Archive for the ‘Skin Stem Cells’ Category

July 3, 2014

redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports Your Universe Online

A new process known as somatic cell nuclear transfer is far better and much more accurate when it comes to coaxing embryonic stem cells out of human skin tissue, according to new research appearing in Tuesdays edition of the journal Nature.

Scientists from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), the University of California-San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies created stem cells using two different methods: nuclear transfer, which involves moving genetic material from a skin cell into an empty egg cell, and a more traditional method in which activating a small number of genes reverts adults cells back to an embryonic state.

Experts believe that stem cell therapies could someday be used to replace human cells damaged through injury or illness, including spinal cord injuries, diabetes, Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis. Human embryonic stem cells (ES cells), which are cells cultured from discarded embryos, are viewed by scientists as the gold standard of the field, and the new study reports that somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) more closely resembled ES cells.

This marks the first time that researchers had directly compared the SCNT method with the induced pluripotent stem cell (iPS cell) technique, and in a statement, co-senior author and UCSD assistant professor in reproductive medicine Dr. Louise Laurent explained that the nuclear transfer ES cells were more completely reprogrammed and had fewer alterations in gene expression and DNA methylation levels than the iPS cells.

Access to actual human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has been limited in the US due to ethical and logistical issues, forcing researchers to devise other methods to create stem cells, the study authors explained. Typically, that means creating iPS cells by taking adult cells and adding in a mixture of genes that regress those cells to a pluripotent stem-cell state. Those cells can then be coaxed into cells resembling those found in the heart or brain.

Over the past year, however, an OHSU-led team of researchers have built upon somatic cell nuclear transfer (the same technique used for cloning organisms) to transplant the DNA-containing nucleus of a skin cell into an empty human egg. Once completed, the combination naturally matures into a group of stem cells.

For the first time, the OHSU, UCSD and Salk Institute researchers conducted a direct, in-depth comparison of the two different methods. They created four nuclear transfer ES cell lines and seven iPS cell lines using the same skin cells as the donor genetic material source, and then compared them to a pair of standard human ES lines.

A battery of standard tests revealed that all 13 cell lines were shown to be pluripotent. However, when the researchers used powerful genomic techniques to take a closer look at the DNA methylation (a biochemical process responsible for turning genes on or off) and the gene expression signatures of each cell line, they discovered that the nuclear transfer ES cells more closely resembled those of ES cells than did iPS cells in both characteristics.

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Nuclear Transfer Proven An Effective Method In Stem Cell Production

When two scientific papers, published in the journal Nature in January, described an inexpensive, uncontroversial and quick method of creating stem cells, it was hailed as a path-breaking discovery.

However, five months later, the research stands discredited after Nature retracted the papers Wednesday, and the study's inclusion in the prestigious journal has cast doubts on its peer-review process. In a retraction published by Nature, the researchers admitted that several critical errors had been found in the article, and that these multiple errors impair the credibility of the study as a whole.

In the research papers published in January, scientists from the Riken Centre for Developmental Biology in Japan had described a process to convert mature skin cells into pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are embryonic -- like stem cells that can be grown into any kind cell, tissue or organ. The method described in the papers was fairly straightforward and involved immersing the cells in an acid bath to create what the researchers called Stimulus Triggered Acquired Pluripotency Stem Cells, or STAP-SC.

Currently, there are only two ways to create stem cells. One involves extracting stem cells from the embryo, which results in its destruction and is therefore considered controversial. The other method requires the insertion of DNA into adult cells and is extremely expensive. Furthermore, the stem cells created through the second method are unstable and mostly unviable due to the presence of foreign genetic material.

Since the method described in the papers did not require the destruction of an embryo or the insertion of foreign DNA, it was heralded as a revolutionary new breakthrough in stem-cell technology. However, soon after the publication of the papers, a number of errors came to light.

One of the scientists involved in the research, Teruhiko Wakayama, also called for a retraction in March. This led to an internal investigation by the Riken Centre, which found in April that the studys lead author, Haruko Obokata, had misrepresented data in her research papers.

In an editorial accompanying the retraction published Wednesday, Nature stated that the all co-authors of both the papers had finally concluded that they cannot stand behind the papers, and have decided to retract them. The editorial also stated that the episode disclosed flaws in Natures procedures, and expressed the need to move quality assurance higher up on its agenda.

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"Acid Bath Stem Cell" Breakthrough Debunked, Nature Retracts Papers

It was hailed as a fast, easy, inexpensive and uncontroversial way to produce stem cells.

Scientists took a skin cell and coaxed it into acting like an embryo, producing embryonic-like stem cells that could theoretically be turned into any cell in the body. What was described as a "breakthrough" is how these cells were coaxed -- by placing them in an acidic bath.

The process was developed primarily by researchers at the Riken Center for Developmental Biology in Japan.

But five months after their studies were published in the journal Nature, researchers are retracting the results.

"Several critical errors have been found in our article," they write in their retraction, which the journal published Wednesday.

An investigation into the studies was started by the Riken Center in February. The institution said its investigators "categorized some of the errors as misconduct."

This is not a complete surprise. One of the co-authors of the study called for a retraction in March, because he questioned some of the data that were used in the experiments, which led to the creation of so-called STAP cells (or stimulus-triggered acquisition of pluripotency cells).

In an editorial accompanying the retraction, Nature said that "errors were found in the figures, parts of the methods descriptions were found to be plagiarized, and early attempts to replicate the work failed."

The investigation found that data supposedly representing different cells and different embryos in the study were actually describing the same cells and the same embryos.

"All co-authors of both papers have finally concluded that they cannot stand behind the papers, and have decided to retract them," according to Nature.

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'Breakthrough' stem cell study retracted

hide captionThe heart beats in a mouse embryo grown with stem cells made from blood. Now the research that claimed a simple acid solution could be used to create those cells has been retracted.

The heart beats in a mouse embryo grown with stem cells made from blood. Now the research that claimed a simple acid solution could be used to create those cells has been retracted.

A prestigious scientific journal Wednesday took the unusual step of retracting some high-profile research that had generated international excitement about stem cell research.

The British scientific journal Nature retracted two papers published in January by scientists at the Riken research institute in Japan and at Harvard Medical School that claimed that they could create stem cells simply by dipping skin and blood cells into acid.

The claim raised the possibility of being able to use the cells to easily make any kind of cell in the body to treat many diseases and generated international media coverage, including some on Shots.

But other scientists almost immediately raised questions about the papers, and investigators eventually found that the research papers contained many errors. In April, Riken even concluded that Haruko Obokata, the main Japanese scientist, was guilty of scientific misconduct.

The scientists involved in the work, including Charles Vacanti at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, issued statements regretting the problems with the papers and agreeing that they should be retracted.

"I am deeply saddened by all that has transpired, and after thoughtful consideration of the errors presented in the Riken report and other concerns that have been raised, I have agreed to retract the papers," Vacanti wrote in a statement.

But Vacanti and Obokata said they still believed their techniques could work. In fact, Riken recently agreed to allow Obokata to participate in an experiment aimed at attempting to reproduce the original results.

For its part, the journal Nature said it was reviewing its policies to try to prevent future flawed papers from being published and published retractions of the two original papers as well as the editorial that accompanied them.

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Easy Method For Making Stem Cells Was Too Good To Be True

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About seven days after conception, something remarkable occurs in the clump of cells that will eventually become a new human being. They start to specialize. They take on characteristics that begin to hint at their ultimate fate as part of the skin, brain, muscle or any of the roughly 200 cell types that exist in people, and they start to form distinct layers.

Although scientists have studied this process in animals, and have tried to coax human embryonic stem cells into taking shape by flooding them with chemical signals, until now the process has not been successfully replicated in the lab. But researchers led by Ali Brivanlou, Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Professor and head of the Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology at The Rockefeller University, have done it, and it turns out that the missing ingredient is geometrical, not chemical.

Understanding what happens in this moment, when individual members of this mass of embryonic stem cells begin to specialize for the very first time and organize themselves into layers, will be a key to harnessing the promise of regenerative medicine, Brivanlou says. It brings us closer to the possibility of replacement organs grown in petri dishes and wounds that can be swiftly healed.

In the uterus, human embryonic stem cells receive chemical cues from the surrounding tissue that signal them to begin forming layers a process called gastrulation. Cells in the center begin to form ectoderm, the brain and skin of the embryo, while those migrating to the outside become mesoderm and endoderm, destined to become muscle and blood and many of the major organs, respectively.

Brivanlou and his colleagues, including postdocs Aryeh Warmflash and Benoit Sorre as well as Eric Siggia, Viola Ward Brinning and Elbert Calhoun Brinning Professor and head of the Laboratory of Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics, confined human embryonic stem cells originally derived at Rockefeller to tiny circular patterns on glass plates that had been chemically treated to form micropatterns that prevent the colonies from expanding outside a specific radius. When the researchers introduced chemical signals spurring the cells to begin gastrulation, they found the colonies that were geometrically confined in this way proceeded to form endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm and began to organize themselves just as they would have under natural conditions. Cells that were not confined did not.

By monitoring specific molecular pathways the human cells use to communicate with one another to form patterns during gastrulation something that was not previously possible because of the lack of a suitable laboratory model the researchers also learned how specific inhibitory signals generated in response to the initial chemical cues function to prevent the cells within a colony from all following the same developmental path.

The research was published June 29 in Nature Methods.

At the fundamental level, what we have developed is a new model to explore how human embryonic stem cells first differentiate into separate populations with a very reproducible spatial order just as in an embryo, says Warmflash. We can now follow individual cells in real time in order to find out what makes them specialize, and we can begin to ask questions about the underlying genetics of this process.

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Using Geometry, Researchers Coax Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Organize Themselves

Once upon a time, a ragtag bunch of Swiss scientists were hiking along the Alps when they happened upon a tree of apples so rare and spectacular that the fruit could sit for months without withering and even heal its own bruises if dropped. Naturally, their first thought was to take this magical fruit, cut it up, and put it all over their scientist faces to see how pretty it made them.

If that sounds a little too much like a fairy tale, that's because (I'm pretty sure) it is. But, the key elements are real. PhytoCellTec Malus Domestica, a stem cell derived from the Uttwiler Spatlauber apple, has become one of the buzziest skin-care ingredients of the last few years and with good reason. Because, if you follow those scientists' lead and put them all over your face, these crazy Swiss cells will indeed make you super, duper pretty.

I'd read a little of the hype around Swiss-apple stem cells on this and other sites, but the term always flew over my head and into the realm of Crazy Skin Products That Cost More Than A Car. Maybe Gwyneth and Kate Middleton can spend their pocket money on fairy-tale-science skin care, but I have a cat to support.

Then, last month on vacation in Vienna, I spotted a jar of cream labeled "Swiss Apple Formula" at a Marionnaud (kind of like European Sephora). And, y'know how sometimes foreign money doesn't feel like actual money? And, foreign beauty products always seem better than the ones you can get back home? Right, so I bought it. Plus, the matching serum.

Smash cut to the next morning when I awoke, jet-lagged and haggard but no! Jet-lagged, yes, but only haggard on the inside! My face looked as though it had slept for 11 hours and not drunk four glasses of wine with dinner. I stared at my face in the mirror and then stared at it in that crazy, magnified mirror hotels sometimes stick in the bathroom in case you'd like to really see just how huge and sun-damaged your pores are. Normally, I toss a towel over that thing lest I wind up diagnosing each new freckle as malignant skin cancer, but this morning I got up close and personal with a very happy face. It's not that it was suddenly zit and line-free, but it was calm and even. On day one it was the kind of calm and even that only I really noticed, but after a week, that changed.

I tracked down one of the most popular products in the U.S.: Emerge Labs Swiss Apple Stem Cell Serum just to make sure it wasn't the placebo effect or my magical thinking around European skin-care products. The Emerge Labs Serum (which I paired with its stem-cell moisturizer for extra stem-celliness) proved just as effective. As an added bonus, the moisturizer contains SPF 30, so I felt fully protected when the unthinkable happened I went without makeup.

A couple of weeks into using this stuff, my BB cream ran out. I don't wear a ton of it, but I normally need at least a little light face coverage, just to even things out. My nose gets red from sneezy allergies, and my aforementioned large pores are, well, quite large. But, everything seemed to just chill the hell out after a few weeks with the Swiss-apple regimen. Any discoloration seemed to even out, and I had not a blemish in sight. Even better, my skin felt constantly hydrated, but not at all greasy. I might dust on some pressed powder, but I've yet to hit Sephora for a BB refill. And, not that I'm counting, but I'm totally up to FIVE individual wow-your-skin-looks-great compliments. One friend asked if I was pregnant, so it's possible I'm too glowy now.

Since it's been just over a month, I can't speak to long-term anti-aging effects except to say that J.Lo apparently uses this product, and at 44, she looks younger than her own children. Frankly, even if it was only this magical in the short term, I still think Swiss-apple stem cells are totally worth it. PhytoCellTec is not a cheap ingredient and so neither are most of the products that contain it. But, on balance, I think having the kind of skin that lets me feel confident walking around with less makeup even no makeup is a pretty great investment.

Link:
Swiss Apple Stem Cells - Emerge Labs Skin Care

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

19-Jun-2014

Contact: David McKeon DMcKeon@nyscf.org 212-365-7440 New York Stem Cell Foundation

NEW YORK, NY (June 18, 2014) Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS) hold enormous potential to unravel the mechanisms of human illness and to develop new therapeutics. Until now, there has been no easily searchable database for investigators to find and share these important resources. This has been a major obstacle to the implementation of iPS technology.

Recognizing the research potential of shared iPS cell lines, the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute and the eagle-i Network will make NYSCF iPS cell lines and related information available to the public on a user-friendly, web-based, searchable database. The database (called the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell database) will help scientists find valuable resources, enabling collaboration, preventing duplicative work, and ultimately accelerating research.

NYSCF and eagle-i will establish an open access repository of information on large numbers of iPS cell lines. eagle-i will display information as linked open data, enabling discovery by any third party search engine. NYSCF derives hundreds of iPS cell lines from skin samples of patients with a wide variety of diseases using the NYSCF Global Stem Cell ArrayTM technology, an automated platform for high-throughput iPS cell production and differentiation. Scientists will be able to search for NYSCF iPS cell lines under several categories including disease, how the cells were reprogrammed, and patient age at the time the sample was collected.

"This important tool should have significant impact on the science community," said Lee Nadler, principal investigator of Harvard Catalyst and eagle-i. "I'm thrilled that we will contribute to this partnership by creating a user-friendly, searchable database for the iPS cell lines that NYSCF has produced, enabling researchers to search for available lines on an open access platform. The opportunities this will create are tremendous."

"We were very excited to develop this resource for stem cell scientists," said Susan L. Solomon, NYSCF Chief Executive Officer. "It is important to have open access to available resources and this collaboration with eagle-i is a prime example of interdisciplinary teams working together to provide this for the scientific community."

The alpha version of the website will be presented during the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Conference in Vancouver, Canada in June 2014. Future versions of the database will include genomic and other clinical and cellular phenotype information, including a mechanism that will allow scientists to order lines directly from the website. Soon, NYSCF and eagle-i will invite other institutions from around the world to join this collaboration and contribute their iPS cell lines to the Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell database, creating an even more robust research tool.

At the ISSCR Conference this week, Richard V. Pearse, PhD, from eagle-i will be at poster F-2245 during poster session III and NYSCF will be at booth 918 with information pertaining to this new initiative.

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NYSCF and eagle-i Network co-develop iPS cell database

(Well, OK. Maybe it is a little creepy.)

Authorities last month accused the 54-year-old of stealing $357,000 worth of regenerative medicine products from Mercy Philadelphia Hospital.

Dudek had access to the items, and the hospital, because he worked for Organogenesis, the Massachusetts-based company that manufactures the products.

Media accounts repeatedly described the products as skin grafts, which naturally triggered a host of uneasy questions.

*Were the supposed grafts being resold on a medical black market?

*Had other area hospitals been robbed as well?

*Was Dudek involved in some sort of larger, sinister scheme?

The answer to all three is a resounding "no," said Dudek's attorney, Eugene Tinari.

"Look, this is not anything that would generate headlines like something out of a horror movie," he said.

"I'm not admitting anything, but whatever happened - be it criminal, be it negligence, be it an employer-employee misunderstanding - there was not some type of nefarious [sale] of these items on a black market.

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A Skin-tilating tale?

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Jun-2014

Contact: Jacob M. van Laar j.m.vanlaar@umcutrecht.nl The JAMA Network Journals

Among patients with a severe, life-threatening type of sclerosis, treatment with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), compared to intravenous infusion of the chemotherapeutic drug cyclophosphamide, was associated with an increased treatment-related risk of death in the first year, but better long-term survival, according to a study in the June 25 issue of JAMA.

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune connective tissue disease characterized by vasculopathy (a disorder of the blood vessels), low-grade inflammation, and fibrosis (development of excess fibrous connective tissue) in skin and internal organs. Previously, small studies have shown that systemic sclerosis is responsive to treatment with autologous HSCT, although it has been unclear whether HSCT improves survival, according to background information in the article. For this study, autologous HSCT involved a multistep process beginning with infusion of high doses of cyclophosphamide and an antibody against immune cells, followed by reinfusion of the patient's own stem cells that had been previously collected from blood and purified.

Jacob M. van Laar, M.D., Ph.D., of the University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands and Dominique Farge M.D., Ph.D, of the Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris, Paris 7 Diderot University, France, and colleagues randomly assigned 156 patients with early diffuse cutaneous (widespread skin involvement) systemic sclerosis to receive HSCT (n = 79) or cyclophosphamide (n = 77; 12 monthly infusions). The phase 3 clinical trial was conducted in 10 countries at 29 centers; patients were recruited from March 2001 to October 2009 and followed up until October 2013.

During a median follow-up of 5.8 years, 53 adverse events occurred: 22 in the HSCT group (19 deaths and 3 irreversible organ failures) and 31 in the control group (23 deaths and 8 irreversible organ failures). Patients treated with HSCT experienced more adverse events (including death) in the first year but had better long-term event-free survival than those treated with cyclophosphamide.

Patients in the HCST group experienced higher mortality in the first year but had better long-term overall survival than those treated with cyclophosphamide. During year 1 there were 11 deaths (13.9 percent, including 8 treatment-related deaths) in the HSCT group vs 7 (9.1 percent, no treatment-related deaths) in the control group. After year 2 of follow-up, there were 12 deaths (15.2 percent) in the HSCT group vs 13 (16.9 percent) in the control group. After 4 years of follow-up, there were 13 deaths (16.5 percent) in the HSCT group vs 20 (26.0 percent) in the control group.

The authors add that HSCT was also more effective than intravenous cyclophosphamide on measures evaluating skin, functional ability, quality of life, and lung function, consistent with previous studies.

"Among patients with early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, HSCT was associated with increased treatment-related mortality in the first year after treatment. However, HCST conferred a significant long-term event-free survival benefit," the authors conclude.

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Stem cell transplantation for severe sclerosis associated with improved long-term survival

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Newswise Among patients with a severe, life-threatening type of sclerosis, treatment with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), compared to intravenous infusion of the chemotherapeutic drug cyclophosphamide, was associated with an increased treatment-related risk of death in the first year, but better long-term survival, according to a study in the June 25 issue of JAMA.

Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune connective tissue disease characterized by vasculopathy (a disorder of the blood vessels), low-grade inflammation, and fibrosis (development of excess fibrous connective tissue) in skin and internal organs. Previously, small studies have shown that systemic sclerosis is responsive to treatment with autologous HSCT, although it has been unclear whether HSCT improves survival, according to background information in the article. For this study, autologous HSCT involved a multistep process beginning with infusion of high doses of cyclophosphamide and an antibody against immune cells, followed by reinfusion of the patient's own stem cells that had been previously collected from blood and purified.

Jacob M. van Laar, M.D., Ph.D., of the University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands and Dominique Farge M.D., Ph.D, of the Assistance Publique - Hopitaux de Paris, Paris 7 Diderot University, France, and colleagues randomly assigned 156 patients with early diffuse cutaneous (widespread skin involvement) systemic sclerosis to receive HSCT (n = 79) or cyclophosphamide (n = 77; 12 monthly infusions). The phase 3 clinical trial was conducted in 10 countries at 29 centers; patients were recruited from March 2001 to October 2009 and followed up until October 2013.

During a median follow-up of 5.8 years, 53 adverse events occurred: 22 in the HSCT group (19 deaths and 3 irreversible organ failures) and 31 in the control group (23 deaths and 8 irreversible organ failures). Patients treated with HSCT experienced more adverse events (including death) in the first year but had better long-term event-free survival than those treated with cyclophosphamide.

Patients in the HCST group experienced higher mortality in the first year but had better long-term overall survival than those treated with cyclophosphamide. During year 1 there were 11 deaths (13.9 percent, including 8 treatment-related deaths) in the HSCT group vs 7 (9.1 percent, no treatment-related deaths) in the control group. After year 2 of follow-up, there were 12 deaths (15.2 percent) in the HSCT group vs 13 (16.9 percent) in the control group. After 4 years of follow-up, there were 13 deaths (16.5 percent) in the HSCT group vs 20 (26.0 percent) in the control group.

The authors add that HSCT was also more effective than intravenous cyclophosphamide on measures evaluating skin, functional ability, quality of life, and lung function, consistent with previous studies.

Among patients with early diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, HSCT was associated with increased treatment-related mortality in the first year after treatment. However, HCST conferred a significant long-term event-free survival benefit, the authors conclude. (doi:10.1001/jama.2014.6368; Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editors Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.

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Stem Cell Transplantation For Severe Sclerosis Linked With Improved Long-term Survival

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

16-Jun-2014

Contact: David Ruth david@rice.edu 713-348-6327 Rice University

HOUSTON (June 16, 2014) How does a stem cell decide what path to take? In a way, it's up to the wisdom of the crowd.

The DNA in a pluripotent stem cell is bombarded with waves of proteins whose ebb and flow nudge the cell toward becoming blood, bone, skin or organs. A new theory by scientists at Rice University shows the cell's journey is neither a simple step-by-step process nor all random.

Theoretical biologist Peter Wolynes and postdoctoral fellow Bin Zhang set out to create a mathematical tool to analyze large, realistic gene networks. As a bonus, their open-access study to be published this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences helped them understand that the process by which stem cells differentiate is a many-body problem.

"Many-body" refers to physical systems that involve interactions between large numbers of particles. Scientists assume these many bodies conspire to have a function in every system, but the "problem" is figuring out just what that function is. In the new work, these bodies consist not only of the thousands of proteins expressed by embryonic stem cells but also DNA binding sites that lead to feedback loops and other "attractors" that prompt the cell to move from one steady state to the next until it reaches a final configuration.

To test their tool, the researchers looked at the roles of eight key proteins and how they rise and fall in number, bind and unbind to DNA and degrade during stem cell differentiation. Though the interactions may not always follow a precise path, their general pattern inevitably leads to the desired result for the same reason a strand of amino acids will inevitably fold into the proper protein: because the landscape dictates that it be so.

Wolynes called the new work a "stylized," simplified model meant to give a general but accurate overview of how cell networks function. It's based on a theory he formed in 2003 with Masaki Sasai of Nagoya University but now takes into account the fact that not one but many genes can be responsible for even a single decision in a cellular process.

"This is what Bin figured out, that one could generalize our 2003 model to be much more realistic about how several different proteins bind to DNA in order to turn it on or off," Wolynes said.

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Many bodies prompt stem cells to change

Stratford, CT (PRWEB) June 24, 2014

Consumers should be aware of four things before buying skin care which are the ingredients, the formulation and the science to support the claims. The final thing they should notice are the results.

It had been several years since the anti-aging category had skyrocketed. Women are realizing that they can indeed skip the invasive procedures and reverse the signs of premature ageing skin with the help of a few bottles and jars. Theres just one catch, theyre just not bottles and jars; its Innarah. Innarah is the skin care collection that will change the way women feel about their skin.

Innarah is the first ever formulated skin care that works with the skins immune system.

Mr. Manzoor H. Jaffery, CEO Innarah Inc. has formulated a unique technology known as biofermentation. Mr. Jaffery perfected these fermented, anti-aging formulas and signature VenoDefense collection, which replicates the effects of snake venom using a botanical base with cutting edge ingredients such as Elk Antler Velvet, Ormus Gold, Plant Stem Cells and Marine Phytoplankton.

After being dissatisfied with so many skin care products on the market, Mr. Jaffery wanted something that really worked. Jaffery developed a process called Bioferm that is modelled on the ancient alchemic process called Nigredo, whose sole purpose is to transform the life force within matter. This process is actually different from other product formulations where the trick is their blending process. So, in essence, because Innarahs ingredients are fermented, there is no danger of the ingredients going through an oxidation process; plus, the result is a much more powerful cream.

As Jaffery explains, The ingredients are powerful, just like raw food. It helps with the skins own immune system. Many might dismiss this as hogwash, but listen to the science behind this for a bit. Because the skin is the largest organ in the body, and is the first line of defense in the immune system, its imperative to help protect it. This is why people recommend to eat daily fruits and vegetables.

Now, how can a skin care cream help with the immune system? It all has to do with the reticulation of Langerhans Cells, which are white blood cells generated in the bone marrow, Jaffery goes on to say. When they arrive at the epidermis, they develop small legs or dendrites, and automatically generate an immune response to the skin when they come into contact with ingredients they dont recognize. But ingredients that have been through the biofermentation process are readily accepted by these cells, so in essence Innarah acts as a bio catalyst.

Innarah is one of the few companies that offers an Oxygenated Crme that helps the healing of adult acne, cold sores, hyperpigmentation and other skin issues. Using Innarah products also aid the skin by diffusing and removing under eye puffiness and inflammation.

Innarah is for any skin color or gender and is recommended for people between 25-85 years old. Innarah is for that glow from-within associated with youth.

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The Discovery of a Unique Skincare System Which Acts as Food for the Skin and Absorb Immediately Reducing the ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Robert Waddell says he's glad the stem cells that healed him came from "a guy who was 50 years old" and not a human embryo.

As a Catholic, Waddell opposes the destruction of embryos and didn't want to rely on embryonic stem cells to cure his kidney disease. But he avoided this moral dilemma by getting bone marrow stem cells from a friend who donated a kidney as part of a University of Louisville study.

"It has nothing to do with embryonic stem cells," said Waddell, a 47-year-old father of four. "That made it a lot easier."

Recent strides in stem-cell research show adult stem cells to be ever-more-promising, many scientists say, quelling the controversy steeped in faith and science that has long surrounded embryonic stem cells.

In fact, University of Louisville researcher Scott Whittemore said the debate is almost moot.

"Realistically, (many scientists don't use) the types of stem cells that are so problematic anymore," he said, adding that adult stem cells can now be reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. "The field has moved so fast."

In addition to these genetically reprogrammed adult cells - known as induced pluripotent stem cells or iPS cells - scientists are on the cusp of being able to turn one type of cell into another in the body without using stem cells at all. They shared some of the latest research last week at the annual International Society for Stem Cell Research in Vancouver.

"IPS cells overcame the main ethical issues," namely the use of embryos some Americans consider sacred human life, said Brett Spear, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the University of Kentucky who uses iPS cells to model liver disease.

But other scientists argue that embryonic stem cell research remains important.

Dr. George Daley, director of the stem cell transplant program at Boston Children's Hospital and past president of the research society, said embryonic cells are a tool in the search for cures.

The rest is here:
Stem-cell advances may quell ethics debate

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Ten minutes into trying Stem Cellular Instant Eye Lift Products by Juice Beauty I knew I was hooked for life. These products are made for the rushing around "tired as all hell mommy who needs a quick pick me up. Your eyes will truly be transformed in 10 amazing minutes. The process is merely two steps (activator fluid meets algae face mask) and the result is reduced fine lines, wrinkles and puffiness. What you are left with is younger looking brighter eyes.

Each box contains six pure marine algae face masks and six Activator Fluid capsules. It is safe for all skin types and an authentic organic product. Vitamin C promotes brightness while white tea, cucumber and arnica extract reduces puffiness. Algae and Aloe hydrate, fruit stem cells promote firmness and camomile and hyaluronic acid encourage skin texture. This unique formula is created without use of parabens, petroleum, pesticides and other harmful additives and none of the products are tested on animals.

I was asking as you probably are how this can be accomplished so quickly. To start, pour the Activator fluid on the face masks and soak them. Once saturated, apply the mask under the eye for 10 minutes. Its that easy and you truly see results! You can choose to follow this treatment with Juice Beauty's Stem Cellular Eye Treatment. The initial treatment retails for around $75.00 while the supplemental treatments in the product line retail for $45-65. The whole line is completely worth the expense! I was amazed!

For more information or to purchase products please visit http://www.juicebeauty.com. You can also find them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/juicebeauty, and at Amazon.com.

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Juice Beauty Stem Celluar Line

At Novartiss research lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a large incubator-like piece of equipment is helping give birth to a new era of psychiatric drug discovery. Inside it, bathed in soft light, lab plates hold living human stem cells; robotic arms systematically squirt nurturing compounds into the plates. Thanks to a series of techniques perfected over the last few years in labs around the world, such stem cellscapable of developing into specialized cell typescan now be created from skin cells. When stem cells derived from people with, say, autism or schizophrenia are grown inside the incubator, Novartis researchers can nudge them to develop into functioning brain cells by precisely varying the chemicals in the cell cultures.

Theyre not exactly creating schizophrenic or autistic neurons, because the cells arent working within the circuitry of the brain, but for drug-discovery purposes its the next best thing. For the first time, researchers have a way to directly examine in molecular detail whats going wrong in the brain cells of patients with these illnesses. And, critically for the pharmaceutical company, there is now a reliable method of screening for drugs that might help. Do the neurons look different from normal ones? Is there a flaw in the way they form connections? Could drugs possibly correct the abnormalities? The answer to each of these questions is a very preliminary yes.

The technique is so promising that Novartis has resumed trying to discover new psychiatric drugs after essentially abandoning the quest. Whats more, its been introduced at a time when knowledge about the genetics behind brain disorders is expanding rapidly and other new tools, including optogenetics and more precise genome editing (see Neurosciences New Toolbox), are enabling neuroscientists to probe the brain directly. All these developments offer renewed hope that science could finally deliver more effective treatments for the millions of people beset by devastating brain disorders.

A revival in psychiatric drug development is badly needed: there hasnt been a breakthrough medicine for any of the common mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or severe depression, in roughly 50 years. From the late 1940s through the 1960s, a series of serendipitous discoveries, beginning with the finding that lithium could help bipolar patients, transformed the treatment of the mentally ill. It became possible to quiet the hallucinations and delusions of schizophrenia and offer a drug to the severely depressed. The sudden availability of pharmacological relief transformed psychiatry and played a role in closing down many of the mammoth mental hospitals of the era. But then, almost as suddenly as it had started, the revolution stalled.

Many of the drugs discovered in the 1950s and 1960s are still the most effective treatments available for schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, and depression. But while these medications have improved the lives of some patients, they are ineffective for others, and they are woefully inadequate in treating many of the worst symptoms. Whats more, the drugs can have severe side effects.

Take schizophrenia, for example. Existing antipsychotic drugs can make the hallucinations and delusions disappear, but they dont improve the so-called negative symptomsthe disruption of emotions such as pleasure, which can leave people uninterested in communicating or even in living. Existing drugs also have no effect on the way schizophrenia can impair concentration, decision-making, and working memory (critical in such tasks as language comprehension). These debilitating cognitive problems make it impossible for people to work and difficult for them even to make the seemingly simple logical choices involved in everyday life. Insidiously, such symptoms can strike high-performing individuals, often in their late teens. People dont understand, says Guoping Feng, a professor of neuroscience at MIT who studies the neural basis of psychiatric disorders. They ask, once a patient is given antipsychotic medicine, Why cant you go to work? But [those with schizophrenia] cant work because they dont have cognitive functions, they dont have normal executive functions. And there are no drugs for this. On top of that are the side effects of antipsychotic medicines, which can include Parkinsons-like movement disorders, dramatic weight gain, or a potentially deadly loss of white blood cells. In short, the illness destroys many patients lives.

We were led down a path that said depression is about being a quart low in serotonin, and schizophrenia means you have a bit too much dopamine on board. But that just isnt how the brain works. The brain isnt a bowl of soup.

Finally, many people with brain disorders are simply not helped at all by available drugs. Antidepressants work well for some people but do nothing for many others, and there are no effective drug treatments for the social disabilities or repetitive behaviors caused by autism.

Overall, neuropsychiatric illness is a leading cause of disability. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Rockville, Maryland, 26 percent of American adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in any given year. Severe depression, the most common of these disorders, is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for individuals between 15 and 44. Around 1 percent of the American population suffers from schizophrenia; one in 68 American children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

Though the need for better treatments is unquestionable, drug companies had until very recently simply run out of good ideas. The drugs developed in the 1950s and 1960s were discovered by accident, and no one knew how or why they worked. In the subsequent decades, drug researchers reverse-engineered the medications to identify the brain molecules that the drugs acted on, such as dopamine and serotonin. In retrospect, however, scientists now realize that while tweaking the levels of these chemicals addressed some symptoms of psychiatric disorders, it was a crude strategy that ignored the biological mechanisms underlying the illnesses.

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Shining Light on Madness

Poway, CA (PRWEB) June 20, 2014

Vet-Stem, Inc. announced that another patent has issued under its exclusive worldwide license with Artecel, Inc. and with The University of California. This patent covers compositions of adipose tissue-derived stem cells that can differentiate into many types of tissues include cartilage, bone, nerve, kidney, heart and skin. This patent will provide coverage for the on-going commercial and development programs at Vet-Stem.

This new patent adds to the other patents in the Vet-Stem portfolio that cover compositions and methods of production of regenerative cells from adipose tissue for many diseases in humans and animals. Vet-Stem has exclusive worldwide rights for veterinary use of these patents (over 50 issued and 70 pending patents) which improves the companys intellectual property position in this rapidly developing field.

As the first company in the United States to provide an adipose-derived stem cell service to veterinarians for their patients, Vet-Stem, Inc. pioneered the use of regenerative stem cells in veterinary medicine. In the last decade over 10,000 animals including horses, dogs, cats, and some exotics have been treated using Vet-Stems services.

Intellectual property rights are key assets in these markets and our investments in the area over the last decade have created tremendous value for our shareholders, said Robert Harman, DVM, MPVM, CEO and Founder of Vet-Stem. We need to do everything possible to protect and grow the market that we are creating in Regenerative Veterinary Medicine by providing the highest quality control in the industry. The value of this technology has increased greatly since the founding of the company in 2002 by providing clear evidence of the therapeutic activity and safety of these stem cells.

Vet-Stem researchers have been authors on 11 peer-reviewed papers including the first blinded, controlled, multicenter study of adipose-derived stem cells for chronic osteoarthritis in the canine hip joint, and the first multicenter clinical study of adipose-derived stem cells for chronic osteoarthritis in the canine elbow. Vet-Stem is actively investigating stem cell therapy for immune-mediated and inflammatory disease, as well as organ disease and failure.

About Vet-Stem, Inc. Vet-Stem, Inc. was formed in 2002 to bring regenerative medicine to the veterinary profession. The privately held company is working to develop therapies in veterinary medicine that apply regenerative technologies while utilizing the natural healing properties inherent in all animals. The company holds exclusive licenses to over 50 patents including world-wide veterinary rights for use of adipose derived stem cells. For more on Vet-Stem, Inc. and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine visit http://www.vet-stem.com or call 858-748-2004.

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Canadian Patent for Adipose Stem Cells Issued Under Vet-Stem License

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

No need to go that far.

It turns out, the best kind of anti-aging treatment is inside one's own body, and the rich are taking advantage of it, exploring the latest research in new technologies, genome mapping and stem cell treatments.

Among them is Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, a large investor of the Ellison Medical Foundation, which supports research exploring the biology that underlies aging and age-related diseases. And there's billionaire Peter Nygrd, who says he wants to live forever (or die trying), and has suggested he's found the keys to immortality in stem cell research.

Some doctors agree that stem cells are a key part of chasing youth.

"If you're a wealthy guy and haven't stored your stem cells, I think you're a total idiot," said Dr. Lionel Bissoon, a New York City physician who sees a number of stressed out, wealthy patients.

Related: It's expensive being rich

They usually come to him with similar problems: "Fatigue, belly fat, erectile dysfunction, tiring very quickly ... all very common with my patients from Wall Street," Bissoon said. The short-term solution to those ailments, he says, is testosterone replacement -- which is relatively affordable at a few hundred dollars a pop -- and IV nutrition.

For the long term he recommends stem cell storage, which works as a sort of rainy day insurance. The cells are extracted, preferably when the patient is on the younger side -- around 30 is said to be a good age -- and can then be used to boost an immune system or help to rebuild damaged organs later.

Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj stores cells at his South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute in Boynton Beach, Fla.

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Can enough money buy you eternal youth?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) The best kind of anti-aging treatment is inside ones own body, and the rich are taking advantage of it, exploring the latest research in new technologies, genome mapping and stem cell treatments.

Among them is Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, a large investor of the Ellison Medical Foundation, which supports research exploring the biology that underlies aging and age-related diseases. And theres billionaire Peter Nygrd, who says he wants to live forever (or die trying), and has suggested hes found the keys to immortality in stem cell research.

Some doctors agree that stem cells are a key part of chasing youth.

If youre a wealthy guy and havent stored your stem cells, I think youre a total idiot, said Dr. Lionel Bissoon, a New York City physician who sees a number of stressed out, wealthy patients.

They usually come to him with similar problems: Fatigue, belly fat, erectile dysfunction, tiring very quickly all very common with my patients from Wall Street, Bissoon said. The short-term solution to those ailments, he says, is testosterone replacement which is relatively affordable at a few hundred dollars a pop and IV nutrition.

For the long term he recommends stem cell storage, which works as a sort of rainy day insurance. The cells are extracted, preferably when the patient is on the younger side around 30 is said to be a good age and can then be used to boost an immune system or help to rebuild damaged organs later.

Dr. Dipnarine Maharaj stores cells at his South Florida Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant Institute in Boynton Beach, Fla.

People are looking and finding ways to be able to help them to live longer to spend the money theyve earned, he said. They spend their retirement going doctor to doctor, and if we can find ways to prevent that it would be good. His clinic sees executives under a lot of stress, a fast way to damage any immune system.

He agrees that its important to store cells before they become irreparably damaged. To collect and store stem cells at his clinic costs $15,000 for the initial extraction, which includes a year of storage. After that, storage costs $50 per month.

Stem cells arent the only high-end solution.

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How the rich try to buy eternal youth

Stemologica
Researchers have verified that when included in our skin creams, the Uttwiler Sptlauber Swiss apple stem cells will communicate with you have skin #39;s stem ce...

By: Jordan Kaleb

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Stemologica - Video

H-E-B's private label skin care line is the retailers Beauty Pick of the Month.

The formula for EverVescence by H-E-B includes Uttwiler Spatlauber Swiss Apples, which contain stem cells that help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and tired skin.

The line includes: Redefining Eye Cream, Redefining Face Serum and Facial Moisturizer with SPF 15.

As the beauty pick of the month, the line is promoted on heb.com and social media.

The Beauty Pick of the Month is also reviewed by members of H-E-B's beauty panel, which includes H-E-B's employees as well as beauty bloggers.

Among the reviews:

"The eye cream is like a spa treatment with a cooling effect that sinks in and feels fabulous, wrote "Cheryl," online editor for heb.com. Now I can pick up my skincare products at my HEB.

Meanwhile, Liz, H-E-Bs digital marketing manager, said she would recommend all three items to others:

"I used all three as directed and found my skin was softer, she said. The smell was light and not unpleasant like other products I have tried. The products did not irritate my sensitive skin.

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H-E-B promotes store brand skin care line

Sarasota, FL (PRWEB) June 12, 2014

Nebulized Pure PRP may offer COPD sufferers a less expensive and an effective alternative to stem cell therapy. When normal injury occurs, platelets are stimulated to release growth factors, cytokines and other immune system components in what is called the inflammatory phase of healing. In the lungs, platelets can adhere to injured or inflamed endothelial cells where they start the healing process. It is believed that by increasing the number of platelets in the lungs through this method, it is possible to decrease inflammation and accelerate the healing process in the lungs. Platelets are vehicles for the delivery of growth factors (PDGF, TGF-, IGF, EGF, VEGF) that induce proliferation of fibroblasts, osteoblasts and endothelial cells, promoting and accelerating healing of hard and soft tissues.

Autologous Platelet Rich Plasma also contains fibrin, fibronectin and vitronectin that act as cell adhesion molecules for lung epithelial migration. Autologous Platelet Rich Plasma treatment has been evaluated in various medical disciplines including orthopaedics, wound healing, neurosurgery, dentistry as well as cosmetic, plastic and cardiothoracic surgery. Nebulized Pure PRP treatment holds much promise and is being researched for its applications.

This new medical advance can bring effective and affordable healthcare to many patients with COPD. It is also attractive because the patients own blood is used thus, limiting the potential for disease transmission.

Our key product differentiation is to enable the Pure PRP treatment to be applied to patients who are suffering from COPD. COPD is the most dangerous disease in the elderly, affecting more than 200 million people across the globe. COPD is considered to be the cause of about 3 million deaths annually. This is a life-threatening disease caused by many reasons such as smoking, pollution, dust, irritants, genetic disorders, etc. It is associated with the excess production of sputum and an inflammation which obstructs the airways and results in breathing problems.

Though there is no cure for COPD, the condition can be controlled with the help of treatments. Stem cell therapy which has proved to be one of the most successful treatments for many chronic health conditions like heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, etc., has given a ray of hope in favor of COPD. Stem cells are known for their regenerative properties which help in the development of the tissues and blood cells. These cells are of two types: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can be derived from blastocyst which is a type of embryo; whereas adult stem cells are found in the bone marrow, skin, umbilical cord, placenta and many other tissues. Embryonic stem cells are derived and are grown in cell culture for research and development. But adult stem cells, once removed from the body, divide with great difficulty which makes the treatment difficult to perform. The stem cells are either from the person itself who needs it which is known as autologous stem cell or they can be received from a donor which is known as allogeneic stem cell.

Cells donated by the donor may or may not be accepted by the bodys immune system. Hence, using ones own stem cells reduces the chances of rejection. In COPD, the tissues and cells of the lungs are destroyed, which causes various types of complications. Hence, with the help of stem cell therapy, the destroyed or damaged cells can be regenerated and new lung tissues can be formed. According to the procedure followed by the International Stem Cell Institute (ISCI); San Diego, California, adipose tissue is removed from the patient and is processed with a combination of platelet rich plasma which contains growth factors that help in the process of cell multiplication and development. This helps in COPD treatment as whenever the lungs need repair, about 80% of the stem cells reach the repairing site through the circulatory system. When the blood passes through the lungs, stem cells get trapped in the space where there is damage. The stem cells then start multiplying and repairing the tissue. The recovery does not take place immediately, but improvement can be noticed in 3 to 6 months. It helps in the suppression of inflammation, improves breathing and cures many pulmonary complications. Our Nebulized Pure PRP System aims to support this proposition to treat COPD patients. Treatments run about $1,000 and insurance does not currently pay for this treatment.

Contact our office at (941) 330-8553 to find out more about how Nebulized Pure PRP can offer you relief from symptoms of COPD. Also we are at http://advancedwellness.us/blog2/nebulized-platelet-rich-plasma-prp-for-asthma-copd-and-systemic-growth-effects-in-athletics/

Click to learn more about this treatment.

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New Stem Cell Based Treatment for COPD; Nebulized Pure PRP System Uses Blood Growth Factors That Can Trigger Healing ...

NBC News -- Researchers have grown part of an eye in a lab dish, using a type of stem cell made from a piece of skin.

They said the little retina started growing and developing on its own an important step towards creating custom-tailored organs in the lab.

We have basically created a miniature human retina in a dish that not only has the architectural organization of the retina but also has the ability to sense light," said M. Valeria Canto-Soler, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The team used cells called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, which are immature stem cells whose powers resemble those of embryonic stem cells they can morph into any cell type in the body.

Theyre made by tricking an ordinary cell, like a skin cell, into reverting back into embryonic mode. Then the researchers activate genes to get the cell to redirect itself into forming the desired cells in this case cells of the retina.

To the surprise of the researchers, the cells started developing as if they were in a growing human embryo.

"We knew that a 3-D cellular structure was necessary if we wanted to reproduce functional characteristics of the retina, but when we began this work, we didn't think stem cells would be able to build up a retina almost on their own. In our system, somehow the cells knew what to do, Canto-Soler said in a statement.

The experiment may ultimately lead to technologies that restore vision in people with retinal diseases, she added.

Tests showed the cells responded to light, the team reported in the journal Nature Communications. "Is our lab retina capable of producing a visual signal that the brain can interpret into an image? Probably not, but this is a good start," Canto-Soler said.

Other teams have used iPS cells to make a piece of human liver and are using them to study a range of human diseases.

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Eye in a Dish: Researchers Make Retina From Stem Cells

The amalgamation of past and future is what beauty honchos are using as their innovation wand. If you are also wondering, what all the rage about Botanical Stem Cells in the Beauty Industry is about. We are here to tell you.

What are Botanical Stem Cells? Botanical Stem Cells are those magical words, recently popularized, in the anti ageing segment of the beauty industry. These cells are the key to halt time and make you look younger than ever before.

Also Read: Stem Cell Therapy: A Potential Cure for Hair LossHere

How are Botanical Stem Cells derived for infusion in Skin Care Products? Botanical Stem Cells are found in the bud or the root of the plant also known as the meristemetic region. All contaminants from the product are removed prior to initiating the extraction. It is not possible to keep the botanical stem cells away from its source in artificial care, which is why the nutrients, amino acids, phenylpropanoids, polysaccharides, phytosterols, anti-inflammatory and minerals are extracted.It is through scientific process then that extracts are used for infusion in cosmetic preparations.

Also Read: Stem Cell Face-Lift: The New Age Face-LiftHere

Which plants are used for Botanical Stem Cell Extraction?

Gardenia

Gardenia has great antioxidant and inflammatory properties. It has great healing qualities and is used by Chinese in their medicines over the years. It relieves the skin of inflammation, aids in skin firmness, formation of new lines and removal of wrinkles.

Lilac

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Botanical Stem Cells in Skin Care 101

Jun 05, 2014 Microscope And Digital Camera. Credit: Richard Wheeler/ Wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0

Case Western Reserve researchers have discovered landmarks within pluripotent stem cells that guide how they develop to serve different purposes within the body. This breakthrough offers promise that scientists eventually will be able to direct stem cells in ways that prevent disease or repair damage from injury or illness. The study and its results appear in the June 5 edition of the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Pluripotent stem cells are so named because they can evolve into any of the cell types that exist within the body. Their immense potential captured the attention of two accomplished faculty with complementary areas of expertise.

"We had a unique opportunity to bring together two interdisciplinary groups," said co-senior author Paul Tesar, PhD, Assistant Professor of Genetics and Genome Sciences at CWRU School of Medicine and the Dr. Donald and Ruth Weber Goodman Professor.

"We have exploited the Tesar lab's expertise in stem cell biology and my lab's expertise in genomics to uncover a new class of genetic switches, which we call seed enhancers," said co-senior author Peter Scacheri, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and Genome Sciences at CWRU School of Medicine. "Seed enhancers give us new clues to how cells morph from one cell type to another during development."

The breakthrough came from studying two closely related stem cell types that represent the earliest phases of developmentembryonic stem cells and epiblast stem cells, first described in research by Tesar in 2007. "These two stem cell types give us unprecedented access to the earliest stages of mammalian development," said Daniel Factor, graduate student in the Tesar lab and co-first author of the study.

Olivia Corradin, graduate student in the Scacheri lab and co-first author, agrees. "Stem cells are touted for their promise to make replacement tissues for regenerative medicine," she said. "But first, we have to understand precisely how these cells function to create diverse tissues."

Enhancers are sections of DNA that control the expression of nearby genes. By comparing these two closely related types of pluripotent stem cells (embryonic and epiblast), Corradin and Factor identified a new class of enhancers, which they refer to as seed enhancers. Unlike most enhancers, which are only active in specific times or places in the body, seed enhancers play roles from before birth to adulthood.

They are present, but dormant, in the early mouse embryonic stem cell population. In the more developed mouse epiblast stem cell population, they become the primary enhancers of their associated genes. As the cells mature into functional adult tissues, the seed enhancers grow into super enhancers. Super enhancers are large regions that contain many enhancers and control the most important genes in each cell type.

"These seed enhancers have wide-ranging potential to impact the understanding of development and disease," said Stanton Gerson, MD, Asa & Patricia Shiverick and Jane Shiverick (Tripp) Professor of Hematological Oncology and Director of the National Center for Regenerative Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. "In the stem cell field, this understanding should rapidly enhance the ability to generate clinically useful cell types for stem cell-based regenerative medicine."

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Stem cells hold keys to body's plan

7 hours ago Directed Network Wiring, a new method to simplify the study of protein networks, is illustrated. Credit: Shohei Koide/University of Chicago

Proteins are responsible for the vast majority of the cellular functions that shape life, but like guests at a crowded dinner party, they interact transiently and in complex networks, making it difficult to determine which specific interactions are most important.

Now, researchers from the University of Chicago have pioneered a new technique to simplify the study of protein networks and identify the importance of individual protein interactions. By designing synthetic proteins that can only interact with a pre-determined partner, and introducing them into cells, the team revealed a key interaction that regulates the ability of embryonic stem cells to change into other cell types. They describe their findings June 5 in Molecular Cell.

"Our work suggests that the apparent complexity of protein networks is deceiving, and that a circuit involving a small number of proteins might control each cellular function," said senior author Shohei Koide, PhD, professor of biochemistry & molecular biophysics at the University of Chicago.

For a cell to perform biological functions and respond to the environment, proteins must interact with one another in immensely complex networks, which when diagrammed can resemble a subway map out of a nightmare. These networks have traditionally been studied by removing a protein of interest through genetic engineering and observing whether the removal destroys the function of interest or not. However, this does not provide information on the importance of specific protein-to-protein interactions.

To approach this challenge, Koide and his team pioneered a new technique that they dub "directed network wiring." Studying mouse embryonic stem cells, they removed Grb2, a protein essential to the ability of the stem cell to transform into other cell types, from the cells. The researchers then designed synthetic versions of Grb2 that could only interact with one protein from a pool of dozens that normal Grb2 is known to network with. The team then introduced these synthetic proteins back into the cell to see which specific interactions would restore the stem cell's transformative abilities.

"The name, 'directed network wiring,' comes from the fact that we create minimalist networks," Koide said. "We first remove all communication lines associated with a protein of interest and add back a single line. It is analysis by addition."

Despite the complexity of the protein network associated with stem cell development, the team discovered that restoring only one interactionbetween Grb2 and a protein known as Ptpn11/Shp2 phosphatasewas enough to allow stem cells to again change into other cell types.

"We were really surprised to find that consolidating many interactions down to a single particular connection for the protein was sufficient to support development of the cells to the next stage, which involves many complicated processes," Koide said. "Our results show that signals travel discrete and simple routes in the cell."

Koide and his team are now working on streamlining directed network wiring and applying it to other areas of study such as cancer. With the ability to dramatically simplify how scientists study protein interaction networks, they hope to open the door to new research areas and therapeutic approaches.

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New method reveals single protein interaction key to embryonic stem cell differentiation