Topic description and stories

Stem cells, the 'building blocks' for every type of cell in the body, have tremendous potential to improve human health.

Breast cancer cells.

Breast cancer: Back to basics

16 Aug 2012

Ahead of the first in a series of pub-based science talks, called “SciBar” this evening (16 August), Hayley Frend explains why fundamental knowledge...

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Stem cells in the skin - stem cells labelled in red are found in special microenvironments where they are surrounded by other types of cell

Wellcome Trust and MRC invest in world-class Stem Cell Institute at Cambridge

09 Aug 2012

Two of the UK’s largest funders of medical research are to invest £8 million in a new world-leading centre for stem cell biology and medicine at the...

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The centre of the diagram shows levels of 5mC and 5hmC chemical modifications along a chromosome (section of DNA). The cycle illustrates that after addition to DNA, 5mC (blue) can be converted to 5hmC (red) and then subsequently removed.

New technique will transform epigenetics research

26 Apr 2012

New technique has important implications for stem cell research and the development of regenerative medicines.

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Stem cells

Teaching old cells new tricks

24 Apr 2012

Much hyped by the media, stem cells have tremendous power to improve human health. As part of the Cambridge Stem Cell Initiative, Dr Ludovic Vallier’...

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Recently fertilised egg

Egg Cetera #1: The immortal egg

05 Apr 2012

In the first report of our Egg Cetera series on egg-related research, biologists Dr Harry Leitch and Professor Azim Surani describe how advances in...

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Top images diseased liver cells, bottom images healthy liver cells

Artificial liver cells win their creator prize for their potential to reduce animal experiments

28 Feb 2012

Cambridge research that created liver cells from stem cells has today been recognised with a national prize by the National Centre for the...

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brain cells from skin cells

Under the Microscope #12 - Brain cells from skin cells

28 Feb 2012

This is a beautiful image of human brain cells, which can now be grown from adult skin cells.

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human neural stem cells

Pluripotent stem cells: medical dream or ethical nightmare?

20 Feb 2012

Dr. Paul Fairchild, University of Oxford, to give a public seminar tomorrow, 21 February, discussing this topical issue.

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amyloid plaques

Down’s syndrome stem cells used to model Alzheimer’s

16 Feb 2012

Innovative way to study Alzheimer's disease developed by Cambridge scientists.

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A mouse embryo in which the outer membranes of all cells are glowing red. A subset of cells are expressing a green glowing protein that identifies them as cells that will signal head development.

Critical stage of embryonic development now observable

14 Feb 2012

Scientists now able to view critical aspects of mammalian embryonic development using new technique.

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smooth muscle cells

Smooth muscle cells created from patients’ skin cells

16 Jan 2012

Scientists have created cells which make up the walls of blood vessels; research could lead to new treatments and better screening for cardiovascular...

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Myelinated nerve fibres.

Hopes for reversing age-associated effects in MS patients

06 Jan 2012

Proof of principle study suggests the age-associated decline of the remyelination process is reversible.

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