EMBARGOED

A reporter's PressPass is required to access this story until the embargo expires on 12/9/2013 8:00 AM EST

Activating Pathway Could Restart Hair Growth in Dormant Hair Follicles

A new study, published in Cell Stem Cell, identifies a molecular pathway that can be activated to prompt hair growth of dormant hair follicles, or blocked to prevent growth of unwanted hair.

View | Comment

Gene Found To Be Crucial For Formation Of Certain Brain Circuitry

Using a powerful gene-hunting technique for the first time in mammalian brain cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins report they have identified a gene involved in building the circuitry that relays signals through the brain. The gene is a likely player in the aging process in the brain, the researchers say. Additionally, in demonstrating the usefulness of the new method, the discovery paves the way for faster progress toward identifying genes involved in complex mental illnesses such as autism and schizophrenia — as well as potential drugs for such conditions.

View | Comment

Priming “Cocktail” Shows Promise as Cardiac Stem Cell Grafting Tool

Researchers have identified a new tool that could help facilitate future stem cell therapy for the more than 700,000 Americans who suffer a heart attack each year.

View | Comment

EMBARGOED

A reporter's PressPass is required to access this story until the embargo expires on 12/8/2013 7:30 PM EST

Banking on Bovine Stem Cells to Preserve Genetic Diversity

Plant breeders hunting for genes to combat new diseases or adapt to changes in climate can plumb the vast diversity of crops and their wild relatives using envelopes of seed banked in cold storage, but cattle breeders are limited to herds here and now. A new $500,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture grant is funding research on a new, stem cell-based system that could capture global herd diversity in a subzero vault.

View

Colon Cancer Researchers Target Stem Cells, Discover Viable New Therapeutic Path

Scientists and surgeons at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre have discovered a promising new approach to treating colorectal cancer by disarming the gene that drives self-renewal in stem cells that are the root cause of disease, resistance to treatment and relapse.

View | Comment

Human Stem Cells Converted to Functional Lung Cells

For the first time, scientists have succeeded in transforming human stem cells into functional lung and airway cells. The advance, reported by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers, has significant potential for modeling lung disease, screening drugs, studying human lung development, and, ultimately, generating lung tissue for transplantation. The study was published today in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

View | Comment

Scientists Design and Test New Approach for Corneal Stem Cell Treatments

Researchers in the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute have designed and tested a novel, minute-long procedure to prepare human amniotic membrane for use as a scaffold for specialized stem cells that may be used to treat some corneal diseases. This membrane serves as a foundation that supports the growth of stem cells in order to graft them onto the cornea. This new method, explained in a paper published this month in the journal PLOS ONE, may accelerate research and clinical applications for stem cell corneal transplantation.

View

Prostate Cancer Stem Cells Found to Be Moving Target

• Prostate cancer stem cells evolve into different cells as prostate cancer progresses becoming a moving target for therapy. • Scientists must be prepared for the continual evolution of the stem cell as tumors adapt and become resistant to new and more potent therapies. • With this knowledge, researchers can now design therapies that target the elements of the cancer stem cells that remain unchanged.

View | Comment