CHIMERAS ARE NO MYTH WITH STEM CELLS
In Greek mythology, the chimera was a monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a serpent for a tail. However, in real life, chimeras are any organism that possess two different sets of DNA. For instance, a twin that absorbs their sibling in utero or the recipient of a bone marrow transplant often become chimeras naturally because of the changes to their body's cells. Human animal chimeras have been a big part of scientific research for decades, with lab mice often genetically [...]
CAN FASTING IMPROVE YOUR INTESTINAL STEM CELLS?
Fasting diets are all the rage right now, with a variety of studies proclaiming all the magnificent health benefits that can be gained from abstaining from food for over 24 hours at a time. However, one particularly novel study from MIT claims that in addition to swift weight loss and lower blood pressure, a 24-hour fast can "turn back the clock" on your intestinal stem cells' functions. As you grow older, your body's stem cells slowly lose their ability to regenerate tissue and their replenishment also begins to [...]
CAN THIS PEN PRINT STEM CELLS?
Imagine a simple, handheld device, really no larger than a highlighter, that could heal injuries and repair joints using stem cells? Such a stem cell joint repair device is being developed right now by a research team from the University of Wollongong and St. Vincent's Hospital in Australia. The "biopen" is essentially a handheld 3D printer that uses stem cells from the host to repair cartilage injuries by using "bioink" to create a 3D scaffold over the injured joint, basically a blueprint from which the stem cells will [...]
CAN STEM CELLS IMPROVE THE FLU VACCINE?
The elderly are often the hardest hit by seasonal viruses such as the flu due to the weakening of their immune system and its lessened ability to process the flu vaccine. However, a clinical trial from Longeveron LLC seeks to reverse this trend by integrating a stem cell therapy with the flu vaccine to improve the immune response of elderly patients, thus making the vaccine more effective. The Miami-based biomedical company was recently awarded a $750,000 USD grant from Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund to aid the trial, [...]
HOW ROBOTS ARE REVOLUTIONIZING STEM CELL RESEARCH
Enhanced robotic capabilities are driving innovation in all sectors of healthcare research, but the University of Washington has developed an automated system to increase the speed and accuracy of their stem cell research using robots to grow mini-organs. As you know, stem cells are the building blocks of all organs and can be used to grow them in labs, but can also be used to make mini-organs or organoids made specifically to analyze diseases and test new procedures and medications on. Traditionally, using stem cells to grow organoids was [...]