This image shows pancreatic cancer cells (blue) growing, encased within membranes (red).
Min Yu/Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC via NIH/Flickr
Huanhuan Joyce Chen, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and Abhimanyu Thakur, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering
Many tumors have cancer stem cells that help them grow and evade treatments. Differentiation therapy forces these cells to mature, stopping growth with less toxicity than traditional treatments.
An X-ray of both knees reveals a narrow space between joints caused by loss of cartilage.
Puwadol Jaturawutthichai/Shutterstock.com
When it comes to seeking out stem cell treatments for joint injuries, buyer beware. These so-called miracle treatments are often scams, so it vital for patients to discuss options with a physician.
Cancer treatment could be revolutionised by the discovery of the origin cells which divide first.
Scientists hope that stem cells may be able to repair nerves and other cells that support transmission of electrical impulses in the spinal cord.
binomialphoto/flickr
Claims that stem cell treatments can repair spinal injuries right now are overblown. But it’s not for lack of trying, and the science is certainly progressing.
The red shows rat cells in the developing heart of a mouse embryo.
Salk Institute
Human-animal hybrids - or ‘chimeras’ - might sound strange, but they offer great hope for new life saving therapies, as long as key ethical boundaries are respected.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) affects around 3,000 people in Australia and 70,000 worldwide. It’s an inherited disease caused by a mutation in a single gene called CFTR.
Patients report not being effectively anaesthetised during liposuction procedures to extract stem cells from fat.
hin255/Shutterstock
Due to a lack of effective regulations, there is little oversight of “stem cell treatments” and the businesses that provide them.
Deficiencies in a critical nutrient can lead to an abnormally wired brain. Illustration of a network of nerve cells in the.
brain.
Benedict Campbell, Wellcome Images/Flickr
Stem cells hold great promise for treating heart disease. But it’s not so simple to get from stem cell to fully functioning adult heart cell, even in the lab.
The new test can identify unsafe stem cells, reducing the risk of unwanted tumours forming. Stem cells may one day be used to regrow damaged body parts.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bwjones/
Australian researchers have developed a test to identify unsafe stem cells. Stem cells may one day be used to help regrow damaged body parts, and the new test potentially reduces the risk of unwanted tumours…
Sperm is injected into an egg cell using a microscope at an IVF clinic.
EPA/Waltraud Grubitzsch
Babies born through IVF procedures are at greater risk of developing heart problems, according to research that suggests “manipulating nature in this way may have some adverse results”, an Australian IVF…
Professor - Emerging Technologies (Stem Cells) at The University of Melbourne and Group Leader - Stem Cell Ethics & Policy at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The University of Melbourne