As one of the follically-challenged, any new breakthroughs in the area of hair regeneration will generally get my attention. When stem cells first started to gain widespread media attention I, no doubt like many others, thought a full head of hair was just around the corner. But despite numerous developments, years later my dome is still of the chrome variety. Providing the latest cause for cautious optimism, researchers have now developed a way to generate a large number number of hair-follicle-generating stem cells from adult cells.

In what they claim is a world first, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) and the New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed a technique to convert adult human stem cells into epithelial stem cells (EpSCs).

By adding three genes to human skin cells called dermal fibroblasts that live in the dermis layer of the skin and generate connective tissue, a team led by Xiaowei "George" Xu, MD, PhD, at the Perelman School of Medicine was able to convert them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The iPSCs, which have the ability to differentiate into any cell type, were then converted into epithelial stem cells (EpSCs) that are normally found at the bulge of hair follicles.

Through careful control of the timing of delivery of growth factors to the cells, the researchers say they were able to turn over 25 percent of the iPSCs into EpSCs in 18 days. When they then mixed these EpSCs with mouse follicular inductive dermal cells and grafted them onto the skin of immunodeficient mice, functional human epidermis and follicles similar to hair follicles were produced.

"This is the first time anyone has made scalable amounts of epithelial stem cells that are capable of generating the epithelial component of hair follicles, said Xu, who added that these cells have many potential applications, including wound healing, cosmetics, and hair regeneration.

But some hurdles still need to be jumped before I make my first trip to the hairdresser in a decade. Xu points out that when a person loses hair, they lose not only epithelial cells, but also a kind of adult stem cell called dermal papillae. "We have solved one major problem, the epithelial component of the hair follicle. We need to figure out a way to also make new dermal papillae cells, and no one has figured that part out yet."

On a positive note, researchers from the Tokyo University of Science have reported promising results in reconstructing hair follicle germs from adult epithelial stem cells and cultured dermal papilla cells, so even though we haven't rounded the corner yet,it definitely seems to be getting closer.

The teams research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Source: University of Pennsylvania

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Stem cell-based treatment for baldness a step closer

Research from Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey demonstrates that using zebrafish to identify self-renewing tumor stem cells in prostate cancers may be more beneficial than using traditional experimental models when aiming to predict response to therapy. Prostate cancers are suggested to contain self-renewing tumor stem cells that have the ability to grow uncontrollably and spread. Identified as tumor-initiating cells (TICs), research has shown that these cells are found to be resistant to standard chemotherapy.A desirable treatment strategy is to develop therapies that would effectively target the self-renewing capabilities of the TICs, which requires better identification of TICs themselves. Utilizing prostate cancer samples from patients diagnosed at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey between 2008 and 2012, Cancer Institute investigators used mouse and zebrafish models to identify the frequencies of TICs from each patients prostate cancer cells. The research appears in the latest edition of The Prostate (DOI 10.1002/pros.22740).

Typically,TICs are identified through more mechanical methods, such as cell sorting or dye staining. Cancer Institute investigators developed a new method to enrich for TICs through remodeling of the environment of prostate cells in a laboratory setting by allowing them to adhere to collagen a glue-like protein that holds together skin, connective, and prostate tissues in the human body. In collaboration between multiple Cancer Institute laboratories, prostate tumors cells from patients are first identified with fluorescent markers in the laboratory of Cancer Institute Director, Robert S. Di- Paola, M.D., professor of medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.These tumor cells are then enriched for TICs by collagen adhesion at the laboratory of the Cancer Institute Chief Scientific Officer, Joseph R. Bertino, M.D., university professor of medicine and pharmacology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.The TIC frequencies for these tumor cells are then examined in mice and zebrafish assays.

When these TICs were transplanted into both mice and zebrafish embryos, it was determined that a fraction of the cells that had adhesive properties had the potential for tumor development and for tumor spread.The authors found that this detection was better determined within the zebrafish model, due to its translucent nature allowing for noninvasive observation and also due to lack of immune response to tumor cells. It is a research model senior author and Cancer Institute scientist Hatem E. Sabaawy, M.D., Ph.D., says holds great value.The self-renewing properties found in prostate TICs are regulated through molecular pathways within the cell. By targeting these pathways and using a few cells from each patient, there may be an opportunity to control progression and recurrence in multiple cancers.The zebrafish model enables researchers to examine this pathway to progression in real time, thus having the potential to serve as a better tool for personalized cancer therapy, noted Dr. Sabaawy, who is also an assistant professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Along with Sabaawy and Drs. Di- Paola and Bertino, the author team consists of Nitu Bansal, Cancer Institute; Stephani Davis, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Irina Tereshchenko and Tulin Budak-Alpdogan, Cancer Institute; Hua Zhong, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; and Mark N. Stein and Isaac Yi Kim, Cancer Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The study was supported in part by grants from the Department of Defense (Prostate Cancer Grant W81XWH-12-1-0251 to Sabaawy, Bertino, and Kim), the National Cancer Institute (Cancer Center Support Grant Award P30CA072720 to Di- Paola), and the Cancer Institute (Pilot Grant to Bertino and Sabaawy).

Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (www.cinj.org) is the states first and only National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.As part of Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, the Cancer Institute of New Jersey is dedicated to improving the detection, treatment and care of patients with cancer, and to serving as an education resource for cancer prevention. Physician scientists at the Cancer Institute engage in translational research, transforming their laboratory discoveries into clinical practice, bringing research to life.

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Zebrafish model is useful tool in identifying self-renewing properties of prostate cancer stem cells

Durham, NC (PRWEB) February 04, 2014

STEM CELLS is proud to announce the appointment of new Associate Editor, Dr. Toru Kondo of Hokkaido University, Japan. Dr. Kondo has served as an outstanding member of the STEM CELLS Editorial Board since 2007 and we are delighted that he has accepted our invitation to become an Associate Editor. He joins Associate Editors, Dr. Majlinda Lako and Dr. Noel Buckley, Concise review Editor Dr. Terry Lappin, and Editor Dr. Jan Nolta.

Dr. Kondo brings a high level of additional expertise to our group of editors. In 2012 he was appointed as a full professor at the Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan. His laboratory studies how neural stem/precursor cells are involved in the development of CNS diseases, such as brain tumor and Alzheimers disease. He is particularly interested in identifying new molecules associated with these disorders, characterizing them and developing new therapeutic methods. He has also a keen interest in the molecular mechanism of oligodendrocyte precursor cell differentiation. He hopes one day the knowledge gained from his work will contribute to the development of therapeutic applications.

Dr. Kondo had formerly been a group leader at the Cambridge University Centre for Brain Repair UK, a team leader at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB) Japan and a full professor at the Ehime University Proteo-Medicine Research Center Japan.

Dr. Kondo is replacing Associate Editor Dr. Mark Pittenger, who is stepping down at the end of his term. Dr. Pittenger has been fundamental in helping STEM CELLS remain at the top of the field. STEM CELLS is grateful for his contributions in the advancement of the Journal.

We welcome Dr. Kondo and the outstanding expertise that he brings to our editorial team and wish Dr. Pittenger all the best in the New Year.

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About the Journal: STEM CELLS, a peer reviewed journal published monthly, provides a forum for prompt publication of original investigative papers and concise reviews. The journal covers all aspects of stem cells: embryonic stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells; tissue-specific stem cells; cancer stem cells; the stem cell niche; stem cell epigenetics, genomics and proteomics; and translational and clinical research. STEM CELLS is co-published by AlphaMed Press and Wiley-Blackwell.

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes three internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines. STEM CELLS (http://www.StemCells.com), now in its 32nd year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. THE ONCOLOGIST (http://www.TheOncologist.com), in its 19th year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE (http://www.StemCellsTM.com), in its third year, is dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices.

About Wiley-Blackwell: Wiley-Blackwell is the international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons, with strengths in every major academic and professional field and partnerships with many of the worlds leading societies. Wiley-Blackwell publishes nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals and 1,500+ new books annually in print and online, as well as databases, major reference works and laboratory protocols. For more information, please visit http://www.wileyblackwell.com or our new online platform, Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), one of the worlds most extensive multidisciplinary collections of online resources, covering life, health, social and physical sciences, and humanities.

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Toru Kondo Named New Associate Editor of STEM CELLS