Many scientists use animals to model human diseases. Mice can be obese or display symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Rats get Alzheimer’s and diabetes. But animal models are seldom perfect, and so scientists are looking at a relatively new type of stem cell, called the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell), that can be grown into specialized cells that become useful models for human disease.
Year
UW-Madison researchers discuss procedure that helped boy hear
“When we think in general about children who are deaf and could benefit from the opportunity to gain access to speech and to language be mainstreamed… there’s a lot of excitement,” Professor Ruth Litovsky says about the surgery Grayson received.
Grandparents gather for support at Waisman Center
By Käri Knutson You’re not alone. It’s a simple message but one that can provide great comfort. That is just part of what those who gather at the Waisman Center as part of the Grandparents’ …
Professor helps ‘Sesame Street’ reach children of imprisoned parents
By Käri Knutson It doesn’t get talked about much, yet nearly 2.7 million children are growing up with a parent who is in prison, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. What do you tell …
Cap Times’ Evjue Foundation distributes $1 million to UW, area nonprofits
Checks totaling more than $1 million have been sent to 74 area nonprofits and to 17 project managers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison by The Evjue Foundation, the charitable arm of The Capital Times.
A Promising Sight
But the specks in the Petri dishes were the result of years of research in the laboratory of David Gamm, an ophthalmologist at the UW’s Waisman Center. And as members of the Reese family carefully cradled the dishes, they held the future of their descendants’ eyesight in their hands.
Down syndrome neurons grown from stem cells show signature problems
Down syndrome, the most common genetic form of intellectual disability, results from an extra copy of one chromosome. Although people with Down syndrome experience intellectual difficulties and other problems, scientists have had trouble identifying why that extra chromosome causes such widespread effects.
Sensory friendly dining event breaks down barriers
For many families, the occasional evening out for dinner at a restaurant is an enjoyable treat. But for parents who care for children with autism, the notion of eating out can be panic inducing. “We …
Children’s Theatre opens door to Waisman Center resources
By Susannah Brooks Harry Waisman was a pediatrician, as well as a biochemist and researcher of developmental disabilities. Throughout its history, the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Waisman Center has built strong relationships with children and families, …
Adult cells transformed into early-stage nerve cells, bypassing the pluripotent stem cell stage
A University of Wisconsin-Madison research group has converted skin cells from people and monkeys into a cell that can form a wide variety of nervous-system cells — without passing through the do-it-all stage called the induced pluripotent stem cell, or iPSC.