Stem Cells

"The Eye," Lionsgate/Paramount Vantage films, released Feb. 1. The premise: Sydney Wells (played by Jessica Alba) was blinded in an accident with fireworks at age 5. Twenty years later, because of stem cell research, she is able to undergo bilateral corneal transplants, which are stitched on with large sutures. At first her returning vision is blurry, but as it starts to clear, she suffers from destabilizing visions, hallucinations and dreams. Her ophthalmologist, Dr.

Researchers have cured mice that had a version of Parkinson's disease by treating them with brain cells made from clones of their own skin cells. The findings are to be published today in the journal Nature Medicine. Before such a treatment can be tried in humans, scientists must make the procedure work with human cells, something they have been unable to do.

"Restore and renew." "Significantly reduces the loss of cells in the epidermis." "Regenerate cells and repair tissue." The newest skin creams beckon with an air of scientific gravitas, holding out the hope that now, at last, medicine has triumphed over the visible aging process. With tantalizing biological references and understated packaging, the products are among the first on the market to capitalize on the public's insatiable appetite for stem cell technology.

California's voter-created stem cell institute is expected to award $227 million in grants today to seed a laboratory building spree at a dozen universities and research centers, including USC, UCLA and UC Irvine. New labs are needed to house the growing number of researchers funded by 2004's Proposition 71, officials at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine say, even though one of the main pressures on lab space is likely to be lifted after the November election.

CANNES, France -- The entertainment industry attracts all sorts of unusual investors, but the people behind a new movie premiering at the Cannes Film Festival couldn't be further removed from the Hollywood scene: They are Kansas doctors eager to tell a story about stem cell research.

Using stem cells from umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, researchers have apparently cured a fatal genetic disease in a 2-year-old Minneapolis boy, which could open the door for other stem cell treatments. For the first time in his life, Nate Liao is wearing normal clothes, eating food that has not been pureed, and playing with his siblings. "Nate's quality of life is forever changed," said Dr. John Wagner of the University of Minnesota Medical School, who performed the treatment.

Scientists have created the first personalized stem cells for patients with a genetic disease by rewinding their skin cells to an embryonic state, according to a study published Thursday in the online edition of Science. The researchers then converted some of those stem cells into the two kinds of brain cells that cause their crippling disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Scientists have converted cells from human testes into stem cells that grew into muscle, nerve cells and other kinds of tissue, according to a study published Wednesday in the online edition of Nature. The stem cells offer another potential alternative to embryonic stem cells for researchers who aim to treat diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's by replacing damaged or malfunctioning cells with custom-grown replacements.

Peeking to advance stem cell research in California, philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad announced Wednesday that they will donate $25 million to UC San Francisco for a state-of-the-art laboratory that will bring together some of the world's leading scientists in the field. The gift was hailed by Gov.

Researchers have found that some stem cells in human amniotic fluid appear to have many of the key therapeutic benefits of embryonic stem cells while avoiding their knottiest ethical, medical and logistical drawbacks, according to a study published Sunday. The stem cells -- easy to harvest from the fluid left over from amniocentesis tests given to many pregnant women -- were used to create bone, heart muscle, blood vessels, fat, and nerve and liver tissues, the study said.