Does it ever feel like your world is being swallowed by a giant black hole? Turns out you might be on to something.
Here are six stories in the world of science that caught our attention this week.
<a href="http://futurism.com/black-hole-milky-way/">New Image Confirms a Black Hole is Swallowing Our Galaxy.</a> New evidence confirms the existence of Sagittarius A*, a black hole long assumed to reside at the center of the Milky Way.
<a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cell-transplant-multiple-sclerosis/">A Stem Cell Transplant Let a Wheelchair-Bound Man Dance Again</a>. A man bound to a wheelchair for 10 years by multiple sclerosis (MS) can now walk and dance following an experimental stem cell transplant.
<a href="https://futurism.com/ozone-destroying-emissions-china/">Report Identifies China as the Source of Ozone-Destroying Emissions.</a> A new report narrows down the source of the emissions that continue to destroy the ozone, despite being banned since 2010.
<a href="https://futurism.com/nuclear-fusion-research-billionaires/">Tech Billionaires Are Pouring Money Into Fusion Research.</a> A slew of tech billionaires, including Bill Gates and Richard Branson, are determined to make cost-effective nuclear fusion a reality.
<a href="http://futurism.com/arecibo-message-aliens/">Scientists Want Your Help Crafting a Message to Aliens.</a> Scientists want to craft an updated version of the Arecibo Message, a radio communication that marked humanity&#8217;s first attempt to talk to aliens.
<a href="http://futurism.com/nasa-scientists-extract-rocket-fuel-martian-soil/">NASA Scientists Think They Can Extract Rocket Fuel From Martian Soil.</a> NASA is hard at work on a &#8220;factory&#8221; that would let future Mars missions — or even colonists — extract rocket fuel from Martian soil.
Read More: <a href="https://futurism.com/week-science-oct-13-oct-20/">This Week in Science: Oct 13 – Oct 20</a>

If you could write aliens a message, what would it be?

This week in science: Oct 27 – Nov 2

This Week in Science

From giant black holes swallowing our galaxy to the cutting edge of stem cell research, here are our top science stories of the week.

This Week in Science: Oct 27 – Nov 2

Giant black holes, fusion research, messages to aliens, and more

<h2>Sense of Touch</h2>
Sensory interneurons, the cells that give us our sense of touch, allow us to experience the world through tactile experiences that can become lost to us <a href="https://futurism.com/researchers-provide-the-first-evidence-that-a-new-kind-of-paralysis-treatment-is-effective/">in the case of </a><a href="https://futurism.com/researchers-provide-the-first-evidence-that-a-new-kind-of-paralysis-treatment-is-effective/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">paralysis</a>. This unique sense not only shapes our life experiences but helps keep us safe. It&#8217;s what allows us to perceive the potential danger of something like a hot stove or a sharp edge. A new study exploring these cells <a href="https://futurism.com/theres-a-100-million-plan-to-make-a-synthetic-spinal-cord-to-end-paralysis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hopes to find a way to restore sensation</a> to those suffering from paralysis. The study from UCLA, published <a href="http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/fulltext/S2213-6711(17)30560-X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in the journal </a><a href="http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/fulltext/S2213-6711(17)30560-X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stem Cell Reports</a>, resulted in a remarkable first: researchers successfully <a href="http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-scientists-make-cells-that-allow-the-sense-of-touch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">coaxed human stem cells to become sensory interneurons</a>.
Led by Samantha Butler, a UCLA associate professor of neurobiology who is also a part of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center, the study built on <a href="https://stemcell.ucla.edu/news/research-redefines-proteins%E2%80%99-role-development-spinal-sensory-cells" target="_blank" rel="noopener">previous work published by Butler</a> and her colleagues in September. In the previous study, Butler and her team explored how certain proteins contribute to the development of sensory interneurons in chicken embryos. Their latest research took the principles and information gleaned from the previous study and applied them to human stem cells.
The team added proteins, which establish the structure bone with a signaling molecule, to human embryonic stem cells. This mixture created two separate types of sensory interneurons: dI1 sensory interneurons, which help us determine where our body is in relation to what&#8217;s around us in our environment and dI3 sensory interneurons, which give us the ability to feel pressure.
<figure style="width: 639px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-118664 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/01/stemcelllllllls.jpg" alt="Human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons (green) showing nuclei in blue. Each side shows a different mixture to try to create sensory interneurons. Image Credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center/Stem Cell Reports" width="639" height="399" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons (green) showing nuclei in blue. Each side shows a different mixture to try to create sensory interneurons. Image Credit: UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center/Stem Cell Reports</figcaption></figure>
<h2>Restoring Feeling</h2>
The team also found that they could create the same sensory interneurons mixture by adding signaling molecules to induced pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem cells are created from the patient&#8217;s own cells, which are then &#8220;reprogrammed. This could give researchers the ability to better explore restorative treatments that work with the patients&#8217; body and reduce or eliminate the potential for rejection.
While this area of research is often focused on helping paralyzed patients walk again, Butler&#8217;s team is interested in restoring the broader experience of touch. In a press release from the UCLA Newsroom, she said “The field has for a long time focused on making people walk again. Making people feel again doesn’t have quite the same ring. But to walk, you need to be able to feel and to sense your body in space; the two processes really go hand in glove.”
That said, the team does hope their research could prove helpful in developing<a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cells-restore-paralyzed-rats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> restorative therapies for patients with paralysis</a>. As Butler put it, “This is a long path. We haven’t solved how to restore touch but we’ve made a major first step by working out some of these protocols to create sensory interneurons.”
While the research marks a major first, there is still a lot of additional research to be done. Butler and her team hope that additional studies will help them exactify mixtures that would allow them to coax stem cells into a variety of different sensory interneurons.

This mixture created two separate types of sensory interneurons: dI1 sensory interneurons and dI3 sensory interneurons.

Scientists coax human stem cells into becoming touch neurons

Health & Medicine

For the first time ever, researchers coaxed human stem cells into sensory interneurons, the cells that allow us to physically feel.

Scientists Coax Human Stem Cells Into Becoming Touch Neurons

This remarkable first could one day lead to innovative paralysis treatments. 

<h2>Working Muscle</h2>
In a world first, biomedical engineers from Duke University have <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2018-01/du-egf010518.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">created the first functioning human skeletal muscle</a> from pluripotent stem cells, which are capable of producing any form of body cell or tissue. Published January 9 in Nature Communications, this work builds upon work by <a href="http://pratt.duke.edu/news/first-contracting-human-muscle-grown-laboratory" target="_blank" rel="noopener">researchers at Duke in 2015</a>, in which they were able to grow working human muscle tissue from cells extracted in muscle biopsies.
This most recent progress, where muscle is grown from non-muscle, could open the door to much <a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cells-restore-paralyzed-rats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more advanced applications</a> like cell therapies, drug discovery, and the ability to grow larger amounts of muscle, as well as expanding our own understanding of human biology.
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&#8220;Starting with pluripotent stem cells that are not muscle cells, but can become all existing cells in our body, allows us to grow an unlimited number of myogenic progenitor cells,&#8221; said Nenad Bursac, professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University, <a href="https://www.eurekalert.org/emb_releases/2018-01/du-egf010518.php">in a press release</a>. &#8220;These progenitor cells resemble adult muscle stem cells called &#8216;satellite cells&#8217; that can theoretically grow an entire muscle starting from a single cell.&#8221;
In their study, the research team was able to create muscle fibers that reacted to stimuli, such as an electric shock or chemicals similar to neuronal signals, just like natural muscle tissue. When the stem cell-grown tissue was implanted into adult mice, the team found that it survived and functioned for at least three weeks, all while integrating into the animals&#8217; native tissue.
<h2>Stem Cell Origins</h2>
To create this <a href="https://futurism.com/artificial-muscles-lift-1000-times-weight/">functioning muscle tissue</a>, researchers began with human pluripotent stem cells taken from adult non-muscle tissues like skin or blood. These cells were then &#8220;reprogrammed&#8221; so that they were much simpler and undefined. These stem cells were then overwhelmed with the molecule Pax7, which signaled them to start becoming muscle as they grew.
&#8220;It&#8217;s taken years of trial and error, making educated guesses and taking baby steps to finally produce functioning human muscle from pluripotent stem cells,&#8221; said Lingjun Rao, a postdoctoral researcher in Bursac&#8217;s laboratory and first author of the study, in the press release. &#8220;What made the difference are our unique cell culture conditions and 3-D matrix, which allowed cells to grow and develop much faster and longer than the 2-D culture approaches that are more typically used.&#8221;
This successful development could have <a href="https://futurism.com/human-embryonic-stem-cells-used-fix-leading-cause-blindness/">staggering medical applications</a> in terms of research, furthering understanding through models of rare diseases, and treatment options for muscle damage.
However, there&#8217;s still work to be done; though the stem cell-derived muscle tissue contained more of the &#8220;satellite-like cells&#8221; needed to repair damage, it&#8217;s not as strong as native muscle or muscle grown from biopsies. In the future, the researchers hope they might be able to use the stem cell-derived tissue for regenerative therapies or in combination <a href="https://futurism.com/new-gene-therapy-regenerate-brain-tissue-fix-neurological-diseases/">with genetic therapy</a>, which could fix malfunctions in a patient&#8217;s stem cells and then grow new patches of completely healthy muscle.

The regrown tissue could be combined with gene therapy to treat muscle injury or disease.

Scientists grow first-ever working human muscle from stem cells

Using stem cells, scientists were able to grow working human muscle in the lab. This could have huge applications in both therapy and research.

Scientists Grow First-Ever Working Human Muscle From Stem Cells

"It's taken years of trial and error, making educated guesses and taking baby steps."

<h2>Sprouting Hair Follicles</h2>
For the first time ever, scientists have successfully grown hair follicles from cultures of stem cells. Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine developed the new method for making hairy lab-grown skin from mouse pluripotent stem cells.
While it might seem like hair transplant mad science gone wrong at first, <a href="https://futurism.com/researchers-claim-created-substance-regrows-hair/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this method could be used </a>to model diseases, develop therapies, or even treat skin disorders and cancers. Published <a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(17)31803-X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">online in the journal </a><a href="http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/fulltext/S2211-1247(17)31803-X" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cell Reports</a>, this research builds on the team&#8217;s previous work developing a technique to grow inner ear cells from stem cells.
<figure style="width: 400px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="wp-image-117892 aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/01/stemcellz.jpg" alt=" Hair follicles (red) grow out of spherical skin organoids. Image Credit: Jiyoon Lee and Karl R. Koehler." width="400" height="518" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Hair follicles (red) grow out of spherical skin organoids. Image Credit: Jiyoon Lee and Karl R. Koehler.</figcaption></figure>
The recent study was led by Karl Koehler, an assistant professor at IU School of Medicine. In <a href="http://news.medicine.iu.edu/releases/2018/01/hairy-skin-study.shtml">an IU press release</a>, Koehler said, “The skin is a complex organ that has been difficult to fully recreate and maintain in culture for research purposes. Our study shows how to encourage hair development from lab-grown mouse skin, which has been particularly troublesome for researchers to recreate in culture.&#8221;
This study identified stem-cell-culture conditions that allowed epidermis and dermis mouse cells to form a sphere-like cluster of cells called a skin “<a href="https://www.stemcell.com/discover-organoids">organoid</a>.” Under these conditions, the organoids developed like skin in an embryo. Koehler elaborated in the press release, “After about 20 days, we were amazed to see that skin organoids sprouted hair follicles. The roots of the follicles protrude from the skin organoids in all directions.”
<h2>Lab-Grown Skin</h2>
After validating their findings, the researchers have begun to explore the theoretical applications of this work. Jiyoon Lee, a postdoctoral fellow in Koehler&#8217;s lab and first author on the study, thinks this research could one day allow scientists to create an entire skin organ from &#8220;scratch.&#8221;
“My hope is that by improving skin-in-a-dish models we can greatly diminish the sacrifice of experimental animals and ultimately help patients with skin-related issues live a better life,&#8221; Lee said in the press release.
<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/a-timeline-of-organ-transplant-milestones/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2015/09/8-900x600.png" alt="An Exponential Timeline of Organ Transplants" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/a-timeline-of-organ-transplant-milestones/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
However, Koehler cautioned that there are still technological hurdles the team must overcome before this type of lab-grown skin can be applied in the ways that they intend. First, this experiment has not been performed with human stem cells yet. Additionally, the skin organoids are missing immune cells, blood vessels, and nerve endings that are found in skin that grows over bodies.
“The shape of skin organoids is another problem that needs to be addressed in the future,&#8221; Koehler elaborated in the press release. &#8220;Because the organoids are inside-out compared to normal skin, the layers of dead cells and hairs cannot be shed as they are normally, so we need to find a way to flip the structure of skin organoids.”
If and when these challenges are overcome, this technique could revolutionize research by providing a skin model that could be more effective and <a href="https://futurism.com/animal-testing-isnt-working-but-better-alternatives-are-on-the-way/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">preferable to animal testing.</a> Not only could these skin organoids push forward research into skin diseases and cancers, they could one day even provide suitable alternatives to traditional skin grafts.

The technique could also reduce animal testing.

Lab-Grown Skin With Hair Will Illuminate Treatments For Skin Conditions

Close up of hair growing in follicle

For the first time, researchers developed a way to get lab-grown skin made from mouse stem cells to sprout hair follicles.

The follicles were grown in cultures of stem cells. 

<h2>Breakthrough Immunotherapy</h2>
<a href="https://www.lls.org/treatment/types-of-treatment/stem-cell-transplantation/graft-versus-host-disease" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD)</a> is a condition that can develop in response to an allogeneic stem cell transplant or a reduced-intensity allogeneic transplant. It can be both acute and severe, and has the potential to be life-threatening. This condition has been a major stumbling block in advancing stem cell research, as life-threatening consequences of transplants are not exactly ideal. But this all could change with a phase-2 clinical trial, presented by Seattle Children&#8217;s Research Institute at the 59th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, that shows how <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-12-immunotherapy-drug-severe-acute-graft-versus-host.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an immunotherapy drug can almost entirely eliminate severe acute GvHD</a>.
Dr. Leslie Kean, the trial&#8217;s principal investigator and associate director of the Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research at Seattle Children&#8217;s, said that &#8220;Given the serious threat of graft-versus-host disease, new approaches to make stem cell transplants safer for patients remain a critical unmet need. To see such striking results in patients at extremely high risk for graft-versus-disease is incredibly encouraging.&#8221;
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<a href="https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-06-depletion-naive-cells-stem-cell.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This trial tested the drug abatacept (orencia) in patients</a> who developed GvHD from hematopoietic stem cell transplants. When the drug was used in addition to standard GvHD treatment, it reduced the occurrence of acute, grade III-IV GvHD from 32 to 3 percent. These incredible results were for both adults and children. The group who received abatacept alongside their normal treatment experienced increased survival and recovery.
<h2>Advancing Stem Cell Research</h2>
Kean stated that &#8220;As a transplant physician, it&#8217;s beyond heartbreaking to witness a patient develop severe acute graft-versus-host disease after having their leukemia cured through bone marrow transplant. To have a therapy at our disposal that safely targets just the T cells causing graft-versus-host disease would represent a major step forward in stem cell transplantation. It not only offers new hope that we can prevent graft-versus-host disease upfront, but that we can also significantly improve outcomes for patients requiring high-risk transplants.&#8221;<figure style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/bioprinting-how-3d-printing-is-changing-medicine/"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2015/12/home.jpg" alt="Bioprinting: How 3D Printing is Changing Medicine" ></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text center"><a href="https://futurism.com/images/bioprinting-how-3d-printing-is-changing-medicine/" target="_blank">Click to View Full Infographic</a></figcaption></figure>
After these successful results, the second cohort finished enrollment in November, with 140 total patients. Data from this next step in this study will likely be available within the next six months.
This continuing study will not only provide necessary improved treatment for those battling life-threatening complications through this condition — it will also advance stem cell research. <a href="https://futurism.com/human-embryonic-stem-cells-used-fix-leading-cause-blindness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blindness</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cell-wound-healing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">non-healing wounds</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/re-engineered-immune-system-cells-show-early-promise-against-hiv/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HIV</a>, and <a href="https://futurism.com/a-new-stem-cell-treatment-had-striking-anti-aging-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">even aging </a>are among the seemingly countless conditions that stem cell treatments could alleviate. But, among the many roadblocks in this type of research is this very serious disease. Until now, it was something that was a clear and life-threatening reality of stem cell transplants. But thanks to this study, there is better treatment and there could be better prevention of this heartbreaking disease.
This could allow research to push forward without patients having to risk their lives. So, while it could save lives through treatment with the immunotherapy drug, it could also save lives by allowing advanced medical research using stem cells to move forward. This development is a win-win for the future of medicine, the future of stem cell research and its life-saving potential.

Stem cell research may undergo major advancements.

Immunotherapy drug proven remarkably successful against serious stem cell transplant complication

A new clinical trial showed how an immunotherapy drug can almost entirely eliminate severe acute GvHD, a complication during stem cell transplants.

Immunotherapy Drug Proven Remarkably Successful Against Serious Stem Cell Transplant Complication

This could remove a significant barrier in stem cell research.

<h2>When Flat Cultures Are Not Enough</h2>
New research may be changing the way scientists study lung disease, <a href="http://www.medicinenet.com/pulmonary_fibrosis/article.htm">idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis</a>, in particular. Previously, doctors would grow two dimensional cultures which could not be effectively used to model certain conditions, such as lung scarring. Even when the cells came from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients, the cells turned out healthy on the flat cultures.
To solve this, scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have <a href="http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/ucla-researchers-use-stem-cells-to-grow-3-d-lung-in-a-dish">grown three-dimensional “organoids”</a> that resemble sections of human lungs instead of just cells.
The researchers used stem cells taken from actual adult human lungs to coat tiny sticky hydrogel beads. These eventually grew and self-assembled to envelope the hydrogel beads, which were all placed inside linked wells. The resulting structure produced evenly distributed three-dimensional patterns consistent with actual air sacs like those in human lungs.
“While we haven’t built a fully functional lung, we’ve been able to take lung cells and place them in the correct geometrical spacing and pattern to mimic a human lung,” says UCLA associate professor of pediatric hematology and oncology and lead author <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/pea-sized-human-lungs-been-8843644">Dr. Brigitte Gomperts</a>.
<figure style="width: 490px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/09/Bioengineeredlung-liketissue_mid.jpg" alt="Lab-grown lung-mimicking tissue (left) in comparison with real human lung tissue (right). UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center." width="490" height="326" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Lab-grown lung-mimicking tissue (left) in comparison with real human lung tissue (right). UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center.</figcaption></figure>
Remarkably, by adding certain molecular aspects, the lung organoids successfully developed scarring consistent with those in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients, which will help to better study the disease.
<h2>Simple Technique For Complex Medical Hurdles</h2>
Despite the technique’s simplicity, its potential applications could tackle diseases that remain complex and difficult to study with current technology. Patients usually die within three to five years of diagnosis, and currently, there is no cure.
With this technique, researchers can grow infected lung organoids so they can further study the biology of the disease. They can also conduct various drug experiments to come up with a precise, personalized treatment plan before administering anything to the patient, minimizing risks of damage.
It’s also very easy to reproduce: “We can make thousands of reproducible pieces of tissue that resemble lung and contain patient-specific cells,” says materials science and engineering graduate student <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/science/pea-sized-human-lungs-been-8843644">Dan Wilkinson</a>.
The study was published in the journal <a href="http://stemcellstm.alphamedpress.org/content/early/2016/09/14/sctm.2016-0192.abstract">Stem Cells Translational Medicine</a>.

Hard Science

Researchers from the UCLA have found a way around some of the limitations of lung cell cultures in recreating lung scarring by growing three-dimensional "organoids" instead of relying on flat cultures. The method uses stem cells to grow pea sized three dimensional samples of lung tissue.

Growing Lungs: Scientists Are Using Stem Cells to Try and Grow Human Lungs in a Dish

This could help us all breathe a little easier.

Scientists may have found a way to take some of the biggest ethical concerns of stem cell research out of the equation. 
In an article published in the journal <a style="line-height: 1.42857; background-color: white;" href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15384101.2016.1152425">Cell Cycle</a>, scientists describe research where the process of reprogramming an adult stem cell creates cells that are &#8220;indistinguishable&#8221; from stem cells that traditionally had to be harvested from embryos. 
<figure style="width: 273px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img class="" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/06/8683454956_ba46f4358b_b.jpg" alt="Dr Sarah Newey, Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow from the University of Oxford." width="273" height="208" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Dr Sarah Newey, Dorothy Hodgkin Fellow from the University of Oxford.</figcaption></figure>
What separates stem cells from other kinds of cells is that they are undifferentiated; they can be used to repair many different categories of cells.
When stem cells divide, they can either remain stem cells or become a variety of specific types of cell, like <a href="https://futurism.com/stroke-survivor-walks-again-after-doctors-inject-stem-cells-directly-into-brain/">neurons or muscle cells</a>. The most well known way of obtaining these cells is from the destructive harvesting of the cells from embryos.
Now though, using methods developed by 2012 Nobel laureates, Shinya Yamanaka and Sir John Gurdon, scientists can induce adult stem cells from specialized cells that had previously been differentiated from embryonic stem cells. This eliminates the need for the destruction of embryos.
With further research into this breakthrough, researchers were able to show that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) were identical to those harvested from an embryo.
More research is necessary, but the results from the study are an important step in the right direction for solving this ethical dilemma.

An article in Cell Cycle shows that scientists have confirmed that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are identical to human embryonic stem cells (hES).

Scientists Confirm: Reprogrammed Adult Stem Cells Perfectly Mimic Embryonic Stem Cells

Induced pluripotent stem cells are identical to those harvested from an embryo.

<h2>New protocols</h2>
Stem cells can affect all parts of the body. <a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cell-therapy-can-reverse-age-related-osteoporosis/">Bones</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/scientists-produce-kidney-tissue-using-stem-cells-from-human-skin/">kidneys</a>, <a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cells-allow-scientists-repair-injured-spinal-cords/">spines</a>&#8230;the study of how to repair and replace these parts of the body are all enriched by stem cell. Now, another component of the body is going to get the stem cell touch: Sight.
A German study <a href="http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/fulltext/S2213-6711(16)00082-5">published online</a> on March 31 in Stem Cell Reports, has created an efficient way of making 3D retina organoids, which mimic the organ&#8217;s tissue organization, from mouse or human stem cells.
The new mini-retina protocol involves cutting an organoid grown from stem cells into three pieces at an early stage of eye development. Each of these pieces, which look like little half moons, eventually grows into the full suite of cells found in the retina.
<figure style="width: 649px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img style="width: 649px;" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/04/gr11.jpg" alt="" width="649" height="466" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Figure showing the trisection process. <a href="http://www.cell.com/stem-cell-reports/fulltext/S2213-6711(16)00082-5">Credit: Stem Cell Reports</a> </figcaption></figure>
<h2>Multiple advantages</h2>
The 3-D retinal organoids developed in this process efficiently replicate retina formation. This includes the light-detecting cone cells, which now can be produced in high quantities.
Cone photoreceptors, which are responsible for high acuity and color vision, are the most precious retinal cell type with regard to potential future cell replacement therapies in patients affected by retinal degeneration.
The process also allows the surviving organoids to grow to reach sizes similar to uncut organoids.
The ability to produce such cells has been a major limitation for regenerative medicine; however, this new method increases the yield of retinal organoids 4-fold, allowing us to take a great step forward in the study of the retina, and in understanding how to repair it.
&#8220;The goal isn&#8217;t just to make the closest thing next to a real retina, but also to possibly harness the flexibility of the system to create more diverse ways of studying retina tissue,&#8221; senior author Mike Karl, of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/cp-3g032416.php">stated in the press release</a>.
&#8220;Even with our new additions to existing organoid systems, we have not yet reached that tipping point of robustness that we need for people without the expertise to grow these models,&#8221; says Karl, &#8220;By working out the details, we also hope to help those who are not developmentally or stem cell-minded to just go and study what they want.&#8221;

Enhanced Humans

Stem cell science has progressed so much that researchers can now share recipes for making human retinas - the part of the eye that is sensitive to light. 

Restoring Sight: Scientists Create 3D “Mini-Retinas” Using Stem Cells

A new way of making 3D mini-retinas from cells has been discovered.

<h2>Stem cells to the rescue</h2>
Stem cells are an amazing part of medical research. Because of their ability to become virtually any cell in the human body, they could hold the cure for many varied and grave diseases—from <a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cell-therapy-can-reverse-age-related-osteoporosis/">bones</a>, to <a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cell-breakthrough-let-us-grow-new-human-eyes/">sight</a>, to <a href="https://futurism.com/stem-cell-innovation-lead-therapy-parkinsons-multiple-sclerosis/">memory and thinking</a>, stem cells could help us correct a host of conditions.
In fact, it seems that stem cells might be the key to repairing spinal cord injuries.
In a <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/nm.4066.epdf?referrer_access_token=MMbAEVsT9YCm3Ov48Y3VKdRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Pu8CMYzeVm8Gk_2nG2ntMIlKDcaUR-FgREpNA_dSLl_3KJ7GbCVhnBfA-sfABLFwO45wiq5BvrnTAzKnRahvIHtPSm3ZCYoOGQq1P6nQmEY8Bvjoz4Va7UMKEuN_TRDXb49ox0ZbQ4IMlkgmdo9Pofhxbpkr2FbF3ZSFE-TPufKsJTMgwnwszfbFZi78ffQ2OBLxZqaduZSKaq17eDP68E&amp;tracking_referrer=arstechnica.com">study published</a> in Nature Medicine, researchers report that they have successfully coaxed stem cell-derived neurons to regenerate lost tissue in damaged corticospinal tracts of rats, resulting in functional benefit.
<img class="alignright" style="width: 274px;" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/03/160329-spinal.jpg" alt="" height="199" />
Corticospinal tracts are an important part of the nervous system, carrying signals from the brain to the spinal cord, and they are of vital importance for voluntary movement in humans. And they have never been regenerated, until now.
&#8220;The new thing here was that we used neural stem cells for the first time to determine whether they, unlike any other cell type tested, would support regeneration. And to our surprise, they did,&#8221; senior study author Mark Tuszynski, MD, PhD, <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-03/uoc--scu032316.php">said in the press release</a>.
For the study, the researchers used rat and human neural progenitor cells, which they grafted into sites of spinal cord injury in the rats. Using chemical signals, they coaxed the cells into forming spinal cord tissue. The stem cells were directed to specifically develop as a spinal cord, and they did so robustly, forming functional synapses that improved forelimb movements in the rats. 
<h3>Still a long road ahead</h3>
While the study was very successful, it is still far from being applicable to humans. First of all, long-term effects and effectiveness still have to be tested in the rats. To that end, whether the regeneration is completely successful and safe in the rats remain to be seen.
Also, even if the study is completely successful, larger scale animal testing still has to be performed before contemplating human trials.
<a href="http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/03/scientists-regenerate-spinal-cord-in-injured-rats-with-stem-cells/">But as Tuszynski notes</a>, &#8220;now that we can regenerate the most important motor system for humans, I think that the potential for translation is more promising.&#8221;

In a study published in Nature Medicine, researchers report that they have successfully coaxed stem cell-derived neurons to regenerate lost tissue in damaged corticospinal tracts of rats.

Stem Cells Allow Scientists to Repair Injured Spinal Cords

We have a new kind of spinal cord regeneration.

<h2>Tracking neural stem cells</h2>
Combining stem cell biology and 3D imaging technology, a graduate student from the University of Georgia&#8217;s Regenerative Bioscience Center has developed a breakthrough technique for tracking and labeling neural stem cells.
“The unknown is that big ‘black box’ when people inject neural stem cells and have no idea where they go, or what they do—it’s pretty invasive and inaccurate,” said Steven Stice, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center.
In his <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201504444/full" target="_blank">research</a>, which was published in Advanced Functional Material, Forrest Goodfellow used microscopic iron beads to label neural stem cells before transplanting them into a chicken embryo.
This unique technique allowed them to observe the stem cells for as long as 14 days using an MRI without causing damage to the cells, similar to <a href="https://futurism.com/new-study-shows-graphene-interacts-safely-neurons-brain/">research using graphene</a>.
<img style="width: 800px;" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/03/12-researcherst.jpg" alt="" />Credit: Davis Tucker/UGA 
<h2>Finally making the unknown known</h2>
“One novel aspect of this iron nanoparticle is the iron center covered in synthetic polymers,” Goodfellow said. “The covering can be manipulated to show up in green, red or a spectrum of colors with fluorescent microscopy and MRI for a multitude of regenerative therapies—but the surface is what helps it to not harm the cells.”
Because this labeling technique is noninvasive, it&#8217;s posed as the next leap in regenerative medicine therapy, helping people delay the onset of symptoms for those affected by Alzheimer&#8217;s and Parkinson&#8217;s disease.
It also holds therapeutic promise for healing patients who suffered from stroke as well as traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.
“The hope is that this research will get stem cells to clinical applications faster, even if we are just doing rodent studies,” he said. “If we are able to see that the cells are surviving and integrating and not adversely affecting the animal, then the likelihood of us getting through clinical trials and onto a real therapy is a lot greater and a lot faster.”

A new labeling technique for neural stem cells has furthered research into stem cell therapy and opened doors for fighting neurological diseases and enhancing regenerative therapies.

/Stem Cell Research

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