'Molecular beacons' light up stem cell transformation
Tuesday, September 11, 2012 - 12:01
in Biology & Nature
(Phys.org)—A novel set of custom-designed "molecular beacons" allows scientists to monitor gene expression in living populations of stem cells as they turn into a specific tissue in real-time. The technology, which Brown University researchers describe in a new study, provides tissue engineers with a potentially powerful tool to discover what it may take to make stem cells transform into desired tissue cells more often and more quickly. That's a key goal in improving regenerative medicine treatments.