13 June 2012 Last updated at 08:31 ET

Japanese stem cell scientist Dr Shinya Yamanaka has been awarded the Millennium Technology Prize.

His award is for discovering how to reprogram human cells to mimic embryonic stem cells, which can become any cell in the body.

Called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, these now aid research into regenerative medicine.

He was joint-winner with Linus Torvalds, who created a new open source operating system for computers.

This is the first time the prize has been shared by two scientists - they will split the 1.2m euros ($1.3m; 800,000) award.

My goals over the decade include to develop new drugs to treat intractable diseases by using iPS cell technology and to conduct clinical trials using it on a few patients with Parkinson's diseases, diabetes or blood diseases.

The President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, presented the prize at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki.

Dr Ainomija Haarla, President of Technology Academy Finland - the foundation which awards the prize every two years - said: "The International Selection Committee has to judge whether an innovation has had a favourable impact on people's lives and assess its potential for further development to benefit humanity in the future.

"The innovations of both this year's winners embody that principle.

Read the rest here:
Stem cell scientist wins award

This is a human ES cell-derived optic cup generated in our self-organization culture (culture day 26). Bright green, neural retina; off green, pigment epithelium; blue, nuclei; red, active myosin (strong in the inner surface of pigment epithelium). Credit: Nakano et al. Cell Stem Cell Volume 10 Issue 6

Human-derived stem cells can spontaneously form the tissue that develops into the part of the eye that allows us to see, according to a study published by Cell Press in the 5th anniversary issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell. Transplantation of this 3D tissue in the future could help patients with visual impairments see clearly.

"This is an important milestone for a new generation of regenerative medicine," says senior study author Yoshiki Sasai of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology. "Our approach opens a new avenue to the use of human stem cell-derived complex tissues for therapy, as well as for other medical studies related to pathogenesis and drug discovery."

During development, light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye, called the retina, forms from a structure known as the optic cup. In the new study, this structure spontaneously emerged from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)cells derived from human embryos that are capable of developing into a variety of tissuesthanks to the cell culture methods optimized by Sasai and his team.

The hESC-derived cells formed the correct 3D shape and the two layers of the optic cup, including a layer containing a large number of light-responsive cells called photoreceptors. Because retinal degeneration primarily results from damage to these cells, the hESC-derived tissue could be ideal transplantation material.

Beyond the clinical implications, the study will likely accelerate the acquisition of knowledge in the field of developmental biology. For instance, the hESC-derived optic cup is much larger than the optic cup that Sasai and collaborators previously derived from mouse embryonic stem cells, suggesting that these cells contain innate species-specific instructions for building this eye structure. "This study opens the door to understanding human-specific aspects of eye development that researchers were not able to investigate before," Sasai says.

The anniversary issue containing Sasai's study will be given to each delegate attending the 2012 ISSCR meeting in Yokohama, Japan. To highlight the ISSCR meeting and showcase the strong advances made by Japanese scientists in the stem cell field, the issue will also feature two other papers from Japanese authors, including the research groups of Akira Onishi and Jun Yamashita. In addition, the issue contains a series of reviews and perspectives from worldwide leaders in stem cell research.

More information: Nakano et al.: "Self-Formation of Optic Cups and Storable Stratified Neural Retina from Human ESCs." DOI 10.1016/j.stem.2012.05.009

Journal reference: Cell Stem Cell

Provided by Cell Press

Excerpt from:
Scientists see new hope for restoring vision with stem cell help

Linus Torvalds. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired

Question: What do Linux and stem cell research have in common? Answer: Theyre both considered life-enhancing technical innovations by the Technology Acadamy Finland, a foundation that is awarding a prestigious award called the Millennium Technology Prize in Helsinki today.

Linux creator Linus Torvalds and stem cell pioneer Shinya Yamanaka are joint recipients of the 2012 prize, an honor that some call the tech equivalent of the Nobel Prize. That means they will split the 1.2 million ($1.5 million) prize money 50-50.

Torvalds and Yamanaka were named as a finalists for the prize back in April, but it was assumed that one or the other would be singled out as a grand-prize winner. The joint award comes as a bit of a surprise.

Other notable scientists, including Tim Berners-Lee, have won the prize since it was created in 2002, but this is the first time judges have made a joint award. The prize is awarded every two years.

Yamanaka, a Gladstone Institutes researcher affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco, has developed a technique for developing stem cells that does not require the controversial practice of harvesting embryonic stem cells.

Dr. Shinya Yamanakas discovery of a new method to develop pluripotent stem cells for medical research could help combat intractable diseases, the Technology Academy said in a statement. And Linus Torvalds work has kept the web open for the pursuit of knowledge and for the benefit of humanity not simply for financial interests.

Reached for comment Tuesday night, Torvalds declined to say anything ahead of the award except that he was keeping busy in his home country. Torvalds started the Linux project while he was still a student at the University of Helsinki, but he has lived in the U.S. since the late 1990s.

Finnish President Sauli Niinist will hand out the prizes at a ceremony on Wednesday at the Helsinkis Finnish National Opera. In addition to the cash, Torvalds and Yamanaka will get nifty silicon crystal-tipped trophies.

You can watch a Millennium Technology Prize interview with Torvalds below.

Continued here:
Linus Torvalds Splits Tech's 'Nobel' With Stem Cell Pioneer

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & YOKOHAMA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Fluidigm (FLDM) today unveiled the details of its new C1 Single-Cell AutoPrep System to attendees at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) meeting in Yokohama, Japan. The C1 System, based on Fluidigms innovative microfluidic technology, enables a researcher to isolate and process individual cells rapidly and reliably for genomic analysis. For the first time, a researcher can isolate cells, extract RNA, and then reverse transcribe and preamplify mRNA transcripts automatically to enable detection and analysis of cell activity.

Fluidigm has become a leader in the emerging field of single-cell genomics with its widely adopted BioMark and BioMark HD Systems, enabling scientists to routinely examine previously unavailable genomic signatures generated from a single cell. The stem cell research community in Japan, and indeed around the world, has been an important early customer group exploring single cells. Stem cell, cancer and immunology research are expected to be the initial focus applications for the C1 System.

As part of its activities at ISSCR, Fluidigm also announced the start of its Early Access Program for the C1 System. The C1 System has been specifically designed to work seamlessly with the BioMark HD System to enhance the workflow and reliability of data for scientists studying single-cell genomics. The Early Access Program allows select customers the opportunity to receive the first commercial shipments during the second half of 2012 before shipment to the broader group of customers. In addition to being the first to utilize the new technology, Early Access Program partners will be provided with no-cost startup consumables, participate in the development of new platform capabilities, and receive pre-market access to future platform expansions. Researchers interested in the Early Access Program can register at http://www.fluidigm.com/c1system.

The new C1 Single-Cell AutoPrep System is the first of its kind. The C1 System handles, separates and prepares individual single cells for genetic analysis. We are very excited about the commercial release of the C1, for we believe it will enable single-cell research on a broad scale that will in turn make profound contributions to numerous fields in biology, said Gajus Worthington, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fluidigm. Though the C1 represents a major advance in single-cell genomics, we are at the beginning of what we can do together with the scientific community. Ultimately, the C1 System will allow researchers to study cell differentiation, measure individual cell responses to specific stimuli, verify critical disease biomarkers, validate RNAi knockdown, and sequence individual cells, Worthington concluded.

The C1 System workflow is initiated by loading a sample of cells in solution into the C1 microfluidic chip in a single pipetting step, then directing the C1 System to rapidly and automatically isolate up to 96 individual cells into individual chambers for preparation. After loading, researchers can choose an in-process quality control checkpoint to verify the number of captured cells and distinguish live from dead cells to preserve data integrity. The workflow then proceeds with a rapid on-chip cell lysis without RNA purification, reverse transcription, and preamplification without hands-on reagent mixing and sample transfer. The final preamplified cDNA product is thereafter harvested to collection wells for transfer to the BioMark HD System for quantitative PCR analysis.

The C1 Single Cell AutoPrep System consists of:

Use of Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements relating to our new products and programs and our plans, objectives, expectations and/or strategies relating to such new products and programs. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from currently anticipated results. Factors that could materially affect future results include, but are not limited to, challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing, and launching new products and programs and the other risk factors contained in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. These forward- looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Fluidigm Corporation disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

About Fluidigm

More:
Fluidigm Introduces the C1™ Single-Cell AutoPrep System to Researchers at ISSCR – Starts Early Access Program

Ethical, Clinical and Commercial Issues to be Navigated before Full Potential of Stem Cell Therapies can be Unleashed

LONDON, June 13, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Stem cells offer exciting potential in regenerative medicine, and are likely to be widely used by mid-2017. Pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies are showing increased interest in stem cell research.

New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.pharma.frost.com), Analysis of the Stem Cell Markets-Unlocking the New Era in Therapeutics, finds that the market will be driven by stem cell applications in drug discovery platforms and by successful academia commercial company partnership models.

"The high attrition rates of potential drug candidates has piqued the interest of pharmaceutical and biotech industries in stem cell use during the drug discovery phase," notes Frost & Sullivan Consulting Analyst Vinod Jyothikumar. "Previously, animal cell lines, tumours, or genetic transformation have been the traditional platform for testing drug candidates; however, these 'abnormal' cells have significantly contributed to a lack of translation into clinical studies."

Many academic institutes and research centres are collaborating with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in stem cell research. This will provide impetus to the emergence of novel cell-based therapies.

Key challenges to market development relate to reimbursement, ethics and the complexity of clinical trials.

Securing reimbursement for stem cell therapeutic products is expected to be critical for commercial success. However, stem cell therapies are likely to be expensive. Insurers, therefore, may be unwilling to pay for the treatment. At the same time, patients are unlikely to be able to afford these treatments.

"The use of embryonic stem cells raises a host of thorny ethical, legal, and social issues," adds Jyothikumar. "As a result, market prices for various products may be affected."

Moreover, many research institutes are adopting policies promoting the ethical use of human embryonic tissues. Such policies are hindering the overall research process for several companies working in collaboration with these institutes.

"In addition to apprehensions about how many products will actually make it through human-based clinical trials, companies are also worried about which financial model can be applied to stem cell therapies," cautions Jyothikumar. "Possibly low return on investment (ROI) is also resulting in pharmaceutical companies adopting a cautious approach to stem cell therapeutics."

Read the original:
New Applications in Drug Discovery Platforms to Fuel Advance of Stem Cells, Says Frost & Sullivan