ESC & iPSC News Volume 13.22 | Jun 6 2018

TOP STORY

Targeting Repair Pathways with Small Molecules Increases Precise Genome Editing in Pluripotent Stem Cells

Using a mixture of small molecules, the “CRISPY” mix, the authors achieved a 2.8- to 7.2-fold increase in precise genome editing with Cas9n, resulting in the introduction of the intended nucleotide substitutions in almost 50% of chromosomes or of gene encoding a blue fluorescent protein in 27% of cells. [Nat Commun] Full Article

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Modulating Cell State to Enhance Suspension Expansion of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Researchers explored methods to convert human PSCs to alternative states of pluripotency with advantageous bioprocessing properties, identifying a suspension-based small-molecule and cytokine combination that supports increased single-cell survival efficiency, faster growth rates, higher densities, and greater expansion than control human PSC cultures. [Proc Natl Acad Sci USA] Full Article

Mitochondrial Aging Defects Emerge in Directly Reprogrammed Human Neurons Due to Their Metabolic Profile

Researchers analyzed mitochondrial features in fibroblast-to-induced neurons (iN) from individuals of different ages. iNs from old donors display decreased oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS)-related gene expression, impaired axonal mitochondrial morphologies, lower mitochondrial membrane potentials, reduced energy production, and increased oxidized proteins levels. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Press Release | Graphical Abstract

Dynamics of Telomere Rejuvenation during Chemical Induction to Pluripotent Stem Cells

Both telomerase activity and recombination-based mechanisms are involved in telomere elongation. Telomere lengths strongly indicate the degree of reprogramming, pluripotency, and differentiation capacity of chemically induced pluripotent stem cells (CiPSC). Researchers found that histone crotonylation induced by crotonic acid can activate two-cell genes, including Zscan4, maintain telomeres, and promote CiPSC generation. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Genetic and Chemical Screenings Identify HDAC3 as a Key Regulator in Hepatic Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

By taking advantage of CRISPR-Cas9-based genome-wide screening technology and a high-throughput human PSC screening platform with a reporter readout, scientists identified several potential genetic regulators of hepatocyte-like cell differentiation. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Overlapping Functions of Krüppel-Like Factor Family Members: Targeting Multiple Transcription Factors to Maintain the Naïve Pluripotency of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

The authors confirmed that any one of Klf2, Klf4 and Klf5 was sufficient to support self-renewal, whereas the removal of all three compromised it. The activity of any single transcription factor, except for a Klf family member, was not sufficient to restore self-renewal of triple-knockout mouse ESCs. [Development] Full Article

Combinatorial Knockout of RARα, RARβ, and RARγ Completely Abrogates Transcriptional Responses to Retinoic Acid in Murine Embryonic Stem Cells

Scientists used CRISPR technology to introduce biallelic frameshift mutations in retinoic acid receptors (RARs), RARα, RARβ, and RARγ, thereby abrogating all RAR functions in murine embryonic stem cells. They found that the RAR-null cells display no changes in transcripts in response to retinoic acid (RA), demonstrating that the RARs are essential for the regulation of all transcripts in murine ESCs in response to RA. [J Biol Chem] Abstract

Mechanically Induced Development and Maturation of Human Intestinal Organoids In Vivo

Investigators showed that the incorporation of uniaxial strain, using compressed nitinol springs, in human intestinal organoids transplanted into the mesentery of mice induced growth and maturation of the organoids. [Nat Biomed Eng] Abstract

Digitalized Human Organoid for Wireless Phenotyping

Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a cost-effective and durable method to trace and track individual objects in multiple contexts by wirelessly providing digital signals; RFID is thus widely used in many fields. Researchers implemented this concept to biological tissues by producing a compact RFID chip-incorporated organoid. The 0.4 mm RFID chips were reproducibly integrated inside the self-assembling organoids from ten different iPSC lines from healthy and diseased donors. [iScience] Full Article | Press Release

Cellular and Epigenetic Drivers of Stem Cell Aging

The authors discuss recent evidence in support of a novel concept whereby cell-intrinsic damage that accumulates during aging and cell-extrinsic changes in aging stem cell niches and the blood result in modifications of the stem cell epigenome. [Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol] Full Article

Modeling the Dorsal Root Ganglia Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: A Platform to Study Peripheral Neuropathies

Researchers review the major studies describing generation of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons from human pluripotent stem cells and fibroblasts and the gaps that need to be addressed for using in vitro-generated human DRG neurons to model human DRG tissue. [Int J Biochem Cell Biol] Abstract

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

FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics Announces Agreement with University of California, Irvine to Commercialize iPSC-Derived Microglia and Media Formulation

FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc. announced that it has entered into an exclusive patent license agreement with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) through its offices at UCI Applied Innovation to license and commercialize UCI’s technologies for derivation of microglia in the commercial research field and also a non-exclusive patent license agreement to commercialize microglia media formulation. [FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc] Press Release

Asterias Biotherapeutics Announces Independent Data Monitoring Committee Completes Last Intermediate Review of AST-OPC1 Clinical Trial in Acute Spinal Cord Injury

Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc. announced that the independent Data Monitoring Committee for the company’s SCiStar Phase I/IIa study of AST-OPC1 in acute spinal cord injury has completed a regularly scheduled review of the safety data from all subjects in the five study cohorts and has recommended that the SCiStar study continue according to protocol to its final data readout. [Asterias Biotherapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Human Embryo Research Policy Update

In support of efforts by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and other stakeholders to promote the ethical conduct of stem cell research, Nature journals have released an updated policy. The policy, which formalizes and refines longstanding editorial practices, encourages scientists to adopt the ISSCR guidelines. [Nature Biotechnol] Editorial

Scientists Fare Poorly in Super Tuesday Primary Vote

Science-minded candidates seeking seats in the next U.S. Congress took a drubbing from their Democratic opponents in yesterday’s raft of primary elections across the country. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Chile, Keen to Become a Knowledge Society, Creates a Ministry of Science

Scientists in Chile have welcomed last week’s decision by Congress to create a science ministry. Many researchers hope that a dedicated ministry will give science more prominence and better-coordinated policies—provided the ministry’s budget matches the government’s ambitions to “bring Chile towards an information and knowledge society,” as Gonzalo Blumel, the country’s minister secretary-general of the presidency, put it in a statement issued after the 31 May vote. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

Europe’s Top Science Funder Shows High-Risk Research Pays Off

A popular and unusual self-review carried out by Europe’s most prestigious science funder is back. The annual assessment, now in its third year, found that nearly one in five projects by the European Research Council led to a scientific breakthrough. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Conference
October 23-24, 2018
New York, New York, United States

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

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Based Cell Therapy in Type 1 Diabetes (The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology – DanStem)

NEW Postdoctoral Research Associate – Embryonic Stem Cell Research (University of Illinois)

NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology and Pharmacogenomics (Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine)

Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Stem Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Research Technologist – Pluripotent Stem Cells (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Senior Scientist/ Scientist – Tissue Engineering (Novoheart)

PhD Position – Systems Biology and Single-Cell Transcriptomics of ESCs (University of Southern Denmark)

Postdoctoral Fellow – hiPSC Based Cardiac Regeneration (Duke University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Human Skeletal Muscle Disease Modeling and Regeneration (Duke University)

PhD Candidate Position – Cardiovascular Diseases and iPSCs (University Medical Center Göttingen)

Scientist/Senior Scientist – Bioprocess Engineering (Bluerock Therapeutics, LLC.)

Postdoctoral Fellow Positions – Cardiovascular Stem Cell/iPSC Biology (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering (Stanford University)

Postdoctoral Position – Cancer, Immunotherapy, and Fibrosis (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cells, Development and Cancer (Albert Einstein College of Medicine)

Postdoctoral Associate – hiPSC-Based Brain Organoids (Rutgers University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Stem Cell Biology (City of Hope)

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