Inside these posts: stem cells

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Researchers make key memory cells in lab dish

U.S. researchers have coaxed stem cells into becoming a type of brain cell that dies off early in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The new technology would provide a ready supply of cells for use in testing new drugs or even transplants to help restore lost memory, the team reported on Friday in the journal Stem Cell.

While most Alzheimer’s research is done in genetically modified mice, the new technique would allow researchers to study a key aspect of the disease in human cells. “These are cells that are critically important for memory functions,” said Dr. Jack Kessler of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who worked on the study. Get the full story »

Doctor: Getting into stem cells study will be tough

Only eight people will take part in the first known clinical trial testing the safety of embryonic stem cells in humans and each patient will go through a very stringent selection process, the lead researcher of the study said on Monday. Get the full story »

Zell an investor in Cellular Dynamics

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel | Madison-based Cellular Dynamics, the company created by stem cell pioneer James Thompson, confirmed on Tuesday it has raised $40.6 million of private equity funding. The round was led by Tactics II Stem Cell Ventures, with Sam Zell’s Equity Group Investments LLC and Sixth Floor Investors LP participating in the round. This brings the total amount of money raised by the company to $70 million.

Get the full story: jsonline.com.