Lifeboat Foundation

Researchers from North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University have developed a synthetic version of a cardiac stem cell. These synthetic stem cells offer therapeutic benefits comparable to those from natural stem cells and could reduce some of the risks associated with stem cell therapies. Additionally, these cells have better preservation stability and the technology is generalizable to other types of stem cells.

Stem cell therapies work by promoting endogenous repair; that is, they aid damaged tissue in repairing itself by secreting “paracrine factors,” including proteins and genetic materials. While stem cell therapies can be effective, they are also associated with some risks of both tumor growth and immune rejection. Also, the cells themselves are very fragile, requiring careful storage and a multi-step process of typing and characterization before they can be used.

Ke Cheng, associate professor of molecular biomedical sciences at NC State, associate professor in the joint biomedical engineering program at NC State and UNC, and adjunct associate professor at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, led a team in developing the synthetic version of a cardiac stem cell that could be used in off-the-shelf applications.

The immune system part 1.

Our final episodes of Anatomy & Physiology explore the way your body keeps all that complex, intricate stuff alive and healthy — your immune system. The immune system’s responses begin with physical barriers like skin and mucous membranes, and when they’re not enough, there are phagocytes — the neutrophils and macrophages. It also features the awesomely named natural killer cells and the inflammatory response, and we’ll explain how all of these elements work together to save the day if you happen to slip on a banana peel.

Continue reading “Immune System, part 1: Crash Course A&P #45” »

Silicon Valley luminaries have teamed up to fund research into how AI can benefit humanity.

This billboard will cough every time someone smokes near it.

This is the first time you’ll actually want a case of food poisoning.

Russian and U.S. scientists are exploring a mission that may end up looking for signs of alien life in Venus’ sulfur clouds.

The genetically engineered _Drosophila melanogaster _can even signal for different types of breast cancer cells.

University of Konstanz.

Continue reading “After Genetic Tweaks, Fruit Flies Glow When They Sense Cancer” »

Scientist Carl Sagan said many times that “we are star stuff,” from the nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, and the iron in our blood.

It is well known that most of the essential elements of life are truly made in the stars. Called the “CHNOPS elements” – carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and sulfur – these are the building blocks of all life on Earth. Astronomers have now measured of all of the CHNOPS elements in 150,000 stars across the Milky Way, the first time such a large number of stars have been analyzed for these elements.

“For the first time, we can now study the distribution of elements across our Galaxy,” says Sten Hasselquist of New Mexico State University. “The elements we measure include the atoms that make up 97% of the mass of the human body.”

Experts warn that a potential IVF breakthrough could have unintended social consequences.