Cells

Stem cells can repair memory after brain damage, UC Irvine researchers have found. The findings have led the scientists to look into the potential benefits of stem cells in human diseases that impair memory, such as Alzheimer’s. Using genetically-engineered mice that develop lesions on the hippocampus — the memory-portion of the brain — scientists found that memory returned to normal levels when stem cells were injected. The stem cells help in an unexpected way. Rather than replacing dead or damaged memory cells in the brain, the stem cells release a protein that increases connections between existing neurons.

Adult stem cells live in a different part of the brain than previously thought, and knowing where they are allows scientists to produce new cells, a new study by UCI researchers shows. The results will appear in this month’s online journal of Neuroscience. The early school of thought believed stem cells were in the subventricular zone, but new evidence puts them in the ependymal cells that line the ventricles in the brain with the spinal chord. Ventricles transport fluids that support the brain tissue.

Michael Miller A UC Irvine research paper, scheduled for publication today, may mark a vital step in the search for a cure for spinal-cord injuries. Hans Keirstead, a professor at UCI's Reeve-Irvine Research Center, said the 11-page report marks the first published evidence that oligodendrocytes, or myelin-creating cells, can be used to restore motor skills in patients with spinal-cord injuries. Keirstead and six colleagues -- Gabriel Nistor, Giovanna Bernal, Minodora Totoiu, Frank Cloutier, Kelly Sharp and Oswald Steward -- are expected to publish an article on their findings today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Two UCI scientists will receive $1.6 million of state money to help develop devices that can track and sort stem cells. The money comes from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and it is aimed at tools to defeat roadblocks in stem cell research. Researcher Lisa Flanagan’s team is working on a device that could sort stem cells by a kind of electrical signature. If they are successful, the machine could make it far cheaper to find only the cells destined for the nervous system, for example.

A new study from UC Irvine suggests that human embryonic stem cells could improve healthy tissue damaged during radiation treatment for brain tumors. Researchers treated rats with radiation, then transplanted stem cells into some of them. They found that the rats that received the stem cells had their learning and memory restored to normal levels within four months after receiving radiotherapy. The rats that didn?t receive stem cells saw a greater than 50% drop in brain function.

UCI scientists have found a new way to sort stem cells that could expedite therapies for brain and spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s diseases, school officials announced Thursday. Various types of stem cells have different electrical properties, scientists said. The technique created by UCI stem cell biologist Lisa Flanagan and her team capitalizes on that fact and uses electrical charges to capture the types of stem cells they want while discarding the others.

A UCI engineer was awarded a $2.1 million state grant to study the effect of embryonic stem cells on heart disease, university officials announced Wednesday. Andrew Putnam will study how embryonic stem cells can help the body recover from heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. Adult stem cells have been known to stimulate capillary blood vessels, which transfers blood to damaged tissue. Putnam will investigate whether embryonic stem cells, or a combination of adult and embryonic stem cells can heal the body with cardiovascular problems.

UCI researchers have made a discovery they say may help scientists understand more about heart and muscle disease. The study found that a single change in the mitochondria of a cell’s DNA can cause degenerative heart disease and muscle disease. The mitochondria are sometimes characterized as the cell’s “power plant” because it provides energy. Both diseases are often referred to as age-related, and the discovery helps make a connection between mitochondria and human health.

A leading neuroscientist and co-director of UCI’s stem cell research center will meet with members of Congress today and explain what he and his team will do when they conduct the first human trials of stem-cell therapy in the country later this year, university officials said. Hans Keirstead, co-director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center and faculty member at the Reeve-Irvine Research Center, will meet with members of Congress and their aides to explain how he plans to implement his success spinal-cord injury therapy to humans.

A UC Irvine stem cell researcher won a $4.8-million grant to fund research toward a treatment for multiple sclerosis. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded immunologist Thomas Lane, of the campus' Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, an Early Transitional Award last week to create a new line of neural stem cells to treat multiple sclerosis, according to a UCI press release. "I am delighted that [the California Institute] has chosen to support our efforts to advance a novel stem cell-based therapy for multiple sclerosis," Peter Donovan, director of the research center, said in the release.

If a fake eucalyptus sprouted in a small grove of trees near the Back Bay along Irvine Avenue, would it look like a tree or — as one Newport Beach resident suggested—would it look more like a "giant toilet bowl cleaner?" And how much should it matter what it looks like, if that fake tree is something area residents need to access the latest in telecommunications technology? Those were among the questions that came before the Newport Beach City Council Tuesday night as council members, city staff and representatives for Mobilitie, a real estate developer of "vertical assets," grappled with a proposal to build a telecommunications monopole disguised as a 62-foot tall eucalyptus.

Outside of a store in Costa Mesa a few days ago, I saw a young father waiting with his two little boys. The boys, about 4 and 6 years old, were horsing around while dad texted something on his phone. I've had a cell phone since 1993 and it is one of the few electronic devices I adopted early. Usually, I'll wait until the second or third model so that the bugs are gone but that cell phone was necessary for the business I owned. When I began using my cell phone, my kids were 3 and 1. I went out of my way to make sure that I did not use the phone when we were together.

More than 200 high school students, including those in the Costa Mesa-based Coastline Regional Occupational Program, got an inside look at the stem cell research at UC Irvine. UCI's Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center opened its doors Monday for the first of several events to celebrate International Stem Cell Awareness Day, which is Wednesday. The university is also hosting a science symposium from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday with a Meet the Scientists interactive forum from 5 to 5:45 p.m. "I think it is just an exciting time for this field, and what we want to do is get the word out," said Director Peter Donovan.

Two UC Irvine associate professors have laid the foundation for a treatment that could help people who are paralyzed by spinal cord injuries. Aileen Anderson and Brian Cummings developed a stem cell treatment in collaboration with Northern California-based StemCells Inc. that is being used in clinical trials in Switzerland. The treatment has resulted in the world's first case of patients regaining some feeling, according to UCI. "We think this really bodes well for the next stage of the trial," Anderson said.

Tucked away in the corner of UC Irvine is a 100,000-square-foot structure against a grassy hill. For those working inside the campus' relatively new addition, the mission is simple: Discover new technologies that help people who suffer from debilitating diseases. Dr. Weian Zhao is one of the latest academic superstars the university has added to its roster. He was recently recognized in MIT's Technology Review list of 35 innovators younger than 35 who are making profound and lasting societal contributions.

UC Irvine will honor the co-founder of Newport Beach-based Pacific Investment Management Co. (PIMCO) and his wife with the UCI Medal, the university announced Tuesday. Bill Gross and his wife, Sue, donated $10 million to the university to create a stem cell research center after watching a "60 Minutes" special on a UCI professor who treated spinal cord injuries in animals with human embryonic stem cells, according to the university. PIMCO, one of the nation's leading investment companies, is based in Newport Center.

Christian Hosoi had it all. Long before he was legally old enough to drink, the skateboarder nicknamed "Christ" was a stud on the pro circuit who was touted as an emerging rival to the legendary Tony Hawk. Hosoi's fame brought him a lot of money, parties and girls, but he also rode his board into a downward spiral of substance abuse that eventually landed him in prison. The skateboarder known for his "Christ Air" move has since reformed himself as a Huntington Beach resident and pastor at The Sanctuary church in Westminster.

A UC Irvine stem cell researcher won a $4.8-million grant to fund research toward a treatment for multiple sclerosis. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine awarded immunologist Thomas Lane, of the campus' Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, an Early Transitional Award last week to create a new line of neural stem cells to treat multiple sclerosis, according to a UCI press release. "I am delighted that [the California Institute] has chosen to support our efforts to advance a novel stem cell-based therapy for multiple sclerosis," Peter Donovan, director of the research center, said in the release.

COSTA MESA - Police continued the search Monday for two men they say robbed a cell phone store at gunpoint. The men covered their faces with hooded sweatshirts when they robbed a Verizon Wireless store at 2300 Harbor Blvd. 9 a.m. Saturday, police said in a news release. The two took an unknown amount of cash and phones. Police said the suspects are black, in their early 20s, between 5 feet 6 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall, and weighing between 150 and 170 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Ed Everett at (714)

Costa Mesa police said they arrested the final suspect, a minor, in an attempted carjacking by gang members that sent a Newport Beach man to the hospital. In all, six minors ranging in age from 14 to 17 and Juan Carlos Juarez, 18, of Orange, were arrested on suspicion of pulling the victim from his car and beating him before attempting to steal the car, police said in a news release Wednesday night. On Aug. 2, the man was eating at the Del Taco at 1720 Superior Ave., when the group of suspected Varrio El Modena gang members from Orange approached him, flashed gang signs, a handgun and threatened to kill him, according to police.