Hot Topics 2005-2007

 

Hot Topics

2005 2006 2007

 

Stem cell research and regenerative medicine represent two of the most exciting and potentially rewarding disciplines of biomedical science. This resource serves as a reference for some of the recent findings, discoveries and topics.

 


Hot Topics - 2007

1) Thecal Stem Cells
There are several scientific procedures for purifying stem cells. Stem cell cultivation from in vitro fertilization is one of these techniques. The following illustration depicts the process in which fertilized eggs mature into blastocysts and how the stem cells harvested from these blastocysts become specialized tissue types. Click here for additional information.

 

2) Transdifferentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
For the latest breaking news stories involving New Jersey and stem cell research, click here. An international collection of stem cell and regenerative medicine news can be found here.

 

3) Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) are pluripotent cells isolated from the inner cell mass (ICM) of human blastocysts between days 5-8 of fertilization. The pluripotency of hESCs provides these cells as potential sources for therapies. Read more.

Autogeneic-Stem-Cell

 

 

4) Stem cells and Spinal Cord Injury

Body tissue regenerates well in young people, but much less so in older individuals.  To discover whether this decline is irreversible, or influenced by circulatory factors, Conboy et al. joined together the circulatory systems of young and old rodents, as a parabiotic pair. Read more.

Rejuvenation of aged progenitor

 

 

5) Erythropoietin/Cancer Stem Cells (?)

The recent surge of interest in stem cell biology has revived earlier speculation that some human cancers may be a result of genetic mutations in adult stem cells (ASCs). Read more.

Stem Cell - Cancer Development

 

 

6) Embryonic Stem Cells –Dopamine Neurons

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) give rise to the different types of blood and immune cells. HSCs have found a place in the clinical setting as they are used to treat patients with cancers and other blood disorders. Read more.

Stem Cell - Expansion

 

 

7) Cytokine and Hematopoietic Stem Cells in whole-embryo culture system

Until recently, it had been thought that a stem cell from a specific tissue could not give rise to cells of a different organ. However, a number of experiments over the last decade have challenged this premise, giving rise to two terms: plasticity and transdifferentiation. Read more.

 

 

8) Canine Embryonic Stem Cells

While some studies have shown the capability of HSCs to form cells other than blood and immune cells, others have challenged this type of findings. Previous studied reported that only a small percentage (1-2%) of HSCs can form neuron-like cells (brain cells) when the HSCs are delivered in the right conditions. Read more.

Stem Cell - Repair

 

 

9) Stem cells and Neurodegenerative Medicine

While some studies have shown the capability of HSCs to form cells other than blood and immune cells, others have challenged this type of findings. Previous studied reported that only a small percentage (1-2%) of HSCs can form neuron-like cells (brain cells) when the HSCs are delivered in the right conditions. Read more.

Stem Cell - Repair

 

 

10) Stem Cells and Bioengineering

While some studies have shown the capability of HSCs to form cells other than blood and immune cells, others have challenged this type of findings. Previous studied reported that only a small percentage (1-2%) of HSCs can form neuron-like cells (brain cells) when the HSCs are delivered in the right conditions. Read more.

Stem Cell - Repair

 

 

11) Cardiac Stem Cells

Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) are cells that can be isolated from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst.  The blastocyst is a round mass of cells that make up the developing embryo at days 5-8.  When ESCs divide, the daughter cells (the two cells derived from the division) have the ability to take on different paths.  One of them can self-renew, meaning that it can form an identical copy of the ESC, while the other may differentiate, meaning that it can form the mature cells of the body. Read more.

Stem Cell - Serum Supplement

 


Hot Topics - 2006


1) Progenitors Systemically Transplanted into Neonatal Mice Localize to Areas of Active Bone Formation In Vivo: Implications of Cell Therapy for Skeletal Disease.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have the potential to differentiate into a variety of cell types, including osteoblasts, bone cells that produce Type I collagen. Type I collagen is defective in patients with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a genetic disease that is characterized by fragile bones. Read more.

 

 

2) Evidence of Improved Spinal Cord Injury using a Xenogenic model: Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Rats.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a specific type of stem cell that has been shown to differentiate into various types of tissues, such as bone and cartilage. Research has shown that MSCs may also differentiate into nerve cells. This suggests that MSCs may be useful in creating new nerve cells to aid in the recovery of patients with nerve damage. Read more.

 

 

3) Stem Cell Niches in Adult Heart (A Murine Model)

Although cardiac stem cells (CSCs) have previously been identified in the adult cardiac cells, the microenvironment which supports their growth and survival has yet to be determined. Urbanek et al. suggest that the clusters of undifferentiated CSCs and lineage-committed cells (LCCs) in the adult mice’s myocardium are connected structurally to two types of supporting cells (myocytes and fibroblasts) by junctional and adhesion proteins. Read more.

 

4) Efficient generation of retinal progenitor cells from human embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) shows promise to efficiently generate retinal progenitors, as demonstrated in the summarized publication by Lamba et. al.  The research is significant due to blindness caused by difficulty to replace adult mammalian retinal neurons. Read more.

 

 

5) Signals from the sympathetic nervous system regulate hematopoietic stem cell egress from bone marrow.

The bone marrow (BM) provides the home, or niche, for hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). HSC are the stem cells responsible for producing all of the immune and blood cells. When needed, HSC can exit the BM into the circulating blood and migrate into injured tissues for repair or cell replacement. The mechanism by which HSC leave the BM into the blood is not fully understood. The following study examines how mice expressing a mutant gene called Cgt could reveal details about this underlying mechanism. Read more.

 

 

6) The JAK2 V617F mutation occurs in hematopoietic stem cell in polycythemia vera and predisposes toward erythroid differentiation.

It has been posed that Polycythemia Vera (PV) could arise either in self renewing hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), in non-self renewing multipotent progenitors or in myeloerythroid progenitors. Jamieson et al. worked to ascertain that the JAK V617F mutation was found in primitive precursors as early as HSCs. Read more.

 

 

7) Multipotent Cells from Human Fetal Liver

The potential application of stem cells for regenerative medicine is expected to involve complex processes. It is vital to understand the underlying processes in tissue development and response to injury. In an effort to study liver development and regeneration, Dan et al sought for a liver stem cell in the human fetal liver. Read more.

 

 

8) Iron particles for Noninvasive Monitoring of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell In Infarcted Heart

Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), also known as mesenchymal stem cells, have shown the potential to differentiate into bone, fat, cartilage and even cardiac tissue.  With half of the patients diagnosed with heart failure dying within 5 years and billions of dollars spent for their healthcare, it is no wonder that much research has turned towards these BMSCs as the hope for solving this problem. Read more.

 

 

 9)Developmental Hierarchy and Lineage Commitment in Hematopoietic Progenitors

Lineage commitment and differentiation of hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) is a poorly understood and highly debated topic in stem cell discourse.  The classic model of hematopoietic differentiation holds that lineage commitment occurs when a multipotent progenitor (MPP) commits to either the myeloid or lymphoid lineages. Read more.

 

 

10)Ex-vivo Expansion of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells

This study addresses a major problem, namely ex-vivo expansion of human Hematopoietic stem cells (hHSCs). Experimental techniques were done to characterize HSCs using severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice in studies to understand their repopulating ability (SRC assay). SRC assay determines the in vivo potential of reconstitution or repopulation of the SRC cells in a SCID mouse.  Read more.


 


Hot Topics - 2005

1) International and New Jersey News on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
There are several scientific procedures for purifying stem cells. Stem cell cultivation from in vitro fertilization is one of these techniques. The following illustration depicts the process in which fertilized eggs mature into blastocysts and how the stem cells harvested from these blastocysts become specialized tissue types. Click here for additional information.

 

2) International and New Jersey News on Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine
For the latest breaking news stories involving New Jersey and stem cell research, click here. An international collection of stem cell and regenerative medicine news can be found here.

 

3) Autogeneic feeder cell system as support for the in vitro growth of human embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) are pluripotent cells isolated from the inner cell mass (ICM) of human blastocysts between days 5-8 of fertilization. The pluripotency of hESCs provides these cells as potential sources for therapies. Read more.

Autogeneic-Stem-Cell

 

 

4) Rejuvenation of aged progenitor cells from muscle and liver after exposure to soluble factors from young animals

Body tissue regenerates well in young people, but much less so in older individuals.  To discover whether this decline is irreversible, or influenced by circulatory factors, Conboy et al. joined together the circulatory systems of young and old rodents, as a parabiotic pair. Read more.

Rejuvenation of aged progenitor

 

 

5) Parallel between Adult Stem Cells and Cancer Development through mechanisms involving p53

The recent surge of interest in stem cell biology has revived earlier speculation that some human cancers may be a result of genetic mutations in adult stem cells (ASCs). Read more.

Stem Cell - Cancer Development

 

 

6) A method to enhance the expansion of human hematopoietic stem cells ex vivo

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) give rise to the different types of blood and immune cells. HSCs have found a place in the clinical setting as they are used to treat patients with cancers and other blood disorders. Read more.

Stem Cell - Expansion

 

 

7) Generation of kidney tissues from human mesenchymal stem cells in whole-embryo culture system

Until recently, it had been thought that a stem cell from a specific tissue could not give rise to cells of a different organ. However, a number of experiments over the last decade have challenged this premise, giving rise to two terms: plasticity and transdifferentiation. Read more.

 

 

8) Repair of chicken embryonic spinal cord by adult human hematopoietic stem cells

While some studies have shown the capability of HSCs to form cells other than blood and immune cells, others have challenged this type of findings. Previous studied reported that only a small percentage (1-2%) of HSCs can form neuron-like cells (brain cells) when the HSCs are delivered in the right conditions. Read more.

Stem Cell - Repair

 

 

9) Bcl-2 could replace serum supplement and feeder-cell for the growth of mouse embryonic stem cell

Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) are cells that can be isolated from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst.  The blastocyst is a round mass of cells that make up the developing embryo at days 5-8.  When ESCs divide, the daughter cells (the two cells derived from the division) have the ability to take on different paths.  One of them can self-renew, meaning that it can form an identical copy of the ESC, while the other may differentiate, meaning that it can form the mature cells of the body. Read more.

Stem Cell - Serum Supplement