The Stem Cell Podcast

Guest:

In this episode we talk with the creator and host of The Naked Scientists; a website and podcast dedicated to all things science. We talk with Chris about his shows, and get his take on the stem cell field.

Resources and Links

House Windows That Double As Solar Panels? Shiny Quantum Dots Brighten Future of Solar Cells

Is Parkinson's an Autoimmune Disease?

KOI-3278: A Self-Lensing Binary Star System

Scientists Spot a Planet That Looks Like 'Earth's Cousin'

Female ‘Penis’ Found on Brazilian Cave Insects

Oh Baby: Scientists Find Protein That Lets Egg and Sperm Hook Up

Is 'Sluggish Cognitive Tempo' a New Disorder or an Extension of ADHD?

Artificial Blood on an Industrial Scale

Mapping Gene Expression in the Fetal Brain

Gene Variant Puts Women at Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s Than It Does Men, Study Finds

Traces of Trauma in Sperm RNA

Lab-Grown Private Parts: Vagina Implants Cure Rare Disorder

Gut-Eating Amoeba Caught on Film

Gene Therapy Successfully Regenerates an Old Organ Inside a Living Animal

Bees Exposed to Fungicide More Vulnerable to Nosema Parasite

Obokata Mentor, Co-Author: STAP Cells Just A ‘Hypothesis’

In Stem-Cell Research, Health Benefits Outweigh the Risks Of Copying Humans

Human Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Using Adult Cells

Conversion of Quiescent Niche Cells to Somatic Stem Cells Causes Ectopic Niche Formation in the Drosophila Testis

Auxetic Nuclei in Embryonic Stem Cells Exiting Pluripotency

Pathways Disrupted in Human ALS Motor Neurons Identified through Genetic Correction of Mutant SOD1 

Multifaceted Regulation of Somatic Cell Reprogramming by mRNA Translational Control

Two miRNA Clusters Reveal Alternative Paths in Late-Stage Reprogramming

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Chris Smith - The Naked Scientists

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Guest:

In this episode we bring on Dr. Raja Kittappa, a stem cell scientist who has recently decided to leave science and run for congress.

Resources and Links

Brain Activation during Human Male Ejaculation

Experimental Cancer Drug Reverses Schizophrenia in Adolescent Mice

First Synthetic Yeast Chromosome Revealed

Party Drug Ketamine Could Help People with Severe Depression

Experimental Compound FRAX486 Reverses Signs of Fragile X In Mice

Researchers Identify Good Bacteria That Protects against HIV

MIT Researchers Develop Living Material Using E. coli

Disorganized Cortical Patches Suggest Prenatal Origin of Autism

Blood Test of 4 Biomarkers Predicts Death within 5 Years

Gene Family Linked To Brain Evolution Implicated in Severity of Autism Symptoms

HPV-Linked Throat Cancer May Have Telltale First Symptoms

Mugshots Built from DNA Data

Genetic Factor Contributes to Forgetfulness

Study: Climate Change Accelerates Greenland Ice Loss

Gene Editing of CCR5 in Autologous CD4 T Cells of Persons Infected with HIV

Human Nose Can Detect More Than 1 Trillion Smells, Scientists Discover

Scientists Find Gene Which Is Linked to Exceptionally Low IQ in Children

Stem Cell Scientist Guilty of Falsifying Data

Ancient Virus DNA Gives Stem Cells the Power to Transform

Modeling ALS with iPSCs Reveals that Mutant SOD1 Misregulates Neurofilament Balance in Motor Neurons

Intrinsic Membrane Hyperexcitability of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Patient-Derived Motor Neurons

Telomerase Protects Werner Syndrome Lineage-Specific Stem Cells from Premature Aging

Mouse SCNT ESCs Have Lower Somatic Mutation Load Than Syngeneic iPSCs

Dynamics of HSPC Repopulation in Nonhuman Primates Revealed by a Decade-Long Clonal-Tracking Study

Combined Hydrogels That Switch Human Pluripotent Stem Cells From Self-Renewal to Differentiation

Mutations in USP9X Are Associated with X-Linked Intellectual Disability and Disrupt Neuronal Cell Migration and Growth

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Raja Kittappa

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Guest:

In this episode, we bring on an internationally recognized stem cell and cancer researcher Dr. Leonard Zon from Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hosital. Dr. Zon talks to us about his work using zebrafish as a model to study cancer and melanoma and tells some really funny stories on his experiences with these fish.

Resources and Links

Trends In Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide In Mauna Loa, Hawaii

Gel Protects Monkeys from H.I.V. after Sex, Study Finds

Genetic Modification and Screening in Rat Using Haploid Embryonic Stem Cells

Telescope Captures View of Gravitational Waves

Structures of Cas9 Endonucleases Reveal RNA-Mediated Conformational Activation

Environmental and State-Level Regulatory Factors Affect the Incidence of Autism and Intellectual Disability

Respiratory Failure, Cleft Palate and Epilepsy in the Mouse Model of Human Xq22.1 Deletion Syndrome

CDC Warns Untreatable Gonorrhea Could Spread Like Wildfire

In Rare Case, Woman with H.I.V. Infects Female Sex Partner, C.D.C. Says

Obesity-Associated Variants within FTO Form Long-Range Functional Connections with IRX3

Hydrous Mantle Transition Zone Indicated By Ringwoodite Included within Diamond

Human C-Tactile Afferents Are Tuned to the Temperature of a Skin-Stroking Caress

Shorter Telomeres with High Telomerase Activity are Associated with Raised Allostatic Load and Impoverished Psychosocial Resources

Biomarkers Could Predict Alzheimer's Before It Starts

Confusions About Totipotency: Stem Cells Are Not Embryos

Mechanical Memory and Dosing Influence Stem Cell Fate

Cell-Autonomous Correction of Ring Chromosomes in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

C9orf72 Nucleotide Repeat Structures Initiate Molecular Cascades of Disease

Haematopoietic Stem Cells Require a Highly Regulated Protein Synthesis Rate

High-Efficiency Motor Neuron Differentiation from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and the Function Ofislet-1

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Leonard Zon

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Guest:

Over the past few weeks some really exciting papers came out describing the reprogramming of one cell into another, a process called Direct Reprogramming.  On this episode we talk to Dr. Justin Ichida from the University of Southern California who uses the latest reprogramming techniques in his lab to study neural disease. His current research is focused on using patient-specific disease models to define the mechanisms that lead to neuronal loss in ALS and frontotemporal dementia.

Resources and Links

University of Southern California - The Ichida Lab – Board California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research

Early Treatment Is Found to Clear H.I.V. in a Second Baby

Why Can You Remember Your Dreams? Researchers Uncover Why Only Some People Can Recall Them in the Morning

Acetaminophen In Pregnancy Linked to ADHD in Kids, Study Finds

Study Uncovers New Pathway of Melanoma Metastasis

New Research Finds Direct Connection Between Acupuncture and Processes That Alleviate Sepsis

'Largest Ever' Trial of Adult Stem Cells in Heart Attack Patients Begins

This Company Wants to Make In Vitro Meat From Celebrities’ Stem Cells

USPTO Issues Patent For Fraudulent Stem Cell Procedure

Isolation Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Dopaminergic Progenitors By Cell Sorting For Successful Transplantation

Coordination Of Engineered Factors With TET1/2 Promotes Early-Stage Epigenetic Modification during Somatic Cell Reprogramming

Small Molecules Facilitate the Reprogramming of Mouse Fibroblasts into Pancreatic Lineages

Direct Reprogramming of Human Fibroblasts to Functional and Expandable Hepatocytes

Human Hepatocytes with Drug Metabolic Function Induced from Fibroblasts by Lineage Reprogramming

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Justin Ichida

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Guest:

STAP stem cells were a new method of generating pluripotent stem cells published in a paper a few weeks ago.   When it came out, scientists scratched their heads and wondered whether or not this new method could actually work and be reproducible.  Well, while the jury is still out, it is not looking good and we bring on the show one of the most recognized voices of stem cell research, Dr. Paul Knoepfler to discuss the STAP stem cell theory.  In addition to running a laboratory, Dr. Knoepfler maintains an amazingly active stem cell blog breaking all the latest stem cell news, and educating the public about stem cells.

Resources and Links

Knoepfler Lab Stem Cell Blog

Stem Cells: An Insiders Guide by Paul Knoepfler

Expandable Megakaryocyte Cell Lines Enable Clinically Applicable Generation of Platelets from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

The Endocannabinoid System Controls Food Intake via Olfactory Processes

Astrocyte-Derived Endothelin-1 Inhibits Remyelination through Notch Activation

Rejuvenation of the Muscle Stem Cell Population Restores Strength to Injured Aged Muscles

Nanog-Independent Reprogramming to iPSCs with Canonical Factors

Nanog Is Dispensable for the Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

In Vivo Direct Reprogramming of Reactive Glial Cells into Functional Neurons after Brain Injury and in an Alzheimer’s Disease Model

NPTX1 Regulates Neural Lineage Specification from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Paul Knoepfler

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Guest:

In this episode, we interview another stem cell pioneer, Dr. Sean Morrison, who is internationally recognized for his work in understanding the mechanisms of stem cell regulatory mechanisms and how this is relevant in cancer. In the science roundup we cover zombie bees, stem cells for baldness, dipping cells in acid to make stem cells, and how to identify the difference between iPSCs and hESCs.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Chad Cowan

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Guest:

Dr. Mark Tomishima, director of the SKI Stem Cell Research Facility located in New York City joins us for this episode. Dr. Tomishima tells us about what his and other core facilities do for stem cell researchers locally and abroad, as well as various projects his group is working on. We then go through the science roundup discussing everything from a new herpes drug, to heart cell propelled sperm looking bio-bots, to stem cell-derived 3D kidneys.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Mark Tomishima

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Guest:

In this episode, we bring on a true pioneer in the stem cell field, Dr. Sally Temple, scientific director of the Neural Stem Cell Institute. Dr. Temple discovered that stem-like cells exist in the adult brain in the late 80s and has since gone on to characterize these cells extensively. Her group has recently discovered a novel stem cell in the eye that they plan to use as a new therapy for macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness. In the science roundup we talk about everything from caffeine boosting memory, to the possibility of the Y chromosome disappearing.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Sally Temple

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Happy new year Stem Cell Podcast listeners, we are back to start off with an episode that looks backs at a year of science in 2013 and gives you our top 10 studies from both the stem cell world and science as a whole. We discuss a variety of topics from human cloning to going interstellar. It's been a great year for science despite threats to funding. Let's make sure science funding increases in 2014. Enjoy!

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Guest:

Justine Miller, a PhD candidate from Lorenz Studer's lab at Memorial Sloan Kettering, joins us to discuss her recent paper in Cell Stem Cell showing how to age stem cell-derived neurons in the culture dish. In our science round up, we discuss everything from the ground state in stem cells to male birth control. We then dive into other stem cell topics including reprogramming via protein transduction and CRISPR-mediated gene repair.

Photo Reference: Courtesy of Justine Miller, PhD candidate

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