Category Archives: Stem Cells

NYSCF AND COLUMBIA RESEARCHERS DEMONSTRATE USE OF STEM CELLS TO ANALYZE CAUSES AND TREATMENT OF DIABETES

Using patient-specific stem cells to correct deficient insulin-producing cells

Newswise NEW YORK, NY (June 17, 2013) A team from the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center of Columbia University has generated patient-specific beta cells, or insulin-producing cells, that accurately reflect the features of maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY).

The researchers used skin cells of MODY patients to produce induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, from which they then made beta cells. Transplanted into a mouse, the stem cell-derived beta cells secreted insulin in a manner similar to that of the beta cells of MODY patients. Repair of the gene mutation restored insulin secretion to levels seen in cells obtained from healthy subjects. The findings were reported today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

Previous studies have demonstrated the ability of human embryonic stem cells and iPS cells to become beta cells that secrete insulin in response to glucose or other molecules. But the question remained as to whether stem cell-derived beta cells could accurately model genetic forms of diabetes and be used to develop and test potential therapies.

We focused on MODY, a form of diabetes that affects approximately one in 10,000 people. While patients and other models have yielded important clinical insights into this disease, we were particularly interested in its molecular aspectshow specific genes can affect responses to glucose by the beta cell, said co-senior author Dieter Egli, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at NYSCF, who was named a NYSCFRobertson Stem Cell Investigator in 2012.

MODY is a genetically inherited form of diabetes. The most common form of MODY, type 2, results in a loss-of-function mutation in one copy of the gene that codes for the sugar-processing enzyme glucokinase (GCK). With type 2 MODY, higher glucose levels are required for GCK to metabolize glucose, leading to chronic, mildly elevated blood sugar levels and increased risk of vascular complications.

MODY patients are frequently misdiagnosed with type 1 or 2 diabetes. Proper diagnosis can not only change the patients course of treatment but affect family members, who were previously unaware that they, too, might have this genetic disorder.

NYSCF scientists took skin cells from two Berrie Center type 2 MODY patients and reprogrammedor revertedthem to an embryonic-like state to become iPS cells. To examine the effect of the GCK genetic mutation, they also created two genetically manipulated iPS cell lines for comparison: one fully functional (two correct copies of the GCK gene) and one with complete loss of function (two faulty copies of the GCK gene). They then generated beta cell precursors from the fully functional and loss-of-function iPS cell lines and transplanted the cells for further maturation into immune-compromised mice.

Our ability to create insulin-producing cells from skin cells, and then to manipulate the GCK gene in these cells using recently developed molecular methods, made it possible to definitively test several critical aspects of the utility of stem cells for the study of human disease, said Haiqing Hua, PhD, lead author on the paper, a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Molecular Genetics, Department of Pediatrics and Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center at Columbia University and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute.

Read more:
Researchers Demonstrate Use of Stem Cells to Analyze Causes and Treatment of Diabetes

Jeunesse Global on Stem Cells and Anti Aging

By: Jbizbeauty Chan

View post:
Jeunesse Global on Stem Cells and Anti Aging - Video

Mammals can regenerate the very tips of their fingers and toes after amputation, and now new research shows how stem cells in the nail play a role in that process.

A study in mice, detailed online today (June 12) in the journal Nature, reveals the chemical signal that triggers stem cells to develop into new nail tissue, and also attracts nerves that promote nail and bone regeneration.

The findings suggest nail stem cells could be used to develop new treatments for amputees, the researchers said. [Inside Life Science: Once Upon a Stem Cell]

In mice and people, regenerating an amputated finger or toe involves regrowing the nail. But whether the amputated portion of the digit can regrow depends on exactly where the amputation occurs: If the stem cells beneath the nail are amputated along with the digit, no regrowth occurs, but if the stem cells remain, regrowth is possible.

To understand why these stem cells are crucial to regeneration, researchers turned to mice. The scientists conducted toe amputations in two groups of mice: one group of normal mice, and one group that was treated with a drug that made them unable to make the signals for new nail cells to develop.

They found that the signals that guided the stem cells' development into nail cells were vital to regenerating amputated digits. By five weeks after amputation, the normal mice had regenerated their toe and toenail. But the mice that lacked the nail signal failed to regrow either their nails or the toe bone itself, because the stem cells lacked the signals that promote nail-cell development. When the researchers replenished these signals, the toes regenerated successfully.

In another experiment, the researchers surgically removed nerves from the mice toes before amputating them. This significantly impaired nail-cell regeneration, similar to what happened to the mice that lacked the signals to produce new nails. Moreover, the nerve removal decreased the levels of certain proteins that promote tissue growth.

Together, the results show that nail stem cells are critical for regrowing a lost digit in mice. If the same turns out to be true in humans, the findings could lead to better treatments for amputees.

Other animals, including amphibians, can also regenerate lost limbs. For example, aquatic salamanders can regrow complete limbs or even parts of their heart a process that involves cells in their immune system. By studying these phenomena in other animals, it may be possible to enhance regenerative potential in people, the researchers said.

Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitterand Google+.Follow us @livescience, Facebook& Google+. Original article onLiveScience.com.

Read more:
Stem Cells May Be Secret to Regenerating Fingers and Toes

TAMPA, Fla., June 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --Stem cells have long been touted as the next big thing. Well just maybe, it is here. According to Dr. Dennis Lox, some patients with a disorder of the bone called avascular necrosis (AVN), have turned to stem cell therapy for aid. Avascular necrosis (AVN) also referred to as osteonecrosis or ischemic necrosis, is a condition in which the blood supply to the bone becomes disrupted, leading that region of bone to die. This is referred to as necrosis. The region may be very painful, and the region of necrosis may collapse resulting in severe arthritis. This has led to numerous joint replacement surgeries. It is estimated that 20,000 new cases a year of AVN, are diagnosed in the United States. AVN commonly occurs in the hip, shoulder, knee, ankle, and can even be present in multiple joints at the same time. http://www.drlox.com

Dr. Dennis Lox, http://www.drlox.com a Regenerative and Sports Medicine physician in the Tampa Bay, Florida area, comments that regenerative therapies such as Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Stem Cell Therapy, are being used to treat avascular necrosis. Dr. Lox reports that what previously was a career ending injury for athletes like Bo Jackson, may not be so today if treated early. Preventing the secondary arthritis in AVN may save the joint. Also, Dr. Lox stresses, it is possible that the lost blood supply can be repaired, and stem cells have healed areas of bone necrosis.

AVN may be caused by many factors. Trauma is a frequent precipitating event. It also may be seen in some medical conditions, especially those that impair blood flow, such as embolism and thrombosis (blood clots). AVN also is seen with greater frequency with prolonged high corticosteroid usage.

Dr. Lox reports, he has treated almost every joint that gets AVN successfully with stem cells, including athletes in many different sports. He states it is imperative to get early treatment, and thoroughly evaluate each patient individually for optimal treatment decisions.

For more information Dr. Dennis Lox may be reached at (727) 462-5582 or visit http://www.drlox.com.

The rest is here:
Stem Cells May Help Some With Avascular Necrosis (AVN)

NIANZHEN LI ON: ISSCR 2013 Poster T2186 "Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells..."
Fluidigm Senior Scientist, Nianzhen Li shares her scientific abstract for ISSCR. The poster #T-2186 is titled: "Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent...

By: fluidigm

Read this article:
NIANZHEN LI ON: ISSCR 2013 Poster T2186 "Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells..." - Video

San Diegos Life Technologies Corp. has launched a series of tests developed with Harvard University researchers that gauge whether stem cells are able to perform in a lab setting and transform into other kinds of cells.

This comes three months after the partnership between the university and San Diegos largest biotech was announced. As more and more scientists begin using stem cells in their research, they are looking for ways to make the process more efficient and inexpensive, the company said.

The test, called the TaqMan hPSC Scorecard, will be offered with cloud-based software for rapid data analysis and data sharing among researchers, the company said.

The rapid advancements in stem cell research over the last few years have created a need for more effective and standardized methods for characterizing pluripotent cells, said Alex Meissner, lead researcher in the project at Harvard University, in a statement. Today, the field of genomics is helping to meet that demand through development of novel approaches that can help deliver the promise of stem cells.

Indeed, the global stem cell characterization field is considered a growing segment in the $1 billion stem cell research tools market, according to a recent report from Arlington-based life sciences market research firm Bioinformatics LLC. The segment is currently valued at about $30 million a year.

SDBJ Staff Report

Read this article:
Life Technologies Launches Tests for Gauging Effectiveness of Stem Cells for Lab Use

June 13, 2013 By transferring four genes into mouse fibroblast cells, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have produced cells that resemble hematopoietic stem cells, which produce millions of new blood cells in the human body every day. These findings provide a platform for future development of patient-specific stem/progenitor cells, and more differentiated blood products, for cell-replacement therapy.

The study, titled, "Induction of a Hemogenic Program in Mouse Fibroblasts," was published online in Cell Stem Cell on June 13. Mount Sinai researchers screened a panel of 18 genetic factors for inducing blood-forming activity and identified a combination of four transcription factors, Gata2, Gfi1b, cFos, and Etv6 as sufficient to generate blood vessel precursor cells with the subsequent appearance of hematopoietic cells. The precursor cells express a human CD34 reporter, Sca1 and Prominin1 within a global endothelial transcription program.

"The cells that we grew in a petri dish are identical in gene expression to those found in the mouse embryo and could eventually generate colonies of mature blood cells," said the first author of the study, Carlos Filipe Pereira, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow of Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine.

Other leaders of the research team that screened the genetic factors to find the right combination included Kateri Moore, DVM, Associate Professor of Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School and Ihor R. Lemischka, PhD, Professor of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Director of The Black Family Stem Cell Institute at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

"The combination of gene factors that we used was not composed entirely of the most obvious or expected proteins," said Dr. Lemischka. "Many investigators have been trying to grow hematopoietic stem cells from embryonic stem cells, but this process has been problematic. Instead, we used mature mouse fibroblasts, picked the right combination of proteins, and it worked."

"This discovery is just the beginning of something new and exciting and can hopefully be used to identify a treatment for blood disorders," said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

According to Dr. Pereira, there is a critical shortage of suitable donors for blood stem cell transplants. Donors are currently necessary to meet the needs of patients suffering from blood diseases such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma and immune deficiency disorders. "Programming of hematopoietic stem cells represents an exciting alternative," said Pereira.

"Dr. Lemischka and I have been working together for over 20 years in the fields of hematopoiesis and stem cell biology," said Dr. Moore, senior author of the study. "It is truly exciting to be able to grow these blood forming cells in a culture dish and learn so much from them. We have already started applying this new approach to human cells and anticipate similar success."

Read more:
Programming blood forming stem cells

Public release date: 13-Jun-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Renatt Brodsky Renatt.Brodsky@mountsinai.org 212-241-9200 The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine

(New York, NY June 13, 2013)--By transferring four genes into mouse fibroblast cells, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have produced cells that resemble hematopoietic stem cells, which produce millions of new blood cells in the human body every day. These findings provide a platform for future development of patient-specific stem/progenitor cells, and more differentiated blood products, for cell-replacement therapy.

The study, titled, "Induction of a Hemogenic Program in Mouse Fibroblasts," was published online in CELL STEM CELL on June 13. Mount Sinai researchers screened a panel of 18 genetic factors for inducing blood-forming activity and identified a combination of four transcription factors, Gata2, Gfi1b, cFos, and Etv6 as sufficient to generate blood vessel precursor cells with the subsequent appearance of hematopoietic cells. The precursor cells express a human CD34 reporter, Sca1 and Prominin1 within a global endothelial transcription program.

"The cells that we grew in a petri dish are identical in gene expression to those found in the mouse embryo and could eventually generate colonies of mature blood cells," said the first author of the study, Carlos Filipe Pereira, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow of Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine.

Other leaders of the research team that screened the genetic factors to find the right combination included Kateri Moore, DVM, Associate Professor of Developmental and Regenerative Biology at the Icahn School and Ihor R. Lemischka, PhD, Professor of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Pharmacology and Systems Therapeutics and Director of The Black Family Stem Cell Institute at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

"The combination of gene factors that we used was not composed entirely of the most obvious or expected proteins," said Dr. Lemischka. "Many investigators have been trying to grow hematopoietic stem cells from embryonic stem cells, but this process has been problematic. Instead, we used mature mouse fibroblasts, picked the right combination of proteins, and it worked."

"This discovery is just the beginning of something new and exciting and can hopefully be used to identify a treatment for blood disorders," said Dennis S. Charney, MD, Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Dean of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

According to Dr. Pereira, there is a critical shortage of suitable donors for blood stem cell transplants. Donors are currently necessary to meet the needs of patients suffering from blood diseases such as leukemia, aplastic anemia, lymphomas, multiple myeloma and immune deficiency disorders. "Programming of hematopoietic stem cells represents an exciting alternative," said Pereira.

"Dr. Lemischka and I have been working together for over 20 years in the fields of hematopoiesis and stem cell biology," said Dr. Moore, senior author of the study. "It is truly exciting to be able to grow these blood forming cells in a culture dish and learn so much from them. We have already started applying this new approach to human cells and anticipate similar success."

Read more:
Mount Sinai researchers succeed in programming blood forming stem cells