Guest Dr. Chad Cowan is a Principal Investigator and Associate Professor in Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. Chad joins the hosts to talk about CRISPR and its uses with stem cell biology to study disease. Featured Resource: Investigating Metabolic Disease with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Webinar Resources and Links E-Cigarettes Can Lead Teens to Higher Smoking Rates in Teens – According to this article, teens who vaped liquids containing higher concentrations of nicotine reported heavier and more frequent smoking and vaping six months later. 9 Million People Died from Pollution in 2015 – This article reports that in the most severely polluted countries, 25 percent of premature deaths could be attributed to pollution, especially in the air. Laws to Protect Athletes from Concussion Dangers Has an Impact – According to this article, more than 2½ years after the laws to protect young athletes against the dangers of concussions went on the books, repeat concussions began to decline among high school athletes. Inbreeding Impairs Reproductive Success – In this article, mating with a close relative, known as inbreeding, reduces human evolutionary fitness — measured by the ability to produce offspring. Method to Accelerate Maturation of Neurons Derived from Stem Cells – This article reveals that hydrogel can be used as a scaffold for engineering artificial brain tissue and promotes the development of neurons. Mutation Plus Sun Tanning (Really UV Exposure) Causes Skin Cancer – In this article, a group of scientists based at Cornell University now report that melanoma may arise from melanocyte stem cells (MCSCs), specifically, MCSCs that have become “melanoma competent” because they have accumulated a sufficient number of genetic mutations. Naked Mole Rat Cells Have a Stable Epigenome that Resists iPSC Reprogramming – Researchers observed that the reprogramming efficiency of naked mole rat fibroblasts in response to OSKM was drastically lower than that of mouse fibroblasts. Generation of a Motor Nerve Organoid with Human Stem Cell-Derived Neurons – According to this article, to build an organoid mimicking developing nerve tissue, researchers employed a strategy that allowed the neurons to follow the cell-intrinsic axon growth and fasciculation programs with minimal intervention. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Chad Cowan Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina Medical Center, Catherine Coombs, talks to us about her work and her recent paper in Cell Stem Cell on the subject of clonal hematopoiesis. Featured Resource: Targeting Self-Renewal Function in Normal Hematopoietic and Leukemic Stem Cells Webinar Resources and Links An Estimated 124 Million Boys and Girls Are Now in the Highest Weight Range – The rising trends in children's and adolescents' BMI have plateaued in many high-income countries, albeit at high levels, but have accelerated in parts of Asia, with trends no longer correlated with those of adults. Global Survey Finds Pesticides in Much of World’s Honey – The authors report that neonicotinoid pesticides are turning up in honey on every continent with honeybees. Gun Waiting Periods Could Save Lives – A new study funded by Harvard Business School suggests that one policy—a mandatory waiting period between the sale of a gun and its delivery—could save hundreds of U.S. lives each year if implemented nationally. Dogs Learn While Sleeping – Scientists reveal that dogs learn when sleeping—just like people, a study done by researchers in Hungary with the use of electroencephalograms (EEGs) says. Establishment of Mouse Expanded Potential Stem Cells – According to this article, the most versatile stem cells ever created called "expanded-potential stem cells" (EPSCs) could enable researchers to better understand the biological mechanisms behind many failed early pregnancies. Dentists Get Cracking on the Stem Cell Front – A team of researchers from the University of Nevada Las Vegas have developed a device they hilarious call the "Tooth Cracker 5000" to extract 80 percent of the stem cells a pulp contains from a wisdom tooth. Bioengineering of Functional Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Intestinal Grafts – Scientists have built a new rat intestine by combining part of the animal’s own bowel with human stem cells hoping that one day, this method could be used in humans with intestinal problems who currently have to rely on organ transplants. A Cause for Permanent Hair Loss – A team of scientists from Mumbai have uncovered a cause for permanent hair loss - over-expression of a protein called phospholipase A2-IIA could be the cause for hair loss in mice. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Catherine Coombs Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest Sierra Marable is a graduate student in the Molecular and Developmental Biology Graduate Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She previously worked at the Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP) at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina where she became interested in stem cell research while researching induced pluripotent stem cells as a method for modeling development and disease at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Sierra joins the show to talk to us about her research and life as a graduate student. Featured Resource: Neural Stem Cells Wallchart Resources and Links Cracking the Body Clock Code Wins Trio a Nobel Prize – Three Americans, Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young are recognized and won the Nobel Prize for discovering the cellular gears that drive circadian rhythms. A Single Mutation in the prM Protein of Zika Virus Contributes to Fetal Microcephaly – A single genetic mutation made the Zika virus far more dangerous by enhancing its ability to kill nerve cells in developing brains. Bed Bug Aggregation on Dirty Laundry: A Mechanism for Passive Dispersal – In the absence of humans to latch onto, bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) flock to dirty clothing. Prevalence of Concussion Among US Adolescents and Correlated Factors – Scientists report that about 20 percent of U.S. adolescents have had at least one concussion. Trispecific Broadly Neutralizing HIV Antibodies Mediate Potent SHIV Protection in Macaques – According to this article, combining the antibodies, called broadly neutralizing antibodies, may stop more strains of HIV than any single one can do alone. Senate Panel Blocks NIH From Revising Translational Research Awards – The authors report that a congressional spending panel has backed scientists running a $516 million network of bench-to-bedside research centers in their fight with the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, over how it manages the network. Organoid Cystogenesis Reveals a Critical Role of Microenvironment in Human Polycystic Kidney Disease – By creating and manipulating mini-kidney organoids grown from human stem cells that contain a realistic micro-anatomy, UW Medicine researchers can now track the early stages of polycystic kidney disease. A Reversible Haploid Mouse Embryonic Stem Cell Biobank Resource for Functional Genomics – Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Science developed a biobank of revertible, mutant embryonic stem cells. High-Throughput Microfluidic Labyrinth for the Label-Free Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells – This article reveals a new chip with a labyrinth design that promises big improvements in detecting rare and aggressive cancer cells in the blood, helping doctors to anticipate tumor growth and plan customized treatments for their patients. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Sierra Marable Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Jack Parent is a professor of neurology, director of the Neurodevelopment and Regeneration Laboratory, and co-director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in the University of Michigan Medical School. Featured Resource: CloneR™ Defined Supplement for Single-Cell Cloning of Human ES and iPS Cells Resources and Links Potential Role of Intratumor Bacteria in Mediating Tumor Resistance to the Chemotherapeutic Drug Gemcitabine – Tumor cells grown with bacteria could stave off a common chemotherapy drug gemcitabine because some bacteria can inactivate it. Seasonal Cycling in the Gut Microbiome of the Hadza Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania – The microbiota of a group of hunter-gatherers in Tanzania undergo changes in composition depending on seasonal changes in their diets. Hawai’i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation – Six scientists emerged from eight months of earthly isolation atop Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano in a NASA-funded experiment intended to simulate the social isolation of a Mars mission and explore the resulting psychological effects. Once-Abundant Ash Tree and Antelope Species Face Extinction – IUCN Red List – Populations of North America’s ash trees are in dramatic decline as a result of infections with invasive emerald ash borer beetles, with all but one the continent’s six species reclassified as critically endangered—one category away from extinction. UCLA Opens First Engineered Blood Stem Cell Clinical Trial for Cancers with the NY-ESO-1 Tumor Marker – UCLA opens first engineered blood stem cell clinical trial for cancers with the NY-ESO-1 tumor marker. Replacing Reprogramming Factors with Antibodies Selected from Combinatorial Antibody Libraries – Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute led by Kristin Baldwin have found a new approach to the "reprogramming" of ordinary adult cells into stem cells. Human Stem Cells Alter the Invasive Properties of Somatic Cells via Paracrine Activation of mTORC1 – Scientists from Markus Hengstschläger's team at the Institute of Medical Genetics of MedUni Vienna have discovered the phenomenon of the "language of stem cells” where stem cells control the cells around them, inducing them to perform specific functions. Cytoplasmic and Nuclear TAZ Exert Distinct Functions in Regulating Primed Pluripotency – A protein called TAZ can convey very different signals—depending upon not only which variety of stem cell, but also which part of the stem cell receives it. An In Vitro Model of Lissencephaly: Expanding the Role of DCX during Neurogenesis – This article reports that by reprogramming skin cells into nerve cells, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are creating cell models of the human brain. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Jack Parent Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: For the interview portion of the show of our 100th episode, we welcome Kevin McCormack from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, or CIRM, to talk about all of CIRM’s progress, past, present, and future...CIRM was created in 2004 to translate stem cell discoveries into therapies, and we will talk to Kevin about the progress this funding has made. Featured Resource: mTeSR™1 cGMP, Feeder-Free Maintenance Medium for Human ES and iPS Cells Resources and Links First Hurricane Harvey, Now Irma: Is Climate Change to Blame for Destructive Storms? – The connection between climate change and hurricanes is to say that climate change doesn't cause individual storms, but it can make them stronger than they would have been otherwise. Multicohort Analysis Reveals Baseline Transcriptional Predictors of Influenza Vaccination Responses – A set of nine genes can signal whether a young adult will develop a strong response to the flu vaccine. Zika Virus Has Oncolytic Activity Against Glioblastoma Stem Cells – Zika virus can infect and kill stem cells in human glioblastoma tissue, without infecting healthy brain cells. Human iPS Cell-Derived Dopaminergic Neurons Function in a Primate Parkinson’s Disease Model – The Jun Takahashi lab shows monkeys with Parkinson's disease symptoms show significant improvement over two years after being transplanted neurons prepared from human iPS cells. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Kevin McCormack Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Chandan Sen is Professor and Vice Chair of Research, Department of Surgery at The Ohio State University Medical Center.  Dr. Sen’s program is focused on tissue injury and repair. His group works across small and large animal models, to human and patient-based research. Resources and Links Embryos Kill Off Male Tissue to Become Female – A protein called COUP-TFII is necessary to eliminate male reproductive tissue from female mouse embryos. How an Itch Makes Its Way to Your Brain – Scientists have found the spot in your brain that makes you itch when others scratch. A New Tool to Improve Lyme Disease Diagnoses – This article reports that a new testing method can distinguish between early Lyme disease and a similar tick-borne illness. Gene Editing Creates Virus-Free Piglets – Researchers used molecular scissors known as CRISPR/Cas9 to snip embedded viruses out of pig DNA. Stem Cells May Be the Link Between Bacteria and Cancer – An interdisciplinary research team at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin in collaboration with researchers in Stanford, California, have now discovered that the bacterium Helicobacter pylori sends stem cell renewal in the stomach into overdrive – and stem cell turnover has been suspected by many scientists to play a role in the development of cancer. Stem Cells to Solve Hair Loss? – Researchers from UCLA have found a way to successfully reactivate stem cells in dormant hair follicles to promote hair growth in mice. Estrogen Receptor Stem Cells Found in Mammary Glands – Researchers have now identified a novel lineage-restricted stem cell in the mammary gland which in the future, will be used to assess whether the clinical heterogeneity observed in breast cancers arises from their different cancer cell of origin. Vitamin C Could Help Kill "Faulty" Blood Cancer Stem Cells – According to this article, vitamin C may 'tell' faulty stem cells in the bone marrow to mature and die normally, instead of multiplying to cause blood cancers. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Chandan Sen Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Dustin Wakeman is Senior Research Scientist at RxGen and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Yale School of Medicine.  Dr. Wakeman focuses his career on determining the long-term therapeutic value of stem cell therapy in neurodegenerative disorders. His interests include stem cell-based therapeutics, disease modeling, neural transplantation, and morphological and molecular changes in aging and neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzheimer's and more. Featured Resource: STEMdiff™ Cerebral Organoid Kit Resources and Links Gene Editing of Human Embryos Gets Rid of a Mutation that Causes Heart Failure – Molecular scissors known as CRISPR/Cas9 corrected a gene defect that can lead to heart failure. Mice with a Mutation Linked to Autism Affect Their Littermates’ Behavior – This article suggests that genetically normal littermates behave like mice that carry an autism-related mutation, despite not having the mutation themselves. One in Three U.S. Adults Takes Opioids, and Many Misuse Them – The National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that in an in-person survey of more than 50,000 people, researchers estimated that 91.8 million, or 37.8 percent, of adults used prescription opioids in 2015. Stem Cell Brain Implants Could 'Slow Ageing and Extend Life', Study Shows – This article reveals that scientists have slowed down the ageing process by implanting stem cells into the brains of animals, raising hopes for new strategies to combat age-related diseases and extend the human lifespan. ONC201 May Inhibit Cancer Stem Cell Self-Renewals by Altering Their Gene Expression – According to this article, ONC201 alters the gene expression of cancer stem cell markers and signaling pathways prior to killing the tumor cells, providing pharmacodynamic biomarkers of response. Researchers Develop New Way to Develop Purer Insulin-Producing Stem Cells – Researchers have found that the cell surface protein glycoprotein 2 allowed them to isolate the pancreatic endoderm cells; enabling them to get a purer sample of cells which could increase their effectiveness and safety when implanted into humans. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Dustin Wakeman Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Mark Tomishima is an Associate Laboratory Member and Sloan Kettering Institute Stem Cell Research Facility Manager. Mark joins us to talk about all things stem cells, including his latest published work on standardizing protocols that start with pluripotent stem cells. Featured Resource: FreSR™-S Animal Component-Free Medium for Freezing ES and iPS Cells as Single Cells Resources and Links Cows to Produce HIV Antibodies – This article reveals that in a first for any animal, including humans, four cows injected with a type of HIV protein rapidly produced powerful antibodies against the virus. The Impacts of Rising Temperatures on Aircraft Takeoff Performance – Steadily rising mean and extreme temperatures as a result of climate change will likely impact the air transportation system over the coming decades. CRISPR to Store Movies in DNA – A team from Harvard University use the current trendy gene-editing system CRISPR to encode images and a short movie into the DNA of living bacteria. Beverage Intake During Pregnancy and Childhood Adiposity – The more sugary beverages a mom drank during mid-pregnancy, the heavier her kids were in elementary school compared with kids whose mothers consumed less of the drinks. Just One Night of Poor Sleep Can Boost Alzheimer’s Proteins – This article reports that sleep deprivation increases amyloid-β, suggesting that chronically disrupted sleep may promote amyloid plaques and other downstream Alzheimer’s disease pathologies including tauopathy or inflammation. Innate Reaction of Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Severe Infections – Researchers have shown that hematopoietic stem cells detect infectious agents themselves and begin to divide – that is, without signals from growth factors. New Approach to Kill Tumor Cells in the Brain – A team of investigators from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have developed cancer-killing viruses that can deliver stem cells via the carotid artery, and applied them to metastatic tumors in the brains of clinically relevant mouse models. Human Cells from Schizophrenia Patients Injected into Newborn Mice Render Them Schizophrenic Like – Lab mice whose brains were injected with cells from schizophrenia patients became afraid of strangers, slept fitfully, felt intense anxiety, struggled to remember new things, and showed other signs of the mental disorder. Bioengineered Arteries Grown from Stem Cells – Scientists have produced cells that grow into fully functional arteries and are on their way to clinical applications. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Mark Tomishima Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Robert Hancock is a Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, UBC, and a Canada Research Chair in Health and Genomics. Bob has published more than 660 papers and reviews, and has 50 patents awarded. The fundamental interest of Dr. Hancock and his laboratory is in designing new therapeutic strategies to treat infections in the light of increasing antibiotic resistance coupled with a dearth of new antibiotic discovery. Recently his team and their collaborators at the University of British Columbia have created an innovative technique for studying how chlamydia interacts with the human immune system. The researchers used a combination of gene editing and stem cell technologies to make the model. The results, reported in Nature Communications, identify novel drug targets for the sexually transmitted disease. Featured Resource: ImmunoCult™ Activation, Expansion, Maintenance and Differentiation of Immune Cells Resources and Links Genetic Loci Associated with Coronary Artery Disease Harbor Evidence of Selection and Antagonistic Pleiotropy – Researchers report that some gene versions stuck around because fertility advantage outweighs heart disease risk. Do It Yourself Vaccinations? – According to this article, Band-Aid‒like patch studded with dissolving microneedles can safely and effectively deliver a dose of influenza vaccine. Stats to Help Prevent Gun Injury in Children – The authors report that new numbers on firearm deaths and injuries provide most in-depth look yet at impact of firearm violence on children. Scientists Have Uncovered the Atomic Structure of a Key Alzheimer's Protein for The First Time – Scientists have revealed the chemical structure of one of the key markers of Alzheimer's disease, capturing high-resolution images of the abnormal tau protein deposits suspected to be behind Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative conditions. 'Stem-Cell Tourism' Needs Tighter Controls, Say Medical Experts – Stem-cell tourism involving patients who travel to developing countries for treatment with unproven and potentially risky therapies should be more tightly regulated. Guiding Neural Stem Cells with Electrical Stimulation – When scientists applied electric current to human neural stem cells injected into rats’ brains, the cells moved toward the animals’ subventricular zone and lateral ventricle, instead of toward their olfactory bulb, the default destination. New In Vitro Model to Test Drugs for Colon Cancer – The first-ever "disease in a Petri dish" platform that models human colon cancer derived from stem cells has been developed by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators, allowing them to identify a targeted drug treatment for a common, inherited form of the disease. Integrin α7 Is a Functional Marker and Potential Therapeutic Target in Glioblastoma – Researchers used generation and screening of thousands of monoclonal antibodies to search for receptors and signaling pathways preferentially enriched in glioblastoma stem-like cells. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Robert Hancock Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Darrell Kotton is a David C. Seldin Professor of Medicine and works as the Director in the Center for Regenerative Medicine of Boston University and Boston Medical Center. Dr. Kotton’s research focuses on stem cell biology and gene therapy related to lung injury and repair. Dr. Kotton’s laboratory currently utilizes several stem cell populations, including bone marrow-derived stem cells and embryonic stem cells in order to develop novel stem cell-based therapies for lung disease. In addition, Dr. Kotton specializes in the genetic manipulation of stem cells as well as resident lung cells using lentiviral vectors. Featured Resource: PneumaCult™ Culture System for Airway Epithelial Cells Resources and Links A Newly Discovered See through Frog – A newly discovered glass frog from Ecuador’s Amazon lowlands (Hyalinobatrachium yaku) has a belly so transparent that the heart, kidneys and urine bladder are clearly visible. A Possible Mechanism to the Cause of Parkinson’s Disease – In a blood test, immune cells called T cells became activated when exposed to the protein in about 40 percent of Parkinson’s patients. A Protein Made by the Fetus May Lead to Preeclampsia in Moms – Researchers report that in some women, the pregnancy condition preeclampsia, which can cause blood pressure to soar, may be triggered by DNA variations carried by the fetus. How Facial Recognition Changes Wasp Brain – Biologist Ali Berens of Georgia Tech and her colleagues set up recognition exercises of faces and basic patterns for P. fuscatus wasps and P. metricus wasps — a species that doesn’t naturally recognize faces but can be trained to do so in the lab. Clinical Trial to Begin with Cells Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells – The authors report that surgeons in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou will carefully drill through the skulls of people with Parkinson’s disease and inject 4 million immature neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells into their brains. Compound in Grapes Can Kill Colon Cancer Stem Cells – The compounds — resveratrol — which are found in grape skins and seeds, could also eventually lead to treatments to help prevent colon cancer, said Jairam K.P. Vanamala, associate professor of food sciences, Penn State. Stem Cell Scientist to Run for Congress – Scientists report that stem-cell researcher Hans Keirstead, 50, announced that he will try to unseat California’s Rep. Dana Rohrabacher. Using Stem Cells to Understand How Chlamydia Does Its Damage – Using a gene-editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9, the researchers are able to alter the properties of white blood cells in specific ways to see how chlamydia bacteria are able to penetrate and overwhelm cells, according to microbiologist Robert Hancock of the University of British Columbia. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Darrell Kotton Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe