Curing hearing disability???

Researchers from Indian University have successfully devised a method of generating hair cells i.e. the cells present in the inner ear, which are responsible for detecting sound and maintaining balance from stem cells. Any physical or chemical factor could damage these cells and the human body has no way of regenerating them. Koehler et al., 2013 from Indian University have devised a method of using a variety of modulators for stimulating stem cells into hair cells. This is a big achievement for what was previously thought to be impossible. Another group Oshima et al., 2010 had published similar data and generated hair cells but Koehler has used a unique 3D culture system from which the group has also detected the presence of neurons which bridge the inner ear and the brain.
This is a big step and if reproducible then could potentially solve hearing problems.

Koehler paper: - http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v500/n7461/full/nature12298.html

Oshima paper: - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20478259

Groundbreaking Technique

Japanese researchers have done it again. According to a new study published in nature a team of researchers from the Riken center of developmental biology have devised a new way of reprogramming somatic cells into pluripotent form. Stimulus triggered acquisition of pluripotency (STAP) is the new technique introduced which relies on external stimuli such as low pH stressor.
If reproducible then it is MASSIVE step in reprogramming.

Papers http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/full/nature12968.html

           http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v505/n7485/full/nature12969.html

Happy New year!

I am extremely LATE with this post, but I have been caught up with my applications, which are a BIG deal for me! But better late than never...so happy new year to one and all. May this new year bring about new discoveries that buttress our diligent efforts to enrich mankind and life in general!
All the best to everybody!
Ciao!

Artificial Skin from Umbilical cord stem cells

The research team from the University of Granada has formulated a technique for artificially forming skin from umbilical stem cells. They have become the very first team to successfully achieve this transformation. The future is aimed at creating skin stem cells banks so that new skin can be made available for grafting in case of an emergency.

The published article

1. I. Garzon, J. Miyake, M. Gonzalez-Andrades, R. Carmona, C. Carda, M. d. C. Sanchez-Quevedo, A. Campos, M. Alaminos.Wharton's Jelly Stem Cells: A Novel Cell Source for Oral Mucosa and Skin Epithelia Regeneration. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, 2013; 2 (8): 625 DOI:10.5966/sctm.2012-0157

Reference (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131122084407.htm)

Old Research direction, rejuvenated approach

Dr. Yakub Hanna from the Weizmann Institute of sciences has published a novel approach that could potentially circumvent the usual hindrance faced during stem cell reprogramming. He has published data that exhibits his work on a MBD3. Deletion of this gene from adult cells have proven to improve the efficiency of reprogramming by several orders of magnitude.
More on this (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130918132440.htm?goback=%2Egde_3904837_member_275221827#%21)



The nature publication
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature12587.html

Deterministic direct reprogramming of somatic cells to pluripotency

• Yoach Rais,
• Asaf Zviran,
• Shay Geula,
• Ohad Gafni,
• Elad Chomsky,
• Sergey Viukov,
• Abed AlFatah Mansour,
• Inbal Caspi,
• Vladislav Krupalnik,
• Mirie Zerbib,
• Itay Maza,
• Nofar Mor,
• Dror Baran,
• Leehee Weinberger,
• Diego A. Jaitin,
• David Lara-Astiaso,
• Ronnie Blecher-Gonen,
• Zohar Shipony,
• Zohar Mukamel,
• Tzachi Hagai,
• Shlomit Gilad,
• Daniela Amann-Zalcenstein,
• Amos Tanay,
• Ido Amit,
• Noa Novershtern
• et al.

• Nature

   

  (2013)

   

  doi:10.1038/nature12587

  Received

   

  03 April 2013 

  Accepted

   

  23 August 2013 

  Published online

   

  18 September 2013

IPSCs from Urine epithelial cells

Came across this interesting paper, though published last year I think its pretty novel, and being published in nature its credibility is unquestionable, all I can say another step forward, kudos to the team!

Generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells from urine samples

• Ting Zhou,
• Christina Benda,
• Sarah Dunzinger,
• Yinghua Huang,
• Jenny Cy Ho,
• Jiayin Yang,
• Yu Wang,
• Ya Zhang,
• Qiang Zhuang,
• Yanhua Li,
• Xichen Bao,
• Hung-Fat Tse,
• Johannes Grillari,
• Regina Grillari-Voglauer,
• Duanqing Pei
• & Miguel A Esteban

• Nature Protocols

   

  7,

   

  2080–2089

   

  (2012)

   

  doi:10.1038/nprot.2012.115

  Published online

   

  08 November 2012

  http://www.nature.com/nprot/journal/v7/n12/abs/nprot.2012.115.html?WT.ec_id=NPROT-201212

Hybernation

Posting after almost 3 years, latest agenda is getting things back on track and continue to update non biologists and try and get them interested in this field. I cannot believe its been 3 years, but sometimes life has its own lessons to dole out.
Signing off