Tag Stem cells

Wisconsin scientists grow two new stem cell lines in animal cell-free culture

January 1, 2006

Scientists working at the WiCell Research Institute, a private laboratory affiliated with UW–Madison, have developed a precisely defined stem cell culture system free of animal cells and used it to derived two new human embryonic stem cell lines.

Transplanted stem cells show promise for mending broken hearts

December 20, 2005

Working with heart attack-stricken mice, a team of UW–Madison scientists has shown that embryonic stem cells may one day live up to their clinical promise.

Engineered stem cells show promise for sneaking drugs into the brain

December 15, 2005

One of the great challenges for treating Parkinson's diseases and other neurodegenerative disorders is getting medicine to the right place in the brain. UW–Madison neuroscientist Clive Svendsen and his colleagues show how engineered human brain cells, transplanted into the brains of rats and monkeys, can integrate into the brain and deliver medicine where it is needed.

Study suggests treatment for fatal nervous system disorder

December 12, 2005

Working with mice, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers have developed the basis for a therapeutic strategy that could provide hope for children afflicted with Krabbe's disease, a fatal nervous system disorder.

Chancellor’s statement regarding Governor’s veto of AB 499

November 4, 2005

Gov. Jim Doyle's veto Thursday (Nov. 3) of Assembly Bill 499 was an important step to preserve Wisconsin's leadership in the burgeoning field of embryonic stem cell research. The bill would have criminalized a promising form of biomedical research.

WiCell receives $16 million NIH grant to create national stem cell bank

October 3, 2005

The WiCell Research Institute has been selected by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish the federal government's first and only National Stem Cell Bank (NSCB), it was announced today at a news conference in Madison.

Nanoscale research receives big boost

September 30, 2005

The National Science Foundation has awarded the UW–Madison Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) nearly $14.8 million over the next six years to continue its leading-edge research on the interfaces of materials at the nanoscale.

Statement from Chancellor John Wiley on Assembly Bill 499

September 28, 2005

The failure of the Wisconsin State Senate to amend Assembly Bill 499, which effectively criminalizes a promising area of biomedical research, sends a frightening message to Wisconsin's research community. Scientists in many fields view this with alarm.

$3.4 million directed to key MS study

August 10, 2005

In an effort to develop new techniques to repair and protect the nervous system in multiple sclerosis patients, including the use of human stem cells, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society has awarded $3.4 million to a team of UW–Madison scientists.

UW-Madison gains two new stem cell programs

April 26, 2005

Capitalizing on its across-the-board-strengths in stem cell research, UW–Madison will add two new stem cell programs to its portfolio.

Stem cell scientists make progress toward ALS treatment

April 19, 2005

Unveiling a delivery method that may one day help surgeons treat the deadly neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), researchers at UW–Madison have inserted engineered human stem cells into the spinal cords of ALS-afflicted rats.

Scientists rid stem cell culture of key animal cells

February 17, 2005

Tackling a pressing and controversial technical barrier in stem cell biology, scientists at the WiCell Research Institute and UW–Madison have crafted a recipe that allows researchers to grow human embryonic stem cells in the absence of mouse-derived "feeder" cells, long thought to be a source of potential contamination for the therapeutically promising cells.

Team receives $1.25 million grant for stem cell research

February 3, 2005

A multidisciplinary team led by James Thomson has received a $1.25 million grant for stem cell research from the W.M. Keck Foundation of Los Angeles.

Scientists grow critical nerve cells

January 31, 2005

After years of trial and error, scientists have coaxed human embryonic stem cells to become spinal motor neurons, critical nervous system pathways that relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body.

Wisconsin poised to invest $750 million in biomedical research

November 20, 2004

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, taking a swing at keeping Wisconsin competitive in the superheated world of biomedical research, announced today (Nov. 17) that over the next several years Wisconsin would invest up to $750 million, including more than $500 million in new facilities and direct research support for scientists at UW–Madison.

UW-Madison launches stem cell research program

April 16, 2004

To gather a burgeoning number of stem cell researchers into a cohesive community and leverage new resources, UW–Madison has established the new Wisconsin Stem Cell Research Program.

DHEA boosts growth rate of human neural stem cells

February 18, 2004

Human neural stem cells, exposed in a lab dish to the steroid DHEA, exhibit a remarkable uptick in growth rates, suggesting that the hormone may play a role in helping the brain produce new cells, according to a new study published this week in the online editions of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Stem cells illuminate early stages of human development

December 22, 2003

A team from the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center has taken some of the first critical steps to putting stem cells to use to understand early development and maternal and fetal health.

Stem cell pioneer receives 2003 Frank Annunzio Award

October 13, 2003

James Thomson, the UW–Madison scientist who was the first to isolate and culture human embryonic stem cells five years ago, has been named the recipient of the 2003 Frank Annunzio Award from the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, an independent federal government agency.

WiCELL earns designation as national stem cell center

September 29, 2003

The WiCell Research Institute, a non-profit subsidiary of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, has been named as one of three Exploratory Centers for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in the nation by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.