About RegenMed
These Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) videos feature Nadia
Rosenthal, ARMI Director, as she discusses recent discoveries concerning the location
and characteristics of adult stem cells. Human tissues vary in their
ability to heal and regenerate. The nervous system, for instance, has
weak powers of regeneration, while the skin is quick to make new cells
for repair. The heart is the most important muscle in the body and yet
has feeble regenerative capabilities. But newly emerging research has
increased our understanding of regeneration. Find out how cutting-edge
research may change the way we approach stem cells.
These videos are streamed via www.youtube.com.
Stem
Cells and the End of Aging (Part 1 of 6)
In this lecture, Dr Nadia Rosenthal
discusses the importance of
adult stem cells in the tissue maintenance, development and
regeneration.
HHMI description: Mature organisms
have stem cells of various sorts, called adult stem cells. Adult stem
cells supply cells that compensate for the loss of cells from normal
cell death and turnover, such as the ever-dying cells of our skin, our
blood, and the lining of our gut. They are also an essential source of
cells for healing and regeneration in response to injury. Some animals,
such as sea stars, newts, and flatworms, are capable of dramatic feats
of regeneration, producing replacement limbs, eyes, or most of a body.
It is an evolutionary puzzle why mammals have more limited powers of
regeneration.
Researchers are interested in pinpointing where
adult stem cells reside and in understanding how flexible adult stem
cells are in their ability to produce divergent cells such as muscle and
red blood cells. Understanding the sources and the rules for the
differentiation of adult stem cells is essential for tapping their
therapeutic potential. Since consenting adults can provide adult stem
cells, some people think that adult stem cells may be a less
controversial area of research than embryonic stem cells.
Stem Cells and the End of Aging (Part 2 of 6)
In this lecture, Dr Nadia Rosenthal
discusses the role of stem
cells in the regeneration and repair of tissues, and their possible
medicinal application through the harnessing of their regenerative
properties.
HHMI description: Human tissues vary in their
ability to heal and regenerate. The nervous system has weak powers of
regeneration, while the skin is quick to make new cells for repair.
Mammalian muscle cells are intermediate in their ability to regenerate.
Human muscle can regenerate in response to minor wounds and normal wear
and tear, but humans will not grow a new bicep, for example, in response
to amputation. The heart is the most important muscle in the body and
yet has feeble regenerative capabilities. Research into the wholesale
production of new replacement organs and limbs is in its infancy, but
research into enhancing normal levels of regeneration is progressing
rapidly. Recent discoveries concerning the location and characteristics
of adult stem cells and the signals that wounded tissue produces to
activate stem cells have increased our understanding of regeneration.
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is an example of an important stem
cell communication molecule. If the activity of the growth factor is
experimentally enhanced, muscle regeneration improves.
Stem Cells and the End of Aging (Part 3 of 6)
In this lecture, Dr Nadia Rosenthal
discusses the role of stem
cells in the regeneration and repair of tissues, and their possible
medicinal application through the harnessing of their regenerative
properties.
Stem Cells and the End of Aging (Part 4 of 6)
In this lecture, Dr Nadia Rosenthal discusses the role of
stem cells in the regeneration and repair of tissues, and their possible
medicinal application through the harnessing of their regenerative
properties.
Adult Stem Cells and Regeneration (Part 5 of 6)
In this lecture, Dr Nadia Rosenthal
discusses the importance of
adult stem cells in the tissue maintenance, development and
regeneration.
Adult Stem Cells and Regeneration (Part 6 of 6)
In this lecture, Dr Nadia Rosenthal
discusses the importance
of adult stem cells in the tissue maintenance, development and
regeneration.