Project Objective: Tool/Resources/Bottleneck
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 […]
Protein transduction of transcription factors: a non-genetic approach to generate new pluripotent cell lines from human skin.
More than 100,000 patients await for organ transplants nationwide this year. The ground-breaking discovery of new pluripotent human stem cell lines (iPS) derived from skin fibroblasts using a core of 3-5 transcription factors opens the door to patient-derived pluripotent stem cells and new approaches to organ and tissue replacement. Patient-derived stem cells could have an […]
Preclinical Model for Labeling, Transplant, and In Vivo Imaging of Differentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells
The derivation and culture of human embryonic stem cells has provided new possibilities for treatment of a wide variety of human diseases because these cells have the potential to help regenerate and repair many types of damaged tissue. Diseases for which such cell-based treatments may be helpful include obstructive renal disease, a disorder for which […]
Human oocyte development for genetic, pharmacological and reprogramming applications
Patient-specific cells with nuclear transfer
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (NT) is a powerful research tool with the potential for creating unique cell and tissue sources for studies of disease pathogenesis and regenerative medicine. Creation of pluripotent mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells using NT has been achieved and the prospects for generating human ES cells by NT are promising. However, there […]
In Vivo Imaging of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derivatives and Tumorigenicity
Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are one of the most fascinating subjects of interest in all of biology and medicine these days. Under certain physiologic conditions, they can be induced to become specialized cells such as brain, cardiac, liver, pancreatic, and bone marrow cells. This opens up the exciting possibility that hESCs may one day […]
Novel vectors for gene transfer into human ES cells
Human embryonic stem cells have a great potential for medical therapeutics. However, the genes required for altering the fate of these cells to differentiate into a particular tissue or cell type is not well understood. The ability to efficiently transfer genes or silence genes in ES cells would be of great benefit for two reasons: […]
A method to maintain and propagate pluripotent human ES cells
Human embryonic stem (hES) cells are pluripotent such that they can differentiate into all three germ layers, thus potentially all different types of tissues of the body. Pluripotency is characteristic of only embryonic cells, but it can also be achieved by reprogramming differentiated cells by transferring nuclear contents into unfertilized, enucleated oocytes or by fusing […]
Labeling of human embryonic stem cells with iron oxide nanoparticles and fluorescent dyes for a non-invasive cell depiction with MR imaging and optical imaging
Non-invasive imaging techniques for an in vivo tracking of transplanted stem cells offer real-time insight into the underlying biological processes of new stem cell based therapies, with the aim to depict stem cell migration, homing and engraftment at organ, tissue and cellular levels. We showed in previous experiments, that stem cells can be labeled effectively […]
Technology for hESC-Derived Cardiomyocyte Differentiation and Optimization of Graft-Host Integration in Adult Myocardium
Stem cells therapies hold great promise in the treatment of cardiac diseases such as coronary heart disease or congestive heart failure. Thanks to their ability to transform into almost any kind of tissue, engrafted stem cells can potentially replace damaged heart tissues with healthy tissues, effectively restoring the heart’s original functions. While initial studies demonstrated […]