Stem Cells  

Researchers have overcome one of the greatest challenges in biology and taken a major step toward being able to grow whole organs and tissues from stem cells. By manipulating the appropriate signaling, the researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into a fish embryo, essentially controlling embryonic development.

Scientists at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have overcome one of the greatest challenges in biology and taken a major step toward being able to grow whole organs and tissues from stem cells. By manipulating the appropriate signaling, the researchers have turned embryonic stem cells into a fish embryo, essentially controlling embryonic development.

"We have generated an animal by just instructing embryonic cells the right way."

The research will have dramatic impact on the future use of stem cells to better the human condition, providing a framework for future studies in the field of regenerative medicine aimed at constructing tissues and organs from populations of cultured pluripotent cells.

The findings have been published online by Science and will appear in a forthcoming print edition of the journal.

In accomplishing this, Bernard and Chris Thisse have overcome the most massive of biological barriers. “We have generated an animal by just instructing embryonic cells the right way,” said Chris Thisse of the School of Medicine’s Department of Cell Biology.

Related articles Researchers Prove Personalized Regenerative Medicine Concept By Transplanting IPS Neural Cells Into Primate Brains  Mini Human Brain Grown In Petri Dish  Stem Cell Research: Fact vs. Fiction

The importance of that is profound. “If we know how to instruct embryonic cells,” she said, “we can pretty much do what we want.” For example, scientists will be able one day to instruct stem cells to grow into organs needed for transplant.

The researchers were able to identify the signals sufficient for starting the cascade of molecular and cellular processes that lead to a fully developed fish embryo. With this study came an answer to the longstanding question of how few signals can initiate the processes of development: amazingly, only two.

The study has shed light on the important roles these two signals play for the formation of organs and full development of a zebrafish embryo. Moreover, the Thisses are now able to direct embryonic development and formation of tissues and organs by controlling signal locations and concentrations.

The embryo they generated was smaller than a normal embryo, because they instructed a small pool of embryonic stem cells, but “otherwise he has everything” in terms of appropriate development, said Bernard Thisse of the Department of Cell Biology.

Their next steps will be to attempt to reproduce their findings using mice. They expect molecular and cellular mechanisms will be extremely similar in mice and other mammals – including humans.


SOURCE  University of Virginia

By 33rd Square

Embed

 Regenerative Medicine  

Researchers have created a new stem cell micro-environment hydrogel which they have found has allowed both the self-renewal of cells and then their evolution into heart cells.

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have developed a new substance which could simplify the manufacture of cell therapy in the pioneering world of regenerative medicine.

Cell therapy is an exciting and rapidly developing area of medicine in which stem cells have the potential to repair human tissue and maintain organ function in chronic disease and age-related illnesses. But a major problem with translating current successful research into actual products and treatments is how to mass-produce such a complex living material.

"The discovery has important implications for the future of manufacturing in regenerative medicine."

Related articles Heart's Own Stem Cells Point To Future Treatment for Cardiac Disease  Scientists Now Able To Convert Human Skin Cells Into Embryonic Stem Cells  Regenerative Medicine Breakthrough - Fat Cells Converted Into Liver Cells

There are two distinct phases in the production of stem cell products; proliferation (making enough cells to form large tissue) and differentiation (turning the basic stem cells into functional cells). The material environment required for these two phases are different and up to now a single substance that does both jobs has not been available.

Now a multi-disciplinary team of researchers at Nottingham has created a new stem cell micro-environment which they have found has allowed both the self-renewal of cells and then their evolution into cardiomyocyte (heart) cells. The material is a hydrogel containing two polymers – an alginate-rich environment which allows proliferation of cells with a simple chemical switch to render the environment collagen-rich when the cell population is large enough. This change triggers the next stage of cell growth when cells develop a specific purpose.

Image Source - Dixon et al./PNAS

Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery and Tissue Engineering, Kevin Shakesheff, said:

“Our new combination of hydrogels is a first. It allows dense tissue structures to be produced from human pluripotent stem cells (HPSC) in a single step process never achieved before. The discovery has important implications for the future of manufacturing in regenerative medicine. This field of healthcare is a major priority for the UK and we are seeing increasing investment in future manufacturing processes to ensure we are ready to deliver real treatments to patients when HPSC products and treatments go to trial and become standard.”

The research, Combined hydrogels that switch human pluripotent stem cells from self-renewal to differentiation, is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The work was funded by the EPSRC Centre for Innovative Manufacturing for Regenerative Medicine in which The University of Nottingham is a partner. The centre brings together experts in stem cell biology, materials science, pharmaceutical sciences and manufacturing.


SOURCE  University of Nottingham

By 33rd Square

Embed

 Aging  

Craig Venter, Peter Diamandis and Robert Hariri have teamed up to form a new company to fight aging. Human Longevity Inc. announced plans to sequence 40,000 human genomes in year to better understand age-related diseases like cancer and dementia.

Craig Venter, is now on a quest to conquor age-related disease.  The well-known scientist behind the successful completion of the Human Genome Project and the team leader of a project to create a custom-made lifeform has started a new venture, Human Longevity Inc.

Venter has teamed up with stem cell pioneer Dr. Robert Hariri and X Prize Foundation founder Dr. Peter Diamandis to form the company. Human Longevity Inc will use both genomics and stem cell therapies to find treatments that allow aging adults to stay healthy and functional for as long as possible.

"I haven't been a skeptic, but I have been one of the people complaining that too little has happened after the human genome was sequenced," Venter told National Geographic.

"We're hoping to make numerous new discoveries in preventive medicine. We think this will have a huge impact on changing the cost of medicine," Venter said on a conference call announcing his latest venture.

Fighting aging is increasingly becoming a scientific and business rallying point; Venter's transition into longevity follows the formation in September of Google-backed biotechnology company Calico.

Robert Hariri, J. Craig Venter, and Peter Diamandis (right to left)
Image Source -Brett Shipe/Science

The company, which will be based in San Diego-based already has $70 million in private backing and has already purchased two ultrafast HiSeq X Ten gene sequencing systems from Illumina Inc, a leading manufacturer of DNA sequencing machines, with the option to buy three more.

Related articles Discovery Of Sirtuin Interactions May Open Up Molecular Fountain Of Youth  Research Into Engineering Genomes Advances  What Does The Exponential Growth Of Genomics Data Actually Mean?

The company plans to use that technology to map 40,000 human genomes in a push to build the world's largest database of human genetic variation. The database will include sequences from the very young through the very old, both diseased and healthy. 40,000 is the calculated number the two gene sequencing machines can complete in a year.

"This will be one of the largest data studies in the history of science and medicine," Venter told the conference call.

Along with gathering whole genome data, the company will collect genetic data on the trillions of microbes - including bacteria, viruses and fungi - living in and on humans.

By better understanding the microbiomes in the gut, in the mouth, on the skin and other sites on the body, the company said it hopes to develop better probiotics as well as better diagnostics and drugs to improve health and wellness.

The company's initial treatment targets will be some of the toughest age-related diseases: cancer, diabetes and obesity, heart and liver diseases, and dementia.

Venter said the company will start first with cancer. It has teamed up with the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, with the goal of sequencing the genomes of everyone who comes there for treatment, as well as doing a full genome sequence on their tumors.

"Cancer is one of the most actionable areas right now with genomic-based therapies," Venter said, adding that cancer is "just the first of a multitude of diseases we will be sequencing this year."

"Undoubtedly, important biologic discoveries will be made along the way, but it remains unclear whether such efforts like Human Longevity Inc and Calico can influence longevity," Dr. Eric Topol, Scripps Health chief academic officer and director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute said.

In addition to UCSD, the company has established strategic collaborations with privately held Metabolon Inc of North Carolina, a company that focuses on biochemical profiling, as well as his own J. Craig Venter Institute, a nonprofit genomics research institute.



SOURCE  Reuters

By 33rd Square

Subscribe to 33rd Square

 Stem Cells  

A decade ago, stem cell research was nearly forbidden in parts of the world.  In this article by Kandace Heller, she examines some of the basics of stem cell research and the misconceptions surrounding the research.

There has, in recent years, been an enormous debate surrounding stem cells—pertaining to the harvesting, use, and potential for advancement of therapeutic techniques such cells offer. But many of us, including some who harbor strong feelings against the research may not know precisely what these cells are or be aware of the astounding breakthroughs in harvesting techniques that have been developed since the debate began.

What are they, what can they do, and are there different kinds?

Stem cells are present in all human beings, from the zygote to the most elderly person. However, fetal stem cells have greater potency and potential to self-renew through replication than those present in adult human beings. 

They are, in essence, blank template cells that then may be specialized into heart, nerve or any sort of cells required by the body. These cells fall into the following categories of harvest sources:

•   Adult tissues—such as bone marrow, brain and blood tissues.  

• Embryonic tissues—these have greater potency because they can be formatted in to produce any type of cell.

• Cord tissue—harvested from umbilical cord blood and tissue, these cells may hold enormous potential for the treatment of diseases.

Related articles Stem Cell Research Could Expand Clinical Use of Regenerative Human Cells  3D Printing Breakthrough With Human Embryonic Stem Cells  Stem Cell Transplant Restores Memory and Learning in Mice

Stem cells are further divided in terms of potency in the following ways:

• Totipotent cells can differentiate into any type of human tissue, including placental mass. 

• Pluripotent cells derive from the Totipotent type, and after a few days can differentiate into any other sort, except for Totipotent stem cells.

• Multipotent cells descend from Pluripotent cells, and can format into a number of different, specialized cells.

• Unipotent cells are derived from Multipotent types and can produce a single type of specialized cell.

Because of these cells’ ability to essentially format themselves based on what is needed, the potential for new therapeutic uses—such as cancer treatment or the reversal of degenerative, chronic conditions—are extraordinary.

For what sorts of therapy would these cells be used?

Stem cells may be used to treat a variety of autoimmune disorders, in which the body’s defense system attacks the body’s healthy tissues, such as Lupus, Type 1 Diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. They may also be utilized to repair damage from traumatic events such as stroke or spinal chord injury. Additionally, those who suffer from degenerative disorders of many bodily systems may benefit from such therapies.

New techniques are being developed to harvest these cells harmlessly, even from urine. In light of this, such lines of research are wholly beneficial.

 

By Kandace Heller

Subscribe to 33rd Square

About the Author - Kandace Heller is a freelance writer from Orlando, Florida. Kandace enjoys writing, reading and going on long walks with her orangutan.