(Press-News.org) Stem cell manufacturing for drug screening and treatments for diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's could be boosted by a new method of generating stem cells, a study suggests.
Scientists have developed a family of compounds that can support the growth of human embryonic stem cells on a large scale for use in drug testing or treatments.
The new materials, which are water-based gels, act as a tiny scaffold to which cells can cling as they grow. Normally cells must be grown on expensive biological surfaces that can carry pathogens and contaminate cells.
Once cells have multiplied sufficiently for their intended purpose, the gels can be cooled, enabling the stem cells to drop off the scaffold without becoming damaged.
The new approach surpasses existing techniques of separating cells by mechanical or chemical means, which carry a greater risk of damage to cells.
Scientists say the materials could offer a means of enabling the stem cells to be produced in large numbers efficiently and without the risk of inadvertent contamination, facilitating research, drug screening programmes and clinical applications that call for large numbers of cells.
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh developed the new materials by screening hundreds of potential compounds for their ability to support stem cell growth. From a shortlist of four, one has been found to be effective, and researchers say the remaining three show similar potential.
Stem cells provide a powerful tool for screening drugs as they can be used to show the effects of drugs on cells and systems within the body.
The study, published in Nature Communications, was supported by the European Union Framework 7 Grant Funding. The gels are being developed under licence by technology company Ilika.
Dr Paul de Sousa, of the University of Edinburgh's Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine, said: "This development could greatly enhance automated production of embryonic stem cells, which would improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of stem cell manufacturing. We are also looking into whether this work could help develop pluripotent stem cells induced from adult cells."
### END
Stem cell materials could boost research into key diseases
Stem cell manufacturing for drug screening and treatments for diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s could be boosted by a new method of generating stem cells, a study suggests
2013-01-08
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Surprising teaching tool in K-12 science education -- Zebrafish research
2013-01-08
New Rochelle, NY, January 8, 2013—The world's leading zebrafish researchers contribute to the community's active global efforts to promote science education. Scientific papers, many authored by students in grades K-12, as well as articles highlighting innovative curricula and educational tools, a collection of abstracts (including student, parent, and teacher authors), and an informative report from the recent Zebrafish in Education Workshops are featured in a special issue of Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The special issue ...
Study finds Jurassic ecosystems were similar to modern: Animals flourish among lush plants
2013-01-08
VIDEO:
SMU study finds Jurassic ecosystems were similar to modern: animals flourish among lush plants.
In modern ecosystems, it's widely known that animals flourish in regions where the climate and landscape produce...
Click here for more information.
In modern ecosystems, it's known that animals flourish in regions where the climate and landscape produce lush vegetation.
A new study set out to discover whether that same relationship held true 150 million years ago ...
Annals of Internal Medicine tip sheet for Jan. 8, 2013
2013-01-08
A panel of experts has released a new 33-item protocol checklist focusing on clarifying the content of clinical trials.
While the protocol of a clinical trial serves as the foundation for study planning, conduct, reporting, and appraisal, trial protocols and existing protocol guidelines vary greatly in content and quality.
Adherence to SPIRIT would enhance the transparency and completeness of trial protocols and could help ensure that protocols contain the requisite information for critical appraisal and interpretation. High-quality protocols can provide important ...
Study: Parkinson's disease itself does not increase risk of gambling, shopping addiction
2013-01-08
MINNEAPOLIS – Parkinson's disease itself does not increase the risk of impulse control problems such as compulsive gambling and shopping that have been seen in people taking certain drugs for Parkinson's disease, according to new research published in the January 8, 2013, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
"We've known for some time that these behaviors are more common in people taking certain Parkinson's medications, but we haven't known if the disease itself leads to an increased risk of these behaviors," said study ...
More changes in health care needed to fulfill promise of health information technology
2013-01-08
Despite wide investments nationally in electronic medical records and related tools, the cost-saving promise of health information technology has not been reached because the systems deployed are neither interconnected nor easy to use, according to a new RAND Corporation analysis.
The potential of health information technology to both improve patient care and reduce spending are unlikely to be realized until health care providers reengineer their processes to focus on the benefits that can be achieved, according to the paper published in the January edition of Health ...
Simulated mission to Mars reveals critical data about sleep needs for astronauts
2013-01-08
PHILADELPHIA – In the first study of its kind, a team of researchers led by faculty at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Baylor College of Medicine, has analyzed data on the impact of prolonged operational confinement on sleep, performance, and mood in astronauts from a groundbreaking international effort to simulate a 520-day space mission to Mars. The findings, published online-first in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, revealed alterations of life-sustaining sleep patterns and neurobehavioral consequences for ...
Can blood pressure drugs reduce the risk of dementia?
2013-01-08
SAN DIEGO – People taking the blood pressure drugs called beta blockers may be less likely to have changes in the brain that can be signs of Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.
The study involved 774 elderly Japanese-American men who took part in the Honolulu-Asia Aging Study. Autopsies were performed on the men after their death. Of the 774 men, 610 had high blood pressure or were being treated with medication ...
Many physicians often fulfill patient requests for brand-name drugs instead of equivalent generics
2013-01-08
More than a third of U.S. physicians responding to a national survey indicated they often or sometimes prescribed brand-name drugs when appropriate generic substitutes were available simply because patients requested the brand-name drug. Survey respondents who had marketing relationships with industry were more likely to fulfill such patient requests than were those without those relationships. The report from investigators at the Mongan Institute for Health Policy (MIHP) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will appear in JAMA Internal Medicine (formerly Archives ...
HPV-associated cancer incidence rates point to needed efforts to increase HPV vaccination coverage
2013-01-08
Despite the decline in cancer death rates in the U.S., there is an increase in incidence rates for cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and more efforts are needed to increase HPV vaccination coverage levels to prevent the occurrence of these cancers in the future according to a study published January 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The American Cancer Society (ACS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) ...
Targeting hepatitis C treatment: The importance of interleukin (IL)-28
2013-01-08
A metanalysis published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Medicine has confirmed that polymorphisms (SNP) in the gene coding for interleukin-28 (IL28B) influence natural hepatitis C viral (HCV) clearance and response to pegylated interferon-α plus ribavirin (PEG-IFN/RBV). Information about IL28B genotype could be used to provide personalized medicine and target treatment options effectively.
Over 200 million people worldwide are chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and about a quarter of these will go on to develop cirrhosis of the liver. Treatment ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Father’s mental health can impact children for years
Scientists can tell healthy and cancerous cells apart by how they move
Male athletes need higher BMI to define overweight or obesity
How thoughts influence what the eyes see
Unlocking the genetic basis of adaptive evolution: study reveals complex chromosomal rearrangements in a stick insect
Research Spotlight: Using artificial intelligence to reveal the neural dynamics of human conversation
Could opioid laws help curb domestic violence? New USF research says yes
NPS Applied Math Professor Wei Kang named 2025 SIAM Fellow
Scientists identify agent of transformation in protein blobs that morph from liquid to solid
Throwing a ‘spanner in the works’ of our cells’ machinery could help fight cancer, fatty liver disease… and hair loss
Research identifies key enzyme target to fight deadly brain cancers
New study unveils volcanic history and clues to ancient life on Mars
Monell Center study identifies GLP-1 therapies as a possible treatment for rare genetic disorder Bardet-Biedl syndrome
Scientists probe the mystery of Titan’s missing deltas
Q&A: What makes an ‘accidental dictator’ in the workplace?
Lehigh University water scientist Arup K. SenGupta honored with ASCE Freese Award and Lecture
Study highlights gaps in firearm suicide prevention among women
People with medical debt five times more likely to not receive mental health care treatment
Hydronidone for the treatment of liver fibrosis associated with chronic hepatitis B
Rise in claim denial rates for cancer-related advanced genetic testing
Legalizing youth-friendly cannabis edibles and extracts and adolescent cannabis use
Medical debt and forgone mental health care due to cost among adults
Colder temperatures increase gastroenteritis risk in Rohingya refugee camps
Acyclovir-induced nephrotoxicity: Protective potential of N-acetylcysteine
Inhibition of cyclooxygenase-2 upregulates the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 signaling pathway to mitigate hepatocyte ferroptosis in chronic liver injury
AERA announces winners of the 2025 Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award
Mapping minds: The neural fingerprint of team flow dynamics
Patients support AI as radiologist backup in screening mammography
AACR: MD Anderson’s John Weinstein elected Fellow of the AACR Academy
Existing drug has potential for immune paralysis
[Press-News.org] Stem cell materials could boost research into key diseasesStem cell manufacturing for drug screening and treatments for diseases such as Huntington’s and Parkinson’s could be boosted by a new method of generating stem cells, a study suggests