In this issue:  Science   |  Abstracts  |  Industry News   |  Policy Subscribe   |   Unsubscribe    TOP STORIES Researchers Regenerate Axons Necessary for Voluntary Movement For the first time, researchers have clearly shown regeneration of a critical type of nerve fiber that travels between the brain and the spinal cord and which is required for voluntary movement. SPECIAL FEATURE Learn to culture Neural Stem Cells with the Cell Experts(TM) STEMCELL Technologies is offering a 2-day Neural Stem Cell Training Course that provides hands-on instruction in the dissection, culture, identification and enumeration of neural stem and progenitor cells. May 22-23, 2009, Vancouver, Canada SCIENCE Brain Building: Brain Growth Tied To Cell Division In Mouse Embryos How your brain grows might come down to how your cells divide. Lake and Sokol report that mouse protein Vangl2 controls the asymmetrical cell division and developmental fate of progenitor neurons. Redefining What it Means to Be a Prion Whitehead Institute researchers have quintupled the number of identifiable prion proteins in yeast and have further clarified the role prions play in the inheritance of both beneficial and detrimental traits. Stem Cell Therapy Makes Cloudy Corneas Clear, According to Pitt Researchers Stem cells collected from human corneas restore transparency and don't trigger a rejection response when injected into eyes that are scarred and hazy, according to experiments conducted in mice. Axons Necessary For Voluntary Movement Regenerated For the first time, researchers have clearly shown regeneration of a critical type of nerve fiber that travels between the brain and the spinal cord and which is required for voluntary movement. Stem Cell Breakthrough May Lead to MS Treatments U.S. scientists say they've coaxed human embryonic stem cells into generating cells that might someday be used to repair nerves damaged by multiple sclerosis. Test Quickly Assesses Whether Alzheimer's Drugs Are Hitting Their Target A test developed by physician-scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis may help assess more quickly the ability of Alzheimer's drugs to affect one of the possible underlying causes of Alzheimer's disease in humans. Mithridion Announces Phase I Study Results in Alzheimer's Disease Mithridion, Inc., announced recently results from a Phase I pharmacokinetic and clinical study of MCD-386, its lead drug candidate for Alzheimer's disease. Pitt, Berkeley Researchers Reconstruct Seashells to Model Nervous System Function The enchantingly colored seashells that lend beaches their charm could also provide information about how the brain converts memories and sensory information into action, according to researchers. Stem Cell Breakthrough May Lead to MS Treatments U.S. scientists say they've coaxed human embryonic stem cells into generating cells that might someday be used to repair nerves damaged by multiple sclerosis. TriMark Point of Care Testing Conference 2009 May 11, 2009  |  San Diego, California Enter "CONNEXON" at checkout and receive 10% off registration. Visit here to register today. Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community. ABSTRACTS Genetically Modified CD34+ Hematopoietic Stem Cells Contribute to Turnover of Brain Perivascular Macrophages in Long-Term Repopulated Primates The researchers took advantage of non-human primates reconstituted with autologous CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells that had been transduced with a lentiviral vector expressing the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) to study the ontogeny of brain macrophages of rhesus macaques. Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells Differentiate In Vitro to Neurons by the Combined Action of Dibutyryl cAMP and Interferon-gamma In this study, adult rat SVZ-derived NSPCs were treated with several factors and screened individually and in combination for changes in cellular morphology, neuronal marker expression, quantitative real-time qRT-PCR and electrophysiological properties. Neural Stem and Progenitor Cells Retain Their Potential for Proliferation and Differentiation into Functional Neurons Despite Lower Number in Aged Brain Here, the researchers have compared the properties of neural stem and progenitor cells isolated from embryonic lateral ganglionic eminence and adult and aged subventricular zone in mice using in vivo and in vitro systems, analyzed their gene expression profile, and studied their electrophysiological characteristics before and after differentiation into neurons. Rab3a-mediated Vesicle Recruitment Regulates Short-term Plasticity at the Mouse Diaphragm Synapse This study found that the activity-dependent vesicle recruitment, as well as the synaptic enhancement associated with Rab3a, is disrupted in Rab3a(-) synapses. INDUSTRY Scottish and Chinese Stem Cell Experts Sign Landmark Deal Representatives from the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM) at the University of Edinburgh and China's National Centre for International Research in Stem Cells (NCIR) gathered in Beijing to seal the "landmark" deal to increase collaboration on stem cell treatments. Scientists Challenged to Create Better Tools for Image Analysis Several institutions are launching an international scientific challenge to speed development of new computational tools that accurately and automatically reconstruct the "shape" of brain cells from available light microscopy data. China Looks to Expand Stake in Stem Cell Technology China will build Asia's biggest base to develop uses for stem cell medical technology, which the health minister described as having huge potential for development. Madison Stem Cell Company Gets State Loan Cell Line Genetics LLC has received a $250,000 loan from the state of Wisconsin to develop two new technologies for stem cell research. University of California Merced Professor Awarded Stem Cell Grant UC Merced said Professor Michael Cleary received a $483,000 grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to develop a tool that could allow previously impossible experiments to be performed in stem cell research. Yale Gets Stem Cell Grants A dozen Yale researchers have received $3.9 million in grant funding for research on human embryonic stem cells. POLICY Washington's $350M Life Sciences Discovery Fund, Faces Possible Shutdown One of the centerpieces of Governor Chris Gregoire's economic development strategy, the state's 10-year, $350 million Life Sciences Discovery Fund, would either be gutted or essentially shut down by dueling budget bills under consideration by state lawmakers. Georgia House to Withhold Stem Cell Bill, Legislators Weigh In The Georgia House of Representatives plans to withhold a bill that would make it unlawful to create human embryos for any purpose besides clinical fertilization.      Patient Movement Forms in Opposition to FDA Position that the Patient's Own Stem Cells are Drugs A patient movement, called Safe Stem Cells NOW! was formed against the FDA's position that the patient's own adult stem cells are drugs and should be regulated as such.  Learn more about Neural Cell News:  Archives  |  Events   |  Subscribe   |  Contact Us This email was sent by: Connexon Creative 400-570 W. 7th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia V5Z 1B3 Canada