ESC & iPSC News Volume 14.30 | Aug 7 2019

TOP STORY

Modeling Monogenic Diabetes Using Human ESCs Reveals Developmental and Metabolic Deficiencies Caused by Mutations in HNF1A

Scientists used genome edited human ESCs to understand the most common form of monogenic diabetes, MODY3, caused by mutations in the transcription factor HNF1A. [Cell Stem Cell] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Generation of Human Fatty Livers Using Custom-Engineered Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells with Modifiable SIRT1 Metabolism

Researchers generated human iPSCs with controllable expression of SIRT1. By differentiating edited iPSCs into hepatocytes and knocking down SIRT1, they found increased fatty acid biosynthesis that exacerbated fat accumulation. [Cell Metab] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Pluripotency Reprogramming by Competent and Incompetent POU Factors Uncovers Temporal Dependency for Oct4 and Sox2

The authors found that initial silencing of the somatic program proceeded indistinguishably with or without Oct4. Oct6 mitigated the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition and derailed reprogramming. [Nat Commun] Full Article

Exogenous WNT5A and WNT11 Proteins Rescue CITED2 Dysfunction in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells and Zebrafish Morphants

Investigators determined that Cited2 depletion in ESCs affected the expression of transcription factors and cardiopoietic genes involved in early mesoderm and cardiac specification. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Comparative Characterization of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) Derived from Patients with Schizophrenia and Autism

Healthy control individuals as well as patients with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder were examined by a panel of diagnostic tests. Subsequently, skin biopsies were taken for the generation, differentiation, and testing of human iPSC-derived neurons from all individuals. [Transl Psychiatry] Full Article

Phenotype-Based High-Throughput Classification of Long QT Syndrome Subtypes Using Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Scientists investigated the response of LQT2-iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) following IKr blockade using a multi-electrode array, finding that the response to IKr blockade was significantly smaller than in Control-iPSC-CMs. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article

Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) from an Infant with Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia Carrying the Double Heterozygous Mutations A1855D in RyR2 and Q1362H in SCN10A

iPSCs were generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from the peripheral blood of a four month-old boy with catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia carrying the double heterozygous mutations RyR2-A1855D and SCN10A-Q1362H. [Stem Cell Res] Abstract

Robust Induction of Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells by Inhibiting FGF/MAPK Signaling

The authors showed that the transient inhibition of the FGF/MAPK signaling pathway during the hiPSC maintenance period markedly promoted retinal pigment epithelium differentiation efficiency under feeder-free culture conditions. [Stem Cell Res] Full Article

MicroRNA Profiling During Neural Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Researchers confirmed the new associations of previously described miRNAs in regulation of neuronal stem cell differentiation from iPSCs. They discovered upregulation of miR-10 family, miR-30 family and miR-9 family, and downregulation of miR-302 and miR-515 family expression. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article

Human Circadian Molecular Oscillation Development Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Scientists showed that human iPSCs had no discernible circadian molecular oscillation. In addition, in vitro differentiation culture of human iPSCs required a longer duration than that required in mouse for the emergence of circadian oscillations. [J Biol Rhythms] Full Article

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Modeling Alzheimer’s Disease with iPSC-Derived Brain Cells

Many cellular functions perturbed in Alzheimer’s disease can be recapitulated using iPSC-derived cells in vitro, and co-culture platforms are beginning to yield insights into the complex interactions that occur between brain cell types during neurodegeneration. [Mol Psychiatry] Full Article

Large Animal Models for the Clinical Application of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

The authors focus on the large animal models of pigs, dogs, horses and sheep/goats, and summarize current progress, challenges, and potential future directions of research on large animal iPSCs. [Stem Cells Dev] Abstract

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

CIRM Board Approves $19.7 Million in Awards for Translational Research Program

In addition to approving funding for breast cancer related brain metastases, the CIRM Board also approved an additional $19.7 million geared towards their translational research program. [CIRM] Press Release

Rewind Therapeutics Awarded €2.9 Million VLAIO Grant to Discover and Develop Novel Drug Candidates

Rewind Therapeutics announced it will lead a new industry-academic R&D collaboration to discover and develop first-in-class inhibitors of a key G protein-coupled receptor target that has an influential role in myelin-related neurological diseases. [Rewind Therapeutics] Press Release

Researchers Weigh in on Trump’s $500 Million Plan to Share Childhood Cancer Data

The Childhood Cancer Data Initiative, as the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has dubbed it, could have many payoffs, such as devising less harsh treatments and figuring out why 10% of childhood leukemia patients don’t respond to treatments or relapse, said NCI acting director Doug Lowy. And for very rare cancers with no treatments, pooling such data on cases is essential for researchers to draw firm conclusions. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

First Human-Monkey Chimeras Developed in China

Juan Carlos Izpisúa Belmonte of the Salk Institute in San Diego is spearheading the project with scientists from his own lab and those from the Murcia Catholic University in Murcia, Spain. The team wants to develop chimeras—organisms composed of cells from two or more species—capable of growing human organs. [The Scientist] Editorial

The Public’s Trust in Scientists Rises, Pew Poll Shows

Public trust in science rose in recent years, a new survey shows: 86 percent of Americans say that they have at least “a fair amount” of confidence in scientists to act in the public interest, up from 78 percent in 2016. [The Scientist] Editorial

NEW 8^th Annual International Symposium on Regenerative Rehabilitation
October 24-26, 2019
Charlottesville, Virginia, United States

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

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Anatomy and Embryology (Leiden University Medical Center)

NEW Biologist – Stem Cell Engineering (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Scientific Communications Coordinator (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

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

Postdoctoral Associate – Cancer and Glioma Stem Cell Biology (Weill Cornell Medicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow Positions – Cancer Research (Nationwide Children’s Hospital)

Tenure-Track Faculty Position – Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai)

Research Technician – Beta Cell Production from Human PSCs (Helmholtz Zentrum München)

Senior Scientist – Cell Engineering and Characterization (Merck & Co., Inc)

Associate Professor – Developmental and Stem Cell Biology (The University of Hong Kong)

Postdoctoral Fellows – Striated Muscle Regeneration (Duke University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Pluripotent Stem Cells & Joint Tissue Development (Boston Children’s Hospital)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Genetics and Epigenomics of iPSC Biology (Stanford University)

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