Reports of a new kind of stem cell, produced by simply stressing mature mouse cells, kicked up a storm of controversy soon after their publication in Nature on 30 January. Duplicated and manipulated images as well as plagiarism were found in the two papers, which led to a verdict of misconduct for the lead author, Haruko Obokata of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan. There have also been calls for a retraction (which, for at least one of the papers, looks increasingly likely). But the controversy has left open a key question: does the phenomenon,known as stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency, or STAP,exist?

The answer, according to Japanese media reports today on the results of genetic tests on the cells used in the STAP experiments, is no.

STAP cells were claimed to be made by exposing bodily cells to acid or subjecting them to physical pressure. These cells take on characteristics of embryonic stem cells. If further manipulated, they will also form self-renewing stem cell lines, called STAP stem cells, which share most properties of the embryonic stem cell lines. The Nature papers reported the creation of eight STAP stem cell lines. (Note: Natures news and comment team is editorially independent of its research editorial team.)

In March, one of the co-authors of the STAP papers, Teruhiko Wakayama of Yamanashi University, did a simple genetic analysis and found that some of the supposed STAP stem cell lines he had produced outside of the experiments described in the papers did not match the strain of mouse from which they were supposed to have been derived. This would mean that the cells came from a different mouse to that claimed, suggesting contamination. But he did not find a problem with the STAP stem cell lines that were reported in the Nature papers. To verify his results, Wakayama sent some 20 stem cell lines, including samples of the eight reported in the papers, to an independent, but unnamed, genetic analysis team for more precise tests.

According to Japanese media reports quoting multiple sources, the results of those tests have now been sent to RIKEN, Obokatas employer and the institution that found her guilty of misconduct. They conclude that none of the STAP stem cell lines match the original mouse strains from which they were supposedly taken, calling into question whether the STAP phenomenon has ever been demonstrated.Wakayama says he will release detailed results at a press conference soon.

It was also reported that RIKEN will likely enlist Obokata in its ongoing efforts to try to reproduce the STAP results.

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Genetic tests suggest STAP stem cells never existed

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

3-Jun-2014

Contact: Sandra Hutchinson s3.hutchinson@qut.edu.au 61-731-389-449 Queensland University of Technology

A QUT scientist is hoping to unlock the potential of stem cells as a way of repairing neural damage to the brain.

Rachel Okolicsanyi, from the Genomics Research Centre at QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, said unlike other cells in the body which were able to divide and replicate, once most types of brain cells died, the damage was deemed irreversible.

Ms Okolicsanyi is manipulating adult stem cells from bone marrow to produce a population of cells that can be used to treat brain damage.

"My research is a step in proving that stem cells taken from the bone marrow can be manipulated into neural cells, or precursor cells that have the potential to replace, repair or treat brain damage," she said.

Ms Okolicsanyi's research has been published in Developmental Biology journal, and outlines the potential stem cells have for brain damage repair.

"What I am looking at is whether or not stem cells from the bone marrow have the potential to differentiate or mature into neural cells," she said.

"Neural cells are those cells from the brain that make everything from the structure of the brain itself, to all the connections that make movement, voice, hearing and sight possible."

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Unlocking the potential of stem cells to repair brain damage

GOLTRY, Okla. Armed with stem cells, a Goltry area woman will be heading to Milwaukee next week to join in her brothers cancer fight.

Jeni Sumner was the only match among family members tested to donate stem cells to her younger brother, Ed Dee.

To me, Ive been given a gift. I know everybodys congratulating me and saying its a wonderful thing, and not taking it away from that, but I think Ive been given just a tremendous gift, Sumner said.

Along with helping her brother, Sumner is trying to encourage others to join the bone marrow donor registry.

I think a lot of people are afraid to join because they might get called, because they dont know what its like to be a donor, she said. I want more people to become aware of what its actually like to be a donor.

Sumner set up a Facebook page It Doesnt Hurt - To Save a Life to chronicle everything she will go through, as a donor, during the procedure.

Its an unknown for me, but its nothing compared to what my brothers going through, she said. I know the feeling that I got when I got the call from the doctor saying that I was his donor. The relief and the joy that I felt that our family doesnt have to look anymore. If anything happens, were covered because we have a donor, we have a match. The feeling that I got was incredible, she said.

Dee, of Milwaukee, Wis., was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia last year. Sumner said he went into remission last October.

Unfortunately, the cancer came back. This type of leukemia is a very dangerous and aggressive form. He, every couple of weeks, would go in for a blood test and this March he was informed that his leukemia had come back, she said. His doctors feel that a stem cell transplant would be the best for him, at this time.

Following the return of the cancer, Dee went through five days of rigorous chemotherapy to put him back into remission. He recently finished a lower dose session of chemo, Sumner said.

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Using stem cells, woman joins brothers cancer fight

Posted on behalf of David Cyranoski

The retraction of two controversial papers which promised a simple way to create embryonic-like stem cells appears imminent today after the lead author unexpectedly gave her full consent. Haruko Obokata, of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, had been the last obstacle to the retraction of both papers.

She agreed to retract the second of the two studies last week, but her agreement yesterday to retract the first one, which detailed the fundamental mechanism behind her claims, paves the way for the unravelling of what was heralded as one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the year.

All co-authors of the papers, which claimed to have created a new type of stem cell, known as stimulus-triggered activation of pluripotency (STAP) cells, now appear to have consented to the retraction. This leaves the papers fate in the hands of Nature, the journal that published the two studies in January. Requests for retractions with the unanimous support of the co-authors are usually authorised by the publisher. (Note: Natures news and comment team is editorially independent of its research editorial team.)

In the STAP studies, Obokata claimed that when she stressed cells by exposing them to acid or putting pressure on their membranes, they underwent a transformation to an embryonic-like cell. The STAP cells therefore shared the ability of embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to convert into any of the bodys cell types, promising a huge advance to biomedical research and clinical applications.

But Obokatas papers quickly came under fire after various manipulated and duplicated images were found in them. After an investigation into the allegations, RIKEN found Obokata guilty of misconduct on 1 April. Earlier this month, it rejected her appeal of the judgment, and asked her to retract both papers. In the meantime, at least a dozen other research groups reported that they were unable to replicate her findings.

As the controversy escalated, several co-authors publicly stated their desire for a retraction. But Obokata and a senior co-author on the papers, Charles Vacanti, of the Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, stood by the papers.

However, in an unexpected move on 28 May, Obokata consented to the retraction of the second paper, which describes how STAP cells can form placental cells as well as embryonic-like and iPS cells. But she remained resolutely behind the main paper, considering the second just an extension, her lawyer Hideo Miki said.

Then, out of the blue on 30 May, Vacanti sent a letter to Nature asking for a retraction of the first paper. This move may have broken Obokatas resistance. On 3 June she signed an agreement to retract the first paper and handed it to RIKEN, a spokesperson confirmed. The spokesperson says that the authors are now in discussion with Nature with regard to retraction of both papers. Nature does not discuss retractions until final decisions are made.

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Last remaining support for controversial stem-cell papers collapses