Stem Cell Events in 2026 🗓️ stemcelltracker.com/events/

Insulin cells for type 1 diabetes got their blood supply weeks sooner. Karolinska researchers used an RNA switch so the cells call for blood vessels early, like ordering groceries before moving in. Human islets had blood flow in 12 days, not up to 42. sciencenews.dk/en/new-approa…

This week in stem cells: ○ The first patient given an iPS stem cell heart patch is recovering well. ○ 10 women with osteoporosis had 94% fewer broken bones after one stem cell drip. ○ Pruning unwanted cells made lab grown mini livers 3 times better at handling drugs.

Pruning makes better mini livers. Pitt scientists built SynBITE, a gene switch that tells unwanted cells in lab grown liver organoids to die, like a gardener clipping weak shoots. Drug processing jumped to 60% of real liver cells, up from about 20%. medschool.pitt.edu/news/sele…

Up to 40% of mouse skin cells became neurons, up from about 3%, after UCLA scientists gave them a quick squeeze. Pushing cells through tiny channels loosens tightly packed DNA, like opening a stuffed suitcase so gene tools can reach what is inside. uclahealth.org/news/release/…

Brain building stem cells are easy targets for the COVID virus. UC Riverside found human neural stem cells let in safe lab copies of the virus, Omicron too. Blocking the cell's swallowing doorway cut entry by up to 85%. Next: test effects on brain growth. news.ucr.edu/articles/2026/1…

Lab grown immune cells learned the local job in every organ. VIB scientists made early macrophage starter cells from human stem cells and put them in mice. They became microglia in the brain and matched the cleanup crews of the liver, heart and kidney. press.vib.be/human-stem-cell…

Kids with severe heart defects often need surgery after surgery because their repair parts can't grow. Boston's new THUMPIN' project (up to $29.6M) aims to build living valves, vessels and patches that grow with a child, and one day a whole heart. seas.harvard.edu/news/boston…

In 6 days, 7 chemicals turned about half of human stem cells in a dish into cells like those of an 8 cell embryo. Like rewinding a movie to its first scene, these cells can help build both body and placenta. The old way took 3 weeks (Cell Research). scienmag.com/seven-chemical-…

Old Blood Cells Have Been Transformed Into Brain Stem Cells That Get Younger As They Age sciencealert.com/old-blood-c…

Switching off one gene helped lab grown heart cells hide from the immune system. Japanese scientists turned off TAPBP in stem cells, so the heart cells show fewer ID tags. In lab tests, killer T cells attacked far less, and NK cells left them alone. doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.…