Geron Receives FDA Clearance to Begin World's First Human Clinical Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Therapy
Geron Corporation announced recently that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted clearance of the company's Investigational New Drug application for the clinical trial of GRNOPC1 in patients with acute spinal cord injury.

VIDEO: Lead Researcher Hans Keirstead Reacts to FDA Approval

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Special Nanotubes May Be Used as a Vehicle for Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders
Electrical engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas have demonstrated that magnetic nanotubes combined with nerve growth factor can enable specific cells to differentiate into neurons.

Biologists ID Gene, Pathway for Nerve Regeneration in Worms
University of Utah scientists identified a worm gene that is essential for damaged nerve cells to regenerate, and showed they could speed nerve regeneration by over-activating the gene.

New Step Discovered in DNA Damage Response in Neurons
Researchers have identified a connection between proteins involved in neurodegenerative disease and in cells' response to DNA damage.

Researchers Genetically Link Lou Gehrig's Disease in Humans to Dog Disease
Researchers have found that the genetic mutation responsible for degenerative myelopathy in dogs is the same mutation that causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the human disease also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.

The Breakdown of Barriers in Old Cells May Hold Clues to Aging Process
Recent studies by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies offer new insights about nuclear pore complexes' lifespan and how their longevity affects their function.

Slices of Living Brain Tissue Are Helping Scientists Identify New Stroke Therapies
Slices of living human brain tissue are helping scientists learn which drugs can block the waves of death that engulf and engorge brain cells following a stroke.

Stress Disrupts Human Thinking, but the Brain Can Bounce Back
A new neuro-imaging study on stressed-out students suggests that male humans, like male rats, don't do their most agile thinking under stress.

ABSTRACTS

Enhanced Degradation of Synaptophysin by the Proteasome in Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB
This study reports that clearance of heparan sulfate oligosaccharides in cultured embryonic MPSIIIB cortical neurons or treatment with proteasome inhibitors restored normal synaptophysin levels.

Th-1 Polarization is Regulated by Dendritic Cell Comparison of MHC Class I and Class II Antigens
The researchers in this study demonstrate that Th-1 polarization is heavily influenced by DC-autonomous phenomena triggered by the loading of DC with antigenically matched MHC class I and class II determinants.

ALS TDI and Asklepios to Develop New Therapeutic Delivery Options for Treating Lou Gehrig's Disease
ALS Therapy Development Institute and Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. announced recently their collaboration aimed at developing a panel of viral vectors that could be used to deliver therapeutics based on targets identified by ALS TDI that slow or stop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Stem Cell Innovations, Inc., Files New Patent Application
Stem Cell Innovations, Inc. announced recently that it has filed a new patent application for the production of pluripotent stem cells from primordial germ cells.

Geron Announces John Walker Resigns as Director
Geron Corporation recently announced that John P. Walker has resigned from the Board of Directors. Mr. Walker served as a Director of the company since 1997 and was Chair of the Audit Committee.

Obama Lifts Ban on Abortion Funds
President Obama signed an executive order Friday striking down a rule that prohibits U.S. money from funding international family-planning clinics that promote abortion or provide counseling or referrals about abortion services.

Lifting Stem Cell Funding Restrictions by Executive Order is Inadequate According to the Genetics Policy Institute
Lifting the funding restrictions by presidential executive order is an inadequate remedy to fully realize the potential of embryonic stem cell research targeting cures.