Blog | HemaCare

A recent independent study cites using HemaCare-sourced immune cells to investigate a protein involved in gene activation during hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development. ^[1]

The study, published by scientists at the Yokohama Institute in Japan, is focused on the function of a protein known as RUNX1. The reason RUNX1 is of particular interest is that it’s implicated in the development of a number of different types of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer, and acute myeloid leukemia. ^[2] In the latter case, defects in the gene that codes for the RUNX1 protein disrupt stem cell differentiation. This means that instead of normal development into mature cell types, there is a massive build-up of blast cells in the bone marrow, which is the hallmark of leukemia. Scientists have known since 2001 ^[3] that the RUNX1 protein is involved in the differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells into mature blood cells. But in order to target RUNX1’s role in cancer development, researchers need a much more in-depth knowledge of exactly how the protein is exerting its function.

Because many people with Lyme disease do not fully recover with antibiotics alone, many are seeking stem cell treatments as an option.

Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of blacklegged ticks (deer tick, Ixodes scapularis) infected with Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. A number of debilitating and long-lasting symptoms can include the development of a distinctive skin rash (erythema migrans), fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches. Due to the nonspecific and diverse symptoms, Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed and can progress to serious conditions of the heart, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems.

Studying the biological processes that lead to the development of heart disease is essential in the study of preventive and therapeutic approaches to combat the illness.

One in every four deaths in the US is due to heart disease, and the most common type is coronary heart disease caused by arteriosclerosis, a hardening and thickening of the arteries. Studying the biological processes that lead to the development of arterial disease is essential in the study of preventive and therapeutic approaches to combat cardiovascular disease. In vitro methods important for studying disease mechanisms are challenging because explanted endothelial cells can lose their distinctive characteristics.

New research shows the potential regenerative power of hematopoietic stem cells in ALS and may be a feasible treatment approach in the future.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurological disease characterized by the progressive destruction of motor neurons, leading to disability and later death. There is no cure for the disease, and the only FDA-approved treatment (riluzole) adds only an additional few months of life to patients with ALS. Many factors are associated with the development of ALS, yet the exact causes of ALS development remain poorly understood.

There is promising research that shows adult stem cells may advance the treatment of rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. 

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can develop into any type of specialized cell, and are broadly divided into embryonic and adult stems cells. A current and well known application of stem cells includes the use of hematopoietic stem cells for bone marrow cancers. Stems cells are studied for their utility in treating a variety of diseases, particularly to treat organ damage and conditions involving a dysfunctional immune system.