Researchers discover way to make cells in the eye sensitive to light
... melanopsin uses light at different wavelengths to regenerate itself. In some forms of hereditary blindness photoreceptors are lost entirely, but the retinal ganglion cells, the cells which signal to the brain, remain intact. The researchers believe that by activating the melanopsin, these cells may gain the ab...Spleen may be source of versatile stem cells
...n might be a source of adult stem cells that could regenerate the insulin-producing islets of the pancreas. In ...an intriguing function: when creatures like newts regenerate a lost limb or tail, production of Hox11 is radically increased. As reported in their SAGE KE arti...Zebrafish may hold key to understanding human nerve cell development
...ve cells develop and whether it may be possible to regenerate these types of cells in humans one day," said Tatjana Piotrowski, Ph.D., assistant professor of neurobiology and anatomy at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Scientists long have known that glial cells, or simply glia, are essen...Stem cell therapy for ailing hearts
...th little or no side effects." "The possibility to regenerate and to restore function of the heart after myocard...ls transform into functional heart muscle cells to regenerate damaged tissue. However, Dr. Henning suggests, these stem cells instead may release nourishing subst...Injectable gel could speed repair of torn cartilage
...heal injury, particularly since cartilage does not regenerate on its own. It most often occurs as a result of traumatic injuries, as during sports, and is most common in the knee joint, but the condition also can occur as a result of normal daily activity. Conventional treatment methods include rest, pain medic......wing injury, showed that Cis-only mice develop and regenerate structures that are both morphologically normal and fully functional. Investigating the second question of a possible alternate RET-independent GDNF receptor complex thought to involve neural cell adhesion molecules, they next examined Cis-only mous...Joslin and Stanford researchers find key clues to muscle regeneration
...r are providing new insights into how muscle cells regenerate -- leading to powerful tools to help scientists better understand diseases such as muscular dystrophy. Skeletal muscle contains a complex array of cell types. Among its principal components are multi-nucleated muscle fibers and muscle satellite cell...New program examines stem cells' potential to repair, replace damaged tissue
... better care for patients. "There are animals that regenerate whole tissues, such as salamanders that can grow new tails. Why can they and why can't we?" says Dr. Isales. The idea of regeneration in humans has always existed to some extent, he says, but now scientists have the tools to start making it happen. ...UNC Lineberger researchers identify molecular markers of aging
...we grow old in part because our bodies' ability to regenerate tissues decreases as we age," Sharpless said. "We believe an untoward effect of increased p16INK4a and ARF expression outside of cancer is a decrease in cellular proliferation needed to sustain this regeneration." The researchers also f...Children's Hospital Boston geneticist awarded for research on muscular dystrophy
...phin genes. "We all have the natural capacity to regenerate muscles," Kunkel says. "Why not make use of that regenerative capacity and use it to deliver missing genes?" Using this approach, his lab has gotten 5 percent of mouse muscles to begin making dystrophin, Kunkel expects this to increase to 20 percent....