Project Objective: Tool/Resources/Bottleneck
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 […]
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 […]
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Cardiovascular Diagnostics
Our objective is to use induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology to produce a cell-based test for long QT syndrome (LQTS), a major form of sudden cardiac death. Nearly 500,000 people in the US die of sudden cardiac death each year. LQTS can be triggered by drug exposure or stresses. Drug-induced LQTS is the single […]
Safe, efficient creation of human induced pluripotent stem cells without the use of retroviruses
Embryonic stem cells open up exciting new prospects for medicine, because they can differentiate into any tissue in the body. Therefore, they have the potential to be used to repair faulty tissues in diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and neural disorders. Furthermore, stem cells can be corrected by gene therapy and transplanted, in order to […]
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 […]
Induction of pluripotent stem cells by small RNA-guided transcriptional activation
Embryonic stem cells have great potential in therapeutic use to replace diseased or damaged tissues because they have the unique capability of giving rise to any cell type of the body while perpetuating their own identity, even after repeated cell divisions. Recent advances in this area have resulted in a new way to generate stem […]
Development of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Modeling Human Disease
Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) hold great promise in regenerative medicine and cell replacement therapies because of their unique ability to self-renew and their developmental potential to form all cell lineages in the body. Traditional techniques for generating hESC rely on surplus IVF embryos and are incompatible with the generation of genetically diverse, patient or […]
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 […]