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The Role of CD56 During Invasive Aspergillosis
Aspergillus (A.) fumigatus is a species of mold that is found ubiquitously in nature and the inhalation of its spores by healthy adults is a common occurrence having a relatively harmless effect. However, for immunosuppressed patients suffering from hematological malignancies or undergoing hematopoietic stem cell or solid organ transplantation, this species of mold is responsible…
For More InformationRegenerative Medicine – Overcoming Regulatory Barriers
Regulatory barriers often inhibit the timely delivery of cutting-edge cellular therapeutics to patients burdened with chronic diseases and disabilities. The Bipartisan Policy Center and Regenerative Medicine Foundation are trying to change this by recommending that Congress support a federally funded registry for regenerative cell therapies. This registry would help share the outcomes of potentially curative…
For More InformationSurvival and Proliferation of Human NK Cells in Humanized Mice
Natural killer (NK) cells play a critical role in the innate immune system and represent the first line of defense against pathogens and tumor cells. Involved in immune surveillance, NK cells patrol the body looking for infected or cancerous cells. While other immune cells recognize the presence of antibodies on the MHC receptor of infected…
For More InformationPotential of CRISPR-Cas9-based Technology to Treat Congenital Amegakaryocytic Thrombocytopenia (CAMT)
A single mutation in a gene can lead to rare inherited diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs, and sickle-cell anemia, and are often difficult to treat and, for most, have no cure. However, with the current advances in CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering technology, it may be possible to introduce new immunotherapies to treat these and other…
For More InformationDirected differentiation of human bone marrow MSCs to functional Schwann cells
The peripheral nervous system (PNS) comprises many complex cell types that work together to transmit electrical signals from the body’s sensory receptors to the central nervous system (CNS) and vice versa. Peripheral nerve cells relay the electrical signals through the long, thin part of the cell called an axon. Schwann cells create nodes of myelin…
For More InformationTreating the side effects of chemotherapy
The human body has many lines of defense against infection, keeping us healthy and free of disease. One immediate line of defense is the innate immune system, which is comprised of white blood cells that are ready to fight against bacterial or fungal infection at birth. One of the most numerous and important cells of…
For More InformationHow CAR-T cell therapy works
On August 30, 2017, the FDA approved the first US CAR-T cell therapy for the treatment of ALL patients. According to FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, “We’re entering a new frontier in medical innovation with the ability to reprogram a patient’s own cells to attack a deadly cancer.” Check out this brief video about how…
For More InformationA New Approach to Treating Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a group of bone marrow disorders where the bone marrow is incapable of producing healthy mature blood cells. Through a process called hematopoiesis, blood stem cells or hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) within the bone marrow give rise to blood cells, such as white blood cells, platelets, and red blood…
For More InformationIntegration of Large Transgenes into the Genome of Hematopoietic Primary Cells
RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 nuclease is a genome-editing tool that allows researchers to edit parts of the genome by removing, adding, or altering sections of the DNA sequence. CRISPR-Cas9 targets double-stranded DNA using single guided RNA (sgRNA) that shepherds the nuclease to the target DNA sequence. Once at the target, CRISPR-Cas9 creates a double-stranded DNA break. Consequently,…
For More InformationImprovements in NIPS Results from Maternal Blood
Chromosome aneuploidies are common genetic defects that can lead to diseases such as Down syndrome. Current methods of aneuploidy testing exist, primarily in the form of chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. Although precise, these tests are invasive and may result in intrauterine infection and miscarriage. Recently, fetal genetic material (found in maternal blood) has been…
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