Research Update

By Anne Manning This story has been modified from an article in the Harvard Gazette. Read the original story here. Today, Jason Buenrostro, HSCI Principal Faculty member and an associate professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology...

Brown adipocytes are specialized cells that can use energy to produce heat. This property makes them attractive tools for the treatment of diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes. Until recently, this therapeutic potential was constrained by limited...

Just a few thousand neurons orchestrate evolutionarily advanced forelimb and digit dexterity. By Alice McCarthy One of the critical elements guiding the evolutionary advancement of brains, especially as brains have become super capable in mammals, is how...

Discovery of new mechanism could have wide implications for other cancers By Alice McCarthy Researchers from Harvard’s Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB)’s Zon lab have discovered a new mechanism that influences melanoma development, a finding...

By Alice McCarthy Physical activity, especially endurance exercise, can improve cognitive function in part by reducing neuroinflammation. Research from HSCI affiliate member Christiane Wrann has shown that the hormone irisin, which is secreted from...

A single-cell analysis of 3D models of the human cerebral cortex suggests they can be used to study important brain processes that have been difficult to investigate Adapted from the Broad Institute By Allessandra DiCorato Organoids are carefully grown...

Results suggest a pathway to testing in human clinical trials In a new study, researchers have discovered a method for using engineered donor stem cells to successfully treat glioblastoma in mice. The study revealed the presence of special “death...

New discoveries about the role of alpha-synuclein, a well-known protein marker of Parkinson’s, may provide insights for treatment for the disease One of the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the accumulation in the brain of a protein known as alpha...

Since their development more than a decade ago, brain organoids — brain-like structures grown in petri dishes from human stem cells — have helped scientists better understand a range of neurological disorders, including schizophrenia, epilepsy, and autism...

HSCI scientists advance Type 1 diabetes therapy by protecting cells from immune attack and stress The stem cell-based approach to treating Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is successfully being tested in the clinic, using a transplant of stem cell-derived beta cells...