Embryonic Stem Cell Study Shows Promise

A treatment that improved the vision of two women with forms of macular degeneration could be a breakthrough for regenerative medicine after a recent setback.
Surgeons Implant Synthetic Trachea in Baltimore Man

In only the second procedure of its kind, surgeons in Sweden replaced the cancerous windpipe of a Baltimore man with one made in a laboratory.
Some Stem Cell Donors Can Be Paid, Court Rules

An appeals court says a law prohibiting payment for donated organs did not apply to stem cells extracted from circulating blood.

Panamanian-US Scientific Research Supports Using Fat Stem Cells to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

A Panamanian-led, multidisciplinary research team has published the first description of non-expanded fat stem cells in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients. "Autologous Stromal Vascular Fraction Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rationale and Clinical Safety," which appears in the January publication of the International Archives of Medicine, followed 13 rheumatoid arthritis patients ...
Monkeys' Parkinson's woes eased via stem cells

Researchers have succeeded in improving the treatment of Parkinson's disease by using human embryonic stem cells to create nerve cells that produce dopamine and then transplanting the cells into monkeys' brains. Four monkeys with Parkinson's disease — and previously unable to walk due to their symptoms — improved substantially after the human nerve cells were transplanted into their brains ...
New microfluidic device could be used to diagnose and monitor cancer and other diseases

Separating complex mixtures of cells, such as those found in a blood sample, can offer valuable information for diagnosing and treating disease. However, it may be necessary to search through billions of other cells to collect rare cells such as tumor cells, stem cells or fetal cells. “You’re basically looking for a needle in a haystack,” says Sukant Mittal, a graduate student in the Harvard-MIT ...