ESC & iPSC News Volume 12.27 | Jul 12 2017

TOP STORY

Efficient Encapsulation and Sustained Release of Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor in Nanofilm: Extension of the Feeding Cycle of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture

Scientists designed multi-trilayered nanofilm composed of a repeating polycation/polyanion/bFGF structure, which has high loading efficiency and short build-up time. Induced PSCs grown in the presence of the nanofilm with tridaily replacement of growth medium maintained undifferentiated morphology and expression levels of pluripotency marker proteins. [ACS Appl Mater Interfaces] Abstract

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SIRT1 Enhances the Survival of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Promoting DNA Repair

Investigators showed that downregulation of SIRT1 promoted cell death in human ESCs, but not in differentiated cells, and the SIRT1-inhibition-mediated cell death is preceded by increased DNA damage. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Potassium as a Pluripotency-Associated Element Identified Through Inorganic Element Profiling in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Using total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, researchers analyzed the inorganic components of human cells with isogenic backgrounds in distinct states of cellular pluripotency. [Sci Rep] Full Article

PAX2 Is Dispensable for In Vitro Nephron Formation from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

The induction of nephron progenitors and three-dimensional nephron structures from human induced pluripotent stem cells have been shown previously. Scientists generated iPSCs lacking PAX2, and addressed the role of PAX2 in their in vitro induction protocol. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Antisense Oligonucleotides Reduce RNA Foci in Spinocerebellar Ataxia 36 Patient Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Investigators report a cellular model using the spinocerebellar ataxia type 36 patient iPSCs that they generated and differentiated into neurons. [Mol Ther Nucleic Acids] Full Article

CpG Island Methylation Correlates with the Use of Alternative Promoters for USP44 Gene Expression in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells and Testes

Researchers found that the ubiquitin-specific peptidase USP44, is highly expressed in embryonic stem cells, induced PSCs, and testes as compared with differentiated progenies and somatic organs. Analysis by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and 5′ RACE showed that alternate promoters were responsible for expression in PSCs and organs. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract

Ectopic Expression of CITED2 Prior to Reprogramming, Promotes and Homogenises the Conversion of Somatic Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Scientists investigated the potential of CITED2 expression in combination with the Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc factors for reprogramming of primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) at passage 2 and 4. The ectopic CITED2 expression in primary MEF prior to the onset of the reprogramming process, generated iPSCs with less variability in the expression of endogenous pluripotency-related genes. [Exp Cell Res] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Dynamic Expression and Regulatory Mechanism of Tgf-β Signaling in Chicken Embryonic Stem Cells Differentiating into Spermatogonial Stem Cells

The authors investigated the dynamic expression and regulatory mechanism of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling involved in ESC differentiation into male germ cells. [Biosci Rep] Full Article

Versatile Synthetic Alternatives to Matrigel for Vascular Toxicity Screening and Stem Cell Expansion

Scientists identified hydrogel substrates that promote endothelial-network formation by primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells and by endothelial cells derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, and used the hydrogels with endothelial networks to identify angiogenesis inhibitors. [Nat Biomed Eng] Abstract

Single Cell Transcriptomics of Pluripotent Stem Cells: Reprogramming and Differentiation

Investigators review the recent progress and significant findings from application of single-cell technologies on pluripotent stem cells along with a brief outlook on new combinatorial single-cell approaches that further unravel pluripotent stem cell states. [Curr Opin Genet Dev] Abstract

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation to Functional Pancreatic Cells for Diabetes Therapies: Innovations, Challenges and Future Directions

The authors present basic concepts of pancreatic organogenesis, past and current efforts are critically discussed for the conversion of human PSCs along pancreatic cell lineages, and finally major challenges and future directions are examined. [J Biol Eng] Full Article

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

Asterias Biotherapeutics Completes Enrollment and Dosing of SCiStar Study’s AIS-B 10 Million Cell Cohort

Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced completion of enrollment and dosing of the AIS-B 10 million cell cohort in the company’s ongoing SCiStar Phase I/IIa clinical study of AST-OPC1 in complete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). In this cohort, five patients with AIS-B grade SCIs were administered 10 million AST-OPC1 cells. [Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Launch of the Project – Modelling Neuron-Glia Networks Into a Drug Discovery Platform for Pain Efficacious Treatments (NGN-PET)

The new research project NGN-PET was launched in the framework of the Innovative Medicine Initiative, the largest public-private partnership for health research worldwide co-funded by the EU and the European pharmaceutical industry. [Grünenthal Group] Press Release

White House’s Dwindling Science Office Leaves Major Research Programs in Limbo

US President Donald Trump has pledged to shrink the federal government, and he seems to be starting with science. Nearly six months after taking office, Trump has not chosen a science adviser, and the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy has dwindled from around 130 staff members under former president Barack Obama to 35. [Nature News] Editorial

Trump Administration Chooses Georgia Physician to Lead US Public-Health Agency

Obstetrician and gynecologist Brenda Fitzgerald will direct the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price announced. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW The 3^rd International Conference Innovations in Cancer Research and Regenerative Medicine
September 10-13, 2017
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

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

NEW Stem Cell Scientist and Postdoctoral Positions – Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (National Center for Advancing Translational Science)

NEW Doctoral Grant – 3D Culture of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Brain Organoids (University of Antwerp)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Tissue Engineering (Stanford University)

Senior/Principal Scientist – Stem Cell Research (Plasticell Ltd)

PhD Student – Human Embryonic and Placental Development (Academic Medical Center)

Laboratory Research Technician – Epigenetics of Stem Cells (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Position – Epigenetics of Pluripotent Stem Cells (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Bioinformatics of Single Cell Genomics (Institute of Molecular Biology)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Bioinformatics (Stanford University)

Assistant Professor – Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (Harvard University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Multiple Areas (University of Oklahoma)

Assistant or Associate Member – Stem Cell/Gene Therapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

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