Human Stem Cell Use: Embryonic Stem Cell
Derivation of Parkinson’s Disease Coded-Stem Cells (PD-SCs)
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is currently the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, severely debilitating approximately 1-2% of the US population. The disease is caused by a selective loss of dopamine-producing neurons located in a specific region of the brain. This loss leads to significant motor function impairment and age-dependent tremors. Unfortunately there is currently no cure […]
Derivation and comparative analysis of human pluripotent ESCs, iPSCs and SSCs: Convergence to an embryonic phenotype
This is an unprecedented time in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Today, we have cell lines and tools that did not exist just a few years ago. Indeed, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were derived from pre-implantation embryos just 10 years ago; more recently in the past year, cells with extensive similarities to ESCs […]
New Technology for the Derivation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines for Clinical Use
Since their discovery almost ten years ago, there has been steady progress towards the application of human embryonic stem (ES) cells in medicine. Now, the field is on the threshold of a new era. Recent results from several laboratories show that human skin cells can be converted to cells resembling ES cells through simple genetic […]
Derivation and analysis of pluripotent stem cell lines with inherited TGF-b mediated disorders from donated IVF embryos and reprogrammed adult skin fibroblasts
The field of regenerative medicine revolves around the capacity of a subset of cells, called stem cells, to become the mature tissues of the adult human body. By studying stem cells, we hope to develop methods and reagents for treating disease. For instance, we hope to develop methods for making stem cells become cardiovascular cells […]
Derivation of hESC Lines with Disease Lesions
The inner workings of the nervous system which regulate normal body movements, thought processes, feelings and senses are highly complex. How the nervous system relays and receives this variety of information is little understood, although significant inroads are being made to deduce underlying causes of many forms of neurological disorders. Many forms of retardation are […]
Derivation of New ICM-stage hESCs
Recent studies in the derivation of rodent pluripotent epiblast stem cells and their molecular characterizations have provided strong evidence that the conventional human embryonic stem cells may represent a distinct, later developmental stage, i.e. late epiblast stage, than the conventional murine embryonic stem cells, which is a “capture” of the ICM stage. Those two stages […]
Derivation of New ICM-stage hESCs
Recent studies in the derivation of rodent pluripotent epiblast stem cells and their molecular characterizations have provided strong evidence that the conventional human embryonic stem cells may represent a distinct, later developmental stage, i.e. late epiblast stage, than the conventional murine embryonic stem cells, which is a “capture” of the ICM stage. Those two stages […]
Optimization of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derivation Techniques and Production/Distribution of GMP-Grade Lines
The government has strict rules for producing cells that will be transplanted into patients. For example, these regulations discourage the use of animal products that could transmit diseases to humans. In this context, the high-quality and tightly regulated procedures that govern other cell-based therapies, e.g., bone marrow transplants, will be applied to regenerative-type clinical applications […]
Generation of Pluripotent Cell Lines from Human Embryos
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) hold significant promise for regenerative medicine. In this application our goal is to derive hESC lines from pre-implantation embryos to generate a source of low passage lines that can be used in research and to develop the procedures required to generate a clinic grade cell-based product. In this application we […]
New Cell Lines for Huntington’s Disease
Huntington’s disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease with a 1/10,000 disease risk that always leads to death. These numbers do not fully reflect the large societal and familial cost of HD, which requires extensive caregiving and has a 50% chance of passing the mutation to the next generation. Current treatments treat some symptoms but […]