ESC & iPSC News 13.30 August 1, 2018 | |
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TOP STORYInduction of Myelinating Oligodendrocytes in Human Cortical Spheroids Scientists reproducibly generated oligodendrocytes and myelin in ‘oligocortical spheroids’ derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Molecular features consistent with those of maturing oligodendrocytes and early myelin appeared by week 20 in culture, with further maturation and myelin compaction evident by week 30. [Nat Methods] Abstract | Press Release | |
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PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)The protein DHH1 links translation to mRNA stability in yeast; however, loss of the mammalian homolog, DDX6, in ESCs did not disrupt the correlation across transcripts. Instead, the loss of DDX6 led to upregulated translation of microRNA targets, without concurrent changes in mRNA stability. [Elife] Abstract Researchers demonstrated three-dimensional (3D) induction of dorsal spinal cord-like tissues from human pluripotent stem cells. Their 3D spinal cord induction condition recapitulated patterning of the developing dorsal spinal cord and enabled the generation of four types of dorsal interneuron marker-positive cell populations. [Development] Full Article Investigators generated iPSC lines from a female patient and her son. Each iPSC clone from the female patient showed either deficient or normal α-galactosidase A (GLA) activity, which could be used as a Fabry disease model or its isogenic control, respectively. Globotriaosylceramide accumulation was observed in iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from GLA activity-deficient iPSCs. [J Mol Cell Cardiol] Abstract Human Fibroblast and Stem Cell Resource from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network The authors generated a library of 98 dermal fibroblast lines from 42 autosomal dominant Alzheimer disease families enrolled in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN). They reprogrammed a subset of the DIAN fibroblast lines into patient-specific iPSC lines. These cells were thoroughly characterized for pluripotency markers. [Alzheimers Res Ther] Full Article Researchers established a monolayer, chemically defined culture system to induce hematopoietic differentiation from human PSCs (hPSCs) in eight days. They found that insulin-free medium allowed hPSCs to leave pluripotency promptly and preferably enter the vascular lineage. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article Stem Cell Colony Interspacing Effect on Differentiation to Neural Cells Investigators generated pairs of uniformly-sized isolated ESC colonies at defined interspacing distances over a layer of differentiation-inducing stromal cells. They showed that interspacing two colonies at ~0.66 times colony diameter significantly enhanced neural differentiation of ESCs. [J Tissue Eng Regen Med] Abstract Researchers examined whether changes in DNA damage repair in iPSCs were responsible for their greater tendency towards mutagenesis. In comparison to ESCs and embryonic fibroblasts, iPSCs had lower DNA damage repair capacity, more somatic mutations and short indels after irradiation. [Cancer Commun] Full Article Investigators revealed that the expression levels of mRNA and/or proteins of the definitive endoderm (DE) marker genes, SOX17, FOXA2 and CXCR4, in DE cells differentiated from human iPSCs cultured on mouse primary embryonic fibroblast feeder cells were significantly higher than those cultured on SNL76/7 feeder cells. [PLoS One] Full Article Scientists established a method for differentiating iPS cells into highly contractile cardiomyocytes (CMs), and demonstrated that the use of human gingival fibroblasts as feeder cells promoted maturation of iPS-derived CMs in vitro. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Full Article Subscribe to one of our other 19 science newsletters such as Cell Therapy News & Mesenchymal Cell News. | |
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REVIEWSThe March of Pluripotent Stem Cells in Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine Investigators present and critically discuss the key methods used for converting somatic cells to pluripotent cells and iPSCs to cardiomyocytes, along with their advantages and limitations. [Stem Cell Res Ther] Full Article Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: The Most Versatile Source for Stem Cell Therapy The author describes the advantages and hurdles for the use of induced pluripotent cells as the starting material for a source of replacement cells for regenerative medicine. [Clin Ther] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the ESC & iPSC research field. | |
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INDUSTRY NEWSNYSCF Partners with ToolGen, nSAGE to Integrate Gene Editing and Stem Cell Technologies The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute announced a strategic partnership with Korean firms ToolGen, Inc., and nSAGE, Inc.. In a Memorandum of Understanding, the organizations agreed to collaborate in the development of innovative therapeutics by leveraging cutting-edge gene editing and stem cell technologies. [The New York Stem Cell Foundation] Press Release Announcement of Physician-Initiated Clinical Trials for Parkinson’s Disease Kyoto University Hospital, in partnership with the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, has planned physician-initiated clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease that transplants dopaminergic progenitors generated from iPS cells. [Center for iPS Cell Research and Application] Press Release Accelerating Stem Cell Discoveries into Tomorrow’s Medicine Stem Cells Australia and The University of Melbourne have welcomed $3 million federal government funding to advance stem cell research towards new treatments. The Accelerated Research program of the Medical Research Future Fund grant will be used to support national teams of experts to take stem cell research from the laboratory into the clinic. [Stem Cells Australia] Press Release | |
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POLICY NEWSTrump’s Pick to Head White House Science Office Gets Good Reviews President Donald Trump announced that he intends to nominate meteorologist Kelvin Droegemeier, a university administrator and former vice-chair of the governing board of the U.S. National Science Foundation, to be director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. [ScienceInsider] Editorial Series of Ethical Stumbles Tests NIH’s Reliance on Private Sector for Research Funding NIH officials told STAT the agency is completing a plan to ensure better ethical compliance and better delineate the actual process for private-sector collaboration. The officials said the plan will be presented to an advisory committee in December. [STAT News] Editorial Federal Scientists to Be Protected Against Muzzling, Political Interference All federal departments and agencies with 10 or more employees that do science- or research-related activities will have to have a scientific integrity policy by Dec. 31, 2018, based on a new model policy released by the federal Liberal government. [CBC/Radio-Canada] Editorial Global South Scholars Are Missing from European and US Journals. What Can Be Done about It Researchers based in the global North have a wider global reach and are generally judged to be at the forefront of knowledge production and dissemination. Meanwhile, South-based scholars are often not part of major debates and conversations in their field. This points to a severe imbalance in the production of new knowledge. [The Conversation] Editorial
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EVENTSNEW 60th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
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JOB OPPORTUNITIESPostdoctoral Scholar – Cellular Basis of Morphogenesis (University of California, San Francisco) Postdoctoral Scholar – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology (University of California, Berkeley) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cardiovascular Stem Cell Biology (University of Illinois at Chicago) Research Associate/Scientist – iPSC Research and Manufacture (Evotec AG) Research Associate/PhD Position – iPSCs & Neurodegenerative Disease (TU Dresden) Research Specialist – Cardiovascular Disease (University of Illinois) Postdoctoral Fellow – hiPSC Based Cardiac Regeneration (Duke University) Postdoctoral Fellow – Human Skeletal Muscle Disease Modeling and Regeneration (Duke University) Scientist/Senior Scientist – Bioprocess Engineering (Bluerock Therapeutics, LLC.) Postdoctoral Fellow – Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering (Stanford University) Postdoctoral Associate – hiPSC-Based Brain Organoids (Rutgers University) 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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