Vitamin A: Key mechanism that guides cells to form heart tissueFri, 19 Mar 2010 11:00:00 EDTResearchers have identified a key cellular mechanism that guides embryonic heart tissue formation -- a process which, if disrupted, can lead to a number of common congenital heart defects.
Stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles build new blood vessels to treat peripheral arterial diseaseFri, 19 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EDTBone marrow stem cells suspended in X-ray-visible microbubbles dramatically improve the body's ability to build new blood vessels in the upper leg -- providing a potential future treatment for those with peripheral arterial disease or PAD, say researchers.
Chemists influence stem-cell development with geometryThu, 18 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EDTScientists have successfully used geometrically patterned surfaces to influence the development of stem cells. The new approach is a departure from that of many stem-cell biologists, who focus instead on uncovering the role of proteins in controlling the fate of stem cells.
Cells of aggressive leukemia hijack normal protein to growThu, 18 Mar 2010 05:00:00 EDTResearchers have found that one particularly aggressive type of blood cancer, mixed lineage leukemia, has an unusual way to keep the molecular motors running. The cancer cells rely on the normal version of an associated protein to stay alive.
Stem cells used to model infant birth defectThu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDTResearchers recently discovered that infantile hemangiomas originate from stem cells, and have used these stem cells to better understand this tumor in the laboratory. They show that steroids target hemangioma stem cells specifically, reveal their mechanism of their action and suggest other possible ways to halt and shrink hemangiomas.