ESC & iPSC News Volume 14.42 | Oct 30 2019

TOP STORY

Neuronal Network Dysfunction in a Model for Kleefstra Syndrome Mediated by Enhanced NMDAR Signaling

To study the impact of decreased EHMT1 function in human cells, researchers generated excitatory cortical neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells derived from Kleefstra syndrome patients. [Nat Commun] Full Article

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Genes Essential for Embryonic Stem Cells Are Associated with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Researchers performed a genome-wide screen for essential genes in mouse ESCs (mESCs) and compared it to screens in human cells. They found that essential genes were enriched for basic cellular functions, were highly expressed in mESCs, and tended to lack paralog genes. [Genome Res] Abstract

HMGB2 Is a Negative Regulator of Telomerase Activity in Human Embryonic Stem and Progenitor Cells

Stably transfected human ESCs (hESCs) capable of the short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of high-mobility group box (HMGB)1 and HMGB2, investigators provide evidence that deregulation of HMGB1 or HMGB2 expression in hESCs and their differentiated derivatives resulted in distinct modulation of telomere homeostasis. [FASEB J] Abstract

Canonical Wnt Signaling Promotes Pacemaker Cell Specification of Cardiac Mesodermal Cells Derived from Mouse and Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Omitting an exogenous Wnt inhibitor, which is routinely added to maximize cardiac myocyte yield during differentiation of mouse and human ESCs, led to increased yield of spontaneously‐beating cardiomyocytes with action potential properties similar to those of native sinoatrial node pacemaker cells. [Stem Cells] Abstract

Association of Human iPSC Gene Signatures and X Chromosome Dosage with Two Distinct Cardiac Differentiation Trajectories

Scientists differentiated 191 iPSC lines to generate iPSC-derived cardiovascular progenitor cells (CVPCs). They observed cellular heterogeneity across the iPSC-CVPC samples due to varying fractions of two cell types: cardiomyocytes and epicardium-derived cells. [Stem Cell Reports] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

Proteomic Analysis of an Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Model Reveals Strategies to Treat Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia

Researchers undertook a proteomic assessment of myeloid cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells obtained from Noonan syndrome patients with PTPN11 mutations, either associated or not associated with increased incidence of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. [J Proteome Res] Abstract

Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells towards Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Is Hampered by Culture in 3D Hydrogels

The authors investigated whether iPSCs could differentiate towards mesenchymal stromal cells when embedded into fibrin hydrogels to enable a one-step differentiation procedure within a scaffold. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Seeding hESCs to Achieve Optimal Colony Clonality

Investigators developed a quantitative framework for modeling the growth of human ESC (hESC) colonies from a given seeding density based on stochastic exponential growth. This allowed them to identify the timescales for colony merges and over which colony size no longer predicts the number of founding cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

MicroRNA Incorporated Electrospun Nanofibers Improve Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Researchers inserted two important miRNAs, including miR‐22 and ‐126 in electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers and after scaffold characterization, osteoinductivity of fabricated nanofibers was investigated by evaluating of the osteogenic differentiation potential of iPSCs when grown on miRNAs‐incorporated PCL nanofibers and empty PCL. [J Biomed Mater Res A] Abstract

In Vitro Induction of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into the Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons and Transplantation in Cynomolgus Monkey

A simple, rapid, efficient, and specialized culture system was successfully developed to induce human ESCs into dopaminergic neurons in vitro. [Cell Reprogram] Abstract

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Human iPSC Banking: Barriers and Opportunities

The authors compare the construction and operation strategy of some iPSC banks as well as their ongoing development. They also introduce the technical challenges and offer future perspectives pertaining to the establishment and management of iPSC banks. [J Biomed Sci] Full Article

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

DiscGenics Announces US Clinical Study of Cell Therapy for Disc Degeneration Clears Final Planned Safety Review

DiscGenics, Inc. announced that it has received the go-ahead from an independent data safety monitoring committee to enroll the final 24 patients in its first-in-human US clinical study of IDCT, an allogeneic, injectable disc cell therapy for mild to moderate degenerative disc disease. [DiscGenics, Inc.] Press Release

Florida Tech to Build $18M Health Sciences Research Center

Florida Institute of Technology will break ground in spring 2020 on a 61,000-square-foot Health Sciences Research Center that will help fill the growing demand for jobs in biomedical engineering and science and allow students and faculty to conduct critical research in labs equipped with the latest cutting-edge technologies, from virtual-dissection tables to atomic force microscopes. [Florida Institute of Technology] Press Release

California Wildfires and Power Outages Cause Disruptions for Scientists

Wildfires whipped up by hurricane-force winds have led to evacuations and precautionary power outages across California over the past few days. Major research institutions, including the University of California, Berkeley, endured their second blackout in a month. [Nature News] Editorial

Increase in Academics Leaving the UK Since Brexit Vote

After the 2016 Brexit referendum, in which voters decided to have the UK leave the European Union (EU), the number of academics from EU countries leaving the United Kingdom for other university jobs increased by almost half, according to Times Higher Education. [The Scientist] Editorial

PhD-Turned-Policy Insider Takes Over World’s Largest Science Society

in January 2020, the 46-year-old structural biologist Sudip Parikh will become the new CEO of AAAS (which publishes Science) as the 171-year-old association pursues its mission to advance science and serve society. [ScienceInsider] Editorial

NEW 10^th International Meeting of the Stem Cell Network North Rhine-Westphalia
June 8-9, 2020
Aachen, Germany

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

NEW Research Assistant – Stem Cells and Engineering (New York Blood Center)

Postdoctoral Researcher – CRISPR/Cas9 in ESCs (Institute of Molecular Biology GmbH)

Postdoctoral Researcher – iPSC Models in Neurology (IRIBHM)

Postdoctoral Scientist – Regenerative Medicine (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center)

PhD Position – Human Inducible Stem Cells (University of Fribourg)

Research Associate – Computational Image Analysis and AI (University of Bristol)

Group Leader – Stem Cell Science (University of Cambridge)

Faculty Position – Stem Cell Biology (Children’s Research Institute at UT Southwestern)

Assistant Specialist – Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (University of California, Davis)

Postdoctoral Fellows – Striated Muscle Regeneration (Duke University)

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

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