The hunt for the elixir of life is such a universal mythological trope that to talk about it in the context of science seems almost ridiculous. But breakthroughs in the last decade have made the impossible seem possible, and researchers are quickly converging on the consensus that aging may well be a disease that we can treat just as easily as any other.

Impressive results in animals that have had their lifespans boosted by up to 40 percenthave started making their way into humans. Some trials are more questionable than others, but most promisingly there seem to be multiple potential avenues, from cocktails of common drugs to gene therapies and stem cell treatments.

Stem cells are particularly promising, because they can be coaxed into becoming any kind of cell before being transplanted to treat damaged tissue. These therapies often fail to work well in older tissue, though, limiting their future use in older patients who could need them most. This appears to be because these tissues have significantly higher levels of inflammation that prevent stem cells from properly integrating.

Now Portuguese researcher Joana Neves has won the 2019 Sartorius & Science Prize for Regenerating Medicine & Cell Therapy for her discovery of a way to sidestep this roadblock and significantly increase the success of stem cell treatments.

Because of the central importance of tissue repair to all organisms, Neves assumed that many of the mechanisms behind it would be shared among all animals. So she started looking at proteins produced by immune cells in the well-known animal model of the fruit fly.

She discovered that a poorly-understood protein known as MANF (mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor) plays a crucial role in reducing inflammation in fruit flies. More importantly, she found that mice and humans also produce it, and its prevalence reduces in all the species as they age, suggesting it plays a key role in limiting age-related inflammation.

That prompted her to see if introducing MANF would boost the effectiveness of stem cell treatments in older animals. She used the protein in combination with a procedure that uses stem cells to replace degenerating photoreceptors in the retina of older mice and found it greatly improved the restoration of vision.

Going further, her research team then investigated whether MANFs anti-inflammatory effects could have more general age-defying benefits. Previous research had already demonstrated that infusing old mice with blood from younger ones could reduce various signs of aging, and by carrying out similar experiments the team showed that MANF is one of the factors responsible for that outcome. They even showed that directly injecting mice with MANF could have similar effects.

Translating these ideas to treat other diseases and for use in humans will take some time, but the research chimes with work on an emerging class of drugs known as senolytics. These are drugs that kill senescent cells, which are zombie cells that become more prevalent as we age and spew out harmful chemicals that result in chronic inflammation.

Senolytics are generally seen as a broad-spectrum treatment that could help stave off multiple conditions at once, but they could also be used to create a more hospitable environment for stem cell treatments just like MANF.

There are still plenty of barriers to bringing any of these treatments to the clinic, from the difficulty of producing stem cells to the challenges of regulating treatments for aging (a condition we still dont formally class as a disease), or fighting back against the huge number of bogus treatments that threaten to undermine trust in the field. But given the huge potential for near-term impact, theres growing momentum.

Weve moved from being able to extend health and lifespan of simple organisms like yeast and worms and flies to being able to do this quite easily in animals, in mice and monkeys, David Sinclair, director of the Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School, told the Harvard Gazette.

He added that instead of trying to treat one disease at a time, he believes we can develop medicines that will treat aging at its source, therefore having a much greater impact on health and lifespan than drugs that target single diseases.

The wheels are in motion for us to find out.

Image Credit: Monika Robak from Pixabay

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To Turbocharge Anti-Aging Treatment, Just Add... a Protein Found in Fruit Flies? - Singularity Hub

Immune cells by fluorescence microscopy: Blood stem cells remember a previous attack and produce more immune cells like these macrophages to fight a new infection. Credit: Sieweke lab/CIML

These findings should have a significant impact on future vaccination strategies and pave the way for new treatments of an underperforming or over-reacting immune system. The results of this research are published in Cell Stem Cell on March 12, 2020.

Stem cells in our bodies act as reservoirs of cells that divide to produce new stem cells, as well as a myriad of different types of specialized cells, required to secure tissue renewal and function. Commonly called blood stem cells, the hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) are nestled in the bone marrow, the soft tissue that is in the center of large bones such as the hips or thighs. Their role is to renew the repertoire of blood cells, including cells of the immune system which are crucial to fight infections and other diseases.

Until a decade ago, the dogma was that HSCs were unspecialized cells, blind to external signals such as infections. Only their specialized daughter cells would sense these signals and activate an immune response. But work from Prof. Michael Siewekes laboratory and others over the past years has proven this dogma wrong and shown that HSCs can actually sense external factors to specifically produce subtypes of immune cells on demand to fight an infection. Beyond their role in an emergency immune response, the question remained as to the function of HSCs in responding to repeated infectious episodes. The immune system is known to have a memory that allows it to better respond to returning infectious agents. The present study now establishes a central role for blood stem cells in this memory.

We discovered that HSCs could drive a more rapid and efficient immune response if they had previously been exposed to LPS, a bacterial molecule that mimics infection, said Dr. Sandrine Sarrazin, Inserm researcher and senior-author of the publication. Prof. Michael Sieweke, Humboldt Professor at TU Dresden, CNRS Research Director and last author of the publication, explained how they found the memory was stored within the cells: The first exposure to LPS causes marks to be deposited on the DNA of the stem cells, right around genes that are important for an immune response. Much like bookmarks, the marks on the DNA ensure that these genes are easily found, accessible and activated for a rapid response if a second infection by a similar agent was to come.

The authors further explored how the memory was inscribed on the DNA, and found C/EBP? to be the major actor, describing a new function for this factor, which is also important for emergency immune responses. Together, these findings should lead to improvements in tuning the immune system or better vaccination strategies.

The ability of the immune system to keep track of previous infections and respond more efficiently the second time they are encountered is the founding principle of vaccines. Now that we understand how blood stem cells bookmark immune response circuits, we should be able to optimize immunization strategies to broaden the protection to infectious agents. It could also more generally lead to new ways to boost the immune response when it underperforms or turn it off when it overreacts, concluded Prof. Michael Sieweke.

The research group of Prof. Michael Sieweke works at the interface of immunology and stem cell research. The scientists focus on the study of hematopoietic stem cells and macrophages, long-lived mature cells of the immune system that fulfil an important role in tissue regeneration. In 2018, Prof. Michael Sieweke received the most valuable research award in Germany: the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, which brings top international researchers to German universities. In addition to his position as Research Director at the Centre for Immunology at the University of Marseille Luminy, he now acts as Deputy Director at the Center for Regenerative Therapies at TU Dresden (CRTD). CRTD is academic home for scientists from more than 30 nations. Their mission is to discover the principles of cell and tissue regeneration and leveraging this for recognition, treatment and reversal of diseases. The CRTD links the bench to the clinic, scientists to clinicians to pool expertise in stem cells, developmental biology, gene-editing and regeneration towards innovative therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease, hematological diseases such as leukaemia, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, retina and bone diseases.

Reference: C/EBP-Dependent Epigenetic Memory Induces Trained Immunity in Hematopoietic Stem Cells by Brengre de Laval, Julien Maurizio, Prashanth K. Kandalla, Gabriel Brisou, Louise Simonnet, Caroline Huber, Gregory Gimenez, Orit Matcovitch-Natan, Susanne Reinhardt, Eyal David, Alexander Mildner, Achim Leutz, Bertrand Nadel, Christophe Bordi, Ido Amit, Sandrine Sarrazin and Michael H.Sieweke, 12 March 2020, Cell Stem Cell.DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2020.01.017

This study was funded by TU Dresden / CRTD through the German Excellence Initiative, the German Research Foundation as well as through an ERC Advanced Grant from the European Research Council and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The study was further supported by funding from the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale, the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Aix-Marseille University, the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, the Foundation ARC pour la Recherche sur le Cancer, an INSERM-Helmholtz cooperation programme and the Einstein Foundation.

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Newly Discovered Memory in Our Bones: Keeping a Record of Previous Infections to Boost Immunity - SciTechDaily

Newswise What gets the leader of the NIH jazzed?

Speaking to a packed West Pavilion auditorium March 6, Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health, shared his picks of 10 areas of particular excitement and promise in biomedical research. (Watch the full talk here.)

In nearly every area, UAB scientists are helping to lead the way as Collins himself noted in several cases. At the conclusion of his talk, Collins addedhis advice for young scientists. Here is Collins top 10 list, annotated with some of the UAB work ongoing in each area and ways that faculty, staff and students can get involved.

1. Single-cell sequencing

[see this section of the talk here]

I am so jazzed with what has become possible with the ability to study single cells and see what they are doing, Collins said. They have been out of our reach now we have reached in. Whether you are studying rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes or the brain, you have the chance to ask each cell what it is doing.

Single-cell sequencing and UAB:Collins noted that Robert Carter, M.D., the acting director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, was a longtime faculty member at UAB (serving as director of the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology). For the past several years, UAB researchers have been studying gene expression in subpopulations of immune cells inpatients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Join in:Researchers can take advantage of the single-cell sequencing core facility in UABsComprehensive Flow Cytometry Core, directed by John Mountz, M.D., Ph.D., Goodwin-Blackburn Research Chair in Immunology and professor in the Department of Medicine Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology.

Learn more:Mountz and other heavy users of single-cell sequencing explain how the techniqueslet them travel back in time and morein this UAB Reporter story.

2. New ways to see the brain

[See this section of the talk here]

The NIHsBRAIN Initiativeis making this the era where we are going to figure out how the brain works all 86 billion neurons between your ears, Collins said. The linchpin of this advance will be the development of tools to identify new brain cell types and circuits that will improve diagnosis, treatment and prevention of autism, schizophrenia, Parkinsons and other neurological conditions, he said.

Brain tech and UAB:Collins highlighted thework of BRAIN Initiative granteeHarrison Walker, M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Neurology, whose lab has been developing a more sophisticated way to understand the benefits of deep brain stimulation for people with Parkinsons and maybe other conditions, Collins said.

Join in:UABs planned new doctoral program in neuroengineering would be the first of its kind in the country.

Learn more:Find out why neuroengineering is asmart career choicein this UAB Reporter story.

3. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells

[See this section of the talk here]

Researchers can now take a blood cell or skin cell and, by adding four magic genes, Collins explained, induce the cells to become stem cells. These induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can then in turn be differentiated into any number of different cell types, including nerve cells, heart muscle cells or pancreatic beta cells. The NIH has invested in technology to put iPS-derived cells on specialized tissue chips. Youve got you on a chip, Collins explained. Some of us dream of a day where this might be the best way to figure out whether a drug intervention is going to work for you or youre going to be one of those people that has a bad consequence.

iPS cells at UAB:Collins displayed images of thecutting-edge cardiac tissue chipdeveloped by a UAB team led by Palaniappan Sethu, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Division of Cardiovascular Disease. The work allows the development of cardiomyocytes that can be used to study heart failure and other conditions, Collins said.

Join in:UABs biomedical engineering department, one of the leading recipients of NIH funding nationally, is a joint department of the School of Engineering and School of Medicine. Learn more about UABsundergraduate and graduate programs in biomedical engineering, and potential careers, here.

Learn more:See howthis novel bioprinterdeveloped by UAB biomedical researchers is speeding up tissue engineering in this story from UAB News.

4. Microbiome advances

[See this section of the talk here]

We have kind of ignored the fact that we have all these microbes living on us and in us until fairly recently, Collins said. But now it is clear that we are not an organism we are a superorganism formed with the trillions of microbes present in and on our bodies, he said. This microbiome plays a significant role not just in skin and intestinal diseases but much more broadly.

Microbiome at UAB:Collins explained that work led by Casey Morrow, Ph.D., and Casey Weaver, M.D., co-directors of theMicrobiome/Gnotobiotics Shared Facility, has revealed intriguing information abouthow antibiotics affect the gut microbiome. Their approach has potential implications for understanding, preserving and improving health, Collins said.

Join in:Several ongoing clinical trials at UAB are studying the microbiome, including a studymodifying diet to improve gut microbiotaand an investigation of the microbiomes ofpostmenopausal women looking for outcomes and response to estrogen therapy.

Learn more:This UAB News storyexplains the UAB researchthat Collins highlighted.

5. Influenza vaccines

[See this section of the talk here]

Another deadly influenza outbreak is likely in the future, Collins said. What we need is not an influenza vaccine that you have to redesign every year, but something that would actually block influenza viruses, he said. Is that even possible? It just might be.

Influenza research at UAB:Were probably at least a decade away from a universal influenza vaccine. But work ongoing at UAB in the NIH-fundedAntiviral Drug Discovery and Development Center(AD3C), led by Distinguished Professor Richard Whitley, M.D., is focused on such an influenza breakthrough.

Join in:For now, the most important thing you can do to stop the flu is to get a flu vaccination. Employees can schedule afree flu vaccination here.

Learn more:Why get the flu shot? What is it like? How can you disinfect your home after the flu? Get all the information atthis comprehensive sitefrom UAB News.

6. Addiction prevention and treatment of pain

[See this section of the talk here]

The NIH has a role to play in tackling the crisis of opioid addiction and deaths, Collins said. The NIHs Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) initiative is an all-hands-on-deck effort, he said, involving almost every NIH institute and center, with the goal of uncovering new targets for preventing addiction and improving pain treatment by developing non-addictive pain medicines.

Addiction prevention at UAB:A big part of this initiative involves education to help professionals and the public understand what to do, Collins said. The NIH Centers of Excellence in Pain Education (CoEPE), including one at UAB, are hubs for the development, evaluation and distribution of pain-management curriculum resources to enhance pain education for health care professionals.

Join in:Find out how to tell if you or a loved one has a substance or alcohol use problem, connect with classes and resources or schedule an individualized assessment and treatment through theUAB Medicine Addiction Recovery Program.

Learn more:Discover some of the many ways that UAB faculty and staff aremaking an impact on the opioid crisisin this story from UAB News.

7. Cancer Immunotherapy

[See this section of the talk here]

We are all pretty darn jazzed about whats happened in the past few years in terms of developing a new modality for treating cancer we had surgery, we had radiation, we had chemotherapy, but now weve got immunotherapy, Collins said.

Educating immune system cells to go after cancer in therapies such as CAR-T cell therapy is the hottest science in cancer, he said. I would argue this is a really exciting moment where the oncologists and the immunologists together are doing amazing things.

Immunotherapy at UAB:I had to say something about immunology since Im at UAB given that Max Cooper, whojust got the Lasker Awardfor [his] B and T cell discoveries, was here, Collins said. This is a place I would hope where lots of interesting ideas are going to continue to emerge.

Join in:The ONeal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB is participating in a number of clinical trials of immunotherapies.Search the latest trials at the Cancer Centerhere.

Learn more:Luciano Costa, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of clinical trials at the ONeal Cancer Center, discusses the promise ofCAR-T cell therapy in this UAB MedCast podcast.

Assistant Professor Ben Larimer, Ph.D., is pursuing a new kind of PET imaging test that could give clinicians afast, accurate picture of whether immunotherapy is workingfor a patient in this UAB Reporter article.

8. Tapping the potential of precision medicine

[See this section of the talk here]

The All of Us Research Program from NIH aims to enroll a million Americans to move away from the one-size-fits-all approach to medicine and really understand individual differences, Collins said. The program, which launched in 2018 and is already one-third of the way to its enrollment goal, has a prevention rather than a disease treatment approach; it is collecting information on environmental exposures, health practices, diet, exercise and more, in addition to genetics, from those participants.

All of Us at UAB:UAB has been doing a fantastic job of enrolling participants, Collins noted. In fact, the Southern Network of the All of Us Research Program, led by UAB, has consistently been at the top in terms of nationwide enrollment, as School of Medicine Dean Selwyn Vickers, M.D., noted in introducing Collins.

Join in:Sign up forAll of Usat UAB today.

Learn more:UABs success in enrolling participants has led to anew pilot study aimed at increasing participant retention rates.

9. Rare diseases

[See this section of the talk here]

Rare Disease Day, on Feb. 29, brought together hundreds of rare disease research advocates at the NIH, Collins said. NIH needs to play a special role because many diseases are so rare that pharmaceutical companies will not focus on them, he said. We need to find answers that are scalable, so you dont have to come up with a strategy for all 6,500 rare diseases.

Rare diseases at UAB: The Undiagnosed Diseases Network, which includes aUAB siteled by Chief Genomics Officer Bruce Korf, M.D., Ph.D., is a national network that brings together experts in a wide range of conditions to help patients, Collins said.

Participants in theAlabama Genomic Health Initiative, also led by Korf, donate a small blood sample that is tested for the presence of specific genetic variants. Individuals with indications of genetic disease receive whole-genome sequencing. Collins noted that lessons from the AGHI helped guide development of the All of Us Research Program.

Collins also credited UABs Tim Townes, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, for developing the most significantly accurate model of sickle cell disease in a mouse which has been a great service to the [research] community. UAB is now participating in anexciting clinical trial of a gene-editing technique to treat sickle cellalong with other new targeted therapies for the devastating blood disease.

Join in:In addition to UABs Undiagnosed Diseases Program (which requires a physician referral) and the AGHI, patients and providers can contact theUAB Precision Medicine Institute, led by Director Matt Might, Ph.D. The institute develops precisely targeted treatments based on a patients unique genetic makeup.

Learn more:Discover how UAB experts solved medical puzzles for patients by uncovering anever-before-described mutationandcracking a vomiting mysteryin these UAB News stories.

10. Diversity in the scientific workforce

[See this section of the talk here]

We know that science, like everything else, is more productive when teams are diverse than if they are all looking the same, Collins said. My number one priority as NIH director is to be sure we are doing everything we can to nurture and encourage the best and brightest to join this effort.

Research diversity at UAB:TheNeuroscience Roadmap Scholars Programat UAB, supported by an NIH R25 grant, is designed to enhance engagement and retention of under-represented graduate trainees in the neuroscience workforce. This is one of several UAB initiatives to increased under-represented groups and celebrate diversity. These include several programs from theMinority Health and Health Disparities Research Centerthat support minority students from the undergraduate level to postdocs; thePartnership Research Summer Training Program, which provides undergraduates and especially minority students with the opportunity to work in UAB cancer research labs; theDeans Excellence Award in Diversityin the School of Medicine; and the newly announcedUnderrepresented in Medicine Senior Scholarship Programfor fourth-year medical students.

Join in:The Roadmap program engages career coaches and peer-to-peer mentors to support scholars. To volunteer your expertise, contact Madison Bamman atmdbamman@uab.eduorvisit the program site.

Learn more:Farah Lubin, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology and co-director of the Roadmap Scholars Program,shares the words and deeds that can save science careersin this Reporter story. In another story, Upender Manne, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Pathology and a senior scientist in the ONeal Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains how students in the Partnership Research Summer Training Program gethooked on cancer research.

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Looking to the future with Dr. Francis Collins - Newswise

On March 3, Californians voted on one statewide ballot measure, Proposition 13, which would have issued $15 billion in general obligation bonds for preschool, K-12, and higher education facilities. The ballot measure would have also made changes to the formula used to distribute state bond funds to schools, the rules governing local bond measures, and school districts abilities to assess developer fees.

Proposition 13 was behind on election night but millions of uncounted ballots remained. On March 11, Californians for Safe Schools and Healthy Learning, which led the campaign in support of Proposition 13, conceded that the ballot measure appeared to be defeated.

Asm. Patrick ODonnell (D-70), who co-authored Proposition 13 (2020), said, Despite this number having no relation to the content of the school facilities bond, many voters mistakenly believed the ballot measure made changes to the Proposition 13 originally passed in 1978 which dealt with property taxes. He introduced legislation to retire the use of Proposition 13 as an official ballot measure title. In California, statewide ballot measures are assigned official titles in the order that theyre placed on the ballot and reset each decade. In 2018, the official titles were Proposition 1 through Proposition 12. Therefore, the first statewide measure of 2020 was Proposition 13.

Susan Shelley, vice president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, responded to the propositions defeated, saying, Confusion over Proposition 13 is not the whole story here. She added, People are cynical about how the money is being spent. Maybe the message is enough is enough. Beyond Proposition 13, there were 121 school bonds on local ballots throughout California. Since 2008, the average approval rate for local school bond measures was 75 percent. On March 3, less than 50 percent were approved.

Californians for Safe Schools and Healthy Learning, along with allied political action committees, raised $9.67 million to support Proposition 13 through February 15, 2020. The top donors included the California Teachers Association Issues PAC ($500,000), California Charter Schools Association ($400,000), and United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America ($334,000.00). Opponents of Proposition 13 did not organize a committee to fund an opposition campaign.

The next statewide election in California to feature ballot measures is November 3, 2020. There are several bond measures that could appear on the general election ballot, including a $5.5 billion citizen-initiated stem cell research bond, a $600 million legislative veterans housing and homelessness bond, and a $4.75 or $5.5 billion legislative bond for projects related to changing climate conditions, fire prevention, and water infrastructure.

Additional Reading:California 2020 ballot propositionCalifornia Proposition 13, Tax Limitations Initiative (1978)Bond issues on the ballot

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California Proposition 13 is the first statewide school bond rejected by voters since 1994 - Ballotpedia News

The northern white rhino population is in jeopardy

The northern white rhino is one of the animal kingdoms many majestic giants, but years of poaching has taken a toll on their population. From 1970 to 1980, their numbers plummeted from 500 to 15 as illegal hunters pursued white rhinos for the ivory of their horns.

Things started to turn around during the 1990s and 2000s, groups and individuals began to crack down on poachers within the white rhinos range. As a result, the population of white rhinos in the wild recovered slightly, peaking at around 32 individuals.

Since 2003, the rate of white rhino poaching has been on the rise and has affected the animals numbers. As of 2008, northern white rhinos have been declared extinct in the wild, and in 2018, the last male northern white rhino died. Now, there are only two of these magnificent beasts left on Earth. Both of them are females.

Najin and Fatu are the last two northern white rhinos in existence. They live at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, and they could be the species last hope for the future. In 2014, keepers in the Czech Republic collected sperm samples from a male northern white rhino living in their care.

Those samples were frozen and stored, and later, they were used in an attempt to breed Najin and Fatu. Both attempts at inducing pregnancies in the two female rhinos were unsuccessful, forcing scientists to consider new methods of approach for saving the white rhinos from extinction.

Typically, when a species is placed on the endangered list, a recovery plan is established by whatever local conservancy group oversees the population. From there, breeding programs of captive individuals are used to begin bolstering the number of individuals on the planet.

When healthy breeding populations have been established, in most cases, reintroduction begins. Small populations of the species are released into the wild to begin repopulation. However, in the case of the northern white rhinos, scientists and conservationists alike have been stuck at step two for decades.

Unwillingness and inability to breed arent uncommon among captive species and individuals, and in most cases, zoos can jockey animals around until a pair matches and produces offspring. In the case of Najin and Fatu, the options for procreation are far more limited. Even the fallback of artificial insemination isnt working for them, so what are scientists to do?

Weve revived entire species from the dead before, but it has never been an easy task. Fortunately, the world of reproductive sciences has been evolving quickly, and conservationists and animal experts now have myriad options to choose from when it comes to creating new life.

Neither surviving female is healthy enough to birth live young. Aside from that, there is the added challenge of finding an option that preserves the northern white rhino genome while maintaining high enough levels of viability.

One possible route to repopulation involves approaching conventional methods from a new and enlightened angle. Although neither Najin nor Fatu can bear young, they both still produce viable egg cells, which can be harvested, frozen, and kept in a lab.

Much like humans undergoing fertility therapy or other conception aids, the grandmother-granddaughter pair or northern white rhinos can hope for success through in-vitro fertilization. This method of conception combines sperm and multiple egg cells in an external environment before implanting them in a host mother.

By using multiple eggs during the in-vitro process, the chances for success, even in females with fertility issues, is significantly increased. In some fortunate cases, the method is so effective, and it results in multiple pregnancies. Once the sperm has fertilized the eggs, the cells are transferred to a living host.

While Najin and Fatu may not be the physical mothers of any of their calves, modern reproductive science has made it possible for their genes to be passed on to another generation.

How? with modern science, a surrogate mother from the thriving population of southern white rhinos could become the mother to their children.The two types of animals have similar enough reproductive organs and their eggs could be used in place of Najin or Fatus.

While the animals are compatible, gathering eggs from them is a far more complicated procedure.

Researchers working on bringing back the northern white rhinos have managed to gather a few eggs so far, but not nearly enough to repopulate an entire species.

Its no secret that rhinoceroses are large animals. Just as cattle and horses have significantly larger hearts than we humans do, rhinos have much larger reproductive organs. Locating and withdrawing eggs from a rhinos ovaries is a far greater ordeal than it is for humans.

To complicate matters further, the ovaries of a southern white rhino are located three to four feet from her rump, and the veterinarian seeking to collect the eggs must guide a probe that distance up her rectum and into an ovary before using a catheter to remove the eggs.

The procedure is anything but easy. In addition to the difficulty involved in the process of extracting eggs, the success rate of current methods is hardly ideal. Researchers working on bringing back the northern white rhinos have managed to gather a few eggs so far, but not nearly enough to repopulate an entire species.

The odds of reestablishing a sustainable population of northern white rhinos through in-vitro fertilization and surrogacy currently seem pretty slim. Fortunately for the rhinos, science has a few other methods up its sleeve.

In the last decade, stem cell research has gone from a thing of whimsy to an advanced field of study that continues to improve by leaps and bounds with every passing year. Its applications are seemingly endless, and they just might be the answer that the northern white rhino conservationists have been looking for.

Stem cells are sort of like biological canvases. They come in different varieties: Totipotent, pluripotent, multipotent, oligopotent, and unipotent. Each of these types has unique limitations and can be found in various sources from embryonic tissue to adult bone marrow.

To make baby rhinos, scientists have been focused on induced pluripotent stem cells, which are gathered and grown from the skin of adult white rhinos

A cell from your bicep and a cell from your gametes (sperm or egg) both hold the same blueprints; they just come in different packaging.

Pluripotent cells behave similarly to embryonic stem cells, which can be coaxed into becoming just about any other type of cell. In this case, even though the original cells were taken from the skin of adult rhinos, they can be trained to become something different, such as egg cells.

Using what knowledge we currently have of stem cells and their manipulation, scientists can tell a northern white rhinos skin cell to become a viable egg or sperm cell. From there, they can attempt in-vitro fertilization and implantation into a surrogate, even without fertile parents.

The method is still in its infancy, but it has been successfully carried out more than once.

With stem cells as a backup and surrogates abound, Najin and Fatu have plenty of options. In late 2019, conservationists and rhinos alike received promising news. Eggs gathered from the two northern white rhinos had been fertilized and resulted in successful embryos. Those embryos were frozen in liquid nitrogen and prepared for a long journey.

Waiting down in southern Africa are the lucky mamas who will become the surrogates for the next generation of northern white rhinos. The embryos have quite a ways to travel before they can be implanted. After that, they can grow within their new mother for the 16 to 18-month gestation period typical of white rhinos.

Although the methods of creating viable embryos are currently long, challenging, and not terribly efficient, these babies-to-be are incredibly promising first steps. In addition to the two successful in-vitro attempts in September, December of 2019 saw the creation of a third viable embryo.

2020 will undoubtedly see further attempts at creating more embryos. With luck, we can soon hope to hear news of successful implantations in surrogate moms. In 2021, we can throw a worldwide baby shower for some bouncing baby northern white rhinos, whose births will serve as a beacon of hope for a dying species.

Excerpt from:
Can hybrid embryos save the white rhinos from extinction? - Science 101

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Astellas Pharma, Ncardia, Applied StemCell, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Axol Bioscience, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company,RandD Systems, Fate Therapeutics, Evotec AG, ViaCyte Inc.

Active government support for RandD activities through research grants is driving the global induced pluripotent stem cells. Increasing private funding and rising shift towards regenerative medicines are predicted to favor induced pluripotent stem cells revenue. Further, induced pluripotent stem cells have created new avenues in clinical research, regenerative medicines, and disease modeling. This has also paved the way to numerous mergers and acquisitions and potential pipeline products and patents.

STEMCELL Technologies Inc., a global biotechnology company launched mTeSR Plus, an enhanced version of mTeSR1, a widely published feeder-free human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) maintenance medium. mTeSR Plus will be used to prevent onset acidosis. The launch of mTeSR Plus is likely to encourage global induced pluripotent stem cells growth owing to the design of the mTeSR Plus, which offers more consistent cell culture environment through sustained medium pH and stabilized components including FGF2.

In addition, the diversity of donor candidates is a factor predicted to aid induced pluripotent stem cells growth. Moreover, increasing accessibility towards the cell of origin is also expected to boost the global induced pluripotent stem cell market in the forthcoming year. However, ethical issues related to the donors and potential risk of tumors are factors predicted to hamper the growth of the global induced pluripotent stem cells.

Market Segmentation:

The global Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Market Trends has been segmented based on Derived Cell Type, Application, End User, and Region.

By Derived Cell Type, the Market for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells has been segmented into Amniotic cells, Fibroblasts, Keratinocytes, Hepatocytes, Others.

By mode of Application, the Market for Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells has been segmented into Regenerative medicines, Drug development, Toxicity testing, Reprogramming technology, Academic research, Others.

By mode of End User, the market has been segmented into Hospitals, Education and research institutes, Biotechnological companies.

By mode of Region, the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Industry has been segmented into North America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East-Africa, South America and Rest of the World.

Regional Analysis:

Geographically, the global induced pluripotent stem cell market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to dominate the global induced pluripotent stem cells market during the forecast period due to the increasing RandD investment by key players for potential pipeline products.

In Europe, the global induced pluripotent stem cell market is anticipated to grow significantly during the forecast period. The active government support and product launches are predicted to favor growth in the region. For instance, in 2018, Ncardia, a company working for drug discovery using stem cell, launched Xpress.4U LightPace Cor.4U, a kit for improving and simplifying the use of optical pacing of cardiomyocytes, a human induced pluripotent stem cell. The aforementioned factors together are enabling growth in Europe.

Intended Audience:

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Key Players

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Suppliers

Research and Development (RandD) Companies

Distributer and Supplier companies

End Users

Consultants and Investment bankers

Government as well as Independent Regulatory Authorities

Report Highlights:

In-depth information about the latest Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Industry trends, opportunities, and challenges.

Extensive analysis of the growth drivers And barriers.

Competitive landscape consisting of investments, agreements, contracts, novel product launches, strategic collaborations, and mergers and acquisitions.

List of the segments and the niche areas.

Comprehensive details about the strategies that are being adopted by key players.

Table Of Content:

Introduction

1.1. Research Scope

1.2. Market Segmentation

1.3. Research Methodology

1.4. Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics

3.1. Market Drivers

3.2. Market Restraints

3.3. Market Opportunities

Key Insights

Continued

Browse Complete Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Market Report Information

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Press Release Distributed by The Express Wire

To view the original version on The Express Wire visit Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Market Is Predicted to Gain from The Launch of mTeSR Plus, says Fortune Business Insights

Originally posted here:
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Market Is Predicted to Gain from The Launch of mTeSR Plus, says Fortune Business Insights - The RSFE News

SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The global single cell analysis marketsize is expected to reach USD 8.02 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 16.9% during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Advancements in molecular techniques which resulted in higher accuracy, ability to perform multiple omics analyses in one cell, and automation, has lowered the barriers for implementation of single-cell analysis techniques across various end-use settings. As a result, companies are investing in introducing novel solutions to accelerate the identification and quantification of genetic information in individual cells for research programs, thereby contributing to revenue growth in this market.

Key suggestions from the report:

Read 150 page research report with ToC on "Single Cell Analysis Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product, By Application (IVF, Cancer, Immunology, Neurology, Stem Cell, Non-invasive Prenatal Diagnosis), By End Use, And Segment Forecasts, 2020 - 2027" at: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/single-cell-analysis-market

This technology has addressed several research challenges with respect to biological intricacies in stem cell biology, tumor biology, immunology, and other therapeutic areas. This leads to improved therapeutic decision-making with regards to precision medicine, thereby driving the adoption of these assays in personalized therapeutic development.

The growth in research publications depicts the increasing R&D investments. Since R&D activities are considered as the foundation of innovation, investments in R&D activities signify a healthy growth prospect for the single cell analysis market. Moreover, the establishment of new single cell genomics centers in the past years is anticipated to boost the uptake of instruments and consumables for single cell analysis, thus driving the growth.

Grand View Research has segmented the global single cell analysis market on the basis of product, application, end use, and region:

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About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:Sherry JamesCorporate Sales Specialist, USAGrand View Research, Inc.Phone: 1-415-349-0058Toll Free: 1-888-202-9519Email: [emailprotected]Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.comFollow Us: LinkedIn| Twitter

SOURCE Grand View Research, Inc.

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Single Cell Analysis Market Size Worth $8.02 Billion By 2027 | CAGR: 16.9%: Grand View Research, Inc. - PRNewswire

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