ESC & iPSC News 12.03 January 25, 2017 | |
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TOP STORYLandscape of Monoallelic DNA Accessibility in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells and Neural Progenitor Cells The authors developed an allele-specific assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing to genotype and profile active regulatory DNA across the genome. Using a mouse hybrid F1 system, they found that monoallelic DNA accessibility across autosomes was pervasive, developmentally programmed and composed of several patterns. [Nat Genet] Abstract | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)MicroRNAs act post transcriptionally to suppress multiple target genes within a cell population. To what extent this multi-target suppression occurs in individual cells and how it impacts transcriptional heterogeneity and gene co-expression remains unknown. Researchers used single-cell sequencing combined with introduction of individual microRNAs. miR-294 and let-7c were introduced into otherwise microRNA-deficient Dgcr8 knockout mouse embryonic stem cells. [Nat Commun] Full Article Investigators generated a monoclonal antibody, TAG-A1 (A1) to selectively kill residual undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESC) so as to prevent teratoma formation upon transplantation of hESC-derived products. They revealed that A1 induces hESC death via oncosis. [Cell Death Differ] Abstract LIF binds to the LIF receptor (LIFR) and activates the JAK-STAT3 pathway, but it remains unknown how the receptor complex triggers differentiation or self-renewal. Researchers report that the LIFR cytoplasmic domain contains a self-renewal domain within the juxtamembrane region and a differentiation domain within the C-terminal region. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract The authors report for the first time that applying electrical pulses in a unidirectional manner mimicking the unidirectional wave of electrical stimulation in the heart, could increase the derivation of cardiomyocytes from cardiovascular disease-specific induced pluripotent stem (CVD-iPS) cells. [ACS Appl Mater Interfaces] Abstract Scientists used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as a tool to model human hematopoietic development. By using a CRISPR-Cas9 knockout strategy, they showed that human iPSC-derived monocytes/macrophages develop in an MYB-independent, RUNX1-, and SPI1-dependent fashion. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article Researchers generated a diverse, comprehensive, and fully characterized library of sickle-cell-disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patients of different ethnicities, β-globin gene haplotypes, and fetal hemoglobin levels. They describe this unique resource for the study of sickle cell disease, including novel haplotype-specific polymorphisms that affect disease severity, as well as for the development of patient-specific therapeutics for this phenotypically diverse disorder. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article Investigators found that exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF) at micromolar levels decreased intracellular ATP levels. CPF induced mitochondrial fragmentation via reduction of mitochondrial fusion protein mitofusin 1 in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In addition, CPF reduced the expression of several neural differentiation marker genes in iPSCs. [Sci Rep] Full Article Scientists showed that the heterochromatic domains of mouse embryonic stem cells are dynamically distinct and possessed a mosaic sub-structure. Although random spatio-temporal fluctuations reshuffle continuously the chromatin landscape, each heterochromatic territory maintains its dynamic profile, exhibiting robustness and resembling a quasi-steady state. [Biochim Biophys Acta] Abstract | |
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REVIEWSHuman Tissues in a Dish: The Research and Ethical Implications of Organoid Technology Together with reprogramming technology and gene editing methods, organoids hold the promise to influence the innovation cycle in biomedical research, including fields that historically have been the subject of intense ethical debate. The authors discuss the ethical implications of organoid technology and the impact on biomedical research. [Science] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the ESC & iPSC research field. | |
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SCIENCE NEWSAdditional Data from BioTime’s OpRegen® Clinical Trial in Dry-AMD BioTime, Inc. and its subsidiary, Cell Cure Neurosciences, Ltd., announced an abstract evaluating OpRegen® in patients with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (dry-AMD) based on the ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trial. [Press release from BioTime, Inc. Association for Research in Vision and Opthalmology (ARVO) meeting, Baltimore] Press Release | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSAsterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced positive efficacy results from the company’s ongoing SCiStar Phase I/IIa clinical trial that showed additional motor function improvement at six-months and nine-months following administration of 10 million AST-OPC1 cells in AIS-A patients with complete cervical spinal cord injuries. [Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc.] Press Release The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established the Oncology Center of Excellence and appointed Dr. Richard Pazdur as its director. This will make oncology the first disease area to have a coordinated clinical review of drugs, biologics and devices across the agency’s three medical product centers. [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSBiotech Firm Backs Controversial CRISPR Challenger A major enzyme manufacturer has signed an agreement with a Chinese university to explore uses for a protein claimed to be a powerful alternative to the popular genome-editing tool CRISPR–Cas9. Several scientists have failed to reproduce the results of the paper that first made the claim and doubt that the protein, NgAgo, works as a gene editor. [Nature News] Editorial Scientists Join Massive Protest against Trump The women in white lab coats didn’t expect to be treated like celebrities. The group of scientists, dozens strong, came to Washington DC to join the Women’s March, a massive protest against the brand-new US President, Donald Trump. But as they navigated the dense crowd near the National Air and Space Museum, the researchers were greeted by shouts of “We love science!” Eager strangers asked the scientists to pose for photographs with the signs they carried, which bore slogans such as “Stand up 4 Science” and “Science does not discriminate.” [Nature News] Editorial Memo Freezing NIH Communications with Congress Triggers Jitters Is the National Institutes of Health (NIH) part of the clampdown by the Trump administration on communications at science agencies? That’s how some are reacting to White House directive telling NIH to halt correspondence with public officials and hold off on new policies. But some observers say the NIH directive is not unusual for a new administration. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW Gordon Research Conferences – Tissue Repair & Regeneration Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Postdoctoral Position – Stem Cells and Epigenetics (University of Michigan) Postdoctoral Fellow – Multiple Areas (University of Oklahoma) Regulatory Support Scientist – Biological Product Development (Cook MyoSite, Inc.) Regulatory Affairs Scientist – Scientific Evaluation and Writing (Cook MyoSite, Inc.) Postdoctoral Fellow – Development of the Cardiovascular System (Goethe University Frankfurt) Postdoctoral Fellow – Human Embryology and Stem Cell Biology (The Francis Crick Institute) Research Scientist – Stem Cell Gene Editing (Universal Cells Inc.) Assistant Professor – Heart Tissue Regeneration (University of Cincinnati) Tenure Track Faculty – Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine (University of Notre Dame) Assistant or Associate Member – Stem CellGene Therapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) Postdoctoral Fellow – Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology (University of California, Davis) 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 ESC & iPSC News Volume 12.03 | Jan 25 2017