ESC & iPSC News Volume 5.09 | Mar 10 2010

TOP STORY

Opposing MicroRNA Families Regulate Self-Renewal in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Findings show how the embryonic stem cell cell cycle regulating miRNAs and let-7 miRNAs act through common pathways to alternatively stabilize the self-renewing versus differentiated cell fates. [Nature]

		Defining Characteristics of Bona Fide Human iPS Cells Speaker: Sutheera Ratanasirintrawoot, PhD Candidate G. Daley & T. Schlaeger Labs, Harvard Medical School
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SPECIAL FEATURE

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Training Course
Friday, March 26 & Saturday, March 27
Vancouver, Canada

SCIENCE NEWS

Deceptive Model
They are considered to be the most important model organism for research into human biology: mice may look totally different, but they are in many ways similar to Homo sapiens on a fundamental level. [Press release from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine discussing the online prepublication in Cell Stem Cell]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Reprogrammed Cells Come Up Short, for Now
Recent research papers offer some of the first side-by-side comparisons of human induced pluripotent stem and human embryonic stem cells as they differentiate into various kinds of cells. [Science]

Conserved and Divergent Roles of Fibroblast Growth Factor Signaling in Mouse Epiblast Stem Cells and Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Investigators show that activation of the Activin pathway promotes self-renewal of epiblast stem cells via direct activation of Nanog, whereas inhibition of this pathway induces neuroectodermal differentiation, like in human embryonic stem cells. [Cell Stem Cell]

Embryonic Medial Ganglionic Eminence Precursor Cells Grafted into Adult Rat Striatum Integrate and Ameliorate Motor Symptoms in 6-Hydroxydopamine-Lesioned Rats
Researchers investigated a strategy to ameliorate the motor symptoms of rats that received 6-hydroxydopamine lesions, a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease, through transplantation of embryonic medial ganglionic eminence cells into the striatum. [Cell Stem Cell]

Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Promotes the Proliferation of Developing Cardiomyocytes In Vivo and in Derivation from Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Findings indicated that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor is critically involved in cardiomyocyte proliferation during development, and may be used to boost the yield of cardiomyocytes from embryonic stem cells for their potential application to regenerative medicine. [Cell Stem Cell]

Functional Mesenchymal Stem Cells Derived from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Attenuate Limb Ischemia in Mice
This study aimed to generate and characterize human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells and to investigate their biological function for the treatment of limb ischemia. [Circulation]

Human Embryonic Stem Cells: A Source of Mast Cells for the Study of Allergic and Inflammatory Diseases
Direct co-culture-free differentiation of human embryonic stem cells represents a new and unique model to analyze the function and development of human mast cells. [Blood]

An Effective Serum- and Xeno-Free Chemically Defined Freezing Procedure for Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
The defined freezing-thawing system described here offers an excellent simple option for banking of human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. [Hum Reprod]

Differentiation of Primate Embryonic Stem Cells into Retinal Cells Induced by Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Pigmented Cells
Results indicate that coculturing embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with ESC-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells is a useful and efficient method for inducing photoreceptors and providing an insight into the use of ESCs for retina regeneration. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun]

INDUSTRY NEWS

Contract’s End Means Changes for Stem Cell Scene
Although the University of Wisconsin (UW) community has remained a leader in the field of stem cell research, WiCell, a non-profit organization that supports stem cell research in collaboration with UW, is currently undergoing major changes after the federal contract that created the National Stem Cell Bank expired this week. [University of Wisconsin Press Release]

Geron Highlights Product Launch From Collaboration with Corning – The Synthemax™ Surface for Scalable Growth of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Geron Corporation announced that Corning Incorporated has launched the Synthemax™ surface, a new synthetic matrix for growing human embryonic stem cells, developed under a collaboration and license agreement between the two companies. [Geron Corporation Press Release]

Axiogenesis Announces Worldwide, Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Lonza Cologne
The agreement includes Axiogenesis’s current product and service portfolio, including the industry standard Cor.At^® mouse embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. [Axiogenesis AG Press Release]

Stem Cell Research Center to Open at University of California, Davis Medical Center
University of California, Davis will open a $62 million stem cell facility at its medical center campus in Sacramento. [Sacramento Business Journal]

POLICY NEWS

Canadian Budget Light on New Research Dollars
Relief was the order of the day for Canadian scientists as the federal government brought down its fiscal blueprint for 2010-11. [Conservative Party, Canada]

In Annual Rite, Chinese Science Showered With Riches
At the opening session of the National People’s Congress, officials announced that the science and technology budget will rise 8% to 163.3 billion RMB ($24 billion) in 2010. [National People’s Congress, China]

Third Time’s the Charm for Stem Cell Legislation?
United States Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Michael Castle (R-DE) announced recently their plan to introduce legislation to move human embryonic stem cell guidelines out of the realm of potentially capricious executive orders and into law. [United States Congress, United States]

Guidance for Industry: Characterization and Qualification of Cell Substrates and Other Biological Materials Used in the Production of Viral Vaccines for Infectious Disease Indications; Availability, 9905-9906 [2010-4553] [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Request for Information (RFI): To Solicit Input for the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) Strategic Plan for Training and Career Development (NOT-GM-10-102) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Correction to Required Budget Component for PAR-09-084: Enhancing Developmental Biology Research at Undergraduate Institutions Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15) (NOT-HD-10-007) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Clarification of Budget Form for PAR-09-092 Academic-Community Partnership Conference Series (U13) (NOT-HD-10-009) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Recovery Act Limited Competition: The National Institutes of Health Director’s American Recovery & Reinvestment Act Funded Pathfinder Award to Promote Diversity in the Scientific Workforce (DP4) (RFA-OD-10-013) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Minority Access to Research Careers Undergraduate Student Training in Academic Research (U-STAR) National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Research Training Grant (T34) (PAR-10-119) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

EVENTS

American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 101st Annual Meeting 2010
April 17-21, 2010
Washington, DC, United States

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

World Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine Congress 2010
May 11-13, 2010
London, United Kingdom

16th Annual 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

United Kingdom National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN) Third Annual Scientific Conference
July 12-14, 2010
Nottingham, United Kingdom

3rd Annual Stem Cells Europe
August 24-25, 2010
Edinburgh, Scotland

International Society of Cell Therapy (ISCT) Annual Meeting – Europe
September 11-14, 2010
Belgirate, Italy

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

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