Scientists in Japan created a new tool to study how cancer cells will hide in the body, making it easier to create new cancer cells after treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, cancer is one of the top 5 causes of death in developed countries. Although many advances have been achieved regarding treatment options for different types of cancer, preventing recurrence and bolstering long-term survival in patients with advanced forms of cancer remains a challenge. The persistence of cancer stem cells in the body, which are resistant to conventional treatments, appears to be an important factor leading to cancer recurrence.
Research from a new study has shown that an autologous non-myeloablative hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with stiff person spectrum disorder might be safe and effective.
Stiff person syndrome or stiff person spastic disorder (SPSD) is a progressive autoimmune neurological disorder characterized by painful and debilitating episodic muscle spasms and stiffness.
Scientists at UC San Francisco discovered a new method for controlling the natural killer cells in the immune system through tissue implants and cell therapies that can enhance immunotherapies’ ability to detect/destroy cancerous tumors.
A major challenge with regenerative medicine is the immune system’s ability to reject implanted tissues recognized as non-self. Immunological rejection is a significant obstacle that stunts success in stem cell transplantation. Overcoming immune rejection of transplanted stem cells can support the development of off-the-shelf immunotherapies that can be used in any patient.
Two teams of scientists have discovered a set of inherited gene variants that can increase the risk of developing mutations in HSC’s in their lifetimes. The mutations can lead to two different age-related disorders: clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential and myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Advancing age has been associated with an increased risk of various chronic diseases and conditions. Mutations in hematopoietic stem cells increase as people age and may be linked to an increased risk of leukemia and cardiovascular disease. Somatic mutations in hematopoietic stem cells are connected to the development of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) characterized by an excess of red blood cells, leukocytes, and platelets that leads to an increased susceptibility to develop leukemia.
Healthy CD34 cells are used to replace stem cells in people whose normal blood cells have been damaged by cancer or other serious autoimmune diseases. Because patients often do not have enough healthy cells for an effective treatment dose, the starting material for these transplants often comes from healthy donors.