Category Archives: Stem Cells

BERKELEY Bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that physical cues can replace certain chemicals when nudging mature cells back to a pluripotent stage, capable of becoming any cell type in the body.

The researchers grew fibroblasts cells taken from human skin and mouse ears on surfaces with parallel grooves measuring 10 micrometers wide and 3 micrometers high. After two weeks of culture in a special cocktail used to reprogram mature cells, the researchers found a four-fold increase in the number of cells that reverted back to an embryonic-like state compared with cells grown on a flat surface. Growing cells in scaffolds of nanofibers aligned in parallel had similar effects.

The study, published online Sunday (Oct. 20) in the journal Nature Materials, could significantly enhance the process of reprogramming adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells that can differentiate, or develop, into any type of tissue that makes up our bodies.

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to scientists who discovered that it was possible to reprogram cells using biochemical compounds and proteins that regulate gene expression. These induced pluripotent stem cells have since become a research mainstay in regenerative medicine, disease modeling and drug screening.

"Our study demonstrates for the first time that the physical features of biomaterials can replace some of these biochemical factors and regulate the memory of a cell's identity," said study principal investigator Song Li, UC Berkeley professor of bioengineering. "We show that biophysical signals can be converted into intracellular chemical signals that coax cells to change."

The current process for reprogramming cells relies on a formula that uses a virus to introduce gene-altering proteins into mature cells. Certain chemical compounds, including valproic acid, that can dramatically affect global DNA structure and expression are also used to boost the efficiency of the reprogramming process.

"The concern with current methods is the low efficiency at which cells actually reprogram and the unpredictable long-term effects of certain imposed genetic or chemical manipulations," said study lead author Timothy Downing, who did this research as a graduate student in the UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering. "For instance, valproic acid is a potent chemical that drastically alters the cell's epigenetic state and can cause unintended changes inside the cell. Given this, many people have been looking at different ways to improve various aspects of the reprogramming process."

Previous studies have shown that physical and mechanical forces can influence cell fate, but the effect on epigenetic state and cell reprogramming had not been clear.

The new study found that culturing cells on micro-grooved biomaterials improved the quality and consistency of the reprogramming process, and was just as effective as valproic acid.

"Cells elongate, for example, as they migrate throughout the body," said Downing, who is now a research scientist in Li's lab. "In the case of topography, where we control the elongation of a cell by controlling the physical microenvironment, we are able to more closely mimic what a cell would experience in its native physiological environment. In this regard, these physical cues are less invasive and artificial to the cell and therefore less likely to cause unintended side effects."

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From mature cells to embryonic-like stem cells

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

22-Oct-2013

Contact: Erin Vollick Comm.ibbme@utoronto.ca 416-946-8019 University of Toronto

University of Toronto researchers have developed a method that can rapidly screen human stem cells and better control what they will turn into. The technology could have potential use in regenerative medicine and drug development. Findings are published in this week's issue of the journal Nature Methods.

"The work allows for a better understanding of how to turn stem cells into clinically useful cell types more efficiently," according to Emanuel Nazareth, a PhD student at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) at the University of Toronto. The research comes out of the lab of Professor Peter Zandstra, Canada Research Chair in Bioengineering at U of T.

The researchers used human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC), cells which have the potential to differentiate and eventually become any type of cell in the body. But the key to getting stem cells to grow into specific types of cells, such as skin cells or heart tissue, is to grow them in the right environment in culture, and there have been challenges in getting those environments (which vary for different types of stem cells) just right, Nazareth said.

The researchers developed a high-throughput platform, which uses robotics and automation to test many compounds or drugs at once, with controllable environments to screen hPSCs in. With it, they can control the size of the stem cell colony, the density of cells, and other parameters in order to better study characteristics of the cells as they differentiate or turn into other cell types. Studies were done using stem cells in micro-environments optimized for screening and observing how they behaved when chemical changes were introduced.

It was found that two specific proteins within stem cells, Oct4 and Sox2, can be used to track the four major early cell fate types that stem cells can turn into, allowing four screens to be performed at once.

"One of the most frustrating challenges is that we have different research protocols for different cell types. But as it turns out, very often those protocols don't work across many different cell lines," Nazareth said.

The work also provides a way to study differences across cell lines that can be used to predict certain genetic information, such as abnormal chromosomes. What's more, these predictions can be done in a fraction of the time compared to other existing techniques, and for a substantially lower cost compared to other testing and screening methods.

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Predicting the fate of stem cells

BERKELEY

Bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, have shown that physical cues can replace certain chemicals when nudging mature cells back to a pluripotent stage, capable of becoming any cell type in the body.

Pluripotent stem cells, created from human skin or mouse ear tissue, are shown here developing into neurons. Cell nuclei are shown in blue, and the red highlights a type of filament protein expressed in nerve cells. (Image courtesy of Song Lis Lab)

The researchers grew fibroblasts cells taken from human skin and mouse ears on surfaces with parallel grooves measuring 10 micrometers wide and 3 micrometers high. After two weeks of culture in a special cocktail used to reprogram mature cells, the researchers found a four-fold increase in the number of cells that reverted back to an embryonic-like state compared with cells grown on a flat surface. Growing cells in scaffolds of nanofibers aligned in parallel had similar effects.

The study, published online today (Sunday, Oct. 20) in the journal Nature Materials, could significantly enhance the process of reprogramming adult cells into embryonic-like stem cells that can differentiate, or develop, into any type of tissue that makes up our bodies.

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to scientists who discovered that it was possible to reprogram cells using biochemical compounds and proteins that regulate gene expression. These induced pluripotent stem cells have since become a research mainstay in regenerative medicine, disease modeling and drug screening.

Our study demonstrates for the first time that the physical features of biomaterials can replace some of these biochemical factors and regulate the memory of a cells identity, said study principal investigator Song Li, UC Berkeley professor of bioengineering. We show that biophysical signals can be converted into intracellular chemical signals that coax cells to change.

The current process for reprogramming cells relies on a formula that uses a virus to introduce gene-altering proteins into mature cells. Certain chemical compounds, including valproic acid, that can dramatically affect global DNA structure and expression are also used to boost the efficiency of the reprogramming process.

Stem cells created by UC Berkeley researchers are shown here developing into muscle tissue. Smooth muscle actin protein is highlighted in green, and cell nuclei are shown in blue. (Image courtesy of Song Lis Lab)

The concern with current methods is the low efficiency at which cells actually reprogram and the unpredictable long-term effects of certain imposed genetic or chemical manipulations, said study lead author Timothy Downing, who did this research as a graduate student in the UC Berkeley-UC San Francisco Joint Graduate Program in Bioengineering. For instance, valproic acid is a potent chemical that drastically alters the cells epigenetic state and can cause unintended changes inside the cell. Given this, many people have been looking at different ways to improve various aspects of the reprogramming process.

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Physical cues help mature cells revert into embryonic-like stem cells

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

20-Oct-2013

Contact: Jim Feuer jim.feuer@cchmc.org 513-636-4656 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Scientists report in Nature they have found a novel and unexpected molecular switch that could become a key to slowing some of the ravages of getting older as it prompts blood stem cells to age.

The study is expected to help in the search for therapeutic strategies to slow or reverse the aging process, and possibly rejuvenate these critically important stem cells (called hematopoietic stem cells, or HSCs), said scientists from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Ulm in Germany who conducted study.

Published online Oct. 20, the study builds on earlier research from the same scientific team, who in 2012 reported they could make aging HSCs from laboratory mice functionally younger.

Properly functioning HSCs which form in the bone marrow are vital to the ongoing production of different types of blood cells that allow the immune system to fight infections. The cells are also important for the regeneration of other important cells in the body.

"Although there is a large amount of data showing that blood stem cell function declines during aging, the molecular processes that cause this remain largely unknown. This prevents rational approaches to attenuate stem cell aging," said Hartmut Geiger, PhD, senior investigator and a scientist at Cincinnati Children's and the University of Ulm. "This study puts us significantly closer to that goal through novel findings that show a distinct switch in a molecular pathway is very critical to the aging process."

The pathway is called the Wnt signaling pathway, a very important part of basic cell biology that regulates communications and interactions between cells in animals and people. Disruptions in the pathway have been linked to problems in tissue generation, development and a variety of diseases.

Analyzing mouse models and HSCs in laboratory cultures, the scientists observed in aging cells that a normal pattern of Wnt signaling (referred to in science as canonical) switched over to an atypical mode of activity (called non-canonical). They also noticed that the shift from canonical to non-canonical signaling was triggered by a dramatic increase in the expression of a protein in aged HSCs called Wnt5a.

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Blood stem cells age at the unexpected flip of a molecular switch

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Intranasal stem cell therapy may one day treat brain disorders

By Caitlin Shure

Image: Jim Kopp

Many diseases of the central nervous system involve the death of neuronsso, theoretically, the replacement of dead cells should improve symptoms of degenerative disorders such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's, as well as stroke and brain tumors. Stem cell therapy may do just that even though evidence of its effectiveness is mixed.

In any cell transplant procedure, the host organin this case, the brainmay reject its new additions. Further, it is unclear whether grafted cells can truly integrate into complex neural circuitry. Finally, current procedures require invasive surgical implantation, which can be expensive and risky. The surgery can cause neural inflammation, and the implanted cells may quickly die.

Intranasal administration may address at least some of these issues. Most important, it eliminates the need for surgery. Further, some research suggests that stem cells delivered intranasally are smartthey do not spread through the brain indiscriminately but instead target damaged cells.

Although it is difficult to predict when medical practice will adopt stem cell therapy for the brain, animal studies have produced some promising results. In a rat model of Parkinson's, for example, treatment with intranasal stem cells appeared to improve motor function and slow the neurological deterioration associated with the disease.

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Inhaled Stem Cells Might Replace Lost Neurons

Recently published results from the Harvard Stem Cell Institutes first-ever clinical trials have identified a molecule that could increase the success rates of umbilical cord blood transplants in cancer patients.

The trials found that umbilical cord blood cells treated with 16, 16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2, a molecule derived from fatty acids and also called dmPGE2, grew more stem cells than untreated umbilical cord blood.

Stem cell growth is particularly promising in the treatment of cancer, which is marked by rapid proliferation of mutated cells and the death of functional, important tissue. Stem cell transplants usually face stringent blood type matching requirements, which can often hinder a patients ability to find a viable donor.

Umbilical cord transplants improve flexibility and safety, however, since blood does not need to be exactly matched and has had less exposure to viruses. Successful implementation of the dmPGE2 molecule could help the approximately 50 to 60 percent of stem cell transplant patients who do not have siblings with a matching blood type.

Led by Leonard I. Zon, chairman of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute Executive Committee and professor of stem cell and regenerative biology, researchers at the HSCI discovered that dmPGE2 spurred stem cell growth through laboratory experiments on zebrafish and then mice. Zon and his team then approached the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital to conduct clinical trials.

The HSCI has several ongoing projects, but researchers work on the dmPGE2 molecule is one of the special projects in the lab, Zon said, adding that the work is one of the most exciting things he has ever done.

Corey S. Cutler, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School who spearheaded the clinical trials, echoed Zons enthusiasm about the projects potential. The exciting part [about this project] is that its really home-grown technology that was discovered right down the hall, he said. He added that while it may still be many years before the technology is ubiquitously accessible to patients, the fact that we could potentially change the field entirely; its quite amazing.

The study was published online in the weekly medical journal Blood in late August and received support from biopharmaceutical company Fate Therapeutics. Phase II of the clinical testing is designed to evaluate the treatments efficacy in about 60 patients. According to Zon, results should be expected after 18 months.

The HSCI was established nine years ago to translate stem cell technology advances made in the laboratory into clinical applications.

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Molecule Increases Growth of Stem Cells, Research Suggests

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/7ntlsl/stem_cells_market) has announced the addition of the "Global Stem Cells Market Report 2013-2018" report to their offering.

Stem Cells Market (Adult, Human Embryonic , Induced Pluripotent, Rat-Neural, Umbilical Cord, Cell Production, Cell Acquisition, Expansion, Sub-Culture) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2012 - 2018

The market by products is segmented into three sub-types, namely adult stem cells, human embryonic stem cells and other type of stem cells. Adult stem cells are further segmented into hematopoietic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, neuronal stem cells, dental stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells. The other types of stem cells include induced pluripotent stem cells, natural rosette cells and very small embryonic like stem cells.

The report highlights the market shares of key players in 2011. The company profiles for some of the key players, namely Advanced Cell Technology Inc., STEMCELL Technologies Inc., Cellular Engineering Technologies Inc., BioTime Inc., Aastrom Biosciences Inc. and California Stem Cell Inc. in terms of company overview, financial overview, business strategies, recent developments and product portfolio is also covered.

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Preface

Chapter 2 Executive Summary

Chapter 3 Market Overview

Chapter 4 Global Stem Cells Market, By Products

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Research and Markets: Global Stem Cells Market Report 2013-2018: Adult Stem Cells, Human Embryonic Stem Cells and ...

Newswise October 16, 2013 -- Scientific advances in the differentiation of embryonic stem cells to form functional thyroid follicles and in genome sequencing to identify cancer-related gene mutations and drive the development of more effective, targeted therapeutics are beginning to move from the "bench to the bedside" and have important clinical implications for people with thyroid disease. Recent discoveries in these two exciting fields and their path from the research laboratory to the clinical arena will be explored in timely and provocative Plenary Lectures presented at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association, October 16-20, 2013, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan, Hicks Endowed Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, and Director of the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology (MCTP), which aims to develop new molecular tests and therapeutics for human disease with a primary focus on cancer, will deliver a Plenary Lecture entitled "The Application of the Integrative Sequencing for Precision Oncology." Dr. Chinnaiyan is a leader in the use of genome sequencing technology to discover cancer-driving gene mutations, which can serve as the basis for identifying novel targets for drug development. The goal of precision oncology is to develop new drugs that can recognize and eliminate cancer cells without harming healthy cells and causing the adverse effects associated with conventional chemotherapeutic agents.

Dr. Sabine Costagliola, Senior Research Associate at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Research in Human and Molecular Biology, Universit libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, will deliver a Plenary Lecture entitled "Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation into a Functioning Thyroid Gland." Dr. Costagliola's laboratory recently demonstrated the ability to generate functional thyroid tissue from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) grown in a three-dimensional cell culture system. They induced the pluripotent stem cells to differentiate to form thyroid follicular cells. Following exposure to human thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), these thyroid follicular-like cells formed 3D structures that displayed molecular, morphological, and functional properties similar to those of "real" thyroid follicles. When transplanted into mice, these mESC-derived thyroid follicles developed into functioning thyroid tissue.

"The two Plenary Lectures featured at the ATA meeting review state-of-the-art thyroid research," says Hossein Gharib, MD, MACP, MACE, Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN, President-Elect of the American Thyroid Association, and Past-President of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. "One, by Dr. Costagliola, discusses applications of stem cells in developing thyroid function. This is an important area to treat anyone with thyroid deficiency, whether congenital or acquired. The other, by Dr. Chinnaiyan, explores how genes and mutations can cause cancer, and how genome sequencing can be used to diagnose and treat cancer.

About the ATA The American Thyroid Association (ATA) is the leading worldwide organization dedicated to the advancement, understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer. ATA is an international individual membership organization with over 1,700 members from 43 countries around the world. Celebrating its 90th anniversary, ATA delivers its mission through several key endeavors: the publication of highly regarded monthly journals, THYROID, Clinical Thyroidology (CT), VideoEndocrinology and CT for Patients; annual scientific meetings; biennial clinical and research symposia; research grant programs for young investigators, support of online professional, public and patient educational programs through http://www.thyroid.org; and the development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease. Visit http://www.thyroid.org for more information.

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Plenary Lectures Highlight Clinical Advances in Use of Stem Cells and Cancer Genome Sequencing at Annual Meeting of ...

Oct. 14, 2013 Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified a protein expressed by human bone marrow stem cells that guides and stimulates the formation of blood vessels.

Their findings, which could help improve the vascularization of engineered tissues, were reported online on October 12 in the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology.

"Some stem cells actually have multiple jobs," says Dr. Jalees Rehman, associate professor of cardiology and pharmacology at the UIC College of Medicine and lead author of the paper. For example, stem cells in the bone marrow, he said, differentiate into bone or cartilage, but also have a secondary role in helping to support other cells in the bone marrow.

Rehman and his colleagues, who are developing engineered tissues for use in cardiac patients, observed that certain stem cells in bone marrow, called mesenchymal stem cells, seemed crucial for organizing other cells into functional blood vessels.

The researchers demonstrated that when they mixed mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow with the endothelial cells that line blood vessels, the stem cells elongated to form scaffolds and the endothelial cells organized around them to form tubes.

"But without the stem cells, the endothelial cells just sat there," said Rehman.

When the cell mixtures were implanted into mice, blood vessels formed that were able to support the flow of blood. To find out how the stem cells were helping promote blood vessel formation, the researchers looked at which genes were being expressed when the stem cells and endothelial cells were combined.

They tested two different stem cell lines from human bone marrow. One line supported the formation of blood vessel networks when it was mixed with endothelial cells, while the other cell line did not.

They analyzed the genetic signature and proteins of the respective cell lines and found that the vessel-supporting stem cell line released high levels of a blood vessel guidance molecule -- SLIT3. In the mixture that didn't form blood vessels, the SLIT3 gene was hardly expressed, Rehman said.

"This means that not all stem cells are created alike in terms of their SLIT3 production and their ability to encourage blood vessel formation," Rehman said. "While using a patient's own stem cells for making blood vessels is ideal because it eliminates the problem of immune rejection, it might be a good idea to test a patient's stem cells first to make sure they are good producers of SLIT3. If they aren't, the engineered vessels may not thrive, or even fail to grow."

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Adult stem cells help build human blood vessels in engineered tissues

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Banks Aaradhya #39;s Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
Aishwarya Rai is in no mood for a comeback. The actress was at an event unveiling stem cell banking for LifeCell. For Latest Bollywood News Gossip, Log on ...

By: live9tv

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Banks Aaradhya's Umbilical Cord Stem Cells - Video