10^th International Tissue Repair and Regeneration Congress

Could hair cell regeneration be a treatment for deafness? Researchers have proposed the use embryonic stem cells for in vitro inner ear studies to potentially be a treatment for deafness. Deafness due to disease, ageing or birth defects is caused by the loss of hair cells in the inner ear, the hairs which are responsible for the detection of equilibrium and sound. Currently, deafness is a progressive and irreversible condition in humans, with the typical treatment to be the use of hearing aids. The scientists proposed to use embryonic stem cells (ESCs) as a platform for in-vitro inner ear studies. Embryonic Stem cells establish an alternative and powerful approach to generate unlimited numbers of hair cells in a simple culture dish without the use of animals. Through genetic manipulation of embryonic stem cells to activate expression of these transcriptional regulators, a direct and robust conversion of stem cells into a hair cell phenotype was successfully achieved. Usi...

Fasting May Regenerate Stem Cells in Humans Intestinal stem cells begin to lose their ability to regenerate according to age. These stem cells are the source for all new intestinal cells, so this decline can make it more difficult to recover from gastrointestinal infections or other conditions that affect the intestine. According to a new study, this age-related loss of stem cell function can be reversed by a 24-hour fast. The researchers found that fasting dramatically improves stem cells’ ability to regenerate, in both Young and aged mice. In fasting mice, cells begin breaking down fatty acids instead of glucose; this change stimulates the stem cells to become more regenerative. Such an intervention could potentially help older people recovering from GI infections or the cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Intestinal stem cells are responsible for maintaining the lining of the intestine, which typically renews itself in every five days. When an injury or any infection...