Making Stem Cells from Acid-Dipped Blood Cells?
Scientists created stem cells by treating white blood cells from newborn mice with acidic conditions! Continue reading Making Stem Cells from Acid-Dipped Blood Cells?
Month: January 2014
High Pressure Chemistry
From the weather to air travel, pressure plays a dramatic role in our lives. It plays especially important roles during chemical reactions. By manipulating pressure, chemists can force chemical reactions to occur and the transitions between solids, liquids, and gases to accelerate. However, these pressure manipulations are on a small scale, not differing that much from the atmospheric pressure we experience everyday. Pressures elsewhere in … Continue reading High Pressure Chemistry
Long noncoding RNAs: A new class of RNA and why you should care
Since the discovery of DNA structure in the 1950s, the central dogma of molecular biology has been widely accepted in the scientific community. Essentially, the central dogma holds that information flows from DNA to RNA to protein (Figure 1). DNA is a molecule inside the cell nucleus that stores genetic information in chemical form. This genetic information determines traits such as hair color, height or … Continue reading Long noncoding RNAs: A new class of RNA and why you should care
Hope Amidst Tragedy: Stem Cell Therapies and the Atomic Bomb
The development of the atomic bomb during World War II brought unprecedented devastation to the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. However, this tragedy also stimulated a wave of biomedical research aimed at both understanding the effects of radiation and developing treatments for radiation exposure. This research ultimately led to the development of the bone marrow transplant, which has saved countless lives and is the … Continue reading Hope Amidst Tragedy: Stem Cell Therapies and the Atomic Bomb
Never an Easy Answer: The Ethics of Stem Cells
Figure 1. Although there have not yet been any clinical trials to prove that stem cell treatments are effective – and to demonstrate that they are safe – there are many companies offering treatments for a wide array of diseases and conditions. Unlike clinical trials, which typically do not cost the patient money beyond their normal health costs, these therapies can be highly expensive. A … Continue reading Never an Easy Answer: The Ethics of Stem Cells
Stem cells: a brief history and outlook
Stem cells have been the object of much excitement and controversy amongst both scientists and the general population. Surprisingly, though, not everybody understands the basic properties of stem cells, let alone the fact that there is more than one type of cell that falls within the “stem cell” category. Here, I’ll lay out the basic concepts of stem cell biology as a background for understanding … Continue reading Stem cells: a brief history and outlook
Do-it-yourself stem cells: the story of induced pluripotency
Biologists have long touted the promise of embryonic stem (ES) cells. These cells are pluripotent, meaning they can be coaxed to form nearly any cell type of the body. However, the enormous promise of these cells is overshadowed by moral and technical difficulties. Human ES cells are derived from very early stage embryos which otherwise have the potential to develop into a fully-grown human being, … Continue reading Do-it-yourself stem cells: the story of induced pluripotency
Stem Cell Therapies Expand Horizon of Regenerative Medicine
In the year 2013, there has been a plethora of advances made in the use of stem cells to regenerate organs, which offer promises in the treatment of human diseases. Among them is the identification of a population of stem cells in zebrafish that can regenerate damaged cone cells of the retina [1, 2]. Cone cells are visual receptor cells that are responsible for high … Continue reading Stem Cell Therapies Expand Horizon of Regenerative Medicine
Two Stem Cells for a Spectrum of Immunodeficiency: An Interview with Dr. Luigi Notarangelo
Primary Immune Deficiencies When you meet with Dr. Luigi Notarangelo, the first sign that he is at work today comes from hearing the sounds of frantic typing emanating out of his office at Children’s Hospital Boston. Without breaking stride, he senses your presence, greets you with a “welcome!” and punctuates his last thought in an email. If the speed at which Dr. Notarangelo works isn’t … Continue reading Two Stem Cells for a Spectrum of Immunodeficiency: An Interview with Dr. Luigi Notarangelo