Genetically engineered stem cells can help rats’ severed spinal cords grow back together, according to a study published Tuesday. There is a strong possibility that they will work similarly for humans.

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Gene therapy, in which a viral vector is used to modify defective genes or replace missing ones, has shown significant potential as a way of treating disease in animal models. However its use in humans has been hampered by safety concerns. So researchers have been looking into the possibility of using nonviral vectors, which should carry fewer inherent risks, to deliver therapeutic genes.

In a paper published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists from State University of New York report that silicon nanoparticles has been successfully used in mice.
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Researchers from the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the University of Cincinnati (UC), led by Jose Cancelas, MD, PhD, and David Williams, MD, found that a group of proteins known as the RAC GTPase family plays a significant role in regulating the location and movement of stem cells in bone marrow.

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The Catholic Church will fund a $100,000 grant for research on stem cells, further signalling its guarded support for some experimentation with some types of human cells.

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Cord Blood Registry (CBR), the leader in the rapidly growing market for family cord blood banking, reported record sales and growth in the first six months of 2005 compared to the same period in 2004.

For the first half of 2005, CBR reported:
– Enrollment growth of 122% over the first half of 2004
– Revenue growth of 116% over the first half of 2004
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Colorado Rep. Diana DeGette is not surprised that the U.S. Senate has yet to debate the stem- cell research bill she shepherded through the House of Representatives two months ago. But she is disappointed, yet determined to see this through.

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The picture of health, Tony Wagner plays soccer, hockey and golf and is, in the words of his father, “just as obnoxious as a 12-year-old boy can be.” He scarcely remembers anything from his life-threatening bout with leukemia seven years ago, and nothing at all from his life-saving transplant of hematopoietic stem cells, derived from the blood found in umbilical cords.

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Results of a study show that stem cell therapy can be used effectively to treat heart attacks in pigs. In just two months, stem cells harvested from another pig’s bone marrow and injected into the animal’s damaged heart restored heart function and repaired damaged heart muscle by 50 percent to 75 percent.

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For a child with blood cancer, getting a stem cell transplant often involves long stays at the hospital, with much of the time spent in isolation. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has produced a new coloring book designed to help children confront their fears and anxieties by presenting information about this difficult experience in a fun, child appropriate format. The coloring book offers encouragement and support during the hospital stay, while also providing entertainment.

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U.S. Senator Arlen Specter and Majority Leader Bill Frist are headed for a showdown. The confrontation that’s looming is over something close to Specter’s heart, his stem-cell bill.

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