Cord Blood News 9.09 March 9, 2017 | |
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TOP STORYIn a screen of small-molecule compounds, investigators identified glucocorticoid (GC) hormone signaling as an activator of CXCR4 expression in human cord blood (CB) hematopoietic stem cell (HSCs) and hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs). Short-term GC pretreatment of human CB HSCs and HPCs promoted SDF-1–CXCR4-axis-mediated chemotaxis, homing, and long-term engraftment when these cells were transplanted into primary- and secondary-recipient NSG mice. [Nat Med] Abstract | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)miR-193a-3p Interaction with HMGB1 Downregulates Human Endothelial Cell Proliferation and Migration Using in silico miRNA target database analyses combined with proteome arrays and luciferase reporter assays of miR-193a-3p mimic treated cord blood endothelial colony forming cell-derived cells, scientists identified two novel miR-193a-3p targets, the high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and the hypoxia upregulated-1 gene products. [Sci Rep] Full Article Although extensive studies have evaluated treatments for acute spinal cord injury (SCI) in small animals, comparatively fewer studies have been conducted on large-animal SCI in the chronic phase, which is more clinically relevant. To expand on this, researchers used a collagen-based biomaterial, named the NeuroRegen scaffold, loaded with human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) in a canine chronic SCI model. [Sci Rep] Full Article Researchers showed for the first time that human amniotic fluid stem cells (hAFS) actively release extracellular vesicles (EV) endowed with significant paracrine potential and regenerative effect. c-KIT+ hAFS were isolated from leftover samples of amniotic fluid from prenatal screening and stimulated to enhance EV release. In vitro analysis defined their role as biological mediators of regenerative, paracrine effects while their modulatory role in decreasing skeletal muscle inflammation in vivo was shown for the first time. [Stem Cells Transl Med] Full Article The authors prepared a Wnt7a-containing conditioned medium (Wnt-CM) from the supernatant of cultured human umbilical cord-MSCs (UC-MSCs) overexpressing Wnt7a in order to examine the effects of this CM on cutaneous healing. Their results revealed that Wnt-CM can accelerate wound closure and induce regeneration of hair follicles. [Stem Cells Int] Full Article Chitosan-Agarose Scaffolds Supports Chondrogenesis of Human Wharton’s Jelly Mesenchymal Stem Cells To mimic the in-vivo microenvironment, scientists developed a novel scaffold based on chitosan-agarose (CHAG scaffold) resembling the properties of native cartilage extracellular matrix that aids in-vitro cartilage formation. L929 cells and human Wharton’s Jelly mesenchymal stem cells (HWJ-MSCs) attached well and grew in the CHAG scaffolds. HWJ-MSCs seeded on CHAG scaffolds and cultured in chondrogenic medium were able to differentiate into a chondrogenic lineage. [J Biomed Mater Res A] Abstract Scientists showed that the dynamic changes of cord-blood derived CD34+ cells in response to cytokine stimulation can be successfully studied, in a label-free way, by the combination of the imaging flow cytometry’s statistical power and the time-lapse microscopy’s high time resolution. [Cytometry A] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSHighly Potent Stem Cells from Full-Term Amniotic Fluid: A Realistic Perspective Few studies have isolated stem cells from amniotic fluid (AF) from full-term pregnancies or during deliveries, the fluid is merely discarded. The question remains whether full-term AF harbors stem cells of similar potency as of the stem cells of mid-term AF. Researchers aim to review the prospect of having stem cells from AF by first looking at the origin and contents of AF particularly during different gestation periods. They then discuss the possibility that the AF, at full term, contains a population of highly potent stem cells. [Reprod Biol] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the cord blood research field. | |
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SCIENCE NEWSMiMedx to Present at Canaccord’s 12th Annual Musculoskeletal Conference MiMedx Group, Inc. announced that Parker H. Petit, Chairman and CEO, William C. Taylor, President and COO, Michael J. Senken, Chief Financial Officer, and Christopher M. Cashman, EVP and Chief Commercialization Officer, are scheduled to give a presentation. A webcast of this presentation will be available on the company’s website. [Press release from MiMedx Group, Inc. discussing research to be presented at Canaccord’s 12th Annual Musculoskeletal Conference, San Diego] Press Release | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSTargazyme Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted IND Clearance to begin enrolling patients in a Phase II clinical study to evaluate the efficacy of TZ101-fucosylated hematopoietic stem cell transplants in pediatric cancer patients. [Targazyme Inc.] Press Release The SpaceX rocket carrying samples of donated adult stem cells from a research laboratory at Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The biological cells came from the laboratory of Dr. Abba Zubair, who specializes in cellular treatments for disease and regenerative medicine. According to Dr. Zubair, Whitson is performing the trypsinization step to harvest mesenchymal stem cells from a biocell culture system. [Mayo Clinic] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSPatchy Progress on Fixing Global Gender Disparities in Science Although women are publishing more studies, being cited more often, and securing more coveted first-author positions than they were in the mid 1990s, overall progress towards gender parity in science varies widely by country and field. This is according to a massive report released on 8th March that is the first to examine such a broad swath of disciplines and regions of the world over time. [Nature News] Editorial Open-Data Contest Unearths Scientific Gems — and Controversy When a prestigious medical journal challenged scientists to analyze data from a pivotal blood-pressure study in search of new findings, hundreds of researchers around the world rushed to sign up. The contest, sponsored by the New England Journal of Medicine, offered scientists a rare opportunity to access detailed trial data that otherwise might have remained proprietary for another year — if not indefinitely. But the competition, whose winners were announced on 7th March, also illustrates the tension between speeding access to data and protecting the interests of those who labored to collect them. [Nature News] Editorial Prominent British Geneticist Offers Defense in Long-Running Misconduct Investigation A leading UK academic has spoken publicly for the first time about a byzantine saga involving allegations of research misconduct in papers that stemmed from his research group at University College London. Geneticist David Latchman told Nature that although he did not scrutinize some of the papers sufficiently to detect errors, he also did not produce or directly supervise any of the images at the heart of the allegations. [Nature News] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Biomed 2017: 22nd International Biomedical Science & Technology Symposium Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Leukemia Research (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cell Biology (University of Oslo) Assistant and Associate Professors – Regenerative & Cancer Cell Biology (Albany Medical College) Staff Scientist/Assistant Professor – Nonmalignant Hematology (New York Blood Center) Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer Biology (Moffitt Cancer Center) Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer Proteomics (University of British Columbia) Research Associate – Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research (University of Virginia) Research Group Leader – Leukemia Research (University Hospital Basel) Full Member Faculty – Hematopoietic Cell Transplant Program (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) Principle Scientist – Translational Development (Celgene Corporation) Assistant Member Faculty – Platinum/Immunotherapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
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Home Cord Blood News Volume 9.09 | Mar 9 2017