Stem cell use during lung transplantation may expand organ donor pool.

A study holds promise that in the future, the use of stem cells during the transplant process may eliminate the need for a perfect match. 

Read more here: http://www.vchri.ca/feature-stories/articles/2015/06/22/stem-cell-use-during-lung-transplantation-may-expand-organ-donor

Scientists grow a limb with stem cells.

Mind-controlled robotic limbs for amputees are growing more sophisticated all the time -- but a challenger has appeared. Human limb transplant surgery using the patient's own biological material could one day be an actuality.

The proof of concept, published this week in the journal Biomaterials, is the limb of a rat, grown in a lab by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, with functioning vascular (veins) and muscle tissue.

 "We have shown that we can maintain the matrix of all of these tissues in their natural relationships to each other, that we can culture the entire construct over prolonged periods of time, and that we can repopulate the vascular system and musculature."

Read more here.  http://www.globalhacknews.com/2015/06/for-first-time-scientists-have-created.html

Scientists grow ‘miniature stomachs’ from stem cells, which could patch up ulcers one day.

Scientists have used human stem cells to create functional, 3-D stomach tissue -- in effect, little miniature versions of the organ in its earliest stages of development. This is a first, and the grown tissue will allow researchers to better study illnesses of the stomach, like those that cause ulcers and even cancer. The tissue may even be used as a treatment in and of itself by way of tiny grated patches that would grow over ulcerated stomachs.

Read more here.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/10/29/scientists-grow-miniature-stomachs-from-stem-cells-which-could-patch-up-ulcers-one-day/

Trial Of Stem Cell Transplants Yields Positive Results For Patients With MS

A small trial in the US which set out to investigate the safety and efficacy of stem cell therapy for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has yielded promising results three years into the study. After wiping out the patients’ immune systems and then repopulating them with stem cells, the majority of participants sustained remission of active MS and had improvements in neurological function.

Multiple sclerosis is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system, affecting some 2.3 million people worldwide. It’s an inflammatory disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the protective covering of nerves, called myelin. This means that communication between cells of the nervous system is slowed, disrupting the flow of information to and from the brain.

Read more here:  http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/trial-stem-cell-transplants-yields-positive-results-patients-ms

Stem cell transplants for Parkinson’s disease edging closer!

A major breakthrough in the development of stem cell-derived brain cells has put researchers on a firm path towards the first ever stem cell transplantations in people with Parkinson’s disease. A new study presents the next generation of transplantable dopamine neurons produced from stem cells. These cells carry the same properties as the dopamine neurons found in the human brain.

Read more here.    http://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/article/stem-cell-transplants-for-parkinsons-disease-edging-closer