Stem Cell Therapy” Featuring Dr. Kristin Hope

7 juni 2016 · 1 uur 8 min
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Guest:
Stem cell researcher Dr. Kristin Hope discusses her work and latest paper in Nature. Her team examined umbilical cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem cells and the RNA-binding protein musashi-2.
Resources and Links
Doctors Say Olympics Should Be Postponed or Moved – Doctors and professors are urging the World Health Organization to move or postpone the summer Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro due to the widening Zika outbreak in Brazil.
Bacteria Resistant to Last-Resort Antibiotic Appears in U.S. – This article reports that a 49-year-old woman in United States has tested positive for a strain of Escherichia coli, known as mrc-1, which is resistant to the antibiotic colistin and that the bacteria’s gene rides on a transferable loop of DNA called a a plasmid.
Fruit Fly’s Giant Sperm Is Quite an Exaggeration – This article reveals that certain fruit fly species, such as Drosophila bifurca, males measuring just a few millimeters produce sperm with a tail as long as 5.8-centimeters.
FDA Approves Device to Wean Addicts off Heroin – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug-emitting implant to combat addiction to heroin and other opioids killing thousands of people annually.
Stem Cell Industry Blowing Up... The Global Market for Stem Cells – This article reports that the global stem cell market reached over $5.9 billion in 2015 and will grow from about $6.7 billion in 2016 to nearly $12.3 billion in 2021, registering a compound annual growth rate of 13.1% from 2016 through 2021.
Israeli Firms Develop High-Speed 3D Printer for Stem Cells – Israeli 3D printer firm Nano Dimension has successfully lab-tested a 3D bioprinter for stem cells, paving the way for the potential printing of large tissues and organs.
Biologists Find How Plants Reconstitute Stem Cells – A team of biologists at New York University showed that regenerating plants can naturally reconstitute their stem cells from more mature cells by replaying embryogenesis.
Genetic Drift Can Comprom… Lees meer
Ep. 66: “New Parkinson’s Therapy” Featuring Dr. Su-Chun Zhang

24 mei 2016 · 1 uur 21 min
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Guest:
Stem cell researcher and neuroscientist Dr. Su-Chun Zhang discusses his work and latest paper in Cell Stem Cell. His paper looks at grafting human pluripotent stem cells in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.
Resources and Links
Scientists Talk Privately about Creating a Synthetic Human Genome – Scientists are now contemplating the fabrication of a human genome, meaning they would use chemicals to manufacture all the DNA contained in human chromosomes.
Second Skin’ May Reduce Wrinkles, Eyebags, Scientists Say – Researchers said a “second skin” composed of commonly used chemicals like siloxanes can be painted on your skin and give it the elasticity of youth.
Faulty Gene Can Turn Colds Deadly for Babies, Toddlers – This article reveals that some children have rare genetic variants that can turn their first encounter with colds and other respiratory viruses deadly.
Australia Will Release Herpes into Its Rivers to Wipe Out Invasive Carp – This article reports that the Australian government plans to use a herpes virus to eradicate the country’s most devastating invasive species—common carp.
The US Is about to Hit a Big Solar Energy Milestone – The US is on track to hit a big number in renewable energy: more than 1 million American homes should have solar panels by February 2016.
Stem Cells Are Dangerously Overhyped, Warn Researchers – A study recently published says it’s time for everyone—from the media, to press officers, to journal publishers and even the scientists themselves—to chill out about stem cells.
New Stem Cell Discovery Could Boost Corn Crop Yields by an Astounding 50 Percent – This article reports that a newly discovered stem cell signaling pathway could boost yields from corn and other staple crops by up to 50 percent in the very near term.
Zika Virus Disrupts Neural Progenitor Development and Leads to Microcephaly in Mice – Researchers found that Asian Zika virus strain SZ01 could infect neural precursor cells in vivo and affect brain developmen… Lees meer
Ep. 65: “Zika Virus and Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Arnold Kriegstein

10 mei 2016 · 1 uur 24 min
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Guest:
Stem cell researcher Dr. Arnold Kriegstein from the University of California, San Francisco to discusses his work and latest paper in Cell Stem Cell on how the Zika virus affects neural stem cells.
Resources and Links
Zika Is More Dangerous than We Thought – This article describes the danger of Zika virus like microcephaly in children born from women who have had Zika during pregnancy and Guillain-Barre syndrome – a nerve disorder that causes temporary muscle paralysis.
Plants Use Prions to Remember – This article reveals that prions, proteins that change shape and shift tasks, may occur in plants as a form of memory.
Uncertainty Is Stressful, but that Stress May Not Always Be Bad – This article demonstrates that subjective estimates of uncertainty predict the dynamics of subjective and physiological stress responses.
Dragons Sleep Like Us – Sleeping lizards appear to share distinctive brain activity patterns with sleeping birds and mammals.
EPA Boosts Estimate of U.S. Methane Emissions – This article reports that US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has boosted its estimate of total U.S. methane emissions by 13 percent, which is an increase of more than 3.4 million metric tons of the greenhouse gas and has the same long-term global warming impact as a year’s worth of emissions from about 20 million cars.
Risky Skull Surgery Done for Ritual Reasons 6,000 Years Ago – This article reveals that between 6,000 and 4,000 years ago, skilled surgeons in southwestern Russia cut holes the size of silver dollars or larger out of the backs of people’s skills for ritual reasons.
Miniature, Beating Hearts Grown Using Stem Cells – Researchers describe an approach that combines features of engineered heart muscle and cardiospheres: micro-heart muscle arrays, in which elongated muscle fibers are formed in an easily fabricated template, with as few as 2,000 iPS-cardiomyocytes per individual tissue.
Genome Editing of Lineage Determinants in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Re… Lees meer
Ep. 64: “Blood Reprogramming” Featuring Dr. Kateri Moore

26 april 2016 · 1 uur 5 min
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Guest:
Stem cell researcher Dr. Kateri Moore from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai discusses her work and latest paper in Developmental Cell. Her paper covers hematopoietic reprogramming in mice.
Resources and Links
Zika Definitely Causes Severe Birth Defects, CDC Says – A causal relationship exists between prenatal Zika virus infection and microcephaly and other serious brain anomalies.
Neural Prosthesis Lets Quadriplegic Man Wiggle Fingers, Flex Wrist, Grasp Items – This article shows that intracortically recorded signals can be linked in real-time to muscle activation to restore movement in a paralyzed human.
Bees May Need a Protein Supplement! – This article indicates that increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide can reduce protein content of a floral pollen source widely used by North American bees.
Some People Are Resistant to Genetic Disease – Researchers describe a complementary approach that seeks to identify healthy individuals resilient to highly penetrant forms of genetic childhood disorders, like Mendelian diseases.
73 Percent of Teens Own or Have Access to a Smartphone – Distractions from engaging in mobile devices in class lead to bad study habits and vehicle crashes when texting or talking while driving.
Using Love Handles to Cure Diabetes? – Martin Fussenegger, Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at ETH Zurich's Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel, performed a feat that many specialists had until now held to be impossible: his team extracted stem cells from a 50-year-old test subject's fatty tissue and applied genetic reprogramming to make them mature into functional beta cells.
3D Printing Biopen Lets Surgeons Draw with Stem Cells - This article reveals that orthopedic surgeons may soon simply draw new cartilage inside your knee, using a 3D printing, stem-cell-extruding device called the “BioPen”.
Retinal Organoids from Pluripotent Stem Cells Efficiently Recapitulate Retinogenesis – Researchers developed a proto… Lees meer

Alle afleveringen

Ep. 113: “Heart Patch” Featuring Dr. Nenad Bursac

Ep. 112: “Science Careers” Featuring Dr. William Dunworth

Ep. 111: “ALS Cell Death” Featuring Dr. Justin Ichida

Ep. 110 “Blood Stem Cell Lineage” Featuring Dr. Fernando Camargo

Ep. 109: “CILIA and RPE” Featuring Dr. Kapil Bharti

Ep. 108: “Skeletal Muscle” Featuring Dr. April Pyle

Ep. 107: “Skin Regeneration” Featuring Dr. Michele De Luca

Ep. 106: “Ethical Concerns” Featuring Dr. Leigh Turner

Ep. 105: “Careers in Science” Featuring Dr. Kiki Sanford

Ep. 104: “CRISPR, iPSC and Disease” Featuring Dr. Chad Cowan

Ep. 103: “Leukemia and Stem Cells” Featuring Catherine Coombs

Ep. 102: “Stem Cells and Graduate School” Featuring Sierra Marable

Ep. 101: “Stem Cells and Brain Injury” Featuring Dr. Jack Parent

Ep. 100: “State of CIRM” Featuring Kevin McCormack

Ep. 99: “Wound Healing” Featuring Dr. Chandan Sen

Ep. 98: “Parkinson’s Cell Therapy” Featuring Dr. Dustin Wakeman

Ep. 97: “CryoPause” Featuring Dr. Mark Tomishima

Ep. 96: “STDs and Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Robert Hancock

Ep. 95: “Lung from Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Darrell Kotton

Ep. 94: “Unlimited Blood Cells” Featuring Drs. Shahin Rafii and Raphael Lis

Ep. 93: “Blood Brain Barrier” Featuring Dr. Clive Svendsen

Ep. 92: “Stem Cells for Arthritis” Featuring Dr. Farshid Guilak

Ep. 91: “3D Cell Library” Featuring Dr. Rick Horwitz and Dr. Graham Johnson

Ep. 90: “Eating Disorder Gene” Featuring Dr. Alysson Muotri

Ep. 89: “MSCs in Vivo” Featuring Dr. Fabio Rossi

Ep. 88: “Homing Neural Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Shawn Hingtgen

Ep. 87: “Cancer Stem Cell Evasion” Featuring Dr. Justin Lathia

Ep. 86: “Human-Pig Chimera” Featuring Dr. Jun Wu

Ep. 85: “Killer Antibodies” Featuring Dr. Christopher Park

Ep. 84: “Visual Restoration” Featuring Dr. Deepak Lamba

Ep. 83: “Big Picture Zika” Featuring Dr. Hongjun Song

Ep. 82: “Year in Review” Featuring Dr. Daylon James

Ep. 81: “Organoids and Zika” Featuring Drs. Kevin Eggan and Michael Wells

Ep. 80: “Gene Therapy in a Box” Featuring Dr. Jen Adair

Ep. 79: “Stem Cells and Spinal Injury” Featuring Dr. Alpa Mahuvakar

Ep. 78: “Stem Cell Burger” Featuring Dr. Mark Post

Ep. 77: “Political Science” Featuring Michael Halpern

Ep. 76: “Glyco-Pure” Featuring Dr. Stephen Duncan

Ep. 75: “Culture Conditions” Featuring Dr. Joshua Brickman

Ep. 74: “Diabetes Drug Discovery” Featuring Dr. Shuibing Chen

Ep. 73: “Bench to Big Business” Featuring Dr. Allen Eaves

Ep. 72: “Modeling ALS with Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Ritchie Ho

Ep. 71: “Stem Cells and Breast Cancer” Featuring Dr. Christine Pratt

Ep. 70: “New MS Therapy” Featuring Dr. Mark Freedman

Ep. 69: “Politics, Parkinson’s and More” Featuring Dr. Raj Kittappa

Ep. 68: “Gene Editing and Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Danwei Huangfu

Ep. 67: “Blood Stem Cell Therapy” Featuring Dr. Kristin Hope

Ep. 66: “New Parkinson’s Therapy” Featuring Dr. Su-Chun Zhang

Ep. 65: “Zika Virus and Stem Cells” Featuring Dr. Arnold Kriegstein

Ep. 64: “Blood Reprogramming” Featuring Dr. Kateri Moore