Cord Blood News Volume 10.30 | Aug 2 2018

TOP STORY

Suppression of m⁶A Reader Ythdf2 Promotes Hematopoietic Stem Cell Expansion

Knockdown of human YTHDF2 led to more than a 10-fold increase in the ex vivo expansion of human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), a fivefold increase in colony-forming units, and more than an eightfold increase in functional hUCB HSCs in the secondary serial of a limiting dilution transplantation assay. [Cell Res] Abstract

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Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Derived Exosomes Alleviate Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus through Reversing Peripheral Insulin Resistance and Relieving β-Cell Destruction

Exosomes from human umbilical cord MSCs (hucMSC-ex) partially reversed insulin resistance in T2DM indirectly to accelerate glucose metabolism. HucMSC-ex inhibited streptozotocin induced β-cell apoptosis to restore the insulin secreting function of T2DM. [ACS Nano] Abstract

The Histone Chaperone NAP1L3 Is Required for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Maintenance and Differentiation

High gene expression levels of mouse nucleosome assembly protein 1l3 (Nap1l3) was restricted to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in mice. Downregulation of human NAP1L3 in umbilical cord blood HSCs impaired the maintenance and proliferation of HSCs both in vitro and in vivo. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Pentaisomaltose, an Alternative to DMSO. Engraftment of Cryopreserved Human CD34⁺ Cells in Immunodeficient NSG Mice

Researchers demonstrated that long-term engrafting hematopoietic progenitor cells were well preserved in pentaisomaltose and comparable to cells cryopreserved with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). [Cell Transplant] Full Article

Efficacy and Mechanisms Underlying the Effects of Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation on Acute Radiation Injury in Tree Shrews

Scientists showed that in tree shrews with acute radiation injury, injected umbilical cord MSCs (UC-MSCs) significantly improved survival rates, reduced lung inflammation and apoptosis, prevented pulmonary fibrotic processes, recovered hematopoiesis, and increased blood counts. [Cytotechnology] Abstract

The Number of CD34⁺CD133⁺ Hematopoietic Stem Cells Residing in Umbilical Cord Blood (UCB) Units Is Not Correlated with the Numbers of Total Nucleated Cells and CD34⁺ Cells: A Possible New Indicator for Quality Evaluation of UCB Units

To evaluate the quality of UCB units, investigators quantified the actual number of transplantable CD34⁺CD133⁺ HSCs (tHSCs) residing in UCB units. The number of tHSCs was not correlated with the numbers of total nucleated cells or CD34⁺ cells. [Int J Hematol] Abstract

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Aplastic Anemia: Etiology, Molecular Pathogenesis and Emerging Concepts

The authors discuss the current understanding of the immunobiology, molecular pathogenesis, and future directions of such for aplastic anemia. [Eur J Haematol] Abstract | Full Article

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Indiana University Cancer Researcher Receives NHLBI Outstanding Investigator Award

Indiana University Distinguished Professor Hal E. Broxmeyer, PhD, was the recipient of a highly competitive National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Outstanding Investigator Award to continue his 35 years of groundbreaking research into lifesaving umbilical cord blood transplantation. [Indiana University] Press Release

$100K Grant Fuels Research Efforts into Rare T-Cell Cancer

A one-year, $100,000 grant awarded to Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey resident researcher Daniel Herranz Benito, PhD, will support exploration into an aggressive blood cancer that impacts both children and adults – T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey] Press Release

BloodCenter of Wisconsin Launches Breakthrough FDA Cleared Leukemia Test

BloodCenter of Wisconsin’s Diagnostic Laboratories, part of Versiti, is the first to offer the Abbott RealTime IDH1 assay that identifies specific gene mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. [Versiti] Press Release

Brexit Preparedness: EMA to Further Temporarily Scale Back and Suspend Activities

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) will launch the next phase of its business continuity plan on 1 October 2018 at the latest. This will allow the Agency to safeguard core activities related to the evaluation and supervision of medicines, while it has to intensify its preparations for the physical move to Amsterdam in March 2019 and cope with significant staff loss. [European Medicines Agency] Press Release

Trump’s Pick to Head White House Science Office Gets Good Reviews

The long wait for a White House science adviser is over. President Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier, a university administrator and former vice-chair of the governing board of the U.S. National Science Foundation, to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Series of Ethical Stumbles Tests NIH’s Reliance on Private Sector for Research Funding

NIH officials told STAT the agency is completing a plan to ensure better ethical compliance and better delineate the actual process for private-sector collaboration. The officials said the plan will be presented to an advisory committee in December. [STAT News] Editorial

NEW Cell & Gene Therapy
October 10-11, 2018
London, United Kingdom

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NEW Faculty Investigator – Cancer (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Leukaemia Biology (University of Oxford)

Postdoctoral Associate – Gene Regulation and/or Cancer Biology (The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Assistant or Associate Professor – Stem Cell Transplantation (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute)

Scientific Research Positions – Various Subjects (Shanghai General Hospital)

Tier 1 Canada Research Chair – Precision & Molecular Oncology (University of Calgary – Cumming School of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Cancer Drug Discovery (University of Michigan)

Postdoctoral Associate – Cancer Biology (Trustees of Boston University Medical Campus)

Postdoctoral Fellow Positions – Hematopoietic Stem Cell Biology (Nationwide Children’s Hospital)

PhD Student – Cellular Immunotherapy (Glycostem Therapeutics)

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