Stem Cells
New stem cell models for ageing and eye diseases
Using stem cell modelling, University of Melbourne researchers have developed genetic roadmaps for two of the world’s leading causes of irreversible blindness.
The moral status of human-monkey chimeras
As scientists create a human-monkey chimera, University of Melbourne experts say the research raises the ethical issue of how should we treat other life forms.
All the forests in the world from a single layer of cells
University of Melbourne researchers have discovered how wood-making cells inside trees work, settling a century-old debate about how plants make bark and wood
Repairing brain injury by learning from a fish
Zebrafish can regenerate nerve cells, but humans can't; University of Melbourne researchers are studying the tiny fish with the aim of replicating the process.
A trade in desperation: The rise of stem cell tourism
Stem cell tourism sees patients travel overseas for treatment unavailable at home, but University of Melbourne research finds it comes at great risk.
Guiding gut nerves home
Transplanting stem cells into the bowel to replace missing gut nerves may offer a promising treatment for Hirschprung's Disease.
Caught! The cell behind a lung cancer
Painstaking laboratory work and genetic analysis has uncovered error-prone basal stem cells as the likely culprits at the root of a major lung cancer.
Goosebumps can give us more than the shivers
Goosebumps are not just your body's way of reacting to emotion. They could hold the key to stopping skin cancer, treating burns and even curing baldness.
Brain in a dish: the therapeutic potential of stem cells and organoids
On the Up Close podcast: epilepsy researcher Steve Petrou and developmental neuroscientist Miranda Dottori discuss the therapeutic potential of organoids.
Organoids: the next revolution in human biology has begun
Researchers are growing miniature immature organs in dishes, creating new opportunities for research into diseases like epilepsy and autism and Alzheimer's.