An HIV drug that redirects immune cell traffic significantly reduces the incidence of a dangerous complication that often follows bone marrow transplants for blood cancer patients, researchers the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reported.  The findings represent a new tactic for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), which afflicts up to [Sign in to read the full article...]

Damaged and aged heart tissue of older heart failure patients was rejuvenated by stem cells modified by scientists, according to a new study.  Modified human cells  helped the signaling and structure of heart cells, which were biopsied from elderly patients.  The researchers modified the stem cells in the laboratory with PIM-1, a protein that promotes [Sign in to read the full article...]

Physicians in Italy announced they have performed the world’s first minimally invasive right liver lobe resection and procurement for an adult-to-adult living-donor liver transplant. The ground breaking operation was performed at the Istituto Mediterraneo pe i Traplanti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (ISMETT) The procedure was performed using the da Vinci robotic surgical system and [Sign in to read the full article...]

As part of its 2012 organ and tissue donor campaign, Donate Life Pennsylvania, a partnership of the state’s two organ procurement organizations and the Pennsylvania of Health produced two new videos aimed at debunking the myths around organ and tissue donation.  The videos are being shared with Pennsylvanians throughout the state using social media channels. [Sign in to read the full article...]

After years of broken promises, the field of gene therapy is about to reach a major milestone: the first regulatory approval of a gene therapy treatment for disease in the West.  The European Medicine Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use announced last week it is recommending approval of Glybera, a treatment for lipoprotein [Sign in to read the full article...]