Exciting advance in stem cell therapy

New technique for manipulating stem cells opens door to novel treatments

2024-08-13

(Press-News.org) A new technique developed by McGill researchers for mechanically manipulating stem cells could lead to new stem cell treatments, which have yet to fulfill their therapeutic potential.

Stem cell therapy has been heralded as a new way to treat many diseases, ranging from multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and glaucoma to Type 1 diabetes. The anticipated advances have yet to materialize in part because it has proved much more difficult than originally thought to control the types of cells that develop from stem cells.

“The great strength of stem cells is their ability to adapt to the body, replicate and transform themselves into other kinds of cells, whether these are brain cells, heart muscle cells, bone cells or other cell types,” explained Allen Ehrlicher, an associate professor in McGill’s Department of Bioengineering and the Canada Research Chair in Biological Mechanics. “But that is also one of the biggest challenges of working with them.”

Recently, a team of McGill researchers discovered that by stretching, bending and flattening the nuclei of stem cells to differing degrees, they could generate precisely targeted cells that they could direct to become either bone or fat cells.

The first applications of this discovery are likely to involve bone regeneration, possibly relating to dental or cranio-facial repair, or treatments for bone traumas or osteoporosis, according to Ehrlicher, the senior author on the study, who led the research team.

He cautions, however, that it is likely to take a decade or two before this new understanding of how to differentiate stem cells translates into clinical treatments. Ongoing testing and manipulation of stem cells will help this discovery be incorporated into medical treatments.

The next steps in the research will involve determining how the molecular mechanisms underlying the different cells allow them to be stretched into cells that can become either fat or bone and then translating this knowledge into 3D fibre cultures.

The study, “Nuclear curvature determines Yes-associated protein localization and differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells,” by Ajinkya Ghagre et al was published in Biophysical Journal.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2024.04.008

This research was made possible by support from NSERC, the Canada Research Chairs Program, and CIHR.

END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New research explores the urea cycle’s strong connection to fatty liver disease

2024-08-13

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana University School of Medicine physician scientist is making strides in understanding the molecular origins of fatty liver disease, a leading cause of liver failure in the United States. By identifying the critical role the urea cycle plays in its development, his findings could pave the way for new medications to treat this currently incurable disease. In a study recently published in Cell Metabolism, Brian DeBosch, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and the study’s corresponding author, uncovered ...

Two new studies show how immunotherapies collaborate to boost T cell responses in melanoma

2024-08-13

Two studies published in the latest issue of the journal Cell by University of Pittsburgh researchers uncover how immunotherapies targeting the immune checkpoints PD1 and LAG3 work together to activate immune responses. The findings shed light on why combination therapies targeting both checkpoints can improve outcomes for melanoma patients compared to monotherapies targeting only PD1. Using data from a human clinical trial and animal models, the researchers investigated responses of tumor-killing CD8+ T cells. During extended battles with cancer, immune checkpoints accumulate on the surface of T cells, acting like brakes on ...

Less sleep and later bedtime in childhood linked to future substance use

2024-08-13

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A good night’s sleep is essential for children’s health and development, but childhood sleep patterns may also be linked to future substance use. A new study, led by a team of Penn State researchers, found that adolescents were more likely to have consumed alcohol or tried marijuana by age 15 if they went to bed later and slept fewer hours during childhood and adolescence. The team published their findings in Annals of Epidemiology. “The study suggests that there might be some critical ages when sleep can be a target for intervention,” said Anne-Marie Chang, associate professor of ...

C-Path’s TRxA announces $250,000 grant for drug development project on antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria

2024-08-13

TUCSON, Ariz. August 13, 2024– Critical Path Institute’s (C-Path) Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRxA) announced today that Kenneth Keiler, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, has been awarded a research grant for his innovative project titled “Inhibitors of the Gram-negative Cell Envelope Stress Response as Anti-Infectives and Antibiotics.” This funding will support Dr. Keiler’s original approach to addressing the critical issue ...

Crnic Institute clinical trial shows JAK inhibitor improves multiple autoimmune conditions in patients with Down syndrome

2024-08-13

A new study published in eLIFE by researchers from the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome (Crnic Institute) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reports the initial results of a first-in-kind clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of a JAK inhibitor to decrease the burden of autoimmune conditions in people with Down syndrome. The clinical trial, which is funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, is part of a portfolio of new clinical trials supported by the National Institutes of Health INCLUDE Project. Drawing upon their 2016 discovery that the interferon ...

New study looks at drug exposures of COVID-19 therapy for pregnant people

2024-08-13

A new study provides important insights into the pharmacokinetics and safety of intravenous remdesivir in treating the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in pregnant women. Remdesivir is an antiviral medication and is used to treat certain patients with COVID-19 who are either hospitalized or have mild-to-moderate symptoms in the outpatient setting and are at high risk of severe disease. The study, published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, is the first pharmacokinetic study to be published on a COVID-19 therapy in pregnant women. Pharmacokinetic studies ...

Business crucial to addressing toxic pollution and protecting human health

2024-08-13

By Josh Stowe Toxic pollution is the single largest cause of death and poor health, killing up to 9 million people each year — about 100 times more than war and terrorism combined. Business produces the bulk of this deadly pollution, but can also play a critical role in addressing it and mitigating its effects, according to new research by University of Notre Dame expert Richard (Drew) Marcantonio. Marcantonio, whose study was recently published in Business Horizons, is assistant professor of environment, peace and global affairs in Notre Dame’s Keough ...

SwRI-led team finds evidence of hydration on Psyche

2024-08-13

SAN ANTONIO — August 13, 2024 —Using data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, a Southwest Research Institute-led team has confirmed hydroxyl molecules on the surface of the metallic asteroid Psyche. The presence of hydrated minerals suggests a complex history for Psyche, important context for the NASA spacecraft en route to this interesting asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. At about 140 miles in diameter, Psyche is one of the most massive objects in the main asteroid belt. Previous observations indicate that Psyche is a dense, largely metallic object that could be a leftover core from a planet that experienced ...

$18M ARPA-H award supports Rice-led research on tumor analysis system for breast, head and neck cancer

2024-08-13

A Rice University-led multi-institutional research collaboration has won an award of up to $18 million over five years from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to develop and validate a new system for improving tumor removal accuracy for two types of cancer: breast, and head and neck cancer. Called AccessPath, the novel, affordable, slide-free cancer pathology system will help surgeons know whether they have completely removed tumors during surgery by enabling rapid, automatic tumor margin classification of resected tumors. AccessPath is one of several projects funded through the ARPA-H Precision Surgical Interventions program announced today ...

Common equine painkiller disrupts assisted reproduction technique efficiency in mares, Texas A&M research finds

2024-08-13

By Courtney Price, Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Researchers at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) have discovered that phenylbutazone, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly prescribed in horses, can affect the ability of a mare’s egg cells — called “oocytes” — to become viable embryos, which is a crucial step in assisted reproduction in horses. This discovery, recently published in the journal Theriogenology, is significant because of the time and money that horse owners ...

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Exciting advance in stem cell therapy

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: