The Stem Cell Podcast

Guest:

Dr. Christine Mummery joins us to discuss how stem cells are being used for heart disease.

Resources and Links

CDC Reports Current Flu Vaccine Effectiveness at 23 Percent This Season – A report published estimates that getting a flu vaccine this season reduced a person’s risk of having to go to the doctor because of flu by 23 percent among people of all ages.

India's Tiger Population Sees 30 Percent Increase – According to this article, India says it now has almost a third more tigers than it did four years ago and it was willing to donate tiger cubs to the international community to help conservation efforts.

Scientists Give Genetically Modified Organisms a Safety Switch – Researchers at Harvard and Yale have used some extreme gene-manipulation tools to engineer safety features into designer organisms, specifically reprogrammed the common bacterium E. coli so it requires a synthetic amino acid to live.

WSU Researchers See Effect of BPA, Estradiol on Sperm Development – This article describes how bisphenol A and estradiol contributes to disrupted sperm production resulting in decreased sperm counts.

Too Much Salt Intake Changes Key Brain Circuits – This article shows that excessive salt intake "reprograms" the brain, interfering with a natural safety mechanism that normally prevents the body's arterial blood pressure from rising.

Trust Your Gut: E. Coli May Hold One of the Keys to Treating Parkinson's – Researchers recently discovered a protein in E. coli that inhibits the accumulation of potentially toxic amyloids—a hallmark of diseases such as Parkinson's.

Hidden Formaldehyde in E-Cigarette Aerosols – This article shows that the carcinogen formaldehyde, a known degradation product of propylene glycol that reacts with propylene glycol and glycerol during vaporization to produce hemiacetals, can be formed during the e-cigarette "vaping" process.

Laser-Generated Surface Structures Create Extremely Water-Repellent Metals – This article describes how scientists at the University of Rochester have used lasers to transform metals into extremely water repellent, or super-hydrophobic, materials without the need for temporary coatings.

Birth Control Pill Risks May Now Include Brain Cancer – Scientists have found that women taking hormonal contraceptives — those containing estrogen, progestin or a combination of both — showed higher rates of a rare brain tumor known as glioma.

2015 U.S. Measles Outbreak Already at 84 Cases, More than in a Typical Year – According to this article, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 84 people in 14 states were diagnosed with measles.

Researchers Discover "Idiosyncratic" Brain Patterns in Autism – Scientists at the Weizmann Institute and Carnegie Mellon University found that the brains of individuals with autism display unique synchronization patterns, something that could impact earlier diagnosis of the disorder and future treatments.

Beyond Prevention: Sulforaphane May Find Possible Use for Cancer Therapy – New research has identified one of the key cancer-fighting mechanisms for sulforaphane, and suggests that this much-studied phytochemical may be able to move beyond cancer prevention and toward therapeutic use for advanced prostate cancer.

Monkeys Seem to Recognize Their Reflections – Trained macaques studied themselves in mirrors, fuelling debate over animals' capacity for self-recognition.

Obokata May Face Criminal Charges as Former Colleague Alleges She Stole Stem Cells – This article reports that a criminal investigation now seems likely after a former Riken researcher filed a criminal complaint against disgraced scientist Haruko Obokata, alleging she stole samples of embryonic stem cells before reporting that she had created her version of stem cells with a novel technique.

A One-Grant Limit: Nih Institute Puts Squeeze on Flush Investigators – The National Institutes of Health’s basic science institute is imposing a strict one-grant limit on scientists who already have plentiful no-strings support.

Using Stem Cells to Grow New Hair – In a new study from Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, researchers have used human pluripotent stem cells to generate new hair.

UM Study Explores How Stem Cells Can Help Burn Victims – This article is about a pair of doctors at the University of Miami who are trying to develop new therapies using donor’s mesenchymal stem cells to restore tissue and reduce long-term scarring from burns.

Parkinson's Stem Cell Trial Approaches – International Stem Cell Corp. plans to implant neural stem cells into the brains of Parkinson's patients, restoring dopamine production and normal movement in the patients.

BPA Exposure May Change Stem Cells, Lower Sperm Production – Chemicals that mimic estrogen hamper development of the stem cells responsible for making sperm in mice.

Promising Use Of Nanodiamonds To Kill Chemoresistant Cancer Stem Cells More Effectively – A study led by the National University of Singapore found that attaching chemotherapy drug Epirubicin to nanodiamonds effectively eliminates chemoresistant cancer stem cells.

Defined Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Xeno-Free Derivation of Retinal Pigmented Epithelial Cells on a Novel, Synthetic Substrate – The authors investigate the maintenance of human embryonic stem cells and their differentiation into retinal pigmented epithelium using Synthemax II-SC, which is a novel, synthetic animal-derived component-free, RGD peptide-containing copolymer compliant with good manufacturing practices designed for xeno-free stem cell culture.

Imaging Captures How Blood Stem Cells Take Root – Researchers in Boston Children’s Hospital’s Stem Cell Research Program describe a surprisingly dynamic system that offers several clues for improving bone-marrow transplants in patients with cancer, severe immune deficiencies, and blood disorders, and for helping those transplants "take."

Epigenetic Predisposition to Reprogramming Fates in Somatic Cells – Reprogramming potential may in part reflect preexisting epigenetic heterogeneity that can be tuned to alter the cellular response to factor induction.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Christine Mummery

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Guest:

We talk to Dr. David Piper about disease model tools.

Resources and Links

Acute Immunomodulatory Effects of Binge Alcohol Ingestion – According to this article, alcohol can wreak havoc on your immune system from the moment you start imbibing.

BPA Alternative Disrupts Normal Brain-Cell Growth, Is Tied to Hyperactivity, Study Says – Researchers have shown why the chemical bisphenol-S once thought to be a safe alternative to bisphenol-A (BPA), which was abandoned by manufacturers of baby bottles and sippy cups after a public outcry, might itself be more harmful than BPA.

Extraordinary Gene Transfer between Cells Observed – A team of scientists observed that DNA from a mouse's second genome, or mitochondrial DNA, could be transferred from healthy tissue to tumor cells in mice, promoting cancer growth and spread.

Decline in Grants for Young Researchers Puts Future of Science at Risk, Johns Hopkins President Writes – In this article, the president of John Hopkins University Ronald J. Daniels urges policy reforms and increased National Institutes of Health funding for young scientists who most of them are already leaving the academic biomedical workforce posing a grave risks for the future of science.

A New Antibiotic Kills Pathogens Without Detectable Resistance – A group of researchers led by Prof Kim Lewis of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, has discovered a new antibiotic Teixobactin that eliminates Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus anthracis and other dangerous pathogens without encountering any detectable resistance.

Drug Stimulates Brown Fat and Boosts Metabolism – This article describes how researchers figured out how FDA-approved drug mirabegron, typically used to treat overactive bladder, could boost brown fat’s metabolic burning efforts inside the body.

A Protein-Tagging System for Signal Amplification in Gene Expression and Fluorescence Imaging – Scientists developed a protein scaffold, a repeating peptide array termed SunTag, which can recruit multiple copies of an antibody-fusion protein and may likely have many applications in imaging and controlling biological outputs.

Cold Virus Replicates Better at Cooler Temperatures – Researchers have found that the common cold virus can reproduce itself more efficiently in the cooler temperature found inside the nose than at core body temperature.

The Challenge of Creating an HIV Vaccine: Virus Infects Very Cells Induced by Drug – This article tries to explain the reason why there is no vaccine for HIV/AIDS; it is because vaccines designed to protect against HIV backfire, leading to an increase, not decrease, in new infections which may be due to the higher number of activated CD4+ T cells.

"Imaginary Meal" Tricks the Body into Losing Weight – Salk researchers have developed an entirely new type of pill called fexaramine that tricks the body into thinking it has consumed calories, causing it to burn fat.

Insights into the Evolution of Longevity from the Bowhead Whale Genome – Researchers have sequenced the genome of the Arctic giant, the circumpolar bowhead whale, and identified the key differences between these bi-centenarians and other mammals.

What Investors Are Looking At in the Stem Cell Sector – This article presents the different stem cell companies that have catalysts in the first quarter of 2015 in regards to stem cell stocks that could bring attention to the sector.

Cord Blood Registry and Cellular Dynamics International Announce Collaboration to Reprogram Newborn Stem Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells – Cord Blood Registry® (CBR®) and Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) announced that they have entered into a research collaboration to reprogram newborn stem cells from both umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue collected, processed and cryopreserved under CBR's protocols into induced pluripotent stem cells using CDI's proprietary methods.

Gov. Cuomo Announces $36 Million to Accelerate Development of Stem Cell-Based Disease Cures – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that $36 million has been awarded to three research groups for the development of treatments for some of the most devastating conditions that could be helped with stem cell research.

Pitt Researcher Uses Stem Cells from the Eye to Repair Damaged Corneas – Dr. Sayan Basu, who has helped complete a research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is using stem cells in a pilot project to restore the eyesight of patients with damaged corneas.

Steering Stem Cell Trafficking into Pancreas Reverses Type 1 Diabetes – Researchers at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital studying mesenchymal stem cells — a cell type useful in treating immune-related diseases — have uncovered a way to enhance and prolong the cells’ therapeutic effects in a preclinical model of type 1 diabetes.

Genetic and Functional Diversity of Propagating Cells in Glioblastoma – This article is about Glioblastoma, a lethal malignancy whose clinical intransigence has been linked to extensive intraclonal genetic and phenotypic diversity and the common emergence of therapeutic resistance.

Direct Conversion of Fibroblasts into Functional Astrocytes by Defined Transcription Factors – This article shows that direct cell reprogramming enables direct conversion of fibroblasts into functional neurons and oligodendrocytes using a minimal set of cell-lineage-specific transcription factors.

Activated STAT5 Confers Resistance to Intestinal Injury by Increasing Intestinal Stem Cell Proliferation and Regeneration – Researchers have shown that activation of cytokine-STAT5 increased intestinal epithelial stem cells proliferation, accelerated crypt regeneration, and conferred resistance to intestinal injury.

A Comparison of Non-Integrating Reprogramming Methods – This article discusses the different advantages and shortcomings of each reprogramming methods. They present and review the results of a survey of a large number of human reprogramming laboratories on their independent experiences and preferences.

Optogenetics Enables Functional Analysis of Human Embryonic Stem Cell–Derived Grafts in a Parkinson's Disease Model – Researchers used optogenetics to modulate in real time electrophysiological and neurochemical properties of mesencephalic dopaminergic neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. David Piper

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Guest:

From the lab of Michel Sadelain, Dr. Maria Themeli talks to us about her work using stem cells to create killer T cells to seek and destroy cancer cells.

Resources and Links

Fat Isn't All Bad: Skin Adipocytes Help Protect Against Infections – Researchers report the surprising discovery that fat cells below the skin known as adipocytes help protect us from bacteria.

Researchers Target the Cell’s ‘Biological Clock’ in Promising New Therapy to Kill Cancer Cells, Shrink Tumor Growth – This article tells about the cell biologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center that have targeted telomeres with a small molecule called 6-thiodG that takes advantage of the cell’s "biological clock" to kill cancer cells and shrink tumor growth.

With Cancer, 'Bad Luck' of Random Mutations Is Largely to Blame – Scientists have created a statistical model that measures the proportion of cancer incidence, and have found that it's caused mainly by random mutations when stem cells divide.

Macrophages Contribute to the Cyclic Activation of Adult Hair Follicle Stem Cells – Skin resident macrophages surround and signal to resting hair follicle stem cells, regulate their entry into a new phase of hair follicle growth.

Meth Users Face Higher Risk for Parkinson's Disease – This article reveals that people who use methamphetamine have a greatly increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease and that women who took the drug had higher odds of the disease than men.

Molecular Mechanism Behind Health Benefits of Dietary Restriction Identified – Findings from researchers suggest that hydrogen sulfide is one of the key molecules responsible for the benefits of dietary restriction or calorie restriction such as slowing aging and extending lifespan.

Decoding Fat Cells: Discovery May Explain Why We Gain Weight – Researchers discovered that a protein, Thy1, has a fundamental role in controlling whether a primitive cell decides to become a fat cell, making Thy1 a possible therapeutic target for obesity.

Egg and Sperm Race: Scientists Create Precursors to Human Egg and Sperm – Scientists at the University of Cambridge working with the Weizmann Institute have created primordial germ cells – cells that will go on to become egg and sperm – using human embryonic stem cells.

Billionaire Bought James Watson’s Nobel Prize Medal in Order to Return It – This article talks about Alisher Usmanov, the richest man in Russia and a major shareholder in Arsenal football club who has come forward as the buyer of James Watson’s Nobel Prize medal – declaring that he now plans to give the piece back and the money he spent on the item to be donated to scientific research.

Orangutan Inside Argentina Zoo Granted 'Non-Human Person Rights' in Landmark Ruling – In this article, an orangutan named Sandra held in an Argentinian zoo can be freed and transferred to a sanctuary after a court recognized the ape as a "non-human person" unlawfully deprived of its freedom.

Variation in Cancer Risk among Tissues Can Be Explained by the Number of Stem Cell Divisions – This article describes how Tomasetti and Vogelstein plotted the lifetime incidence of various cancers against the estimated number of normal stem cell divisions in the corresponding tissues over a lifetime, and found a strong correlation extending over five orders of magnitude.

New Technique for Bioengineering Stem Cells Shows Promise in HIV Resistance – According to this article, an improved gene therapy strategy using modified human stem cells shows promise in animal models as a functional cure for HIV.

lncRNA Maturation to Initiate Heterochromatin Formation in the Nucleolus Is Required for Exit from Pluripotency in ESCs – This article shows that maturation of the long noncoding RNA pRNA is required for establishment of heterochromatin at ribosomal RNA genes, the genetic component of nucleoli, and this process is inactivated in pluripotent ESCs.

Restoration of Progranulin Expression Rescues Cortical Neuron Generation in an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model of Frontotemporal Dementia – Scientists used induced pluripotent stem cells to better understand how haploinsufficiency of progranulin causes frontotemporal dementia.

New Type of Sendai Virus Vector Provides Transgene-Free iPS Cells Derived from Chimpanzee Blood – Researchers developed a new Sendai virus vector, TS12KOS which is useful for generating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from the blood cells of both human and chimpanzee.

Tolerance Induction and Reversal of Diabetes in Mice Transplanted with Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Pancreatic Endoderm – Scientists demonstrated that immunotherapies that target T cell costimulatory pathways block the rejection of xenogeneic human embryonic-stem-cell-derived pancreatic endoderm in mice.

Telomerase Inhibition Effectively Targets Mouse and Human AML Stem Cells and Delays Relapse following Chemotherapy – This article reveals that in xenografts of primary human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), genetic or pharmacological inhibition of telomerase targets leukemia stem cells, impairs leukemia progression, and delays relapse following chemotherapy.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Themeli

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Guest:

On this episode it's just me and Yosif talking about a variety of hot papers with topics ranging from F-Class stem cells, wolves are better at math than dogs, the NFL is hating on stem cell transplants, STAP author can’t replicate findings, and there are actual sparks when sperm meets egg.

Resources and Links

New Type 2 Diabetes Treatment Cures Lab Animals of Disease – A new treatment for type 2 diabetes and obesity has been developed by researchers at Indiana University and the German Research Center for Environmental Health and has essentially cured lab animals of obesity, diabetes and associated lipid abnormalities through improved glucose sensitivity, and reduced appetite and enhanced calorie burning.

Laughing Gas Studied as Depression Treatment – This article reveals a study conducted by researchers on nitrous oxide, the laughing gas, as a potential treatment for severe depression in patients whose symptoms don’t respond to standard therapies.

Curcumin, Compound in Turmeric, Found to Impair Fear Memories and Ease PTSD Symptoms – Scientists have found that curcumin, the principal compound found in turmeric, can impair fear memories involved with the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Rosetta Spacecraft Suggests Asteroids, Not Comets, Birthed Earth's Oceans – Asteroids, not comets, likely delivered Earth's ancient oceans from space based on the study from the Rosetta Spacecraft, which is now in orbit around a comet that is a frozen relic from the dawn of the planets.

Oldest Horned Dinosaur Species in North America Found in Montana: Hooked Beak, Sharply Pointed Cheeks Distinguishes Neoceratopsian Species – This article presents the naming of the first definite horned dinosaur species from the Early Cretaceous in North America specifically in Montana as Aquilops americanus, which exhibits definitive neoceratopsian features and is closely related to similar species in Asia.

Scientists Make 'Feel Full' Chemical – Based on this article, scientists have created a chemical that can be added to food to make people feel full which will help people to eat less and slow down weight gain.

Gut Microbiota and Parkinson’s Disease: Connection Made – Scientists are trying to determine what is the connection between intestinal microbes and Parkinson’s disease because those who suffer from Parkinson’s have a different microbiota in their intestines than their healthy counterparts.

An Evolutionary Battle Against Bacteria – This article suggests that treating infections from Haemophilus influenzae, one of the bacteria species that causes meningitis, will be more effective if scientists used the evolutionary history of transferrin as a guide for designing transferrin that the bacteria can’t attack.

The Best Sign of Dark Matter Yet? X-ray Signals in Neighbouring Galaxies Could Be Emitted by One of the Universe's Greatest Mysteries – Two groups of researchers have detected a signal that could prove the existence of dark matter based on their analysis of X-rays emitted by two celestial objects – the Perseus galaxy cluster and the Andromeda galaxy.

How Birds Hear Without Ears – Researchers have determined how birds accurately determine the direction of a sound, even when they do not have the complex external ear structures that most mammals, humans included, boast.

It’s Official! Men Are More Stupid than Women, Says British Medical Journal – A study of 20 years of the Darwin Awards – the annual accolade which recalls foolish ways in which people have died – has revealed that 90% of the awards have been ‘won’ by men.

Testosterone Increases Colon Cancer Risk – This article shows the relationship of testosterone levels with colon tumor growth and that women are less likely than men to develop non-sex specific cancer of the colon, stomach or pancreas due to female hormones such as estrogen.

Dog Brains Process Human Speech in the Same Way We Do – There is a common response between humans and dogs with human speech - communicating not only words but also tone.

Sparks Really Do Fly When a New Life Is Created: Stunning Images Reveal Moment Egg Releases Billions of 'Zinc Sparks' as It Is Fertilized – Researchers have developed a special technique to capture the moment of fertilization, and found billions of zinc atoms are released thus causing sparks that literally fly when a sperm and an egg hit it off.

Stunning Zinc Fireworks When Egg Meets Sperm – This article has a movie that shows hot spots of fluorescence at the cell surface demonstrating how groups of zinc-rich packages are released from the egg during fertilization, resulting in a zinc spark.

Curiosity Finds Methane, Other Organics – This article states that NASA’s Curiosity rover has detected both methane in Mars’s atmosphere and carbon-bearing organic compounds in its rocks.

Starving Female Mantises Eat Males Without Having Sex First – Researchers have discovered that starving females will sometimes trick males into thinking they’re full of eggs waiting to be fertilized... but then she eats him without letting him mate with her at all.

Wolves Discriminate Quantities Better than Dogs – This article shows the studies conducted by scientists on how well dogs can discriminate between different quantities and discovered that wolves perform better than dogs at such tasks possibly because dogs lost this skill, or a predisposition for it, during domestication.

Proteome Adaptation in Cell Reprogramming Proceeds via Distinct Transcriptional Networks – This article tries to characterize the reprogramming process of somatic cells into induced pluripotent cells by performing a quantitative mass spectrometry-based analysis to probe in-depth dynamic proteome changes during somatic cell reprogramming.

Small RNA Changes En Route to Distinct Cellular States of Induced Pluripotency – Scientists investigate how microRNA expression changes support the transition to pluripotency and suggests that a novel subset of distinctly expressed miRNAs supports pluripotency in the F-class state, substituting for miRNAs that serve such roles in induced pluripotent stem cells.

Genome-Wide Characterization of the Routes to Pluripotency – This article attempts to address the lack of a complete molecular characterization of the reprograming process by generating an extensive transcriptomic, epigenomic and proteomic data sets describing the reprogramming routes leading from mouse embryonic fibroblasts to induced pluripotency.

An Epigenomic Roadmap To Induced Pluripotency Reveals DNA Methylation As A Reprogramming Modulator – This article reveals the crucial role that DNA methylation plays as an epigenetic switch driving somatic cells to pluripotency.

Divergent Reprogramming Routes Lead To Alternative Stem-Cell States – This article tries to explore alternative outcomes of somatic reprogramming by fully characterizing reprogrammed cells independent of preconceived definitions of iPSC states.

The NFL Has a Problem with Stem Cell Treatments – In this article, professional athletes are getting stem cell treatments to speed up recovery from injury but some doctors say there’s only thin medical evidence they actually speed healing.

Stem Cell Treatment to Repair Torn Meniscus ‘Very, Very Close’ – According to this article, scientists are very to offering patients the chance to regrow their own meniscus by using stem cells to regrow the torn cartilage.

7q11.23 Dosage-Dependent Dysregulation In Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Affects Transcriptional Programs In Disease-Relevant Lineages – In this article, characterization of the impact of human genetic variation on health and disease experimentally tractable is done by enabling the bridging of genotypes to phenotypes in developmentally relevant human cell lineages.

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Guest:

Dr. Marius Wernig from Stanford University talks about his work with stem cells and his latest paper published in Science Translation on using iPCs to treat a serious skin disorder.

Resources and Links

How Brain Scans Can Diagnose Autism With 97% Accuracy - A much more objective measure—reading a person’s thoughts through an fMRI brain scan—might be able to diagnose autism with close to perfect accuracy.

Mastodons Disappeared from Beringia before Ancient Humans Arrived – According to this article, new radiocarbon dates on American mastodon (Mammut americanum) fossils in Alaska and Yukon (eastern Beringia) suggest this species suffered local extinction tens of millennia before either human colonization.

HIV’s Slower Progression to AIDS Caused by Certain Gene-Protein and ARV – Infected people with a gene that expresses a particular human leukocyte antigens (HLA) protein called HLA-B*57 progress more slowly to AIDS than usual.

Radial Glia Require PDGFD–Pdgfrβ Signaling in Human but Not Mouse Neocortex – Researchers analyze differential gene co-expression relationships between the species, to demonstrate that the growth factor PDGFD is specifically expressed by Radial Glia in human, but not mouse, corticogenesis.

Vegetable Oil Ingredient Key to Destroying Gastric Disease Bacteria – A group of researchers developed LipoLLA, a therapeutic nanoparticle that contains linolenic acid, which is a component in vegetable oils, to dampen H. pylori bacteria and inflammation that lead to ulcers and gastric cancer in mice.

Scientists Uncover Gene Associated with an Aggressive Breast Cancer – Scientists have identified a biomarker, a gene called RASAL2 that is strongly associated with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), a highly aggressive carcinoma that often has early relapse and metastasis following chemotherapy.

Star Trek-Like Invisible Shield Found Thousands of Miles Above Earth – Scientists have discovered an invisible shield roughly 7,200 miles above earth that blocks so-called "killer electrons," which can fry satellites and degrade space systems during intense solar storms.

The Missing Gene that 'Triggers Autism': DNA Deficiency Linked to Being 'Unsociable And Disinterested in Others' – Scientists found mice deficient in a gene called neurexin-II showed similar symptoms to autism in humans, including a lack of sociability or interest in other mice.

'Lost' First Languages Leave Permanent Mark on the Brain, New Study Reveals – This article describes the study conducted to challenge the existing understanding that exposure to a language in the first year of a child’s life can be "erased" if he or she is moved to a different linguistic environment.

Cystic Fibrosis Charity Sells Drug Rights to Pharma for $3.3 Billion – The Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation has sold royalty rights to treatments developed with support from its ‘venture philantrophy’ model wherein the foundation provide upfront funding for pharmaceutical companies to help reduce the financial risk of developing drugs to treat CF.

Genetic Testing for Personalized Nutrition Leads to Better Outcomes – Personalized dietary advice based on a person's genetic makeup improves eating habits compared to current "one-size-fits-all" dietary recommendations.

Mental & Physical Pain May Be Different after All – A new study from the University of Colorado shows that physical and social pains actually use distinct neural circuits which may lead to specific treatment protocols for each pathway.

Proposed Rules Will Vastly Expand Trove of Clinical Trial Data Reported in U.S. Database – This article describes the proposed rule that trial sponsors would need to report summary results for drugs and devices that are never approved—and not just for products that reach the market.

Ontario Announces Funding for Stem Cell Institute – Ontario has announced funding for the creation of an institute for regenerative medicine and three 'disease challenge teams' to bridge the widening gap in the province between basic research and clinically tested therapies that improve the health of patients with chronic and degenerative diseases.

The Lab-Grown Penis: Approaching a Medical Milestone – After more than 20 years of research, a team of scientists are bioengineering penises in the lab which may soon be transplanted safely on to patients.

Multi-Kilobase Homozygous Targeted Gene Replacement in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells – This article demonstrates the efficient 'knock-in' targeted replacement of multi-kilobase genes in human induced pluripotent stem cells by doing a comprehensive study of targeting vector design parameters for homologous recombination.

Use of Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Model Pediatric Gliomas with H3.3K27M Histone Mutation – Scientists reveal that H3.3K27M expression synergizes with p53 loss and PDGFRA activation in neural progenitor cells derived from human embryonic stem cells, resulting in neoplastic transformation.

Derivation and High Engraftment of Patient-Specific Cardiomyocyte-Sheet Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells - Researchers showed that human cardiac induced pluripotent stem cells can be generated from cardiac fibroblasts and subsequently differentiated into exceptionally pure (>92%) sheets of cardiomyocytes.

3D Reconstitution of the Patterned Neural Tube from Embryonic Stem Cells – Investigators described how single mouse embryonic stem cells directly embedded in Matrigel or defined synthetic matrices under neural induction conditions can clonally form neuroepithelial cysts containing a single lumen in 3D.

Precise Correction of the Dystrophin Gene in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Patient Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells by TALEN and CRISPR-Cas9 – This article suggests that genetic correction of patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells by TALENs or CRISPR-Cas9 holds promise for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy gene therapy but must determine the safety of such nuclease treatment.

Early Depletion of Primordial Germ Cells in Zebrafish Promotes Testis Formation – This article tries to explore the relationship between primordial germ cell number and sexual development in zebrafish.

Human COL7A1-Corrected Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells For the Treatment of Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa – The ability of induced pluripotent stem cells to edit the genome brings the possibility of providing definitive genetic therapy through corrected autologous tissues for the treatment of debilitating genodermatoses, such as Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Marius Wernig

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Guest:

Dr. Malin Parmar to talk about her latest paper in Cell Stem Cell regarding Parkinson’s disease. This paper is very important and made main stream news everywhere.

Resources and Links

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider Adds Two New Subatomic Particles to the List – CERN's researchers have added two new subatomic particles that are six times as massive as protons.

Brain Structure Rediscovered – A Stanford graduate student Jason Yeatman has discovered what he thought was a new brain structure, known as the vertical occipital fasciculus, and later finds out that it was actually originally discovered in the late 19th century and got lost from the literature for more than 100 years.

‘Text Neck’ Is Becoming an ‘epidemic’ and Could Wreck Your Spine – This article warns us that hunching over your smartphone can cause back pain, posture problems.

Alcoholism Damages Brain's White Matter, Scans Show – Alcoholism damages white matter throughout the brain and this damage can be detected with brain scans according to the researchers.

A Man Lost in Musical Time – This article identifies the first documented beat deafness, a condition in which a person can't feel music's beat or move in time to it.

The Fault in Our Stars Might be a Virus – This article describes how the starfish on the western coast of North America started wasting away, a condition known as sea star wasting syndrome potentially caused by a new virus called sea star-associated densovirus or SSaDV.

Stupidity Virus' Lives In People's Throats, Crosses Over From Algae In Lakes – A virus commonly found in algae somehow made its way into people's throats, reducing their ability to perform certain tasks.

Genome-Wide Scan Demonstrates Significant Linkage for Male Sexual Orientation – Scientists have found even more evidence that sexual orientation is largely determined by genetics, not choice.

Why Killing Babies Makes Testicles Grow – Nearly half of mammal species surveyed in a new study practice infanticide and scientists believe this leads to larger testicles in males.

Scientists Develop Barcoding Tool for Stem Cells – This article is about the new technology that tracks descendants of different stem cells or progenitor cells.

Eradicating Malaria: How Parasites' Genetic 'Barcodes' Can Stop the Spread – Identifying the geographic origin of malaria outbreaks could help prevent and speed up the eradication of the disease.

How Cartilage Cells Sense Forceful Injury – Scientists have found a substance in the tarantula venom that could block the channels responsible for cartilage cell death.

Bubble Boy’ Disease Cured with Stem Cells – Researchers have treated more than two dozen patients with a treatment made from their own bone marrow cells.

Female Stem Cells Could be Better for Heart Repair, Disease Treatment – This article suggests that female stem cells derived from animal muscle tissue, generated more muscle fiber and survived better when repairing injured cells according to a team of researchers.

Bifunctional Ectodermal Stem Cells Around the Nail Display Dual Fate Homeostasis and Adaptive Wounding Response toward Nail Regeneration – This article discusses the regenerative potential of skin appendages particularly the nails following injury.

Sox2-Mediated Conversion of NG2 Glia into Induced Neurons in the Injured Adult Cerebral Cortex – This article proposes that the conversion of nonneuronal cells into induced neurons can be an innovative strategy toward brain repair.

hPSC-Derived Maturing GABAergic Interneurons Ameliorate Seizures and Abnormal Behavior in Epileptic Mice – This article focuses on the study of hPSC-derived maturing GABAergic interneurons as a potential support to restorative cell therapy for epilepsy.

SCNT-Derived ESCs with Mismatched Mitochondria Trigger an Immune Response in Allogeneic Hosts – This article shows that mismatched mitochondria in nuclear-transfer-derived embryonic stem cells (NT-ESCs) possess alloantigenicity and are subject to immune rejection.

Proinflammatory Signaling Regulates Hematopoietic Stem Cell Emergence – This article determines that proinflammatory signaling, in the absence of infection, is utilized by the developing embryo to generate the lineal precursors of the adult hematopoietic system.

Dynamics of Oligodendrocyte Generation and Myelination in the Human Brain – According to the article, the myelination of axons by oligodendrocytes has been suggested to be modulated by experience, which could mediate neural plasticity by optimizing the performance of the circuitry

Human ESC-Derived Dopamine Neurons Show Similar Preclinical Efficacy and Potency to Fetal Neurons when Grafted in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease – This article shows the comprehensive preclinical assessment of hESC-derived midbrain dopamine neurons in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Malin Parmar

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Guest:

Senior editor at Cell Stem Cell, Dr. Christina Lilliehook shares with us what goes on as an editor of a top tier science journal. In addition to a behind the scenes discussion, she also talks about how she got into a career in editing, and what it takes if you wanted to make that career choice.

Resources and Links

Arachnophobia Gets Cut Out of Man’s Brain after Surgery to End His Seizures – This article discussed an instance where an unrelated seizure forced doctors to remove a portion of a man's brain, inadvertently freeing him of his fear of spiders.

Mystery Solved: Where the Penis Comes From – This article attempts to answer a question a lot of scientists ponder out loud that is key to much of life on Earth: Exactly how does the penis form?

Plasticity of the Aging Brain: New Directions in Cognitive Neuroscience – The authors review the two new directions in the field of aging research with implications for plasticity.

Modeling Ebola in Mice – This article is about a study conducted by a team of scientists who have tested 47 genetically diverse mouse lines in response to their susceptibility to Ebola.

Effects of Diurnal Variation of Gut Microbes and High-Fat Feeding on Host Circadian Clock Function and Metabolism – The body’s helpful bacteria may have internal clocks too that when disrupted will potentially boost the risk of obesity.

Dozens of Genes Associated with Autism in New Research – This press release discusses two new studies conducted by UC San Francisco scientists tying mutations in more than 100 genes to autism.

‘Treasure in Saliva’ May Reveal Deadly Diseases Early Enough to Treat Them, UCLA Scientists Report – A simple saliva test is capable of diagnosing early stage diabetes, cancer, and perhaps neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases.

Violence Genes May Be Responsible for One in Ten Serious Crimes – Scientists believe that they have discovered the genes responsible for high levels of rage-related violent behavior.

Jupiter-Sized Sunspot Largest for 24 Years – This article is about the solar eclipse that happened few weeks back, showing large sunspots responsible for creating some pretty stormy space weather.

New Way to Lose Weight: Scientists Stimulate Brown Fat to Burn More Energy from Food – This article shows how scientists have now come closer to the goal of finding an efficient method for losing weight through the body’s own adenosine that activates brown fat and “browns” white fat.

Growth of CH3NH3PbI3 Cuboids with Controlled Size for High-Efficiency Perovskite Solar Cells – Scientists report that the growth of CH3NH3PbI3 cuboids with a controlled size via a two-step spin-coating procedure enables a power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells to exceed 16%.

Stem Cell Person of the Year 2014: Masayo Takahashi – This article announces Dr. Masayo Takahashi MD, PhD as the winner of the 2014 Stem Cell Person of the Year Award.

Stem Cell Patent to Reach Supreme Court – The U.S. Supreme Court will be asked to intervene over a controversial embryonic stem cell patent according to the opponents of the patent.

Managers of Discredited STAP Stem Cell Study Refund Salary – The top administrators of RIKEN, Japan’s national network of research laboratories will voluntarily return one to three months of their salaries to atone for their responsibility for the STAP stem cell fiasco.

Breast Milk Stem Cells May Be Incorporated into Baby – This article suggests that breast milk stem cells from mum could possibly go on to transform into parts of the baby’s body.

Modeling Human Development and Disease in Pluripotent Stem-cell-derived Gastric Organoids – The authors describe a new and robust in vitro system for elucidating the mechanisms underlying human stomach development and disease.

Destroying Brain Tumors Using Herpes-loaded Stem Cells – Scientists from the Harvard Stem Cell Institute may have a potential solution for how to more effectively kill tumor cells using cancer-killing viruses.

3D Reconstitution of the Patterned Neural Tube from Embryonic Stem Cells – Researchers showed that single mouse embryonic stem cells directly embedded in Matrigel or defined synthetic matrices under neural induction conditions can clonally form neuroepithelial cysts containing a single lumen in 3D.

iPSC-Derived Dopamine Neurons Reveal Differences between Monozygotic Twins Discordant for Parkinson’s Disease – Scientists have applied induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology for Parkinson’s disease modeling using the monozygotic twins’ fibroblasts to evaluate and dissect the genetic and nongenetic contributions.

Comparable Frequencies of Coding Mutations and Loss of Imprinting in Human Pluripotent Cells Derived by Nuclear Transfer and Defined Factors – Investigators compared the genetic and epigenetic integrity of human nuclear-transfer embryonic stem cell lines and isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell lines, derived from the same somatic cell cultures of fetal, neonatal, and adult origin.

Generation of Human Striatal Neurons by MicroRNA-Dependent Direct Conversion of Fibroblasts – Scientists describe the potential of exploiting the synergism between miR-9/9*-124 and transcription factors to generate specific neuronal subtypes or promote direct conversion of human fibroblasts into neurons.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Christina Lilliehook

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Guest:

In this episode we welcome Nobel Prize winning scientist, Dr. Harold Varmus. We talk with Dr. Varmus about a range of topics in the realm of biomedical research as a career and the state of NIH funding.

Resources and Links

Motor Skill Learning Requires Active Central Myelination – The production of new myelin in the brain, which is a function of non-neuronal glial cells, may be necessary for motor learning.

A Global Inventory of Lakes Based on High-resolution Satellite Imagery – Researchers were able to accurately count the lakes on earth with high resolution data from satellites.

UCL Research Helps Paralyzed Man to Recover Function – Researchers announced that two years after the cell transplant, a man paralyzed from chest down was able to walk again.

Soda and Cell Aging: Associations between Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Leukocyte Telomere Length in Healthy Adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys – Research found found that telomeres – protective DNA caps on the end of chromosomes – were shorter in people who reported habitually drinking more fizzy drinks.

Promising Early Success and Safety Results from International Gene Therapy Trial for 'Bubble Boy' Disease Reported in New England Journal of Medicine – This article describes a new form of gene therapy for boys with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCID-X1), a life-threatening condition also known as “bubble boy” disease.

Manipulating a “Cocaine Engram” in Mice – Researchers examine the precise neural circuits that support the memory of a cocaine-cue association or “cocaine engram” in mice.

Left–Right Dissociation of Hippocampal Memory Processes in Mice – This article shows that hippocampal long-term memory processing is lateralized in mice after investigating the implications of left-right difference in hippocampal function.

Histone H2A.Z Subunit Exchange Controls Consolidation of Recent and Remote Memory – According to this article, histone variant exchange can be a novel mechanism contributing to the molecular basis of cognitive function and implicate H2A.Z as a potential therapeutic target for memory disorders.

Rise of the Rest: The Growing Impact of Non-Elite Journals – This article shows that the fraction of highly-cited articles published in non-elite journals has increased steadily from 1995-2013 and researchers are increasingly building on and citing work published everywhere.

Reports of Pathological Gambling, Hypersexuality, Compulsive Shopping Associated with Dopamine Agonist Drugs – This article examines the effect of dopamine receptor agonist drugs which are used to treat Parkinson’s disease, restless leg syndrome and hyperprolactinemia, on patients with impulse control disorders.

Human Genetic Research Uncovers How Omega-6 Fatty Acids Lower Bad Cholesterol – Researchers uncovered a gene that affects blood cholesterol levels through the generation of a compound from omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, called lipoxins.

Are Male Brains Wired to Ignore Food for Sex? – This article describes how male C. elegans, a microscopic roundworm that is widely used in studying fundamental mechanisms in biology, suppresses their ability to locate food in order to instead focus on finding a mate.

Ultra-fast Charging Batteries that Can Be 70% Recharged in Just Two Minutes – Scientists from Nanyang Technological University have developed a new battery that can be recharged up to 70% in only two minutes and also have a longer lifespan of over 20 years.

Stem-Cell Fraud Makes for Box Office Success – The movie, Whistleblower, which was based on the Woo Suk Hwang cloning scandal, has been a box office hit in South Korea.

Stem Cells for Diabetes: The Danger of the Word ‘Cure’ – This article discusses the danger in loosely using the word ‘cure’ as it falsely raises hopes and expectations of patients and other people.

Paralyzed Man Walks Again after Nose Cells Repair His Spinal Cord – A man paralyzed from the chest down in a knife attack is walking again after undergoing surgery using cells responsible for the sense of smell, marking an advance in the search for treatments for spinal injuries.

Stem Cells Seem Safe in Treating Eye Disease – This article discusses a study conducted by scientists on a treatment based on embryonic stem cells that seem safe and might help restore vision for people with macular degeneration and macular dystrophy.

Promise Put to the Test – UC San Diego Health announced that human testing of injected neural stem cell therapies are underway at its Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center.

Young, Brilliant and Underfunded – This article emphasizes the need for National Institutes of Health to fund young, good researchers who are doing valuable work in the prime of their careers.

Updated: Fountain of Youth: A Congressman's Plan to Make NIH Grantees Younger – This article is about the a member of Congress who plans to order National Institutes of Health (NIH) to bring down the average age at which new investigators receive their first grant by four years within a decade.

An In Vivo Model of Human Small Intestine Using Pluripotent Stem Cells – Researchers have successfully transplanted functioning human intestinal tissue grown from stem cells into mice and could potentially revolutionize the production of spare organs for people, using cells from their own bodies.

MSC-Regulated MicroRNAs Converge on the Transcription Factor FOXP2 and Promote Breast Cancer Metastasis – Investigators explain how mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) cause aberrant expression of microRNAs led by microRNA-199a provide breast cancer cells with enhanced cancer stem cell properties.

Generation of the Epicardial Lineage from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells – This article identifies BMP and WNT as key regulators of the epicardial lineage in vitro and provides a model for investigating epicardial function in human development and disease.

Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Cells Similar to Cord-Blood Endothelial Colony–Forming Cells – This article tries to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into endothelial cells with properties of cord-blood endothelial colony-forming cells that may enable the derivation of clinically relevant numbers of highly proliferative blood vessel–forming cells to restore endothelial function in patients with vascular disease.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Harold Varmus

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Guest:

Dr. Ginger Campbell, host of the brain science podcast, joins the SCP where we discuss her podcast and different "brainy" topics. We close the show ranting about the iPhone 6.

Resources and Links

Near-Death Experiences? Results of the World's Largest Medical Study of the Human Mind and Consciousness at Time of Death

A Synthetic Stimulant Never Tested in Humans, 1,3-dimethylbutylamine (DMBA), Is Identified in Multiple Dietary Supplements

Tumors Might Grow Faster at Night

Sugar Linked to Memory Problems in Adolescent Rats

The Ancient Heritage of Water Ice in the Solar System

The 2014 Nobel Prizes At A Glance

Making Old Lungs Look Young Again

Judgment and Decision-making: Brain Activity Indicates There Is More than Meets the Eye

Peanut Allergy Misdiagnosed In 2 Out Of 3 Cases

Solving the Mystery of the “Man in the Moon”

Satellite Measurements Reveal Gravity Dip from Ice Loss in West Antarctica

Olfactory Dysfunction Predicts 5-Year Mortality in Older Adults

A Single Bout of Resistance Exercise Can Enhance Episodic Memory Performance

Sensitivity and Specificity of the Empirical Lymphocyte Genome Sensitivity (Lgs) Assay: Implications for Improving Cancer Diagnostics

Sleep Twitches Light up the Brain

Cells From Placentas Safe for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Research Shows Alcohol Sensations Influenced by Genes

Aromatic-Turmerone Induces Neural Stem Cell Proliferation In Vitro and In Vivo

Stem Cell Treatments Surging into Clinic

First Patient Treated in Neuralstem Phase I Spinal Cord Injury Stem Cell Trial through the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center

Japanese University May Strip Stem-Cell Scientist of Doctorate

Young, Brilliant and Underfunded

Studies Bring Tumeric to Stem Cell Research

Success in Creating Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Scientists Develop Barcoding Tools for Stem Cells

Giant Step toward New Diabetes Treatment

Generation of Functional Human Pancreatic β Cells In Vitro

Efficient Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Endothelial Progenitors via Small-Molecule Activation of WNT Signaling

Maternal Inflammation Contributes to Brain Overgrowth and Autism-Associated Behaviors through Altered Redox Signaling in Stem and Progenitor Cells

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Ginger Campbell

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Guest:

We bring on freelance science writer Karen Weintraub to discuss her recent piece in the New York Times on stem cells. We talk with her about the contents of her article and what she learned doing the research. We then close the show with a rant on automatic car window openers.

Resources and Links

Comparing Low-Fat and Low-Carbohydrate Diets

An Engineered ​Axl 'Decoy Receptor' Effectively Silences the ​Gas6-​Axl Signaling Axis

Tipping the Balance of Behavior

New Hadrosaur Noses into Spotlight

New Branch Added to European Family Tree

Pupil-Linked Arousal Determines Variability in Perceptual Decision Making

Human Faces Are so Variable Because We Evolved to Look Unique

TLR5-Mediated Sensing of Gut Microbiota Is Necessary for Antibody Responses to Seasonal Influenza Vaccination

Monster Black Hole Found in Tiny Galaxy

Gene Described as Critical to Stem Cell Development

Observation of a Dissipation-Induced Classical to Quantum Transition

Earth's New Address: 'Solar System, Milky Way, Laniakea'

Neuroscientists Identify Key Role of Language Gene

Schizophrenia Not a Single Disease but Multiple Genetically Distinct Disorders

Beyond the G-spot: Clitourethrovaginal Complex Anatomy in Female Orgasm

An Early Cretaceous Pterosaur with an Unusual Mandibular Crest from China and a Potential Novel Feeding Strategy

You Can Classify Words in Your Sleep

Researchers Find Neural Compensation in People with Alzheimer’s-Related Protein

Antibiotics Found in Human Body Bacteria

Study Links Honesty to Prefrontal Region of the Brain

A Phase I Study of the First-in-Class Anti-Mitochondrial Metabolism Agent, CPI-613, in Patients with Advanced Hematologic Malignancies

NUS Study Shows Effectiveness of Artesunate, a Common Herbal-Based Anti-Malarial Drug, in Controlling Asthma

Artificial Sweeteners Induce Glucose Intolerance by Altering the Gut Microbiota

STAP Co-Author Offers yet Another Recipe for Stem Cells

Stem Cell Tourism and Patient Education

Professional Regulation: A Potentially Valuable Tool in Responding to “Stem Cell Tourism”

NYU Langone Scientists Identify Key Factor that Maintains Stem Cell Identity

Researchers Use iPS Cells to Show Statin Effects on Diseased Bone

Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived from Mouse Primordial Germ Cells by Small Molecule Compounds

Proteomics and Glycoproteomics of Pluripotent Stem-Cell Surface Proteins

Hebrew University Scientists Create Therapy-Quality Stem Cells Using New Cocktail to Reprogram Adult Cells

Reversal of Cellular Phenotypes in Neural Cells Derived from Huntington’s Disease Monkey-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem Cell Transplant Does Not Cure SHIV/AIDS after Irradiation of Infected Rhesus Macaques

Identification of Regulatory Networks in HSCs and Their Immediate Progeny via Integrated Proteome, Transcriptome, and DNA Methylome Analysis

Pyrimidoindole Derivatives Are Agonists of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cell Self-Renewal

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Karen Weintraub

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