Category Archives: Stem Cells

Public release date: 26-Sep-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Graham Shaw graham.shaw@icr.ac.uk 44-020-715-35380 Institute of Cancer Research

Scientists have used a brand new technique for examining individual stem cells to uncover dramatic differences in the gene expression levels which genes are turned 'up' or 'down' between apparently identical 'sister' pairs.

The research, published today (Thursday) in Stem Cell Reports, was conducted and funded by The Institute of Cancer Research, London. It provides the latest evidence that despite having identical DNA, sister stem cells can display considerable differences in their molecular characteristics.

The study showed that DNA methylation, a process that controls which genes are expressed in cells, plays an important role in generating non-genetic (or 'epigenetic') differences between sister cells.

DNA methylation could therefore be one of the reasons for the major molecular variation between different cancer cells in the same tumour and drugs to reduce methylation might help control variation and make cancers easier to treat.

In the new research, scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) developed a novel micro-dissection technique to separate pairs of sister embryonic stem cells for single cell RNA analysis [1].

Using their new high-tech method, researchers separated and isolated mouse stem cells from their sister pairs and measured the behaviour of key genes known to be expressed in those cells. By comparing which of these genes were up or down regulated, they determined the levels of similarity between sister cells at the molecular level for the first time.

They found that under normal conditions, pairs of sister stem cells displayed considerable differences to each other, showing nearly as much diversity as two cells from different sister pairs.

The researchers then looked at cells grown in the presence of a chemical cocktail called 2i, which reverts cells back to their most primitive stem cell state where they can make identical copies of themselves. They found that the cells had reduced levels of two enzymes critical for DNA methylation and they produced more similar sister cells.

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Study of 'sister' stem cells uncovers new cancer clue

Javascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions. 12 hours ago Binding of the signaling protein ERK2 helps human embryonic stem cells to self-renew and proliferate. Credit: 2013 Clay Glennon, University of WisconsinMadison

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) retain the ability to form any cell type in the body. They do this thanks to the interplay of many proteins, including one involved in cell signaling known as extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2, or ERK2. By detailing all the sites in the genome where ERK2 binds, a team led by A*STAR scientists has now mapped the regulatory network by which this enzyme keeps hESCs in a state of self-renewing pluripotency.

"ERK2 appears to be involved in active transcription of a large number of genes in hESCs," says senior study author Huck-Hui Ng, executive director of the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore. "This is a first whole-genome map to describe the kinase-chromatin interactions in human stem cells" he adds.

Ng and his collaboratorswho included researchers from A*STAR, the National University of Singapore and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, Germanyused a technique for unraveling interactions between proteins and DNA called ChIP-seq to pinpoint some 12,000 sites where ERK2 binds to chromosomes in hESCs. They found that close to two-thirds of these ERK2 binding sites occurred near so-called 'promoter' regions of DNA that initiate transcription of particular genes. They also showed that these promoters activate an assortment of genes variously involved in metabolic pathways and cell cycle progression, including those essential for the survival, proliferation and pluripotency of the cells (see image).

The researchers then looked for transcription factors that ERK2 might interact with to activate these genes. Based on the type of DNA motifs found at ERK2 binding sites, they identified four candidate interaction partners. Silencing three of these candidates had no effect on hESC identity, but depleting a transcription factor called ELK1 led to the loss of pluripotency in the cells, the researchers noted.

Ng's team showed that ELK1 has a dual function. It works with ERK2 to activate the expression of metabolism-related genes. Yet, in the absence of ERK2, ELK1 can also repress genes involved in differentiation and lineage-commitment. "The balance between active gene expression and repression of differentiation genes is characteristic for the capacity of embryonic stem cells to become more specialized cells," explains Jonathan Gke, a postdoctoral fellow in Ng's lab and the first author of the study.

"The dual role of ELK1 indicates that a change in activation most likely will affect repression as well, and vice versa," Gke adds. "Therefore, activation and repression are to some degree two sides of the same coin."

Explore further: Scientists discover molecular communication network in human stem cells

More information: Gke, J., et al. Genome-wide kinase-chromatin interactions reveal the regulatory network of ERK signaling in human embryonic stem cells, Molecular Cell 50, 844855 (2013). dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.molcel.2013.04.030

Scientists at A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) and the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPIMG) in Berlin (Germany) have discovered a molecular network in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) that integrates ...

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Location map for signaling protein identifies key molecular targets in human embryonic stem cells

Maggie Alejos arrived here in June from St. Anne, Ill., with her husband, her daughter and a cashiers check for $13,500, payable to the Regenerative Medicine Institute.Rail-thin, with an oxygen tube anchored above her upper lip, Alejos, a retired Army nurse, has coped with emphysema for a dozen of her 65 years.

Once she came close enough to a lung transplant that doctors prepared her for surgery, only to discover that the donor lung was unfit. At a hospital here, doctors affiliated with the institute extracted about seven ounces of fat from her thighs, hoping to harvest about 130 million stem cells and implant them in her failing lungs.

Across the Internet where Alejos learned about the Tijuana institute adult stem cells are promoted as a cure for everything from sagging skin to severed spinal cords.

On the surface, the claim is plausible. Scientists have discovered that fat, bone marrow and other parts of the body contain stem cells, immature cells that can rejuvenate themselves, at least in the tissue they are naturally found.

But it has yet to be proved that these cells can regenerate no matter where they are placed, or under what conditions this might occur. Moreover, questions about safety remain unanswered.

These sober realities do not appear to have slowed the rise of an international industry catering to customers who may pay tens of thousands of dollars in cash for their shot at a personal miracle. (Some foreign operators offer creative variations on the theme, like cells from sharks and sheep.)

Domestic providers, too, can push the limits. In July, for example, a former pathologist at the Medical University of South Carolina pleaded guilty to illegally processing and shipping stem cells for treatment without approval from the university or the Food and Drug Administration.

The number of clinics and products has reached the point that scientists fear repercussions for their own work. Dr. Hesham Sadek of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who is studying heart muscle regeneration, worries that the marketing deluge now makes it hard for patients to tell science from swindle, and all that lies on the spectrum in between.

It really has the potential to undermine the legitimacy of the whole field, he said.

Even though Tijuana has perhaps 20 clinics offering adult stem cell therapy, Dr. Javier Lopez, founder of the Regenerative Medicine Institute, says it is his that has become the poster company to knock down.

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For a miracle, more turn to stem cells

SUNRISE, FL--(Marketwired - Sep 23, 2013) - Bioheart, Inc. (OTCQB: BHRT), a biotech company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage as well as severe peripheral vascular disease announces that it has entered into an agreement with Invitrx Therapeutics to license their adipose derived stem cell products.The license agreement term sheet for adipose derived cells is for use in all indications in both human and animal medicine.

Invitrx Therapeutics is a biotechnology company specializing in the culture and engineering of adult stem cells, innovative products and therapies that are used in aesthetics, wound closure, and healing, as well as, plastic and reconstructive surgery.The team at Invitrx has been working with adipose derived stem cells for over 10 years and this experience can contribute to the development and commercialization of AdipoCell (Bioheart's adipose stem cell product).

Bioheart has recently completed enrollment in the Phase I Angel Trial using adipose derived stem cells.Preliminary 3 month follow up results will be released later this quarter.

"Combining the experience and expertise of the team at Invitrx with the currently available Bioheart products will strengthen our program.We are looking forward to expanding the Angel trial and incorporating some of the newly licensed techniques," said Mike Tomas, CEO of Bioheart, Inc.

Habib Torfi, Chairman and CEO of Invitrx, said, "Invitrx Therapeutics is looking forward to join forces with Bioheart Inc. to help advance and expand the product lines and the existing clinical trials in the stem cell field."

About Bioheart, Inc

Bioheart is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues.Bioheart's goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient's quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit http://www.bioheartinc.com, or visit us on Facebook: Bioheart and Twitter @BioheartInc.

Forward-Looking Statements: Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as "may," "will," "to," "plan," "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "estimate," or "continue" or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management's beliefs and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

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Bioheart Announces Agreement With Invitrx to License Adipose Derived Stem Cells

Sep. 23, 2013 University at Buffalo translational researchers are developing a richer understanding of atherosclerosis in humans, revealing a key role for stem cells that promote inflammation.

The research was published last month in PLOS One. It extends to humans previous findings in lab animals by researchers at Columbia University that revealed that high levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol promote atherosclerosis by stimulating production of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC's).

"Our research opens up a potential new approach to preventing heart attack and stroke, by focusing on interactions between cholesterol and the HSPCs," says Thomas R. Cimato, MD, PhD, lead author on the PLOS One paper and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

He notes that the finding about the importance of these stem cells in atherosclerosis could lead to the development of a useful therapy in combination with statins, or one that could be used in place of statins in individuals who cannot tolerate them.

The study demonstrated for the first time in humans that high total cholesterol recruits stem cells from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, via increases in IL-17, which has been implicated in many chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis. IL-17 boosts levels of granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), which releases stem cells from the bone marrow.

They also found that statins do reduce the levels of HSPCs in the blood but not every subject responded similarly, Cimato says.

"We've extrapolated to humans what other scientists previously found in mice about the interactions between LDL cholesterol and these HSPCs," explains Cimato.

The demonstration that a finding in lab animals is equally relevant in humans is noteworthy, adds Cimato, a researcher in UB's Clinical and Translational Research Center (CTRC).

"This is especially true with cholesterol studies," he says, "because mice used for atherosclerosis studies have very low total cholesterol levels at baseline. We feed them very high fat diets in order to study high cholesterol but it isn't easy to interpret what the levels in mice will mean in humans and you don't know if extrapolating to humans will be valid."

Cimato adds that the degree of increased LDL cholesterol in mouse studies is much higher than what is found in patients who come to the hospital with a heart attack or stroke.

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How 'bad' cholesterol causes atherosclerosis in humans: Stem cells play a key role

Dublin, Sept. 23, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/mjr966/circulating_tumor) has announced the addition of the "Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Report 2013" report to their offering.

This is the latest and most up-to-date Market Report addressing the CTC and CSC markets as they are evolving rapidly.

In this report, the authors focus upon technical and business trends in these spaces as they are fast evolving. CTCs have been shown to have prognostic value in a number of cancer types and therefore there is extensive research and development activity to develop methodologies for CTC enumeration as well as analysis. Furthermore, there is a lot of clinical trial activity in a number of different cancer classes seeking to establish the clinical utility of CTC measurements in various cancer subtypes.

The authors have performed worldwide market tracking wherein they've analyzed research trends in the study of CTCs and CSCs. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of product vendors and their market penetrance, markers utilized for the capture/study of CTCs and CSCs as well as cancer classes wherein there is current research activity vis-a-vis CTCs and CSCs are described in this dataset derived from worldwide pools of researchers in November and December 2012therefore these data reflect an up-to-date market landscape.

The authors have also performed extensive analysis of the various clinical trials where CTCs are being enumerated and analyzed. These clinical data set the trajectory of the clinical utility of CTCs.

This data-driven characterization of the cancer tumor cells and CSCs landscape is a hands-on document that can be used for competitive benchmarking, business planning, and strategy developmentall the data that have been collected in this industry analysis are presented and they form the basis for the conclusions drawn throughout the market report presented in a format enabling drag-and-drop into business presentations/business plansthis Market Report is written and delivered to customers in Microsoft PowerPoint format.

Extensive Technical and Market Analyses Presented in this Report

Description of Chapters of the Report

Chapter I. Molecular Characterization of CTCs and CSCs

Chapter II. Technologies for Studying CTCs

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Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) Market Report 2013

Newswise Embryonic stem cells have the enormous potential to treat and cure many medical problems. That is why the discovery that induced embryonic-like stem cells can be created from skin cells was rewarded with a Nobel Prize in 2012. But the process of creating such cells has remained frustratingly slow and inefficient, and the resulting stem cells are not yet ready for medical use. Research in the lab of the Weizmann Institute of Sciences Dr. Yaqub Hanna, which appears September 18 in Nature, dramatically changes that: He and his group have identified the brake that holds back the production of stem cells, and found that releasing this brake can both synchronize the process and increase its efficiency from around one percent or less today to 100 percent. These findings may help facilitate the production of stem cells for medical use, as well as advancing our understanding of the mysterious process by which adult cells can revert back into their original, embryonic state.

Embryonic stem cells are those that have not undergone any specialization; thus they can give rise to any type of cell in the body. This is what makes them so valuable: They can be used, among other things, to repair damaged tissue, treat autoimmune disease, and even grow transplant organs. Using stem cells taken from embryos is problematic because of availability and ethical concerns, but the hopes for their use were renewed in 2006, when a team led by Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University discovered that it is possible to reprogram adult cells. The resulting cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are created by inserting four genes into their DNA. Despite this breakthrough, the reprograming process is fraught with difficulty: It can take up to four weeks; the timing is not coordinated among the cells; and less than one percent of the treated cells actually end up becoming stem cells.

Dr. Hanna and his team asked: What is the main obstacle or obstacles that prevent successful reprograming in the majority of cells? In his postdoctoral research, Dr. Hanna had employed mathematical models to show that a single obstacle was responsible. Of course in biology, as Dr. Hanna is the first to admit, experimental proof is required to back up the models. The present study not only provides the proof, it reveals the identity of that single obstacle and shows that removing it can dramatically improve reprograming.

Dr. Hannas group, led by Dr. Noa Novershtern, Yoach Rais, Asaf Zviran, and Shay Geula of the Department of Molecular Genetics, together with members of the genomics unit of the Institutes Israel Structural Proteomics Center, looked at a certain protein called MBD3, whose function was unknown. MBD3 caught their attention because it is expressed in every cell in the body, at every stage of development. This is quite rare: In general, most types of proteins are produced in specific cells, at specific times, for specific functions. The team found that there is one exception to the rule of universal expression of this protein: the first three days after conception. These are exactly the three days in which the fertilized egg begins dividing, and the nascent embryo is a growing ball of pluripotent stem cells that will eventually supply all the cell types in the body. On the fourth day, differentiation begins, and the cells start to lose their pluripotent status. And that is just when the MBD3 proteins first appear.

This finding has significant implications for the producing iPSCs for medical use. Dr. Yamanaka used viruses to insert the four genes but, for safety reasons, these are not used in reprograming cells to be used in patients. This gives the process an even lower success rate of only around a tenth of a percent. The researchers showed that removing MBD3 from the adult cells can improve efficiency and speed the process by several orders of magnitude, and the time needed to produce the stem cells was shortened from four weeks to eight days. As an added bonus, since the cells all underwent the reprograming at the same rate, the scientists will now be able, for the first time, to actually follow the process step by step and reveal its mechanisms of operation. Dr. Hanna points out that his teams achievement was based on research into the natural pathways of embryonic development: Scientists investigating reprograming can benefit from a deeper understanding of how embryonic stem cells are produced in nature. After all, nature still makes them best, in the most efficient manner.

Dr. Yaqub Hannas research is supported by Pascal and Ilana Mantoux, France/Israel; the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; the Sir Charles Clore Research Prize; the Benoziyo Endowment Fund for the Advancement of Science; Erica A. Drake and Robert Drake; the European Research Council; and the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung.

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to scientists, students, technicians, and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials, and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.

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Weizmann Institute Scientists Produce Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) by Removing One Protein

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/v4v3cp/global_stem_cells) has announced the addition of the "Global Stem Cells Pipeline Capsule - 2013" report to their offering.

The latest report 'Global Stem Cells Pipeline Capsule - 2013' provides up-to-date information on key Research and Development activities (R&D) in the global stem cells market. It covers active stem cells pipeline molecules in various stages of clinical trials, preclinical research, and drug discovery.

This report helps executives track their competitor's pipeline molecules. The information presented in this report can be used for identifying partners, evaluating opportunities, formulating business development strategies, executing in-licensing and out-licensing deals.

The report provides information on pipeline molecules by company and mechanism of action across the R&D stages. It also provides information on pipeline molecules developed in leading geographies (North America and Europe). Licensing activities are thoroughly captured in this report.

Key Features of the Report:

- Stem Cells: Overview

- Stem Cells Pipeline Overview

- Stem Cells Phase 3 Clinical Trial Pipeline Insights

- Stem Cells Phase 2 Clinical Trial Pipeline Insights

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Research and Markets: Global Stem Cells Pipeline Capsule - 2013 Covers Active Stem Cells Pipeline Molecules in Various ...

Tech Report | Stem Cells
Stem cell therapy is a growing arm of medical science, which carries as much controversy as it does promise... It #39;s long been theorized that stem cells could...

By: eNCATechReport

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Tech Report | Stem Cells - Video

Cancer patients or those suffering from Parkinson's disease may not have to wait for donors in future following a "huge leap" forward in stem cell production, scientists have said.

Researchers have simplified and improved the laborious three-week process so that it can now be completed within days and with 100% efficiency.

This means doctors could eventually treat patients much more quickly using their own cells rather than performing a risky transplant.

Jacob Hanna, one of the team behind the discovery, said the procedure would remove the possibility of a transplant patient's body rejecting an organ.

"We now know how to control a cell's fate and really understand exactly how to make a stem cell from a skin cell, safely and robustly," he said.

"A major goal in the future, the great promise of our research, is that a patient in need of a liver transplant, for example, could go to a clinic and have a biopsy taken. Doctors could then, very quickly and efficiently, make stem cells.

"They would then be able to give a patient back the liver cells he needs from his own stem cells and there would be no need to look for donors."

Dr Hanna, assistant professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, added: "Because the transplant is with the patient's own cells, his body cannot reject these cells.

"There would be no need to wait for a donor or a match. This would also eliminate the risk of rejections."

Scientists said their advances could be used to treat any number of diseases - including cancer and Parkinson's - within the next 10 years.

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Scientists hail stem cells 'leap'