Stem cells: News

Regenerative medicine specialists Mesoblast announced this week that it has convened an extraordinary general meeting with shareholders to vote on the proposed acquisition of the company’s US partner Angioblast Systems.

Regenerative medicine specialists Mesoblast today announced that it has provided market guidance to the FDA regarding its Phase 3 bone marrow transplantation program, which it hopes will create more options for patients as well as a reduction in incidences of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

An 11-year old Irish boy has become the world’s first child to receive a transplant of a new trachea grown from his own stem cells, the BBC has reported.

Two research groups connected with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute this week published the results of studies which highlight crucial differences between embryonic and induced pluripotent stem iPS cells.

Australia’s research funding culture favours experienced scientists at the expense of promoting young researchers with great potential. Changes must be made if the future of Australian science is to be placed in safe hands.

How does an embryonic stem (ES) cell ‘know’ how to become one of the 200 plus adult cells into which it can transform? What does it need in terms of chemical, signalling and environmental cues to become, for example, blood, skin, nerve, heart or pancreas?

Embryonic stem (ES) cells - those karyotypically normal immortal cell lines that can give rise to all other cell types of that organism - are believed to hold great promise for therapeutic applications.

The developmental fate of cells was once thought to be determined when they began travelling down the road of differentiation, but research has shown that the identity of adult cells can be manipulated, opening intriguing prospects of using cellular reprogramming for therapeutic purposes.

Melbourne-based Mesoblast, developer of stem cell therapies, has bought out all remaining shares of its US-based associate company, Angioblast Systems.

It’s not just the Big Three – CSL,ResMed and Cochlear – with high hopes for 2010. Many other Australian biotechnology companies are either in the final stages of trials and are close to gaining regulatory approval, or they are in the initial stages of commercialising their products, with several forming strategic partnerships to expand into new and lucrative overseas markets.