Chimpanzee naive pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can now be grown in cellular cultures, reveals a recent study. They successfully created chimpanzee early embryo models, called ‘blastoids,’ and found that the inhibition of a specific regulatory gene is essential for chimpanzee PSC self-renewal. They also developed a feeder-free culture system, eliminating the need for mouse-derived feeder cells as support. These findings provide valuable insights into primate embryology and could advance stem cell research and regenerative medicine.

Patients with spastic paraplegia type 15 develop movement disorders during adolescence that may ultimately require the use of a wheelchair. In the early stages of this rare hereditary disease the brain appears to play a major role by over-activating the immune system, as shown by a recent study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. The study was led by researchers at the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE). These findings could also be relevant for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. 

Scientists at Northwestern University and University of California San Diego have developed a new, potent injectable therapy that can protect the heart from damage after a heart attack. After showing success in cell culture, the scientists tested their new therapy in a rat model of heart attack. Following a single, low-dose intravenous injection, the animals experienced decreased inflammation and cell death along with improved cardiac function and increased growth of new blood vessels.

Researchers from Bochum have discovered a new biomarker for Parkinson’s disease. A misfolded protein facilitates reliable diagnosis even in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease in body fluids.

In recent years, cell therapies have developed alongside chemotherapy and immunotherapy to become a new pillar in the treatment of patients with blood and lymph gland cancer. In solid tumors, such as skin, lung, or bone and soft tissue cancer (sarcomas), they have not yet proven themselves as a treatment method. Tumor shrinkage was achieved only in rare cases, but the side effects were all the more severe. An international research group led by scientists from the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT/UCC) in Dresden has now succeeded for the first time in a phase 1 clinical trial in testing a novel cell therapy approach that also shows promise for solid tumors. The results were now published in the renowned journal Nature Medicine.