(Press-News.org) NEW YORK CITY (March 7, 2011)— Paul Tesar, PhD, of Case Western Reserve University, a member of the inaugural class of The New York Stem Cell Foundation – Robertson Investigators, published his research on the ability to isolate epiblast stem cells from preimplantation mouse embryos. This research enhances our understanding of the many forms of pluriportent stem cells that scientists use for researching so many debilitating diseases.
"I think that this paper will change the way people think about what human ES cells represent from a developmental perspective," said Dr. Kevin Eggan, NYSCF Chief Scientific Officer and Associate Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.
The study, "Isolation of Epiblast Stem Cells from Preimplantation Mouse Embryos", was published in Cell Stem Cell on March 4th, 2011. In 2007, Dr. Tesar was the lead author on the study that first isolated mouse epiblast stem cells from post-implantation mouse embryos when he was a graduate student in the NIH-Oxford Biomedical Research Scholars program, splitting his time between the two institutions.
Dr. Tesar's research focuses on understanding how different cell types in the nervous system are initially formed during development and how they are maintained throughout adult life. "My hope is that by understanding these basic questions we will be able to prevent or repair damage caused by disease, aging, and injury," said Dr. Tesar. "Research in my lab has the potential to impact a number of devastating neurodegenerative and mental health conditions such as Parkinson's disease, ALS, Hungtington's disease, autism, and multiple sclerosis."
Research in the Tesar lab aims to develop new strategies to restore function in patients afflicted with myelin-based disorders. Loss of myelin results in an impairment in the body's ability to send signals along the neurons. "Dr. Tesar is a wonderful young scientist and the research he is doing will provide significant advances for patients with myelin-based diseases," said Susan L. Solomon, Chief Executive Officer of The New York Stem Cell Foundation. "We are delighted to support Dr. Tesar's critical research, which has the potential to accelerate the path from bench to bedside. He is well on his way to a successful career."
NYSCF named Dr. Tesar as one of six NYSCF Investigators at its Fifth Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference last October as an expansion of its ongoing efforts to promote the next generation of stem cell scientists. Each of the NYSCF – Robertson Investigators receive $1.5 million over the next five years to expand their own laboratories, train other scientists and foster innovative high-risk/high reward research to explore the therapeutic potential of stem cells derived from humans and model organisms. This funding will support the most promising and creative scientists whose research projects have the potential to accelerate the path from bench to bedside.
### About The New York Stem Cell Foundation:
The New York Stem Cell Foundation was founded in 2005 to accelerate cures for debilitating diseases through stem cell research. The Foundation conducts cutting edge research at its own independent laboratory and provides grants to outstanding investigators at other research institutions. NYSCF also invests in the next generation of stem cell researchers through The NYSCF Fellowship Program, The NYSCF Investigator Program, which support exceptionally promising early career scientists doing innovative translational stem cell research, and The NYSCF – Robertson Prize. The Foundation plays a vital role in educating both scientists and the public about stem cell research through an active annual program of conferences and symposia. For more information on NYSCF, visit our website (www.nyscf.org), our blog (http://www.nyscf.org/blog) or follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/NYSCF).
NYSCF – Robertson investigator publishes research to better understand pluripotent stem cells
2011-03-09
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
ADAM-12 gene could hold key to cancer, arthritis and cardiac treatments
2011-03-09
COLUMBIA, Mo. ADAM-12 is not only the name of a 1970's television police drama – it's also the gene that University of Missouri researchers believe could be an important element in the fight against cancer, arthritis, and cardiac hypertrophy, or thickening of the heart's walls.
Alpana Ray, research associate professor in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, and a team of researchers including Bimal Ray, professor of Veterinary Pathobiology, have been studying the ADAM family of genes for several years. Alpana Ray's latest publication in the Proceedings of the National ...
Colonoscopy linked to decrease in colorectal cancer deaths, but many more could have been prevented
2011-03-09
OAK BROOK, Ill. – March 8, 2011 – In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during March, GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has published a special issue for March on colonoscopy and colorectal cancer. The issue includes a study showing that colonoscopy has prevented a substantial number of deaths from colorectal cancer and that many more could have been prevented with more widespread use. The analysis reports that approximately 13,800 to 22,000 colorectal cancer deaths could have been prevented in 2005, whereas 7,300 to 11,700 were actually prevented through ...
When work calls: Study shows that receiving work-related contact at home takes greater toll on women's well-being
2011-03-09
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE from the UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
March 8, 2011
TORONTO, ON – Communication technologies that help people stay connected to the workplace are often seen as solutions to balancing work and family life. A new study, however, suggests there may be a "dark side" to the use of these technologies for workers' health – and these effects seem to differ for women and men.
Using data from a national survey of American workers, University of Toronto researchers asked study participants how often they were contacted outside the workplace by phone, email or text ...
The science behind the cape
2011-03-09
Bethesda, Md. (Mar. 8, 2011) -- What do you have when you line up a martial artist, acrobatic gymnast, police officer, firefighter, NASCAR driver, and NFL running back? "Watson," the IBM super-computer that recently routed humanity's best on Jeopardy might have guessed the answer was "the Village People," to which host Alex Trebek could have replied, "Sorry. The answer we were looking for is 'Batman'." At least that is the correct answer for physiologist E. Paul Zehr.
In a new article, Zehr, a professor at the University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, describes ...
Passive news reports may lead readers to feel they can't find the truth
2011-03-09
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Passive news reporting that doesn't attempt to resolve factual disputes in politics may have detrimental effects on readers, new research suggests.
The study found that people are more likely to doubt their own ability to determine the truth in politics after reading an article that simply lists competing claims without offering any idea of which side is right.
"There are consequences to journalism that just reports what each side says with no fact checking," said Raymond Pingree, author of the study and assistant professor of communication at Ohio ...
Epilepsy-linked memory losss worries more patients than doctors
2011-03-09
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Patients with epilepsy worry more than their physicians do about the patients' potential memory loss accompanying their seizure disorder, according to a recent study.
In a survey, patients with epilepsy as a group ranked memory loss as their second-most important concern on a list of 20 potential medical or social concerns. Memory loss as a concern came in 12th in the frequency of responses among concerns recorded by physicians and nurse practitioners who completed the same survey.
Patients and practitioners agreed overall on three of the top five concerns: ...
ASGE initiative examines real-time endoscopic assessment of the histology of diminutive colorectal polyps
2011-03-09
OAK BROOK, Ill. – March 8, 2011 – In recognition of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month during March, GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy has put out a special issue for March on colonoscopy and colorectal cancer. In this issue is the first statement from a new initiative by the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) called the Preservation and Incorporation of Valuable Endoscopic Innovations (PIVI). The first PIVI document examines real-time endoscopic assessment of the histology of diminutive (≤ 5 mm in size) colorectal polyps and is one in a ...
Brain implant surgeries at UCSF dramatically improve symptoms of debilitating condition
2011-03-09
Implanting electrodes into a pea-sized part of the brain can dramatically improve life for people with severe cervical dystonia – a rare but extremely debilitating condition that causes painful, twisting neck muscle spasms – according to the results of a pilot study led by Jill Ostrem, MD and Philip Starr, MD PhD at the University of California, San Francisco.
Today, people with cervical dystonia can be treated with medications or injections of botulinum toxin (e.g., Botox®), which interrupt signals from the brain that cause these spasms. However, those treatments do ...
Imaging system controls baking process on production line to improve sandwich bun quality
2011-03-09
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) may possess the secret to baking perfect buns every time. Its researchers have developed a production-line system that automatically inspects the quality of sandwich buns exiting the oven and adjusts oven temperatures if it detects unacceptable buns.
"We have closed the loop between the quality inspection of buns and the oven controls to meet the specifications required by food service and fast food customers," said GTRI senior research engineer Douglas Britton. "By creating a more accurate, uniform and faster assessment process, ...
UC Davis pain research may pave the way to understanding and controlling chronic pain
2011-03-09
Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered a "cross-talk" between two major biological pathways that involve pain—research that may pave the way to new approaches to understanding and controlling chronic pain.
And they did it with something old, new, practical and basic.
The newly published research reveals that analgesia mediated by inhibitors of the enzyme, soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH), is dependent on a pain-mediating second messenger known as cyclic adenosinemonophosphate or cAMP.
"The interaction of many complex biological pathways is ...