Panel A shows a scatter plot of compounds by sensitivity in AML blasts and LSCs, with blast-specific, LSC-specific, and non-specific drugs colored. Panel B shows a heatmap of inhibition by AML blast-specific compounds in AML blasts and LSCs.

Potential Seen for Tailoring Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment

December 3, 2018 | Categories: Announcements, Research | Tagged: , ,

Drug response screening of leukemia stem cells offers clues to relapse and suggests ways to improve patient-specific therapies Advances in rapid screening of leukemia cells for drug susceptibility and resistance […] Read More

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ISCRM Faculty Shine a New Light on Scarring

October 12, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: , , ,

Collaboration is the engine of scientific progress at UW Medicine and at the Institute of Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine (ISCRM), where 130 researchers are developing stem cell-based approaches to treat diseases affecting nearly every organ and system in the human body.   Read More

Diagram showing three columns comparing B cell development: non-leukemic, leukemic without treatment (PAX5 mutation), and leukemic with treatment (PAX2 rescue). Includes a kidney, bone, and activation pathway illustration.

UW Medicine Researchers Explore New Approaches to Treating Childhood Leukemia

October 1, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: ,

Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of childhood cancer, representing approximately 25% of cancer diagnoses in children 0-15. More than 3,000 new cases of ALL are diagnosed every year in the United States - and the incidence rate is rising. Read More

Fluorescent microscope image of a tissue cross-section, showing curved layers in red, green, and blue on a black background, highlighting different cellular structures and regions.

Researchers use stem cells to restore heart function in primates

July 2, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: , ,

Results of a study published today in Nature Biotechnology suggest techniques that could treat patients with heart failure. Researchers at UW Medicine in Seattle have successfully used human stem cells to restore heart function in monkeys with heart failure. The findings suggest that the technique will be effective in patients with heart failure, the leading cause of death in the world. Read More

Black and white microscopic image showing clusters of round, bright cells scattered among long, thin, branch-like structures on a textured background.

NIH accepts new ISCRM hESC lines

May 22, 2018 | Categories: Research

On May 9, 2018, three new ISCRM human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines were accepted onto the NIH Stem Cell Registry.  Originated from donated human preimplantation blastocysts, Carol Ware derived […] Read More

A grid of 25 square sections contains clusters of glowing dots in shades of blue, white, and purple, set against a dark background. The dots appear scattered within each square.

Robots grow mini-organs from human stem cells

May 17, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: , ,

A robotic approach to mass-producing organoids could accelerate regenerative medicine research and drug discovery. An automated system that uses robots has been designed to rapidly produce human mini-organs derived from stem cells. Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle developed the new system. Read More

A gloved hand holds a clear plastic tray with multiple wells containing pinkish and purplish liquid, likely used for a laboratory experiment or cell culture.

Stem-cell study points to new approach to Alzheimer’s disease

March 1, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: ,

Improving the trafficking of cellular proteins in brain cells holds possibilities for new treatments and even prevention for Alzheimer’s disease, results of a new study suggest. Researchers found that a compound that enhances the shuttling of proteins within cells reduced the production of forerunners of two proteins implicated in brain cell death. Read More

Four people pose and smile in a busy laboratory filled with equipment, bottles, and scientific tools scattered on a large workbench in the foreground. Shelves with various supplies line the walls in the background.

Researchers program biomaterials with ‘logic gates’ that release therapeutics in response to environmental triggers

January 16, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: , ,

Drug treatments can save lives, but sometimes they also carry unintended costs. After all, the same therapeutics that target pathogens and tumors can also harm healthy cells. To reduce this collateral damage, scientists have long sought specificity in drug delivery systems: A package that can encase a therapeutic and will not disgorge its toxic cargo until it reaches the site of treatment — be it a tumor, a diseased organ or a site of infection. Read More

Four circular cells are shown on a black background, each highlighted in different fluorescent colors: yellow-purple (top left), blue (top right), green (bottom left), and red (bottom right).

Study: Using big data to help fight a deadly cancer

January 12, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: , ,

Researchers built an algorithm to discern which drugs might best combat patients’ individual cases of acute myeloid leukemia. The statistics are grim. For patients fighting an aggressive form of leukemia known as acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, doctors over the last 40 years have usually used a combination of two drugs to fight the disease, but it seldom cures it. Read More

A man in a white lab coat kneels next to a black dog on a leash in a white-walled room with colorful padded blocks and a yellow mat on the floor.

Favorable interim results reported in stem-cell therapy trial

January 8, 2018 | Categories: Research | Tagged: , , ,

A therapy developed at UW shows promise in its first test in young boys who have an inherited deadly muscle disease. Favorable interim results have been announced in a small clinical trial of a stem-cell therapy to treat patients with a rare, deadly disease called myotubular myopathy. Read More