Inside View |
Featured
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Outlook |
Epidemiology: The complexities of epilepsy
An estimated 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. But research funding is low, treatment can fail and the mechanisms of the disease are a mystery. By Neil Savage.
- Neil Savage
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Outlook |
Perspective: The surgical solution
Not enough doctors and patients opt for surgery to treat epilepsy, despite clinical evidence of the benefits, says Samuel Wiebe.
- Samuel Wiebe
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Outlook |
Microbiome: A complicated relationship status
Nothing is simple about the links between the bacteria living in our guts and obesity.
- Sarah Deweerdt
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Research Highlights |
Stem cells wrap neurons
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News |
Stem-cell transplant claims debunked
Transplant of induced pluripotent stem cells to treat heart failure probably never happened.
- David Cyranoski
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Letter |
Intrinsically determined cell death of developing cortical interneurons
The cell death of inhibitory neurons, which originate far from the cortical areas to which they migrate during embryonic development, is determined autonomously rather than by competition for trophic signals from other cell types.
- Derek G. Southwell
- , Mercedes F. Paredes
- & Arturo Alvarez-Buylla
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Outlook |
Devices: Artificial inspiration
The donor lungs of the future — built from collagen or silicone rubber or engineered from donor organs stripped of their original cells — might give a new lease of life to COPD patients.
- Elie Dolgin
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Letter |
Human ES-cell-derived cardiomyocytes electrically couple and suppress arrhythmias in injured hearts
A guinea-pig model of cardiac injury is used to show that human embryonic stem-cell-derived cardiomyocyte grafts can electrically integrate into the injured heart, improving mechanical function and reducing spontaneous and induced ventricular tachycardia; this is a major step towards clinical adoption of cell replacement therapies for cardiovascular diseases using human cardiomyocytes.
- Yuji Shiba
- , Sarah Fernandes
- & Michael A. Laflamme
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Research Highlights |
Cell transplants for pain
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Letter |
Restoration of vision after transplantation of photoreceptors
Transplanted rod precursor cells restore visual function, from electrophysiology to behaviour, after transplantation into a mouse model of congenital night blindness.
- R. A. Pearson
- , A. C. Barber
- & R. R. Ali
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Outlook |
Stem cells: Don't believe the hype
Researchers are still a long way from using stem cells to halt the decline caused by multiple sclerosis and to restore patients' health. But they are following some promising trails.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Research Highlights |
Cell transplants repair colon
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News Feature |
The split brain: A tale of two halves
Since the 1960s, researchers have been scrutinizing a handful of patients who underwent a radical kind of brain surgery. The cohort has been a boon to neuroscience — but soon it will be gone.
- David Wolman
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News |
Host neurons obey transplants
Neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells can control native neurons in mice.
- Charlotte Schubert
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Research Highlights |
Tumours light up in surgery
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News Feature |
Experimental therapies for Parkinson's disease: Why fake it?
How 'sham' brain surgery could be killing off valuable therapies for Parkinson's disease.
- Alla Katsnelson
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News |
Reprogrammed cells repair damaged livers
Proof-of-principle study could point the way to averting the need for liver transplants.
- Heidi Ledford
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Letter |
Induction of functional hepatocyte-like cells from mouse fibroblasts by defined factors
- Pengyu Huang
- , Zhiying He
- & Lijian Hui
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News |
DNA mismatch reveals organ rejection
A test that spots donor DNA in a transplant recipient's bloodstream could replace invasive biopsies.
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Research Highlights |
Robo protein guide for cell transplants
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Letter |
Transfusion independence and HMGA2 activation after gene therapy of human β-thalassaemia
Disorders caused by abnormal β-globin, such as β-thalassaemia, are the most prevalent inherited disorders worldwide. For treatment, many patients are dependent on blood transfusions; thus far the only cure has involved matched transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells. Here it is shown that lentiviral β-globin gene transfer can be an effective substitute for regular transfusions in a patient with severe β-thalassaemia.
- Marina Cavazzana-Calvo
- , Emmanuel Payen
- & Philippe Leboulch
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Research Highlights |
Genetics: Where pain lives
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Research Highlights |
Biomaterials: Surgical solution
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Research Highlights |
Molecular imaging: Tumour glows out
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Research Highlights |
Regenerative biology: New nerve cells connect
Inside View: Centro Medico Teknon
Epilepsy
Stricter management of organ transplants
Brain surgery boosts spirituality