Category Archives: Stem Cells

Richard Lerner and his team at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, have discovered an antibody that can change stem cells (taken from bone marrow) into brain cells.

According to USNews.com, stem cells from bone marrow usually turn into white blood cells, but when a certain antibody was injected, the stem cells turned into neural cells, which are found in the brain and spine.

The researchers discovered the method accidentally, according to a report published in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lerner and his team were originally trying to find an antibody that would stimulate the growth of stem cells, but also found one that created neural cells.

According to Lerner, the antibody could be injected directly into the bloodstream of a sick patient, find its way to the bone marrow and change some bone marrow stem cells into neural progenitor cells, reported ScienceDaily.com.

"Those neural progenitors would infiltrate the brain, find areas of damage and help repair them," said Lerner.

"There's been a lot of research activity where people would like to repair brain and spinal cord injuries. With this method, you can go to a person's own stem cells and turn them into brain cells that can repair nerve injuries."

"We're going to collaborate with people who are trying to regenerate nerves in the eye," added Lerner. "We will team up with a couple people strong in that area of research."

Sources: USNews.com and ScienceDaily.com

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Scientists Change Stem Cells Into Brain Cells

Stems cells taken from just a few grams of body fat are a promising weapon against the crippling effects of osteoarthritis.

For the past two decades, knee, hip or other joint replacements have been the standard treatment for the deterioration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. But artificial joints only last about 15 years and are difficult to repair once they fail.

Stem cell injections may offer a new type of therapy by either stopping the degenerative process or by regenerating the damaged cartilage, said pioneering researcher Dr. Farshid Guilak, a professor of orthopedic surgery and director of orthopedic research at Duke University.

Guilak, one of the first researchers to grow cartilage from fat, explains why stem cells are a bright light in osteoarthritis research and why widespread clinical use is still years away. Below is an edited transcript of the interview.

Q: How are stem cell injections purported to help?

A: Several studies in animals show that stem cell injections may help by reducing the inflammation in the joint. Stem cells appear to have a natural capacity to produce anti-inflammatory molecules, and once injected in the joint, can slow down the degenerative process in osteoarthritis.

(Since this interview, research published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine has found that stem cells may also be an effective way to deliver therapeutic proteins for pain relief related to rheumatoid arthritis.)

Q: Does the bulk of research look at how stem cells heal traumatic injuries, or does it look at degenerative conditions such as arthritis?

A: Nearly all previous studies on stem cell therapies in joints have focused on trying to repair small "focal" damage to the cartilage. Only a few recent studies have begun to examine the possibility for treating the whole joint, either to grow enough cartilage to resurface the entire joint or to use stem cells to prevent further degeneration.

Q: Meaning one day, entire joint surfaces such as hips and knees could be grown in a lab?

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Dr. Farshid Guilak: Can stem cells help those with arthritis?

Apr. 22, 2013 Understanding exactly how stem cells form into specific organs and tissues is the holy grail of regenerative medicine. Now a UC Santa Barbara researcher has added to that body of knowledge by determining how stem cells produce different types of "daughter" cells in Drosophila (fruit flies). T

he findings appear today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Denise Montell, Duggan Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at UCSB, and colleagues studied the ovaries of fruit flies in order to see stem cells in their natural environment. Because these organisms are excellent models for understanding stem cell biology, researchers were able to shed light on the earliest stages of follicle cell differentiation, a previously poorly understood area of developmental biology. "It is clear that the fundamental principles that control cell behavior in simple animals are conserved and control the behavior of our cells as well," she said. "There is so much we can learn by studying simple organisms."

Using a nuclear protein expressed in follicle stem cells (FSCs), the researchers found that castor, which plays an important role in specifying which types of brain cells are produced during embryonic development, also helps maintain FSCs throughout the life of the animal. "Having identified this important protein molecule in fruit flies, we can test whether the human version of the protein is important for stem cells and their daughters as well," said Montell. "The more we know about the molecules that govern stem cell behavior, the closer we will get to controlling these cells."

Her research team placed the evolutionarily conserved castor (Cas) gene, which encodes a zinc finger protein, in a genetic circuit with two other evolutionarily conserved genes, hedgehog (Hh) and eyes absent (Eya), to determine the fates of specific cell progeny (daughters). What's more, they identified Cas as a critical, tissue-specific target of Hh signaling, which not only plays a key role in maintaining follicle stem cells but also assists in the diversification of their progeny.

The study also shows that complementary patterns of Cas and Eya reveal the gradual differentiation of polar and stalk precursor cells at the earliest stages of their development. In addition, it provides a marker for cell fates and insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which FSC progeny diverge into distinct fates.

Follicle cells undergo a binary choice during early differentiation. Those that turn into specialized cells found at the poles of egg chambers go on to make two cell types: polar and stalk. The three genes, Cas, Eya and Hh, work in various combinations, sometimes repressively, to determine which types of cells are formed. Cas is required for polar and stalk cell fate specification, while Eya is a negative regulator of these cells' fate. Hh is necessary for Cas to be expressed, and Hh signaling is essential to repress Eya.

"If you just had one of these markers, it was hard to tell what's going on," explained Montell. "All the cells looked the same and you had no idea when or how the process occurred. But now we can actually see how the cells acquire different identities."

Hh also plays many roles in embryonic development, adult homeostasis, birth defects, and cancer. Hh antagonists are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of several types of cancer. However, Hh signaling is important in so many different cell types and tissues that systemic delivery of such inhibitors may cause serious side effects. Therefore identifying the essential, tissue-specific effectors of Hh has the potential to lead to the identification of more specific therapeutic targets.

Someday, targeted inhibition of Hh signaling may be effective in the treatment and prevention of many types of human cancers.

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Scientist identifies protein molecule used to maintain adult stem cells in fruit flies

Stem cells from a tank in a lab in Athens, Ga. A California lab has discovered a way turn stem cells from bone marrow into brain cells.

Scientists have discovered an antibody that can turn stem cells from a patient's bone marrow directly into brain cells, a potential breakthrough in the treatment of neurological diseases and injuries.

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Richard Lerner, of the Scripps Research Institute in California, says that when a specific antibody is injected into stem cells from bone marrowwhich normally turn into white blood cellsthe cells can be triggered to turn into brain cells.

"There's been a lot of research activity where people would like to repair brain and spinal cord injuries," Lerner says. "With this method, you can go to a person's own stem cells and turn them into brain cells that can repair nerve injuries."

Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins that the immune system uses to help identify foreign threats to the body. They bind to foreign invaders in the body in order to alert white blood cells to attack harmful bacteria and viruses. There are millions of known antibodies.

[PHOTOS: The 2013 White House Science Fair]

Lerner and his team were working to find an antibody that would activate what is known as the GCSF receptor in bone marrow stem cells, in order to stimulate their growth. When they found one that worked, the researchers were surprised: Instead of inducing the stem cells to grow, they began to form into neural cells.

"The cells proliferated, but also started becoming long and thin and attaching to the bottom of the dish," which is reminiscent of behavior of neural cells, Jia Xie, a research associate on Lerner's team, said in a released statement. Further tests confirmed that they were neural progenitor cells, which are very similar to mature brain cells.

Lerner says that scientists have "an awful lot of experience injecting antibodies" into stem cells and that the process is not "inherently dangerous." The team plans to start animal tests of the technology soon.

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Scientists Find Way to Turn Stem Cells Into Brain Cells

April 22, 2013

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have successfully transformed human embryonic stem cells into nerve cells that helped mice regain their memory and the ability to learn.

Senior author Su-Chun Zhang, a professor of neuroscience and neurology at the university, said that he and his colleagues have for the first time demonstrated that human stem cells can implant themselves in the brain and heal neurological defects.

Once they were inserted into the brain of the rodents, the implanted stem cells formed two common but essential types of neurons. Those neurons which Zhang said are involved with many different types of human behavior, emotions, learning, memory, and psychiatric issues communicate with the chemicals GABA or acetylcholine.

The embryonic stem cells used in the study were cultured in a laboratory using chemicals known to promote development into nerve cells. Zhang has worked on similar projects for the past 15 years, according to the university, and has helped pioneer research in the field.

As for the mice, they were said to be a special type which did not reject transplants from other species. An area of their brains responsible for memory and learning, known as the medial septum, were then intentionally damaged. The medial septum connects to the GABA and cholinergic neurons, Zhang said.

This circuitry is fundamental to our ability to learn and remember, he added.

The human cells were transplanted into the hippocampus, a key memory center located at the opposite end of those memory circuits. Following the successful implementation of the stem cells, the mice reportedly scored significantly better on common tests in both memory and learning.

After the transferred cells were implanted, in response to chemical directions from the brain, they started to specialize and connect to the appropriate cells in the hippocampus, the university explained in a statement. The process is akin to removing a section of telephone cable If you can find the correct route, you could wire the replacement from either end.

Originally posted here:
Human Stem Cells Injected In Mice Restore Memory, Learning Capacity

Newswise UCLA researchers led by Carla Koehler, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and Dr. Michael Teitell, professor of pathology and pediatrics, both members of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, have discovered a new agent that may be useful in strategies to remove pluripotent stem cells that fail-to-differentiate from their progeny, tissue-specific cells, potentially resulting in safer therapies for patients. The study was published online ahead of press April 15, 2013 in Developmental Cell.

Pluripotent stem cells can become any cell in the body. When stem cells are differentiated into specific daughter cells such as nerve, muscle, or bone cells, not all of the stem cells differentiate, leaving some pluripotent stem cells mixed in with the differentiated cells. Because of the pluripotent stem cells ability to become any cell type in the body, these cells can also become unintended cells such as bone in blood, or form tumors called teratomas. Therefore, identifying and removing pluripotent stem cells from the differentiated cells before using daughter cells is of utmost importance in stem cell-based therapeutics. Current methods for removing pluripotent stem cells are limited.

Studies in the model system Saccharomyces cerevisiae, simple bakers yeast, by Koehler, Teitell, and colleagues discovered a molecule called MitoBloCK-6 that inhibits assembly of the mitochondria, which are the power plants of cells. As the group moved to more complex systems, they showed that MitoBloCK-6 blocked cardiac development in the model organism, zebrafish. However, MitoBloCK-6 had no effect on differentiated cell lines that are typically cultured in the lab. I was puzzled by this result, because we thought this pathway was essential for all cells regardless of differentiation state, said Koehler.

Post-doctoral fellow Deepa Dabir meticulously tested the compound on many differentiated cell lines, but the results were still the same: The cells remained healthy. Then the team decided to test MitoBloCK-6 on human pluripotent stem cells. Post-doctoral fellow Kiyoko Setoguchi showed that the pluripotent stem cells died in the presence of MitoBloCK-6, but shortly after differentiation, the daughter cells were resistant to death.

MitoBloCK-6 caused the pluripotent stem cells to die by triggering apoptosis, a process of cell suicide. The death of pluripotent stem cells left a population of differentiated cells, thus potentially reducing the risks of teratoma and other problems that would limit their use as a regenerative medicine treatment strategy.

We discovered that pluripotent stem cell mitochondria undergo a change during differentiation into tissue-specific daughter cells, said Teitell, which could be the key to the survival of the differentiated cells when the samples are exposed to MitoBloCK-6. We are still investigating this process in mitochondria, but we now know that mitochondria have an important role in controlling pluripotent stem cell survival.

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UCLA Researchers Develop New Method for Purifying Stem Cells for Treatment

Washington, April 22 (ANI): In a study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, human embryonic stem cells have for the first time been transformed into nerve cells that helped mice regain the ability to learn and remember.

A study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the first to show that human stem cells can successfully implant themselves in the brain and then heal neurological deficits, said senior author Su-Chun Zhang, a professor of neuroscience and neurology.

Once inside the mouse brain, the implanted stem cells formed two common, vital types of neurons, which communicate with the chemicals GABA or acetylcholine.

"These two neuron types are involved in many kinds of human behavior, emotions, learning, memory, addiction and many other psychiatric issues," said Zhang.

The human embryonic stem cells were cultured in the lab, using chemicals that are known to promote development into nerve cells - a field that Zhang has helped pioneer for 15 years. The mice were a special strain that do not reject transplants from other species.

After the transplant, the mice scored significantly better on common tests of learning and memory in mice. For example, they were more adept in the water maze test, which challenged them to remember the location of a hidden platform in a pool.

For the study, Zhang and first author Yan Liu, a postdoctoral associate at the Waisman Center on campus, chemically directed the human embryonic stem cells to begin differentiation into neural cells, and then injected those intermediate cells. Ushering the cells through partial specialization prevented the formation of unwanted cell types in the mice.

Brain repair through cell replacement is a Holy Grail of stem cell transplant, and the two cell types are both critical to brain function, Zhang said.

"Cholinergic neurons are involved in Alzheimer's and Down syndrome, but GABA neurons are involved in many additional disorders, including schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression and addiction," the researcher explained.

The new study, he said, is more likely to see immediate application in creating models for drug screening and discovery.

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Human stem cells help restore memory, learning in mice

The end result showed mice who scored much better on tests of learning and memory

Wisconsin researchers have usedhuman embryonic stem cellsto heal a damaged part of the brain in mice and restore their use of memory.

University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers, led bySu-Chun Zhang, have transformed the human embryonic stem cells into functional nerve cells -- whichrestored the abilityto learn and remember in mice.

To do this, the research team used mice with damage to the medial septum, whichconnects to the hippocampus by GABA and cholinergic neurons and affects our ability to learn or remember.The mice were also a special kind, which are incapable of rejecting transplants from other species.

They then used chemicals (which encourage development into nerve cells) to culture thehuman embryonic stem cells in the lab.The cells started to differentiate into two types of neural cells (GABA and cholinergic neurons), and those were injected as intermediate cells. From there, the cells were directed through partial specialization to prevent the development of unwanted cell types and they were placed in the hippocampus.

After the transplant,the cells started to specialize and connect to the correct cells in the hippocampus as the brain doled outchemical directions.

The end result showed micethat scored much better on tests of learning and memory. For instance, there was a water maze test where they had to remember the location of a hidden platform within a pool.

"Cholinergic neurons are involved in Alzheimer's and Down syndrome, but GABA neurons are involved in many additional disorders, including schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression and addiction," said Zhang.

This means that this research could one day be used to treat -- or even cure -- medical conditions in the brain.

Source: Eurekalert

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Mice Receive Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Treat Damaged Brain