Schepens scientists regenerate optic nerve for the first time
Boston, Mass. For the first time, scientists have regenerated a damaged optic nerve -- from the eye to the brain. This achievement, which occurred in laboratory mice and is described in the March 1, 2005 issue of the Journal of Cell Science, holds great promise for victims of diseases that destroy the optic nerve, and for sufferers of central nervous system injuries. "For us, this is a dream bec...MGH researchers find way of regenerating cells key to hearing
Selectively turning off a protein that controls the growth and division of cells could allow regeneration of the inner ear's hair cells, which convert sound vibrations into nerve impulses. The discovery by a research team based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) runs counter to current beliefs about these cells and could eventually lead to ways of preventing or treating hearing loss. The r...New clue to nerve growth may help regeneration efforts
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered how one family of proteins repels growing nerves and keeps them properly on track during development. The finding, described in the Dec. 16 issue of , might provide a chance to overcome the proteins' later role in preventing regrowth of injured nerves, the researchers say....... The proteins, known as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs), have long b...Federal funds given for regenerative medicine center
Case Western Reserve University, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) and University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) have been awarded $4.5 million in seed funding to establish the National Center for Regenerative Medicine as part of the omnibus appropriation bill approved by Congress this week. ...Additional funding for the center is expected over the next five years....... The center's research f...Skeletal muscle cells could be source of stem cells for regenerating nerve tissue
This release is also available in <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/staticrel.php?view=LancetSaS...">German. Cells from skeletal muscle could be an important source of stem cells for repairing damaged muscle or nerve tissue, suggest authors of a research article in this week's issue of THE LANCET....... A group of cells called skeletal-muscle satellite cells are able to regenerate muscle fibres...Northwestern University receives $7.5 million for regenerative medicine
EVANSTON, Ill. --- A group of seven Northwestern University scientists, engineers and physicians who are tackling two critical health problems -- the treatment of paralysis and diabetes -- has received $7.5 million over five years from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).... ...The grant is part of NIBIB's Bioengineer...Researchers invent way to determine optimal conditions for spinal cord nerve regen in lab animals
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Mayo Clinic researchers have created a method for measuring the growth of new spinal cord nerve fibers in rats, an advance that allows them to quickly determine nerve regeneration rate and what variables in the nerve-growth environment best support it. ...... The finding is important because it is a first step in laboratory animal models that will help scientists refine and im...Early signs that adult bone-marrow stem cells could regenerate brain tissue
Findings of a preliminary study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggest that transplanted adult bone-marrow cells could regenerate nerve cells in the brains of human stem-cell recipients. These early findings, if confirmed in future research, have implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease.... ...Ethical concerns over the use of embryonic stem cel...Regeneration of insulin-producing islets may lead to diabetes cure
Cells from an unexpected source, the spleen, appear to develop into insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells in adult animals. This surprising finding from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers, published in the Nov. 14 issue of Science, is a followup to the same team's 2001 report of a treatment that cures advanced type 1 diabetes in mice. In discovering the biological mechanism beh...Landmark study demonstrates potential for nerve regeneration treatment of stroke
Boston, MA, June 25 A landmark study published in the June 25 print edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences demonstrates that Inosine, a naturally occurring chemical, can induce axon (nerve fiber) growth within the brain and spinal cord, and thereby improve motor function after stroke in animal models.... ...In the study, Inosine was shown to stimulate nerve cells in undam....Case Western Reserve University's School of Medicine has received a grant for $321,780 from the Ohio Board of Regents Research Challenge Fund. The grant will help the school recruit a new faculty member to the Department of Neurosciences with expertise in neural molecular genetics and help it to create a neural transgenic/behavioral testing core facility.. . The grant represents the first year....Neurobiologist Marie T. Filbin, a Distinguished Professor in the.Department of Biological Sciences of Hunter College of the City University.of New York (CUNY), has made a research breakthrough that has important.long-term therapeutic potential for victims of spinal cord injuries. . .Filbin has found a way to block the inhibiting function of the molecule MAG.(myelin-associated glycoprotein) and...