Huanhuan Joyce Chen, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering dan 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.
The rule, which previously acted as the upper time limit on human embryo research, has been dropped, paving the way for research on older human embryos.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research’s newly released guidelines aim to address new ethical challenges posed by stem cell advances such as model embryos and human-monkey hybrid embryos.
All multiple sclerosis sufferers have stem cells with the potential to heal them, but scientists are only just figuring out how to kick them into action.
Ames Dhai, University of the Witwatersrand dan Safia Mahomed, University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa has no legislation setting out the rules for biobanks and the guidelines that do exist are not clear or detailed. This leaves the door wide open for unethical practises.
Many countries are introducing legislation and allowing practitioners to use medication still undergoing trials but that show preliminary signs of being safe, including some stem cell treatments.
South Africa may have legislation broadly guiding stem cell research and treatment, but these laws must be updated and clarified for it to be effective.
Stem cell research and therapy have become buzzwords across the globe. Although some of the treatments are controversial and unsafe, there is also a great deal of excitement and promise.
In the European Union, the European Citizen’s Initiative was set up with the aim of bringing the activities of the European Parliament closer to the citizens of Europe. If a petition can achieve 1m signatures…
One of the world’s largest clinical cell therapy trials has begun to enroll 3,000 heart attack patients, some of whom will have bone marrow cells extracted with a needle from their hip and fed into their…
Reading about the rapid pace of advances in biomedicine, you may have wondered why more politically liberal countries like Germany and Canada have stronger restrictions on embryonic stem cell research…
The potential of stem cells is everywhere in medicine - from growing new tissue that could go on to provide replacement organs, repairing damage from disease or injury and in reconstructive surgery. And…
Damage to vital organs, the spinal cord, or limbs can have an enormous impact on our ability to move, function – and even live. But imagine if you could restore these tissues back to their original condition…