ESC & iPSC News Volume 5.04 | Feb 3 2010

TOP STORY

Babraham Research Provides Insight into the Reprogramming of Cell Fate
Research reveals that a protein called AID plays an intriguing role in erasing the chemical marks that appear on the genome as an embryo develops and determines what a cell’s identity will be. [Press release from Babraham discussing the online prepublication in Nature]

SCIENCE NEWS

Dramatic Transformation: Researchers Directly Turn Mouse Skin Cells into Neurons, Skipping Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Stage
Scientists have succeeded in the ultimate switch: transforming mouse skin cells in a laboratory dish directly into functional nerve cells with the application of just three genes. [Press release from the Stanford University School of Medicine discussing the online prepublication in the Journal Nature]

Stem Cell Breakthrough: Bone Marrow Cells Are the Answer
New research shows that bone marrow cells fuse to different types of cells, including embryonic stem cells, creating new hybrids that may evade immune rejection. [Press release from University of Iowa discussing the online prepublication in the FASEB Journal]

Derive iPSCs feeder-free* with mTeSR®1 by STEMCELL Technologies     *Sun et al., PNAS, 2009

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Direct Conversion of Fibroblasts to Functional Neurons by Defined Factors
Starting from a pool of nineteen candidate genes, researchers identified a combination of only three factors, Ascl1, Brn2 (also called Pou3f2) and Myt1l, that suffice to rapidly and efficiently convert mouse embryonic and postnatal fibroblasts into functional neurons in vitro. [Nature]

Alpha Thalassemia/Mental Retardation Syndrome X-Linked Protein Interacts with H3.3 in Maintaining Telomere Structural Integrity in Pluripotent Embryonic Stem Cells
Investigators demonstrate alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked localization at the telomeres in interphase mouse embryonic stem cells in synchrony with the incorporation of H3.3 during telomere replication at S phase. [Genome Res ]

Partner of Sld Five 1, a DNA Replication Factor Expressed Widely in Stem and Progenitor Cells, Drives Tumorigenic and Metastatic Properties
Findings implicate partner of sld five 1 in tumorigenesis and offer initial evidence of its potential as a theranostic target. [Cancer Res]

Exogenous Expression of HIF-1alpha Promotes Cardiac Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells
Ken activation of the HIF-1 pathway enhances differentiation and maturation of cardiomyocytes derived from embryonic stem cells. [J Mol Cell Cardiol] 

Lipid Rafts Play an Important Role for Maintenance of Embryonic Stem Cell Self-Renewal
Researchers investigated the role of lipid rafts in the maintenance of embryonic stem cell self-renewal. [J Lipid Res]

Propagation of Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in an Indirect Co-Culture System
Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) cultured on membranes by indirect co-culture with fibroblasts were indistinguishable by multiple criteria from hPSCs cultured directly on a fibroblast feeder layer. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] 

Culture Conditions and Enzymatic Passaging of Bovine Embryonic Stem Cell-Like Cells
The goals of the current study were to (1) improve culture conditions and (2) chemical passaging of bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells. [Cloning Stem Cells]

The Infarcted Cardiac Microenvironment Cannot Selectively Promote Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation into Cardiomyocytes
Transplanted mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) cannot only survive but differentiate into cardiomyocytes in infarcted rat hearts. However, the infarcted cardiac microenvironment cannot selectively promote mESCs differentiation into cardiomyocytes. [Cardiovasc Pathol]

INDUSTRY NEWS

New Way to Grow Embryonic Stem Cells Holds Promise of Dramatic Reduction in Animal Use
The winner of this year’s annual NC3Rs 3Rs Prize has developed a new method of priming early embryos to form embryonic stem cells. [National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research Press Release]

Gladstone’s Yamanaka Receives March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology
Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, was awarded the 2010 March of Dimes Prize in Developmental Biology. [Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease Press Release]

Limb Regeneration and Attosecond Research Each Get $1 Million from Keck Foundation
Two University of California, Berkeley, research projects that push the boundaries of their fields have each received $1 million grants from the W.M. Keck Foundation. [University of California, Berkeley Press Release]

£5M Funding Partnership to Bring New Innovation and Economic Benefit to United Kingdom
A £5M development at the Norwich Research Park, funded by a partnership including the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council will provide facilities for start-up and growing businesses that will turn world-class science into products and technologies. [Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Press Release]

T. Denny Sanford Donates $50 Million to Burnham Institute for Medical Research
Burnham Institute for Medical Research announced that philanthropist T. Denny Sanford has pledged $50 million to support and further expand and accelerate the Institute’s leading-edge medical research. [Sanford-Burnham Institute for Medical Research Press Release]

Stem Cell Therapy Closes Merger with Histostem
Stem Cell Therapy International Inc. completed its merger with Histostem Ltd of South Korea. [Tampa Bay Business Journal]

POLICY NEWS

Stem Cell Bill Amended to Legalize Treatments Only
A senate bill that could repeal the state’s ban on stem cells passed a senate committee recently and is now headed to the full senate. [South Dakota Senate, United States]

Virginia Governor McDonnell Proposes More Biotech Funding
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell made biotech initiatives a visible part of a job creation agenda he unveiled recently. [Virginia Republican Party, United States]

Small Business Matching Grant Program
The primary objective of the Small Business Matching Grant Program is to provide grants to commercialization-ready life sciences and technology companies that have received at least the equivalent of a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research or Small Business Technology Transfer grant from federal agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, etc. [Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, United States]

2009 Meeting Materials, Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee – December 15, 2009 Meeting Transcript Posted [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Science Board to the Food and Drug Administration; Notice of Meeting [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

National Institutes of Health Approves Wisconsin H1 Stem Cell Line for Continued Use in Federally Funded Research
Recently, the National Institutes of Health officially approved the H1, also known as the WA1 line, for continued use in research funded by the U.S. government and added it to the National Stem Cell Registry. [National Institutes of Health, United States]

UPDATE TO RFA-OD-10-001: ARRAOS Recovery Act Limited Competition: Behavioral Economics for Nudging the Implementation of Comparative Effectiveness Research: Clinical Trials (RC4) – Announcement of Additional Funds Availability and Increased Allowable Total Costs (NOT-OD-10-053) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (U54) (RFA-RM-10-001) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

EVENTS

SMi’s 2nd Annual Stem Cells Conference 2010
February 15-16, 2010
London, United Kingdom

Keystone Symposia: Stem Cell Differentiation and Dedifferentiation (B4)
February 15-20, 2010
Keystone, United States

5th Annual Stem Cell Summit
February 16, 2010
New York, United States

Society for Biological Engineering’s (SBE) 2nd International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering
May 2-5, 2010
Boston, United States

16th International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) Meeting
May 23-26, 2010
Philadelphia, United States

Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) – European Union 2010
June 13-17, 2010
Galway, Ireland

International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 8th Annual Meeting
June 16-19, 2010
San Francisco, United States

5th World Congress on Preventive & Regenerative Medicine
October 5-7, 2010
Hannover Germany

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Business Development Europe – Cell Therapy Products (PALL Corporation)

Research & Development Scientist – Pancreatic Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies)

Research & Development Scientist – Endothelial Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies)

Research & Development Scientist – Epithelial Cell Biology (STEMCELL Technologies)

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