A pilot study in adolescents and adults has found that an investigational drug shows promise as the first potential medical treatment for children with the severest type of congenital hyperinsulinism, a rare but potentially devastating disease in which gene mutations cause insulin levels to become dangerously high.
“There is currently no effective medicine for children with the most common and most severe form of hyperinsulinism,” said study leader Diva D. De Leon, M.D., a pediatric endocrinologist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “Our new research shows that this investigational drug, a …

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently discovered that the embryonic endothelium, where the blood stem cells are produced in early development, has more plasticity than originally anticipated. The findings are exciting as the embryonic blood vessels can even produce beating heart muscles. The researchers suggest that the discovery will allow them to understand how to convert cardiac stem cells to be used in regenerative medicine.
The team of investigators determined that minus one transcription factor, which manages cell fate through regulation of other genes, the precursors are …

Researchers at the Center for Laser Applications at the University of Tennessee Space Institute in Tullahoma have developed a technology that goes on a “seek and destroy” mission for cancerous tumors. They have harnessed the power of lasers to find, map and non-invasively destruct cancerous tumors.
Christian Parigger, associate professor of physics, and Jacqueline Johnson, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace, and biomedical engineering, along with Robert Splinter of Splinter Consultants, have developed the invention. The technology uses a femtosecond laser, which means it pulses at speeds of one-quadrillionth of a second. …

Researchers from several prominent medical institutions claim that they have identified several genetic mutations responsible for medulloblastoma, the most common malignant type of childhood brain tumor.
There are four recognized subtypes of medulloblastomas, which occur in the part of the brain responsible for controlling balance and other complex motor functions (the cerebellum), Boston Children’s Hospital researchers explained in a recent statement.
These tumors are treated through a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, and while survival rate for this form of cancer is approximately 70%, hospital officials note that those who overcome …

20,000,000. This is the number of peripheral artery disease patients Pluristem Therapeutics, a placenta-based cell therapy company, is working to assist. The company recently released information regarding the effectiveness of cell therapy with intramuscular delivery.
To begin, Pluristem uses stem cells from the human placenta and has created a manufacturing process that produces enough cells to treat 10,000 patients from one placenta.
“You usually have to match cells to donors so they do not react. Placental cells are unique because they come from a unique section that combines the mother and the …