Stem Cells: Trials, Triumphs, and Transformations

Guest: Dr. Lorenz Studer is the founding director of the Sloan-Kettering Center for Stem Cell Biology a Member in the Developmental Biology Program and the Department of Neurosurgery and Professor in Neuroscience at Weill-Cornell Graduate School. Resources and Links Novel "Smart" Insulin Automatically Adjusts Blood Sugar in Diabetic Mouse Model – Scientists have created Ins-PBA-F, a long-lasting "smart" insulin that self-activates when blood sugar soars, eliminating the need for additional boosts of insulin, and reducing the dangers that come with inaccurate dosing. Scientists Find Mysterious Magnetism in Earth’s Inner Core – A team of U.S. and Chinese geophysicists suggests that the innermost core is rotated on its side compared to its outer layer and the team also provides new clues about how the inner core formed and began to solidify. Test for HIV in Just 15 Minutes with This $34 Smartphone Dongle – A dongle created by Columbia University researchers can turn any smartphone (whether iPhones or Android devices) into an HIV and syphilis tester. Research Team Identifies Link Between Inflammation and Type 2 Diabetes – This article describes how a Yale-led research team has identified the molecular mechanism by which insulin normally inhibits production of glucose by the liver and why this process stops working in patients with type 2 diabetes, leading to hyperglycemia. Mutations Linked to Repair of Chromosome Ends May Make Emphysema More Likely in Smokers – This press release reveals that mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene that helps repair damaged chromosome ends may make smokers, especially female smokers more susceptible to emphysema. Researchers Produce First Map of New York City Subway System Microbes – This article identifies the microbes present in the New York City subway system through a pathogen map or PathoMap and could be used for long-term, accurate disease surveillance, bioterrorism threat mitigation, and large scale health management for New York. Researchers Discover Insulin-Decreasing Hormone In Flies, Humans – A hormone called limostatin that decreases insulin production during starvation has been identified in fruit flies and humans. A Neural Biomarker of Psychological Vulnerability to Future Life Stress – This article highlights a readily assayed biomarker, threat-related amygdala reactivity, which predicts psychological vulnerability to commonly experienced stressors and represents a discrete target for intervention and prevention. New Tattoos Found on Öetzi the Iceman – New scans have revealed a total of 61 tattoos on the 5,300-year-old mummified body of Ötzi the Iceman, reigniting the debate on whether the inkings were a form of acupuncture that predates the first recorded use of the practice in China by 2,000 years. Real-Time Deformability Cytometry: On-The-Fly Cell Mechanical Phenotyping – Researchers introduce real-time deformability cytometry for continuous cell mechanical characterization of large populations with analysis rates greater than 100 cells/s. Scientists Discover 'Reset' Button For Brain's Biological Clock – Researchers at Vanderbilt University have discovered a "reset" button for the circadian or biological clock, which could pave the way for more effective treatments for seasonal affective disorder, jet lag and some of the negative health effects of shift work. Green Tea Ingredient May Target Protein To Kill Oral Cancer Cells – Penn State food scientists have found that the compound epigallocatechin-3-gallate found in green tea may trigger a cycle that kills oral cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone. U.K. Parliament Approves Controversial Three-Parent Mitochondrial Gene Therapy – This article announces that the United Kingdom’s House of Commons voted overwhelmingly today to allow British researchers to pursue a new fertility treatment using a technique called mitochondrial DNA replacement therapy that could prevent certain kinds of genetic diseases.