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Stem Cells

Sunscreen prevents skin cancer and premature ageing — but are you doing it right?

For decades, we've known sunscreen dramatically lowers a person's risk of developing skin cancer, with some of the first evidence coming from (aptly) the Sunshine State. This is how it works.
Illustration of a man sunbathing on the beach under an umbrella

What's so special about Retro the cloned rhesus monkey? Five quick questions answered

Scientists report cloning a monkey using a technique that most famously gave us Dolly the sheep in 1996. So what's new about this study, and what does it mean for humans?
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Rhesus monkey in cage

Scientists create monkey 'chimera' using stem cells for the first time

Researchers in China have reported the live birth of a monkey chimera using a stem cell technique previously only successful with rats and mice. So what does this mean?
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A close-up shot of a monkey looking right at the camera baring its teeth against a green backdrop

Kriss donates stem cells to honour his daughter's memory — and he wants more Australians to do the same

A quarter-century after he lost his daughter to a genetic disorder, Albany man Kriss Lawson's stem cells have helped save another person's life. But Australia is facing a critical shortage of donors.
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Man wearing green shirt in hospital bed with needles in arms, donating stem cells.

A vital ingredient for cancer research is in tight supply with the price rising

Australian scientists look to overseas providers of an important but increasingly hard-to-get abattoir by-product.
A plastic-gloved hand holds a string of plastic vials that have red liquid at the bottom

Research reveals how COVID-19 infects the placenta

Professor Kanta Subbarao from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection & Immunity was a part of the research team lead by Professor Jose Polo. She explains how lab grown placenta was used to study if SARS-CoV-2 could infect placenta cells. ( Image courtesy Joseph Chen.)
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ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 4 seconds

Scientists created 'synthetic embryos' without sperm or eggs. What are the legal and ethical implications?

Reports that scientists are making "synthetic embryos" has revived debate about stem cell research. But what exactly is going on?
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A blastoid or embryoid

Boy preparing for lifesaving bone marrow transplant now at risk of virus from donor

Stems cells donated to help save the life of six-year-old Queensland boy Mateoh Eggleton were left on a tarmac in the United States last month. Now, his family have been told they came from an ineligible donor and could make him sick.
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A young boy in a blue t-shirt sleeps in a hospital bed. He has a tube extending from his nose

This disease impacts 1 in every 20,000 people. One scientist believes his robots could change that

Dr Douglas Blackiston describes xenobots as 'computer-designed life forms' and says they could help researchers learn more about various human diseases.
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xenobot - living robot, red and blue cells in a cluster

Foetal calf blood hits record $615 a litre

It is one of the lesser known by-products of Australia's cattle industry, but foetal calf blood has seen its value more than double in the past three years.
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Stem cells grow in a nutrient mix

How lifting a bag of fertiliser led to a life-changing moment for this farmer

In February last year, David Coombs was diagnosed with myeloma, a complex blood cancer with no cure. 
Man in khaki shirt stands among rows of pistachio trees.

Foreign stem cells saved Shelley's life, but doctors say they should be available at home

Stem cells made the difference for Shelley Garvie, but experts say Australia is a long way behind where it needs to be in finding donors for the treatment and are calling for reform.
A black and white image of a woman with shaved head hugging her daughter.

Queensland scientists studying placenta stem cells to help growth-restricted babies

Placenta stem cells donated by Brisbane mums are being studied as a potential treatment to reduce brain injury in growth-restricted babies.
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Dr Julie Wixey looking through a microscope, wearing a white lab coat.

Embryos older than 14 days can't be used for research. Scientists want that changed

Scientists want the rules governing the use of human embryos to change, saying they are stopping potentially life-changing research that could provide insights into what causes miscarriages and congenital anomalies.
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Light micrograph of embryonic cells

Scientists work out how to 'switch on' stem cells

A team of Australian scientists have worked out how to 'turn on' a stem cell, and regenerate muscle tissue and heal a wound in a mouse.
ABC News Current
Duration: 16 seconds

$300 million in medical research grants welcomed

The funding will be used in for research into dementia, paediatric cancer and stem cell therapies.
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ABC News Current
Duration: 5 minutes 50 seconds

From working on a farm to life support in two weeks — Josh Dickinson faced a 'harrowing' moment

Stem cell transplants are thrown into turmoil when couriers can no longer bring patients donated treatments from overseas. The donor registry is calling on governments to back recruitment of local donors.
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19-year-old Josh Dickinson stands against a fence on a rural property.

'I would feel guilty if I didn't try': Families embark on expensive, unproven medical treatments

What's driving Australian families overseas to gamble on "magical" stem cell treatments at sky-high prices?
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A photo of a mother playing with toys with her daughter, who uses a wheelchair.

Andrea planned to spend $80k on Russian treatment, then a Sydney doctor made an offer

After being diagnosed with MS, Andrea Zorbalas was told to prepare for life in a wheelchair. Instead, she got a second opinion and found a spot in a life-changing trial.
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Andrea Zorbalas with a shaved head, posing with her husband during the stem cell treatment

Why you shouldn't pick at scabs, even if they're really itchy

Your body's natural repair system is a wonderful thing. But there are a few things you can do to heal better and minimise scarring.
A scraped knee.

Bad knees? Crocodile cartilage could be the answer

Crocodile cartilage and adult stem cells combine to grow an implantable fix for human joint damage.
Dr Padraig Strappe looks at the croc cartilage 'soup' under a microscope

Researchers claim breakthrough in the fight to cure cystic fibrosis

A step forward in stem cell transplantation therapy, carried out in mice, points the way towards a cure for cystic fibrosis. Researchers say if the technique can be developed fully, it could remove up to 90 per cent of the disease's complications.
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A man breathes into a machine while visiting the doctor

New, tighter regulations on the way for unproven stem cell treatments

Some scientists and doctors are calling for more oversight of the stem cell industry, as Australians pay thousands of dollars for medical treatments that are unproven and may not even work.
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Dr Donald Kuah removing stem cells from a patient during a procedure

If it's grown in a lab, is it 'meat'?

The peak body for Australia's cattle industry considers calling for reforms to prevent lab-grown meat from being labelled "meat".
ABC News Current

Does your brain stop making new cells once you're an adult?

You may have heard that when neurons die, they're not replaced. Some neuroscientists agree, but others think the opposite.
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A hippocampal neuron.