What new papers and news in the stem cell sphere caught your eye? Here are some recent items that seem notable to me.
- Diabetes relief in mice by glucose-sensing insulin-secreting human α-cells. This paper reports cellular reprogramming to insulin-producing cells in mice. They reprogrammed α-cells with Pdx1 and MafA proteins.
- ‘Mitophagy inhibits amyloid-β and tau pathology and reverses cognitive deficits in models of Alzheimer’s disease’ in Nature Neuroscience. Using IPS cells for insights.
- “What open chromatin features predict pluripotency?” asked and answered by the authors of this review in Developmental Cell: Open Chromatin, Epigenetic Plasticity, and Nuclear Organization in Pluripotency.
- Over at the journal Stem Cells, this piece highlights the utility of single cell approaches. Single‐Cell Transcriptomics of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Reveal Age‐Related Cellular Subpopulation Depletion and Impaired Regenerative Function.
- Over at the CIRM Blog student Pallavi Penumetcha has a nice piece on new, partially CIRM-supported research on a cool model of human oligodendrocyte maturation.
- Commenter Bill points out two signs of progress with Astellas’ regenerative medicine efforts led by Bob Lanza (formerly Ocata/ACT’s regenerative medicine clinical pipeline.
- David Jensen over at his blog California Stem Cell Report has news of a new bill working toward a stricter California state law on stem cell clinics.
- Researchers to use iPS cells to make human pancreases inside pigs. See image above from newspaper article.