Stem cell research has long been seen as a new frontier for disease therapeutics. By coaxing stem cells to form 3D miniature lung structures, University researchers are helping explain why. In a collaborative study, University researchers devised a system to generate self-organizing human lung organoids, or artificially-grown organisms. These organoids are 3D models that can be used to better understand lung diseases. Jason Spence, the assistant professor of internal medicine and cell and developmental biology, who was a senior author of the study, said one of the key implications of these lungs is the controlled environment they offer for future research. These mini lungs will allow us to study diseases in a controlled environment and to develop and test new drugs, he said. Specifically, Spence said, scientists will be able to take skin samples from patients with a particular form of a lung disease, reprogram the cells into stem cells and then generate lung tissue for further study. He said by analyzing the disease in a controlled environment, researchers can gain insight into the progression of various diseases and then tailor drugs for treatment. Rackham student Briana Dye was also a lead author of the study. She said the team … Continue reading →

Madison-based stem cell company Cellular Dynamics InternationalInc. is being acquired by Tokyo-based Fujifilm Holdings Corp., the companies announced in a news release Monday. The deal was described as "an all-cash tender offer to be followed by a second step merger," with Fujifilm buying all shares of CDI stock for $16.50 per share, valuing the deal at about $307 million. The offer is a premium of 108 percent to to CDI's closing stock price on Friday. When the deal is completed, CDI will continue to run its operations in Madison and Novato, California as a consolidated subsidiary of Fujifilm. CDI had 155 employees at the end of 2014. The deal, which is expected to close during the second quarter, has been approved by the boards of both companies. "CDI has become a leader in the development and manufacture of fully functioning human cells in industrial quantities to precise specifications,"Robert J. Palay, Chairman and CEO of CDI, said in the release. "CDI and Fujifilm share a common strategic vision for achieving leadership in the field of regenerative medicine. The combination of CDI's technology with Fujifilm's technologies, know-how, and resources brings us ever closer to realizing the promise of discovering better, safer medicines … Continue reading →

Yorba Linda, CA (PRWEB) March 30, 2015 Developing new treatments for Diabetes Type 2 complications is challenging due to the use of cellular models that recapitulate only some subset of the specific features, but not the entirety of the disease. A company that specializes in developing and manufacturing fully functioning human cells to precise specifications has created iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells), which have been used to develop environmentally and genetically driven in vitro models of Diabetes Type 2. The development process involves mimicking diabetic clinical chemistry to induce a phenotypic surrogate of diabetic cardiomyopathy, observing structural and functional disarray. Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) is sponsoring a new educational webinar, Diabetic Cardiomyopathy Modeling & Screening with iPSC-derived Cardiomyocytes, to present the first patient-specific iPSC model of a complex metabolic condition, demonstrating the power of this model for discovery and testing of new therapeutic strategies. The webinar concludes with the presentation of a new approach using chemical biology to ultimately elucidate novel mechanisms activating the repair and regeneration of cardiomyocytes. Webinar speakers are Roberto Iacone, PhD and Brad Swanson, PhD. Dr. Iacone, Senior Principal Scientist at Roche, pharma and research development (pRED), Basel, Switzerland, established the Stem Cell Group in the … Continue reading →