Mesenchymal Cell News Volume 2.16 | Apr 27 2010

TOP STORY

Study Confirms Location of Stem Cells Near Cartilage-Rich Regions in Bones
Working with mice, a team of researchers has pinpointed the location of bone generating stem cells in the spine, at the ends of shins, and in other bones. [Press release from National Institutes of Health discussing online prepublication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA]

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SCIENCE NEWS

Scientist Grows Jaw Bone From Adult Stem Cells
A Columbia scientist has become the first to grow a complex, full-size bone from human adult stem cells. [Press release from Columbia University discussing online prepublication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA]

Baby’s Calcium Might Play Defining Role in Adult Bone Health
Too little calcium in the early weeks of life may reprogram certain stem cells – those in the marrow – in ways that permanently compromise bone structure. Perhaps even fostering osteoporosis. [Science News Press Release]

Body Builders – The Worms that Point the Way to Understanding Tissue Regeneration
Scientists have discovered the gene that enables an extraordinary worm to regenerate its own body parts after amputation – including a whole head and brain. [Press release from The University of Nottingham discussing online prepublication in PLoS Genetics]

Stem Cells from Surgery Leftovers Could Repair Damaged Hearts
Scientists have for the first time succeeded in extracting vital stem cells from sections of vein removed for heart bypass surgery. [Press release from The University of Bristol discussing online prepublication in Circulation]

CURRENT PUBLICATIONS

Harnessing Traction-Mediated Manipulation of the Cell/Matrix Interface to Control Stem Cell Fate
Findings suggest that cells interpret changes in the physical properties of adhesion substrates as changes in adhesion-ligand presentation, and that cells themselves can be harnessed as tools to mechanically process materials into structures that feed back to manipulate their fate. [Nat Mater]

Beta-Catenin Activity in the Dermal Papilla Regulates Morphogenesis and Regeneration of Hair
This study reveals a signaling loop that employs Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in both epithelial progenitor cells and their mesenchymal niche to govern and coordinate the interactions between these compartments to guide hair morphogenesis. [Dev Cell]

Alternate Protein Kinase A Activity Identifies a Unique Population of Stromal Cells in Adult Bone
These studies show that a specific subpopulation of adult bone stromal cells can be stimulated in adult bone by alternate protein kinase A and catalytic subunit activity; abnormal proliferation of these cells leads to skeletal lesions that have similarities to human fibrous dysplasia and bone tumors. [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]

The TALE Class Homeobox Gene Smed-Prep Defines the Anterior Compartment for Head Regeneration
Results suggest that Smed-prep is required in stem cell progeny as they form the anterior regenerative blastema and is required for specifying anterior cell fates and correct patterning. [PLoS Genet]

Sprouty1 is a Critical Regulatory Switch of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Lineage Allocation
Researchers tested whether Spry1 can modify the development of fat cells through its activity in regulating growth factors known to be important for adipogenesis. [FASEB J]

Enhancement of Bone Regeneration by Gene Delivery of BMP2/Runx2 Bicistronic Vector into Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells
These findings demonstrate that the co-transfection of two osteogenic lineage-determining genes can enhance osteogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stromal cells. [Biomaterials]

Toward Brain Tumor Gene Therapy Using Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Vectors
Researchers examine recent findings demonstrating that MSCs share many characteristics with pericytes and that implanted mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) localize primarily to perivascular niches within tumors, which might have therapeutic implications. [Mol Ther]

Promoter DNA Methylation Patterns of Differentiated Cells Are Largely Programmed at the Progenitor Stage
Investigators find that most lineage-specification promoters are DNA hypomethylated and harbor a combination of trimethylated H3K4 and H3K27, while early developmental genes are DNA hypermethylated with or without H3K27 methylation. [Mol Biol Cell]

Repair of Traumatic Skeletal Muscle Injury with Bone Marrow Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Seeded on Extracellular Matrix
The data suggest that the repair of a skeletal muscle defect injury by the implantation of a muscle-derived extracellular matrix scaffold seeded with mesenchymal stem cells can improve functional recovery after 42 days. [Tissue Eng Part A]

Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Direction to a Phenotype Sharing Similarities with the Disc, Gene Expression Profiling, and Co-culture with Human Annulus Cells
Data indicated that human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) can successfully be manipulated in 3D culture to express gene products important in the disc, and that co-culture of annulus cells with AD-MSC enhances total glycosaminoglycan production. [Tissue Eng Part A]

INDUSTRY NEWS

Acorda Therapeutics Announces Investigational New Drug Application Accepted for GGF2 for Treatment of Heart Failure
Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. announced plans to initiate a Phase I single-dose clinical trial of the Company’s compound, Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2), in patients with heart failure in mid-2010, based on an investigational new drug application filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on March 19, 2010. [Acorda Therapeutics Press Release]

Ontario’s $11.5 Million Will Build Network for Stem Cell-Based Therapies
McMaster University’s Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute has received $11.5 million to lead a world-class initiative to develop new stem cell-based therapies. [McMaster University Press Release]

Biotech Gets Lease Agreement Go-Ahead from Rochester Council
The Rochester City Council approved a lease agreement at its regular meeting allowing the company to open a manufacturing facility on the third floor of the city’s Minnesota Bioscience Center. [Post-Bulletin]

POLICY NEWS

Michigan Senate Passes Stem Cell Regulation Package
The Republican-led Senate passed a package of regulations critics say will place a chill on stem cell research in violation of the Michigan Constitution. [Michigan Senate, United States]

Instructions for Completion and Technical Evaluation of the Vertebrate Animal Section (VAS) in NIH Contract Proposals (NOT-OD-10-049) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Request for Information (RFI): Priorities for the NIH Adherence Research Network (NOT-OD-10-078) [National Institutes of Health, United States]

Waivers for Conflicts of Interest for the May 7, 2010 Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee Meeting [Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, United States]

FDA Announces Draft Revised Guidance on Transparency and Advisory Committees [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Risk Communication Advisory Committee; Notice of Meeting [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0001] [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

Draft Guidance for the Public, Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Members, and Food and Drug Administration Staff: Public Availability of Advisory Committee Members’ Financial Interest Information and Waivers; Availability [Docket No. FDA-2002-D-0094] [Food and Drug Administration, United States]

EVENTS

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

European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Stem Cells, Tissue Homeostasis and Cancer Conference
May 12-15, 2010
Heidelberg, Germany

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) 3rd Annual Scientific Conference
July 12-14, 2010
Nottingham, United Kingdom

Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) – Asia Pacific 2010
September 15-17, 2010
Sydney, Australia

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

2010 American Society for Matrix Biology (ASMB) Meeting
October 24-27, 2010
Charleston, United States

52nd American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition
December 4-7, 2010
Orlando, United States

Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) – North America 2010 Annual Conference
December 5-8, 2010
Orlando, United States

Visit our events page to stay up to date with the latest events in the cell, gene and immunotherapy community.

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