A prestigious scientific honor adds to the legacy of stem cell pioneer James Thomson. James Thomson Thomson, who first derived human embryonic stem cells in 1998 and reprogrammed human skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells in 2007, has earned the McEwen Award for Innovation from the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). He is being honored for his work in isolating human pluripotent stem cells, which revealed new possibilities for basic biology, drug discovery and cell-based therapies. "It's an honor to be recognized with the McEwen Award and I'm pleased that my work-and the work of many key collaborators in this field has created new avenues for understanding and addressing challenges in human health," said Thomson. Thomson is director of regenerative biology at the Morgridge Institute for Research and the James Kress professor of embryonic stem cell biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is a John D. MacArthur professor at UW-Madison's School of Medicine and Public Health and a professor in the department of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Thomson's regenerative biology lab at the Morgridge Institute for Research focuses on how cells maintain or change identity as well … Continue reading →

Public release date: 4-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: Les Lang llang@med.unc.edu 919-966-9366 University of North Carolina Health Care CHAPEL HILL, N.C. For the first time, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have isolated adult stem cells from human intestinal tissue. The accomplishment provides a much-needed resource for scientists eager to uncover the true mechanisms of human stem cell biology. It also enables them to explore new tactics to treat inflammatory bowel disease or to ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, which often damage the gut. "Not having these cells to study has been a significant roadblock to research," said senior study author Scott T. Magness, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of medicine, biomedical engineering, and cell and molecular physiology at UNC. "Until now, we have not had the technology to isolate and study these stem cells now we have to tools to start solving many of these problems" The UNC study, published online April 4, 2013, in the journal Stem Cells, represents a leap forward for a field that for many years has had to resort to conducting experiments in cells from mice. While significant progress has been made using … Continue reading →

Apr. 4, 2013 For the first time, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have isolated adult stem cells from human intestinal tissue. The accomplishment provides a much-needed resource for scientists eager to uncover the true mechanisms of human stem cell biology. It also enables them to explore new tactics to treat inflammatory bowel disease or to ameliorate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation, which often damage the gut. "Not having these cells to study has been a significant roadblock to research," said senior study author Scott T. Magness, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of medicine, biomedical engineering, and cell biology and physiology at UNC. "Until now, we have not had the technology to isolate and study these stem cells -- now we have to tools to start solving many of these problems" The UNC study, published online April 4, 2013, in the journal Stem Cells, represents a leap forward for a field that for many years has had to resort to conducting experiments in cells from mice. While significant progress has been made using mouse models, differences in stem cell biology between mice and humans have kept researchers from investigating new therapeutics for human … Continue reading →

Public release date: 3-Apr-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ] Contact: David McKeon dmckeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation NEW YORK, NY (April 3, 2013) A team of New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute scientists led by David Kahler, PhD, NYSCF Director of Laboratory Automation, have developed a new way to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines from human fibroblasts, acquired from both healthy and diseased donors. Reported in PLOS ONE, this cell-sorting method consistently selects the highest quality, standardized iPS cells, representing a major step forward for drug discovery and the development of cell therapies. Employing a breakthrough method developed by 2012 Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, adult cells are "reprogrammed" or reverted to an embryonic-like state, commonly through viral infection. Reprogramming is a dynamic process, resulting in a mixture of fully reprogrammed iPS cells, partially reprogrammed cells, and residual adult cells. Previous protocols to select promising fully reprogrammed cells rely primarily on judging stem cell colonies by eye through a microscope. Cell colonies selected by qualitative measures could include partially reprogrammed cells, a major concern for clinical applications of cell therapies because these cells could become any other cell type in a patient … Continue reading →

Apr. 3, 2013 A team of New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute scientists led by David Kahler, PhD, NYSCF Director of Laboratory Automation, have developed a new way to generate induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines from human fibroblasts, acquired from both healthy and diseased donors. Reported in PLOS ONE, this cell-sorting method consistently selects the highest quality, standardized iPS cells, representing a major step forward for drug discovery and the development of cell therapies. Employing a breakthrough method developed by 2012 Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD, adult cells are "reprogrammed" or reverted to an embryonic-like state, commonly through viral infection. Reprogramming is a dynamic process, resulting in a mixture of fully reprogrammed iPS cells, partially reprogrammed cells, and residual adult cells. Previous protocols to select promising fully reprogrammed cells rely primarily on judging stem cell colonies by eye through a microscope. Cell colonies selected by qualitative measures could include partially reprogrammed cells, a major concern for clinical applications of cell therapies because these cells could become any other cell type in a patient following transplantation. Additionally for drug efficacy assays and toxicity investigations on iPS cells, heterogeneous cell populations can mar the response of representative iPS … Continue reading →