ESC & iPSC News Volume 11.00 | Jan 6 2016

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    ESC & iPSC News 11.00 January 6, 2016

    ESC & iPSC News

         In this issue: Publications | Reviews | Industry News | Policy News | Events | Jobs
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    TOP STORY
    Stem Cells Likely to Be Safe for Use in Regenerative Medicine, Study Confirms
    Researchers have found the strongest evidence to date that human pluripotent stem cells–cells that can give rise to all tissues of the body–will develop normally once transplanted into an embryo. They demonstrated that human pluripotent stem cells are equivalent to an embryonic counterpart. Where attempts to incorporate human pluripotent stem cells had failed previously, it was because the stem cells had not been matched to the correct stage of embryo development. [Press release from University of Cambridge discussing online publication in Cell Stem Cell] Press Release | Full Article | Graphical Abstract
    Learn More: STEMdiffâ„¢ Pancreatic Progenitor Kit

     
    PUBLICATIONS (Ranked by impact factor of the journal)
    Stepwise Clearance of Repressive Roadblocks Drives Cardiac Induction in Human ESCs
    Scientists showed that BMP and WNT signaling drive cardiac specification by removing sequential roadblocks that otherwise redirect human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) differentiation toward competing fates, rather than activating a cardiac program per se. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

    Pluripotent Stem Cells Induced from Mouse Neural Stem Cells and Small Intestinal Epithelial Cells by Small Molecule Compounds
    Using lineage tracing, researchers verified the generation of chemically induced pluripotent stem cells from fibroblasts. They demonstrated that neural stem cells from the ectoderm and small intestinal epithelial cells from the endoderm can be chemically reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells. [Cell Res] Full Article

    Genetically Engineering Self-Organization of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into a Liver Bud-Like Tissue Using GATA6
    Scientists present a novel approach for generating and then co-differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells-derived progenitors. With a genetically engineered pulse of GATA-binding protein 6 (GATA6) expression, they initiated rapid emergence of all three germ layers as a complex function of GATA6 expression levels and tissue context. [Nat Commun] Full Article

    Micronucleus Formation Causes Perpetual Unilateral Chromosome Inheritance in Mouse Embryos
    Researchers uncovered a strikingly different consequence of micronuclei (MN) formation in preimplantation development. They found that chromosomes from within MN become damaged and fail to support a functional kinetochore. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Abstract | Press Release

    Generation and Characterization of a MYF5 Reporter Human iPS Cell Line Using CRISPR/Cas9 Mediated Homologous Recombination
    Scientists aimed to generate a knock-in reporter human iPS cell line for MYF5, an early myogenic specification gene, to allow prospective identification and purification of myogenic progenitors from human iPS cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

    BMP-SMAD Signaling Regulates Lineage Priming, but Is Dispensable for Self-Renewal in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
    The authors showed transient activation of the BMP-SMAD signaling pathway in mouse embryonic stem cells containing a BMP-SMAD responsive reporter transgene. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

    Efficient Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Arterial and Venous Endothelial Cells under Feeder- and Serum-Free Conditions
    Investigators report a simple, rapid, and efficient protocol for directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into endothelial progenitor cells capable of differentiation to arterial and venous endothelial cells under feeder-free and serum-free conditions. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article

    Murine Embryonic Stem Cell Plasticity Is Regulated through Klf5 and Maintained by Metalloproteinase MMP1 and Hypoxia
    By employing a leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-dependent ‘plasticity’ test, scientists showed that Klf5, but not JunB is a key LIF effector. [PLoS One] Full Article

    Collagen Type I Improves the Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells towards Definitive Endoderm
    Almost 500 different extracellular matrix protein combinations were screened to systemically identify extracellular matrix proteins that influence differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to the definitive endoderm lineage. The percentage of definitive endoderm cells after differentiation on collagen I and fibronectin was >85% and 65%, respectively. [PLoS One] Full Article

    Weekend-Free Culture hPSCs with mTeSRâ„¢1 or TeSRâ„¢-E8â„¢

     
    REVIEWS
    Creating and Evaluating Accurate CRISPR-Cas9 Scalpels for Genomic Surgery
    The authors review recent methods for increasing the activity and accuracy of Cas9 and assessing the extent of off-target cleavage events. [Nat Methods] Abstract

    Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the ESC & iPSC research field.

     
    INDUSTRY NEWS
    VistaGen Secures Exclusive Worldwide Commercial Rights to Three Proprietary Stem Cell Technologies from University Health Network
    VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has secured exclusive worldwide commercial rights to three patent-pending stem cell technologies from University Health Network. [VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

    AlloSource Receives Patent for AlloStem Cellular Bone Allograft
    AlloSource® has been awarded a patent for its flagship regenerative medicine product, AlloStem® Cellular Bone Allograft. [AlloSource®] Press Release

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    POLICY NEWS
    E.U. Frees up Data for Science
    Scientists in Europe have won a major battle over access to personal health data. A research coalition had worried that draft E.U. legislation would have sharply restricted scientific use of such data. However, scientist-friendly amendments emerged from negotiations between the European Parliament, the European Council, and the European Commission. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

    Dutch Lead European Push to Flip Journals to Open Access
    The Netherlands is leading what it hopes will be a pan-European effort in 2016 to push scholarly publishers towards open-access business models: making more papers free for all users as soon as they are published. [Nature News] Editorial

     
    EVENTS
    NEW iPS Cells to Neural Progenitors Training Course: Reprogramming, Maintenance and Differentiation
    April 19-21, 2016
    Vancouver, Canada

    Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the ESC & iPSC community.

     
    JOB OPPORTUNITIES
    NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (Krembil Research Institute)

    NEW Postdoctoral Research Associate – Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (University of Cambridge)

    NEW Science Content Writer (Howard Hughes Medical Institute)

    NEW Stem Cell Production Scientist (Definigen Ltd)

    NEW Scientist – Cell Biology (Semma Therapeutics)

    PhD Candidate – Embryonic Stem Cell and Molecular Research (Ghent University)

    Assistant or Associate Professor – Regenerative Kidney Research (University of Montreal)

    Assistant, Associate or Full Professor – Regenerative Vision Research (University of Montreal)

    Postdoctoral Fellow and Research Scientist – Epigenomics and Systems Biology (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)

    Assistant/Associate/Full Professor – Biomedical Engineering (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)


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