Cool stem cell video

That's really great idea - to make 1 minute video story about stem cells. I like it a lot:

Let's create useful application for cell culturing!

In previous post I've asked about the necessity of mobile application development.

Now let's talk more specific.

While working with cell cultures I always notice lots of possibilities to improve the performance and make all procedures easier and to avoid mistakes.

However sometimes it's really hard to manage all cell cultures and to have all data available anywhere anytime.

That's why once I found myself thinking about the creation of something handy, trendy and highly useful for people who need to spend lots of time in laboratory.

My current idea is to develop the application for smartphones that will simplify some routine steps in cell cultivation process.

I'm not  an application developer and I don't have enough funding to hire a good one today. That is why I've launched the campaign for this goal. Moreover, I'd like to hear any comments, wishes and recommendations from both cell scientists and people who know how such stuff as mobile app development works. It's important because I'd like to give the most precise description of this task to engineers.

Here's the donation page

All features are still under construction but here are some crucial goals that I want to see in ready-to-use app:

•  Interactive Journal with the opportunity to put data abot the culture: isolation day (for primary cultures), seeding day (for other), number and date of passage, medium used (chose from given options e.g.: MEM, DMEM, RPMI etc), serum used (type of serum and %, e.g.: FBS, 10%), medium additives presence such as glutamine, glucose etc, the initial number of cells, type of flask used and other nesessary characteristics. 
• This Journal will provide notifications - reminders of a regular medium change, subculturing etc
•  Tools for cell counting such as population doubling time calculator, plotting options etc.
• One of my wishes is to make some sort of color detector that will give the possibility to determine the pH of the medium based on color on the photo
•  Maybe there would be tools for image processing with microscope (linked to existing programs or connected with new simplified mobile programm)
• The possibility of additional (or only) marking of the culture flask using a code with information that appears in a smartphone
•  Maybe a tool for rapid qualitative detection of signs of contamination by turbidity, color, environment
•  An analytical package for the interpretation of test results (PRO)

Of course it's just a raw draft and you may also take part in creative process with your vision.

Thanks for all comments. It's really important!

Visit it also, please.

Apps for stem cell culturing

Dear readers, do you know any relevant stem cell related applications for smartphones?
Or maybe applications for assisting in cell culturing process?

And what do you think about the utility of such applications?

Thank you!

Wonderful stem cell blog

Just discovered the wonderful blog about the hot cell therapy topic! http://roosterbio.blogspot.com - there are lots of opinions on mesenchymal stem cell biology, clinical utility and other aspects. The most stunning thing about this blog is the courage for discussing the "uncomfortable" questions. These questions are intensively avoided because of some "anti-commercial" conclusions, but the resolving of such problems is extremely important for the development of safe and effective regenerative medicine.

Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Cells as Therapeutic Agents

Olga Maslova, Miroslav Novak, and Peter Kruzliak, “Umbilical Cord Tissue-Derived Cells as Therapeutic Agents,” Stem Cells International, Article ID 150609, in press.
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/aa/150609/ - our new work in Stem Cells International. I'm in love with this type of stem cells but need to admit that there are still lots of problems. I hope this paper would be useful for you.

Abstract
Although the characteristics of SC, including UC-derived cells, are a dramatically discussed issue, this review will focus particularly on some controversial issues regarding clinical utility of cells isolated from UC tissue. UC-derived cells have several advantages compared to other types and sources of stem cells. The impact of UC topography on cell characteristics is briefly discussed. The necessity to adapt existing methods of cell isolation and culturing to GMP conditions is mentioned, as well as possible cryopreservation of this material. Light is shed on some future perspectives for UC-derived cells.

Tonsil-Derived MSC

It was quite predictable and here it is:

"Polypeptide Thermogels as a Three Dimensional Culture Scaffold for Hepatogenic Differentiation of Human Tonsil-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells"
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
The liver provides critical functions, such as ridding the body of toxins. Its failure can be deadly, and there are few options for fixing it. But scientists now report in the journalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces a way to potentially inject stem cells from tonsils, a body part we don’t need, to repair damaged livers — all without surgery.
Byeongmoon Jeong and colleagues point out that currently, the only established method for treating liver failure or severe cases of liver disease is complete or partial transplantation. But the need is much greater than the number of available organs. Plus, surgery has inherent risks and a hefty price tag. A promising alternative in development is transplanting liver cells. One such approach involves using adult stem cells to make liver cells. Stem cells from bone marrow could be used, but they have limitations. Recently, scientists identified another source of adult stem cells that could be used for this purpose — tonsils. Every year, thousands of surgeries are performed to remove tonsils, and the tissue is discarded. Now it could have a new purpose, but scientists needed a way to grow them on a 3-D scaffold that mimics real liver tissue. Jeong’s team set out to do just that.
The researchers encapsulated tonsil-derived stem cells in a heat-sensitive liquid that turns into a gel at body temperature. They added substances called growth factors to encourage the stem cells to become liver cells. Then, they heated the combination up to a normal body temperature. The result was a 3-D, biodegradable gel that contained functioning liver cells. The researchers conclude that the same process has promise — with some further tweaking for ideal conditions — as an injectable tissue engineering technique to treat liver disease without surgery.
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea.

I think it could be really possible to obtain stem cells from different tissues.
Thanks to http://www.acs.org/ for the information.

Gremlins Sabotage the Mechanisms of Cancer Stem Cell Differentiation

Gremlins Sabotage the Mechanisms of Cancer Stem Cell Differentiation - that's not a joke. It's a title of the new paper at Cancer Cell Volume 25, Issue 6, 16 June 2014, Pages 716–717. Joan Seoane made an interesting research on cancer stem cells. 

Here is the abstract: BMP is highly expressed in glioblastoma and promotes differentiation of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Recently, Yan and colleagues found the explanation to this apparent paradox by showing that the antagonist of BMP, Gremlin1, is secreted by CSCs to protect them against the BMP-induced differentiation.

UC: MSC+HSC

My cartoon about MSC and HSC from Umbilical Cord

STEM CELLS & FUN

3-D printers can produce gun parts, aircraft wings, food and a lot more, but this new 3-D printed product may be the craziest thing yet: human embryonic stem cells.

Rebecca Boyle - Popular Science

3-D printers can produce gun parts, aircraft wings, food and a lot more, but this new 3-D printed product may be the craziest thing yet: human embryonic stem cells. Using stem cells as the "ink" in a 3-D printer, researchers in Scotland hope to eventually build 3-D printed organs and tissues. A team at Heriot-Watt University used a specially designed valve-based technique to deposit whole, live cells onto a surface in a specific pattern.

This article originally appeared at Popular Science.

The cells were floating in a "bio-ink," to use the terminology of the researchers who developed this technique. They were able to squeeze out tiny droplets, containing five cells or fewer per droplet, in a variety of shapes and sizes. To produce clumps of cells, the team printed out cells first and then overlaid those with cell-free bio-ink, resulting in larger droplets or spheroids of cells. The cells would group together inside these spheroids. Spheroid size is key, because stem cells need certain conditions to work properly. This is why very precisely controlled 3-D printing could be so valuable for stem cell research.

After being squeezed out of a thin valve, the cells were still alive and viable, and able to transform into any other cell in the body, the researchers say. It's the first time anyone has printed human embyronic stem cells, said lead researcher Will Wenmiao Shu, a professor at Heriot-Watt. But ... why?

Eventually, they could be used to print out new tissues, or as filler inside existing organs, which would be regenerated. It could even serve to limit animal testing for new drug compounds, allowing them to be tested on actual human tissue, said Jason King, business development manager at Roslin Cellab, one of the research partners. "In the longer term, [it could] provide organs for transplant on demand, without the need for donation and without the problems of immune suppression and potential organ rejection," he said in a statement.

The team took stem cells from an embryonic kidney and from a well-studied embryonic cell line, and grew them in culture. They had to build a custom reservoir — let's call it an inkwell — to safely house the delicate cells, and then they added some large-diameter nozzles. A pressurized air supply pumps the cells from the inkwell into the valves, which contain pressurized nozzles on the end. The team could control the amount of cells dispensed by changing any of the factors, including the pneumatic pressure, nozzle diameter or length of time the nozzle stayed open.

At first the researchers printed droplets, but ultimately, they were so precise that they made cell spheroids in a variety of shapes and sizes, like the university logo above. One interesting wrinkle: The cells also formed spheroids in the inkwells. More work needs to be done to explain that.

The researchers also took several steps to make sure the cells survived the printing process. Examining the results of several experiments, they found 99 percent of the cells were still viable after running through the valve-based printer. "This confirms that this printing process did not appear to damage the cells or affect the viability of the vast majority of dispensed cells," they write in their paper, which is being published in the IOP regenerative medicine journal Biofabrication.

Stem cells are powerful because they can develop into any cell in the body. Embryonic stem cells, which are taken from human embryos in the earliest stages of development, can be developed into stem cell lines that can be grown indefinitely. This is kind of controversial, especially in the US. But medical researchers think they could be hugely promising for a whole host of human ailments — stem cells could differentiate into neurons, potentially replacing the ones lost in degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's; or they could differentiate into pancreatic cells, curing diabetes; and so on.

Using a 3-D printer to produce gun parts has been pretty controversial, especially during the ongoing post-Connecticut-shooting gun debate. But that may be nothing compared to this.

http://io9.com/5981832/a-3d-printer-that-generates-human-embryonic-stem-cells

Leprosy & stem cells

Leprosy is a bacterial disease that spreads to muscles and other tissues in the body, causing neurodegeneration and muscle weakness. A new study, published by Cell Press January 17th in the journal Cell, reveals that the bacteria responsible for leprosy spread infection by hijacking specialized cells in the adult nervous system, reprogramming them into a stem cell-like state, and converting them to muscle-like cells. These findings could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies for combating bacterial infections and degenerative diseases as well as new tools for regenerative medicine.
"This is the first demonstration of how a bacterial pathogen could use the genomic plasticity of our adult body tissue cells for generating stem cells naturally during infection," says senior study author Anura Rambukkana of the University of Edinburgh. "Our findings provide new directions for preventing the progression of infection at an early stage and for reprogramming adult tissue cells to stem cells for regenerating damaged tissues in the body."
Leprosy is caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae), which initially infects adult Schwann cells, cells which usually wrap around nerves to insulate electrical signals passing through, in the peripheral nervous system. The leprosy bacteria must then spread to other tissues to transmit infection, but how they do so has been a long-standing mystery. Because Schwann cells can convert into dedicated repair cells to help adult nerves recover after injury, Rambukkana and his team suspected that M. leprae takes advantage of this remarkable plasticity to spread infection.
To test this idea, the researchers infected adult Schwann cells from mice with M. leprae. The bacteria reprogrammed these cells into a stem cell-like state—in which they're capable of converting into diverse cell types—by turning off genes that are active in the mature form of these cells and turning on genes that are expressed during embryonic development. M. leprae then converted these immature cells into muscle-like cells and spread infection to muscles through this process. When the researchers injected bacteria-laden immature cells into the muscles of adult mice, the bacteria spread to different types of muscle cells.
"Our study shows that host cell reprogramming is perhaps a necessary event in early bacterial infection that promotes the spread of infection," Rambukkana says. "By identifying early molecular targets or diagnostic biomarkers related to the reprogramming process, it will be possible to prevent the progression of infection and thus nerve damage and subsequent disability in patients."

Cell, Masaki et al.: "Reprogramming Adult Schwann Cells to Stem Cell-Like Cells by Leprosy Bacilli Promotes Dissemination of Infection."

Interesting news! Thanks to  http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-01/cp-nii011013.php 

positive interim safety results of its Phase IIa study of its allogeneic stem cell therapy

Cell Therapy pioneer TiGenix has announced positive interim safety results of its Phase IIa study of its allogeneic stem cell therapy Cx611 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), showing a good safety profile at all three doses of the product that were administered in the trial.
This is a significant development in the field of stem cell therapy because Cx611 is an allogeneic product that potentially could be made available off-the-shelf and used to treat any patient, without concerns that the foreign cells will cause an immune reaction. In addition, TiGenix says the product, which is made from adult stem cells derived from human adipose (fat) tissue, has a broad anti-inflammatory effect and could also be used to treat other autoimmune disorders.
If positive, the final results of the trial, due in April 2013, will set the scene for the further development of Cx611. The TiGenix trial is the most advanced in the world using stem cells to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Along with other cell therapies that are advancing in development such as ReNeuron plc’s neuronal cell therapy for treating the after-effects of stroke, and the human embryonic stem cell-based treatment for macular degeneration (a major cause of blindness) which Pfizer is developing in collaboration with scientists at University College London, the TiGenix news on Cx611 underlines Europe’s leading position in cell therapy and regenerative medicine.
These three products can all trace their origins back to publicly-funded basic research, providing a potent demonstration of the importance of continuing to support academic research in the field, and of building and reinforcing the clinical and regulatory framework for translating this research into commercial products.
Moves by some MEPs to end European Union funding for embryonic stem cell research in the proposed €80 billion Horizon 2020 R&D programme are widely seen as a threat to Europe’s standing in cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Science|Business brought together experts from patients’ groups, research charities, academe, industry, science and economic policy, and regulators, to discuss the implications of an end to EU support for embryonic stem cell research, and scope what needs to be done to build the regenerative medicines market in Europe, to the benefit of patients and the economy. The full report is now available here.

http://www.sciencebusiness.net/news/75982/European-cell-therapy-pioneer-makes-further-advance?utm_source 

Another one stem cell fraud

Wired news... Stem cell research becomes a strange place... Here's some recent events:

Shane Mayack, a former post-doc in Harvard lab of Amy Wagers, a rising star in the stem cell field, has been sanctioned by the Office of Research Integrity for misconduct.
Mayack, who has defended her actions on this blog as honest error — albeit sloppiness — and has not admitted to wrongdoing, must undergo supervision if she receives any federal grant funding over the next three years, under the voluntary agreement.
Here’s the notice, which appeared in the Federal Register this week (and which theBoston Globe was first to report):

Based on the report of an investigation conducted by the Joslin Diabetes Center (Joslin) and additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Shane Mayack, former postdoctoral fellow, Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Joslin, engaged in research misconduct in research supported by National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grants T32 DK07260–29 and P30 DK036836 and the 2008 NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program grant DP2 OD004345–01.
ORI found that Respondent engaged in research misconduct involving two (2) published papers:
• Mayack, S.R., Shadrach, J.L., Kim, F.S., & Wagers, A.J. ‘‘Systemic signals regulate ageing and rejuventation of blood stem cell niches.’’ Nature 463:495–500, 2010.
• Mayack, S.R., & Wagers, A.J. ‘‘Osteolineage niche cells initiate hemotopoietic stem cell mobilization.’’ Blood 112:519–531, 2008.
As a result of Joslin’s investigation, both Nature 463:495–500, 2010 (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Nature paper’’) and Blood 112:519–531, 2008 (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Blood paper’’) have been retracted by the corresponding author.
Specifically, ORI found that:
• Respondent falsely represented von Kossa-stained bone nodule images in two (2) published papers:
Figure 2B in the Blood paper was copied from an unrelated published experiment in Figure 3, J Orth Surg Res 1:7, 2006, and was used to falsely represent Respondent’s own experiment for bone nodules formed in cultured osteoblastic niche cells.
b. Figure S2c in the Nature paper was copied from an online image for an unrelated experiment (at http://skeletalbiology.uchc.edu/30_ResearchProgram/304_gap/3042_Lineage%20in%20Vitro/3042_01_aCellCult.htm#mCOB) and was used to falsely represent Respondent’s own experiment for bone nodules formed in osteoblastic niche cells from young and aged mice.
• Respondent falsely represented eight (8) flow cytometry contour plots as different experimental results by using identical plots but with different labels and different numerical percentages.
Specifically, the following contour plots in the Blood paper, the Nature paper, an earlier version of the Nature paper submitted to Science (hereafter referred to as the ‘‘Science manuscript’’), and a July 2008 PowerPoint presentation were identical but were labeled differently:
a. Panels 4 and 2 in Figure 6C, Blood paper, and panels 1 and 2, respectively, in supplementary Figure 3b, Nature paper
b. Panel 3 in Figure 6C, Blood paper, and panel 1 in Figure 2, July 2008 PowerPoint presentation
Panels 1 and 2, Figure 2b, Science manuscript, and panels 2 and 3, respectively, in Figure 2, July 2008 PowerPoint presentation
Panels 2, 3, and 4, supplemental Figure 4A, Blood paper, and panels 3, 1, and 2, respectively, in Figure 4B, Science manuscript
Both the Respondent and HHS want to conclude this matter without further expenditure of time or other resources and have entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement to resolve this matter. Respondent neither admits nor denies ORI’s finding of research misconduct. This settlement does not constitute an admission of liability on the part of the Respondent.
Nearly two years have passed since we first wrote about Mayack. At the time, Wagers’ group had just retracted a 2010 Nature paper — with a notable exception: Mayack refused to sign the notice, nor did she sign the notice for the retraction of the Blood paper, which appeared in late 2011.
As she wrote on this blog:

… the readers of Retraction Watch are no doubt aware that in October 2010, a paper that I co-authored was retracted fromNature and a notice of concern was posted regarding a second paper published in Blood.
So, what went wrong?
The answer to that question begins with the fact that errors, not fabrications, were made in assembling figures for these manuscripts. I am likely the one who made these errors.
Mayack reiterated that position in a comment, through her attorney, to us today:

I remain deeply sorry to the scientific community for mistakes made during the preparation of figures corresponding to some of the work I performed as a postdoc at Harvard Medical School. These were mistakes in representation and presentation of the data, as corroborated by ORI’s findings of ‘falsely presented’, and were not due to fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism of scientific results. I am deeply committed to moving forward and strive to contribute positively to the advancement of science, which has always been my utmost interest.
Wagers recently received tenure.

http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/ori-finds-harvard-stem-cell-lab-post-doc-mayack-manipulated-images/ 

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Here is the express Stem Cell news on the other place - my paper.li. Very interesting place to put your information. I like it!:

video

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-18496355

heart repair and stem cells

Wonderful! http://science.kqed.org/quest/video/science-on-the-spot-new-hope-for-heart-repair/

...antipsychotic drug, Thioridazine, has activity against cancer stem cells

Mick Bhatia’s lab has found that the antipsychotic drug, Thioridazine, has activity against cancer stem cells.

The work, published in Cell (read paper here), indicates that Thioridazine works not by killing cancer stem cells, but rather by encouraging the stem cells to differentiate.

Bhatia’s group used a novel screening approach (see graphical abstract from the paper above) to find molecules that specifically differentiate cancer stem cells. Interestingly they found Thioridazine, which intriguingly targets the dopamine receptor expressed on certain cancer stem cells. Bhatia can be seen in the interview below talking about the finding.

You might think then that Thioridazine would be safe because it only targets cells expressing dopamine receptor, however the drug reportedly has significant safety concerns due to causing fatal heart arrhythmias and regulators have largely phased it out in both Canada and the U.S..

Even so, it may be safe for cancer treatments since it could be used for a much shorter period of time, speculated Bhatia. However it is still early days in this story so there is much to learn about this new route to attacking cancer. Still, a very exciting and important development.

Thanks to https://www.ipscell.com/2012/05/psyching-out-cancer-stem-cells-using-old-antipsychotic-drug-as-a-new-weapon-against-cancer/ for the information.

Stem Cell Comics

Open publication - Free publishing

Beautiful educational comics about stem cells! ‘Hope Beyond Hype’ is a story about stem cell therapies from science discovery to working therapy.

Beautiful Cell Pictures

Those beautiful cell pictures were found at  http://bpod.mrc.ac.uk/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&keywords=stem+cells 

07 Apr 2012
Dopamine Delivery


02 Apr 2012
Skin Stalactites 

Cool Article About the History of Stem Cell Research!

That's wonderful! I thought about it lots of times!

Who really discovered stem cells?
Is it even possible that one scientific team all by themselves discovered something so ubiquitous as stem cells?
In theory “yes”, but after much historical research including this great historical article in Cell Stem Cell, I would argue that no one group really discovered stem cells.
Instead I believe the “discovery” of stem cells was an ongoing team effort over a period of many decades and there is much credit to go around.
Who gets the credit now according to most people now for “discovering” stem cells?
Canada rightly takes pride in the work of their scientists Drs. James Till and Ernset McCulloch, who did pioneering studies in hematopoietic stem cell research.
In Canada, Till and McCulloch are unambiguously called the world’s discoverers of stem cells. Period. No ambiguity.
But is that correct?
Nope.