Somatic Cells News and Research

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Researchers evaluate dental pulp cells as optimal source of iPS cells

Defined sets of factors can reprogram human cells to induced pluripotent stem cells. However, many types of human cells are not easily accessible to minimally invasive procedures. In a paper published in the International and American Associations for Dental Research's Journal of Dental Research, lead researcher K. Tezuka and researchers N. Tamaoki, H. Aoki, T. Takeda-Kawaguchi, K. Iida, T. Kunisada and T. Shibata all from the Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan; and K. Takahashi, T. Tanaka and S. Yamanaka, all from Kyoto University, Japan, evaluate dental pulp cells as an optimal source of iPS cells, since they are easily obtained from extracted teeth and can be expanded under simple culture conditions.

18 Jun 2010

iPierian receives $1.5M Basic Biology Award from CIRM to study cellular reprogramming

iPierian, Inc., the leading company focused on creating new therapeutics discovered using cellular reprogramming and directed differentiation of patient cells, today announced that it has been awarded a three-year $1.5 million "Basic Biology Award" from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine.

30 Apr 2010

Marker found in iPS cells correlates with levels of pluripotency: Researchers

Researchers in China are reporting that they have found a way to determine which somatic cells -- or differentiated body cells -- that have been reprogrammed into a primordial, embryonic-like state are the most viable for therapeutic applications.

17 Apr 2010

Reversal of aging shown in human stem cells

A team of North American collaborators from both industrial research centers (Biotime Inc, Mandala Biosciences LLC and Sierra Sciences LLC) and academic institutes (Ontario Cancer Institute, Burnham Institute for Medical Research and The Scripps Research Institute) have demonstrated successful reversal of the developmental aging of normal human cells.

18 Mar 2010

ES cells-functions: Condensins promote mitotic progression and maintain interphase chromatin compaction

Regulatory proteins common to all eukaryotic cells can have additional, unique functions in embryonic stem (ES) cells, according to a study in the February 22 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org). If cancer progenitor cells-which function similarly to stem cells-are shown to rely on these regulatory proteins in the same way, it may be possible to target them therapeutically without harming healthy neighboring cells.

24 Feb 2010

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia awarded two grants to research into cellular therapies for blood disorders

The new decade may herald an era of cell therapy -- treating human diseases by delivering highly specific beneficial cells. In the wake of an NIH decision late last year permitting federally funded researchers to use new lines of human embryonic stem cells, the door has opened more widely to stem cell research.

16 Feb 2010

hESC and iPSC: Long-term stem cell evaluation and comparison study

For the first time, scientists have performed a detailed long-term evaluation and comparison of two different types of pluripotent stem cells: human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and induced pluripotency stem cells (iPSC). Both cell types are believed to share equal characteristics, abilities and potential to differentiate into nearly 220 different cell types. However, hESC are isolated from early human embryos and iPSC are derived from reprogrammed adult somatic cells which makes them less controversial.

11 Feb 2010

iPSC technology for identifying agents that reprogram human somatic cells receives Notice of Allowance

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. Patent Application Number 10/997,146 entitled "Methods for Reprogramming Somatic Cells." Upon issuance, the patent will cover foundational induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology for identifying agents that enable the reprogramming of human somatic cells, including pluripotency genes, small molecules and biologics.

5 Feb 2010

Protein complex proves valuable for changing cell fate

The DNA contained within each of our cells is exactly the same, yet different types of cells - skin cells, heart cells, brain cells - perform very different functions. The ultimate fate of these cells is encoded not just in the DNA, but in a specific pattern of chemical modifications that overlay the DNA structure.

7 Jan 2010

StemCells receives U.S. patent for propagation and/or derivation of embryonic stem cells

StemCells, Inc. announced today that it has received a Notice of Allowance and a Notice of Issuance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for two patents claiming technologies for the establishment and maintenance of cell pluripotency (the ability to become any cell in the body, which is the defining attribute of embryonic stem cells), including the reprogramming of cells to create pluripotent stem cells.

16 Dec 2009

Pure populations of immature cells that enable male reproduction isolated and transplanted

Reproductive researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have succeeded in isolating and transplanting pure populations of the immature cells that enable male reproduction in two species-human spermatogonia and mouse gonocytes. These germline stem cells, taken from testis biopsies, demonstrated viability following transplantation to mouse testes within a controlled laboratory setting.

15 Dec 2009

Study may help in treating sex differentiation disorders in children

Is it a boy or a girl? Expecting parents may be accustomed to this question, but contrary to what they may think, the answer doesn't depend solely on their child's sex chromosomes.

11 Dec 2009

Study on fruit flies may help in understanding the root cause of stem cell diseases

The body is a battle zone. Cells constantly compete with one another for space and dominance. Though the manner in which some cells win this competition is well known to be the survival of the fittest, how stem cells duke it out for space and survival is not as clear.

5 Dec 2009

New technique developed to transform regular body cells into artificial stem cells

Scientists have overcome a key barrier to the clinical use of stem cells with a technique which transforms regular body cells into artificial stem cells without the need for introducing foreign genetic materials, which could be potentially harmful. The research, published in STEM CELLS, suggests that cells taken from a patient's eye can be "reprogrammed" to replace or restore cells lost to degenerative diseases.

23 Oct 2009

Fate Therapeutics announces human iPSC generation using a combination of small molecules

Fate Therapeutics, Inc. announced today the generation of human induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a combination of small molecules that significantly improves the speed and efficiency of reprogramming.

19 Oct 2009

Research reveals that large non-coding RNA in mammals play an important role in telomere maintenance

A team of researchers from The Wistar Institute have shown that a large non-coding RNA in mammals and yeast plays a central role in helping maintain telomeres, the tips of chromosomes that contain important genetic information and help regulate cell division. Since this RNA also facilitates the formation of DNA at telomeres-a process that can protect aging cells and destabilize tumor cells-manipulating its expression may be useful in treating cancer and other diseases.

1 Sep 2009

Discovery of mechanism that protects somatic cells against the behaviour of germ cells

An IRB Barcelona research team discovers the mechanism that favors the correct separation of germ cells -- future ovules and sperm -- from the rest of the cells during embryonic development

3 Aug 2009

Scientists create pig stem cells

Scientists have managed to induce cells from pigs to transform into pluripotent stem cells - cells that, like embryonic stem cells, are capable of developing into any type of cell in the body. It is the first time in the world that this has been achieved using somatic cells (cells that are not sperm or egg cells) from any animal with hooves (known as ungulates).

2 Jun 2009

Researchers generate functional neurons from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells

In a new study, researchers were able to generate functionally mature motor neurons from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which are engineered from adult somatic cells and can differentiate into most other cell types.

24 Feb 2009

Advances in use of stem cells for tissue regeneration

A major issue in the development of regenerative medicine is the cell sources used to rebuild damaged tissues.

7 Nov 2008