Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Karolinska Institutet have used novel technology to reveal the different genetic patterns of neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. This discovery may lead to significant advances in the treatment of this malignant disease, which mainly affects small children.

Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers and their colleagues have identified an enzyme that can effectively wipe a cell’s developmental slate clean, essentially giving a fresh start. The enzyme, which is thought to help genetically reprogram fertilized eggs as part of normal development, may help scientists create stem cells and arrest the growth of cancers.

Cancer stem cells have many of the same characteristics as regular stem cells - and are thought to be directly responsible for tumor formation and growth. Tufts University researchers have recently identified that the STAT3 gene regulates cancer stem cells in the aggressive brain cancer, Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) - offering a promising new option in the fight against such cancers.

Stem cells continue to offer great promise. Researchers at the University of Sheffield in London have discovered how to turn stem cells into cells that behave like sensory hair cells or auditory neurons - giving hope that one day this treatment could help deaf people to hear.

Researchers from DaVinci Biosciences, Costa Mesa, California, in collaboration with Hospital Luis Vernaza in Ecuador, have recently reported the benefits of bone marrow stem cell injections in helping improve the lives of spinal cord injury (SCI) patients.

Discovery demonstrates the feasibility of using iPS-derived motor neurons to model and treat diseases. Stem cells scientists at UCLA showed for the first time that human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be differentiated into electrically active motor neurons, a discovery that may aid in studying and treating neurological disorders.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for the first trial to see if human embryonic stem cells can treat people safely, a company involved in the controversial research reported on Friday.

Researchers and cardiologists from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany) have recently demonstrated that the body's own heart muscle stem cells can generate new tissue after a heart attack.

A novel protein marker has been found that identifies rare adult liver stem cells, whose ability to regenerate injured liver tissue has the potential for cell-replacement therapy.

After years of working toward this goal, scientists at the OU Cancer Institute have found a way to isolate cancer stem cells in tumors so they can target the cells and kill them, keeping cancer from returning.