Guest:

Dr. Farshid Guilak, a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University and Director of Research for the Shriners Hospitals for Children. His laboratory is pursuing a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the etiology and pathogenesis of osteoarthritis, as a basis for the development of new pharmacologic and stem-cell therapies.

Featured Resource: Mesenchymal Stem and Progenitor Cell Research

Resources and Links

Toddlers’ Screen Time Linked to Speech Delays and Lost Sleep, But… – The use of tablets and other handheld digital devices are associated with speech delays and less night sleep in young children, links that scientists, doctors and parents are all eager to explore.

Breast Cancer Cells Spread in Groups – A study says breast cancer cells may break away from the main tumor in clumps, already bearing most of the mutations that will drive cancer recurrence.

An 'Exercise Pill' – An experimental drug touted as “exercise in a pill” has dramatically increased endurance in couch potato mice, even after a lifetime of inactivity by adjusting the body’s metabolism, allowing muscles to favor burning fat over sugar.

Immune Cells May Help Regulate Our Heart Beat – Immune system cells called macrophages, which usually protect the body from invading pathogens, also help electricity flow between muscle cells to keep the heart pumping.

Bone Marrow Stem Cells for ALS – Researchers at the University of South Florida show in a new study that bone marrow stem cell transplants helped improve motor functions and nervous system conditions in mice with the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by repairing damage to the blood-spinal cord barrier.

Large Bank of Human Stem Cell Lines Made in Europe – The 711 induced pluripotent stem cell lines derived from 301 healthy volunteers were released by a large European consortium – the Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Initiative – in the journal Nature.

Vitamin Deficiency Not Good for Blood Stem Cells – According to this article, lack of vitamin A in the body has a detrimental effect on the hematopoietic system in the bone marrow.

Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis Maps Development of Human Germline Cells and Gonadal Niche Interactions – Researchers performed single-cell RNA-seq analysis of over 2,000 human fetal germ cells and their gonadal niche cells in female and male human embryos spanning several developmental stages.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Farshid Guilak

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