Milestone: Researchers have generated primordial germ cells from stem cells – a world’s first

A big step toward producing rhino gametes

13-Dec-2022 - To save the northern white rhinoceros from extinction, the BioRescue team is racing to create lab-grown egg and sperm cells of the critically endangered subspecies. The team has now reported a milestone in “Science Advances”: they have generated primordial germ cells from stem cells – a world’s ...

Stem cells organize themselves into embryoid

Study of mice could enable alternative methods to animal experiments in the medium term

21-Dec-2021 - Researchers at the University of Bonn have developed a method to generate embryo-like cell complexes from the stem cells of mice. The method provides new insights into embryonic development. In the medium term, it might also be suitable for developing tests for substances that could be harmful to ...

Fish Eyes from a Petri Dish

Scientists create retina from stem cells of bony fish

07-Sep-2021 - A research team from the Centre for Organismal Studies (COS) of Heidelberg University has demonstrated that complex retinal tissue can be cultured in a Petri dish from embryonic stem cells of bony fish. Until now, stem cells from mammals, including humans, have been used in organoid research. For ...

Stem cells in human embryos commit to specialization surprisingly early

The point when human embryonic stem cells irreversibly commit to becoming specialised has been identified by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute

22-Apr-2020 - Our biological history can be traced back to a small group of cells called embryonic stem cells, which through cell division, give rise to cells that specialise to perform a specific role in the body - a process known as differentiation. Understanding when and how embryonic stem cells specialise ...

Diversity in the brain

How millions of neurons become unique

27-Sep-2018 - How is it possible that so many different and highly specific neurons arise in the brain? A mathematic model developed by researchers from the University of Basel’s Biozentrum demonstrates that different variants of genes enable such a random diversity. The scientists describe in “Cell Reports” ...

Lab-grown neurons improve breathing in mice after spinal cord injury

08-Jun-2018 - Researchers from Drexel University College of Medicine and the University of Texas at Austin improved respiratory function in rodents with spinal cord injuries after successfully transplanting a special class of neural cells, called V2a interneurons. Their results indicate that these lab-grown ...

Functioning kidney tissue created

14-Feb-2018 - Scientists have successfully produced human kidney tissue within a living organism which is able to produce urine, a first for medical science. The study led by Professors Sue Kimber and Adrian Woolf from The University of Manchester, signifies a significant milestone in the development of ...

(Re)-acquiring the potential to become everything

20-Dec-2017 - A new study identifies a specific population of pluripotent embryonic stem cells that can reprogram to totipotent-like cells in culture. Moreover, the scientists of Helmholtz Zentrum München and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) have identified bottlenecks and drivers of this ...

Bacteria may help babies' digestive tracts more than suspected, scientists find

09-Nov-2017 - Some of the first living things to greet a newborn baby do a lot more than coo or cuddle. In fact, they may actually help the little one's digestive system prepare for a lifetime of fighting off dangerous germs. But these living things aren't parents, grandparents or siblings - they're helpful ...

Advance furthers stem cells for use in drug discovery, cell therapy

17-Jul-2017 - Since highly versatile human stem cells were discovered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison nearly 20 years ago, their path to the market and clinic has been slowed by a range of complications. Both embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells are valued for their ability to form ...