The relationship between stem cells and the recurrence of colon cancer has been confirmed in a study by researchers at Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, published in the journal Cell Stem Cell. Its authors propose genetic tests of the epithelium of the intestine to predict which patients are at increased risk of having cancer return

STAFF | MARCH 18TH, 2011

Researchers at Barcelona’s Center for Genomic Regulation, in collaboration with the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the U.S., have identified a new oncogene, p63, responsible for a type of skin cancer and that promotes the abnormal growth of stem cells. The finding was made public to coincide with the eve of World Cancer Day

STAFF | FEBRUARY 4TH, 2011

Stem cell cultures have been described by the press as the door that leads to personalized medicine, but there is still has a long way to go before this is a reality. To bring research to clinical practice, the University of Barcelona has decided to join forces with the August Pi i Sunyer Institute of Biomedical Research, the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona and the Institute of Biomedical Research of Bellvitge to create the Cellular Therapy program (TCUB), a project where basic and applied science work hand in hand

ÀNNIA MONREAL | NOVEMBER 29th, 2010

Advances in human stem cell research and their applications to so-called regenerative medicine are going slower than expected, although significant progress has been made, says a new report on the subject by the European Science Foundation. The report recommends, among other things, the continued public support for this research and the clarification of the legal landscape with respect to patents.

Malén Ruiz de Elvira | 6 de julio de 2010

Scientists have not given up despite the poor results obtained in the attempt to regenerate the damaged human heart. Stem cell research is being revitalized with new ideas and strategies, such as using biocompatible materials and synergies between researchers from different disciplines. Will these be the secrets of success?

Patricia Moreno | 17 June 2010

Swedish scientists have lowered the incidence of tumors after transplantation of stem cells into mice suffering from Parkinson's disease.

A. R. | June 8, 2010

One of the major problems in the cultivation of stem cells is that they needed the addition of animal proteins, which contaminate them and prevent their use in humans. A team of Swedish and American scientists has devised a new process that overcomes this drawback.

Staff | 1 june 2010

A group of researchers at the Instituto de Biología Molecular de Barcelona, part of the Spanish National Research Council (acronym CSIC in Spanish), at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and the Jacques Monod Institute of the CNRS (France) have made new findings that would explain how the development of the microtubule network inside embryonic cells is regulated. The study has just been published in the last issue of the journal ‘Developmental Cell’, part of the Cell group.

1 june 2010

For the first time ever, scientists at the University of Granada have managed to transform adipose stem cells into cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells. This technique could improve regenerative therapies for hearts damaged by injury.

Staff | 20 May 2010

Tumor cells are immortal, but they were not always. When did they begin to multiply without end? A Catalan research team, along with other international research groups, is trying to answer this question by studying how cells become immortal. The joint study has already achieved important findings that could aid in the design of new cancer treatments.

Patricia Moreno | 19 may 2010

It is already possible to transform one type of adult cell directly into another. Fibroblasts, for instancec, can be converted into neurons. The technique for doing so is called direct cell reprogramming and, so far, only a few scientific teams in the world are working with this method. Although it is still in its infancy, this research has a clear purpose - to produce cells à la carte for therapeutic purposes.

Patricia Moreno | 11 May 2010

Maria Pia Cosma, from Naples' Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine (TIGEM), is joining the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in the role of Senior Group Leader. The researcher is one of the few women in a senior position in Spain's biomedical sector, and she is the recipient of a starting grant from the prestigious European Research Council (ERC). With Cosma on board, the CRG becomes one of Spain’s life science research centres to receive most ERC grants.

4 may 2010

In 'Drosophila melanogaster' larvae, brain stem cells are called neuroblasts that, upon division, generate another stem cell and a glanglion mother cell (GMC) that is committed to differentiation. Later, the GMC specialises in neuron or glial cell (cells that support neurons). This cell division strategy, called asymmetric mitosis, allows stem cells to produce large amounts of tissue in a relatively long period of time.

16 APRIL 2010

China has been at the forefront of medical experimentation with stem cells. A clinic in Qingdao city claims it can restore sight to the blind.

15 March 2010

Zigor Aldama | Shanghai

EU-funded researchers from Belgium have identified the cells that are at the origin of the most common form of skin cancer. Writing in the journal 'Nature Cell Biology', the researchers explain that basal cell carcinoma arises in the skin cells between hair follicles, and not in the hair follicles themselves, as was previously assumed.

A.R. | 17 February 2010