| Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: the Japanese experience.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: the Japanese experience. J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Surg. 2009 Sep 18; Authors: Furukawa H, Shimamura T, Suzuki T, Taniguchi M, Nakanishi K, Yamashita K, Kamiyama T, Matsushita M, Todo S Despite the wide spectrum of selection criteria used by living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) centers in Japan, LDLT for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can achieve an acceptable outcome comparable to the outcome for deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) for HCC. One of the most crucial considerations in liver transplantation for HCC is the advent of expanded criteria that allow more patients with HCC to receive the organs and offer similar or even better results compared to the Milan of UCSF criteria. Expanded criteria for HCC are proposed from three single-center and one multicenter study in Japan. These criteria are based on the independent predictors for outcome derived from the analyses of the pretransplant factors and explant pathology. The beneficial effect of those proposed criteria can be predicted by the inclusion rates of the patients compared to the Milan or UCSF criteria in the same cohort and the outcome for those included patients. While application of the UCSF criteria increases the inclusion rate compared to the Milan criteria by 5-10%, these proposed criteria increase the inclusion rates by 5-54% compared to the Milan criteria. The higher inclusion rates compared to the application of the Milan criteria are achieved by criteria including tumor markers, either AFP or PIVKA II or both. Inclusion of tumor markers in addition to parameters of tumor morphology might be the key to establish the best criteria for liver transplantation for HCC. PMID: 19763387 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
| Stem cell-like human endothelial progenitors show enhanced colony-forming capacity after brief sevoflurane exposure: preconditioning of angiogenic cells by volatile anesthetics.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Stem cell-like human endothelial progenitors show enhanced colony-forming capacity after brief sevoflurane exposure: preconditioning of angiogenic cells by volatile anesthetics. Anesth Analg. 2009 Oct;109(4):1117-26 Authors: Lucchinetti E, Zeisberger SM, Baruscotti I, Wacker J, Feng J, Zaugg K, Dubey R, Zisch AH, Zaugg M BACKGROUND: Endothelial progenitor cells play a pivotal role in tissue repair, and thus are used for cell replacement therapies in "regenerative medicine." We tested whether the anesthetic sevoflurane would modulate growth or mobilization of these angiogenic cells. METHODS: In an in vitro model, mononuclear cells isolated from peripheral blood of healthy donors were preconditioned with sevoflurane (3 times 30 min at 2 vol% interspersed by 30 min of air). Colony-forming units were determined after 9 days in culture and compared with time-matched untreated control. Using magnetic cell sorting, CD133+/CD34+ endothelial progenitors were enriched from human umbilical cord blood, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGFR2 (KDR), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), STAT3, c-kit, and CXCR4 expressions were determined in sevoflurane-treated and untreated cells by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. In a volunteer study with crossover design, we tested whether sevoflurane inhalation (<1 vol% end-tidal concentration) would mobilize endothelial progenitor cells from the bone marrow niche into the circulation using flow cytometry of peripheral blood samples. VEGF and G-CSF plasma levels were also measured. RESULTS: In vitro sevoflurane exposure of mononuclear cells enhanced colony-forming capacity and increased VEGF mRNA levels in CD133+/CD34+ cord blood cells (P = 0.017). Sevoflurane inhalation in healthy volunteers did not alter the number of CD133+/CD34+ or KDR+/CD34+ endothelial progenitors in the circulation, but increased the number of colony-forming units (P = 0.034), whereas VEGF and G-CSF plasma levels remained unchanged. CONCLUSIONS: Sevoflurane preconditioning promotes growth and proliferation of stem cell-like human endothelial progenitors. Hence, it may be used to promote perioperative vascular healing and to support cell replacement therapies. PMID: 19762739 [PubMed - in process] |
| Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 Mediates Vascular Repair by Enhancing Nitric Oxide Generation.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein-3 Mediates Vascular Repair by Enhancing Nitric Oxide Generation. Circ Res. 2009 Sep 17; Authors: Kielczewski JL, Jarajapu Y, McFarland EL, Cai J, Afzal A, Li Calzi S, Chang KH, Lydic T, Shaw LC, Busik J, Hughes J, Cardounel AJ, Wilson K, Lyons TJ, Boulton ME, Mames RN, Chan-Ling T, Grant MB Rationale: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 modulates vascular development by regulating endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) behavior, specifically stimulating EPC cell migration. This study was undertaken to investigate the mechanism of IGFBP-3 effects on EPC function and how IGFBP-3 mediates cytoprotection following vascular injury. Objective: To examine the mechanism of IGFBP-3-mediated repair following vascular injury. Methods and Results: We used 2 complementary vascular injury models: laser occlusion of retinal vessels in adult green fluorescent protein (GFP) chimeric mice and oxygen-induced retinopathy in mouse pups. Intravitreal injection of IGFBP-3-expressing plasmid into lasered GFP chimeric mice stimulated homing of EPCs, whereas reversing ischemia induced increases in macrophage infiltration. IGFBP-3 also reduced the retinal ceramide/sphingomyelin ratio that was increased following laser injury. In the OIR model, IGFBP-3 prevented cell death of resident vascular endothelial cells and EPCs, while simultaneously increasing astrocytic ensheathment of vessels. For EPCs to orchestrate repair, these cells must migrate into ischemic tissue. This migratory ability is mediated, in part, by endogenous NO generation. Thus, we asked whether the migratory effects of IGFBP-3 were attributable to stimulation of NO generation. IGFBP-3 increased endothelial NO synthase expression in human EPCs leading to NO generation. IGFBP-3 exposure also led to the redistribution of vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein, an NO regulated protein critical for cell migration. IGFBP-3-mediated NO generation required high-density lipoprotein receptor activation and stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway. Conclusion: These studies support consideration of IGFBP-3 as a novel agent to restore the function of injured vasculature and restore NO generation. PMID: 19762684 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
| Concurrent Vasculogenesis and Neurogenesis From Adult Neural Stem Cells.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Concurrent Vasculogenesis and Neurogenesis From Adult Neural Stem Cells. Circ Res. 2009 Sep 17; Authors: Ii M, Nishimura H, Sekiguchi H, Kamei N, Yokoyama A, Horii M, Asahara T Rationale: Recent reports have demonstrated that signals from vascular endothelial cells are necessary for organogenesis that may precede vasculogenesis. However, the origin of these neovascular cells in regenerating tissue has not been clarified. Objective: Here we tested the hypothesis that adult neural stem cells (NSCs) can differentiate into vascular lineage, as well as neural lineage, in the process of collaborative organogenesis. Methods and Results: NSCs, clonally isolated from mouse brain, were shown to develop endothelial and smooth muscle phenotypes in vitro. To elucidate whether NSCs can simultaneously differentiate into vascular and neural cells in vivo, genetically labeled NSCs were administered to mice with unilateral sciatic nerve crush injury or operatively induced brain and myocardial ischemia. Two weeks later, necropsy examination disclosed recruitment of the labeled NSCs to sites of injury differentiating into vascular cells (endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells) and Schwann cells in regenerating nerve. Similarly, NSC-derived vascular cells/astrocytes and endothelial cells were identified in ischemic brain tissue and capillaries in myocardium 2 weeks following transplantation, respectively. Conclusions: These findings, concurrent vasculogenesis and neurogenesis from a common stem cell, suggest that certain somatic stem cells are capable of differentiating into not only somatic cells of identity but also into vascular cells for tissue regeneration. PMID: 19762683 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
| Cell fusion of bone marrow cells and somatic cell reprogramming by embryonic stem cells.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Cell fusion of bone marrow cells and somatic cell reprogramming by embryonic stem cells. FASEB J. 2009 Sep 17; Authors: Bonde S, Pedram M, Stultz R, Zavazava N Bone marrow transplantation is a curative treatment for many diseases, including leukemia, autoimmune diseases, and a number of immunodeficiencies. Recently, it was claimed that bone marrow cells transdifferentiate, a much desired property as bone marrow cells are abundant and therefore could be used in regenerative medicine to treat incurable chronic diseases. Using a Cre/loxP system, we studied cell fusion after bone marrow transplantation. Fused cells were chiefly Gr-1(+), a myeloid cell marker, and found predominantly in the bone marrow; in parenchymal tissues. Surprisingly, fused cells were most abundant in the kidney, Peyer's patches, and cardiac tissue. In contrast, after cell fusion with embryonic stem cells, bone marrow cells were reprogrammed into new tetraploid pluripotent stem cells that successfully differentiated into beating cardiomyocytes. Together, these data suggest that cell fusion is ubiquitous after cellular transplants and that the subsequent sharing of genetic material between the fusion partners affects cellular survival and function. Fusion between tumor cells and bone marrow cells could have consequences for tumor malignancy.-Bonde, S., Pedram, M., Stultz, R., Zavazava, N. Cell fusion of bone marrow cells and somatic cell reprogramming by embryonic stem cells. PMID: 19762558 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
| Cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells in regenerative medicine and drug discovery.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2009 Sep 15; Authors: Braam SR, Passier R, Mummery CL Stem cells derived from pre-implantation human embryos or from somatic cells by reprogramming are pluripotent and self-renew indefinitely in culture. Pluripotent stem cells are unique in being able to differentiate to any cell type of the human body. Differentiation towards the cardiac lineage has attracted significant attention, initially with a strong focus on regenerative medicine. Although an important research area, the heart has proven challenging to repair by cardiomyocyte replacement. However, the ability to reprogramme adult cells to pluripotent stem cells and genetically manipulate stem cells presented opportunities to develop models of human disease. The availability of human cardiomyocytes from stem cell sources is expected to accelerate the discovery of cardiac drugs and safety pharmacology by offering more clinically relevant human culture models than presently available. Here we review the state-of-the-art using stem cell-derived human cardiomyocytes in drug discovery, drug safety pharmacology, and regenerative medicine. PMID: 19762090 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] |
| Acknowledgements.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Acknowledgements. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):781 Authors: PMID: 19761401 [PubMed - in process] |
| Induced pluripotent stem cells in regenerative medicine: an argument for continued research on human embryonic stem cells.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Induced pluripotent stem cells in regenerative medicine: an argument for continued research on human embryonic stem cells. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):759-69 Authors: Lee H, Park J, Forget BG, Gaines P Human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be induced to differentiate into a wide range of tissues that soon could be used for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine. Despite their developmental potential, sources used to generate human ESC lines raise serious ethical concerns, which recently prompted efforts to reprogram somatic cells back to a pluripotent state. These efforts resulted in the generation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that are functionally similar to ESCs. However, the genetic manipulations required to generate iPS cells may complicate their growth and developmental characteristics, which poses serious problems in predicting how they will behave when used for tissue-regenerative purposes. In this article we summarize the recently developed methodologies used to generate iPS cells, including those that minimize their genetic manipulation, and discuss several important complicating features of iPS cells that may compromise their future use for therapies in regenerative medicine. PMID: 19761400 [PubMed - in process] |
| Reclaiming a natural beauty: whole-organ engineering with natural extracellular materials.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Reclaiming a natural beauty: whole-organ engineering with natural extracellular materials. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):747-58 Authors: Traphagen S, Yelick PC The ability to engineer whole organs as replacements for allografts and xenografts is an ongoing pursuit in regenerative medicine. While challenges remain, including systemic tissue integration with angiogenesis, lymphatiogenesis and neurogenesis, ongoing efforts are working to develop novel technologies to produce implantable engineered scaffolds and potentially engineered whole organs. Natural extracellular matrix materials, commonly utilized in vitro, are now being used as effective, natural, acellular allografts, and are being integrated into nanoscale scaffolds and matrices with programmable responsiveness. Based on the significant use of natural scaffolds for tissue regeneration and bioengineering strategies, this review focuses on recent and ongoing efforts to engineer whole organs, such as the tooth, featuring natural extracellular matrix molecules. PMID: 19761399 [PubMed - in process] |
| Microencapsulated stem cells for tissue repairing: implications in cell-based myocardial therapy.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Microencapsulated stem cells for tissue repairing: implications in cell-based myocardial therapy. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):733-45 Authors: Paul A, Ge Y, Prakash S, Shum-Tim D Stem cells have the unique properties of self-renewal, pluripotency and a high proliferative capability, which contributes to a large biomass potential. Hence, these cells act as a useful source for acquiring renewable adult cell lines. This, in turn, acts as a potent therapeutic tool to treat various diseases related to the heart, liver and kidney, as well as neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. However, a major problem that must be overcome before it can be effectively implemented into the clinical setting is a suitable delivery system that can retain an optimal quantity of the cells at the targeted site for a maximal clinical benefit; a system that will give a mechanical as well as an immune protection to the foreign cells, while at the same time enhancing the yields of differentiated cells, maintaining cell microenvironments and sustaining the differentiated cell functions. To address this issue we opted for a novel delivery system, termed the 'artificial cells', which are semipermeable microcapsules with strong and thin multilayer membrane components with specific mass transport properties. Here, we briefly introduce the concept of artificial cells for encapsulation of stem cells and investigate the application of microencapsulation technology as an ideal tool for all stem transplantations and relate their role to the emerging field of cellular cardiomyoplasty. PMID: 19761398 [PubMed - in process] |
| Engineering microenvironments for embryonic stem cell differentiation to cardiomyocytes.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Engineering microenvironments for embryonic stem cell differentiation to cardiomyocytes. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):721-32 Authors: Horton RE, Millman JR, Colton CK, Auguste DT Embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells have the potential to be a renewable source of cardiomyocytes for use in myocardial cell replacement strategies. Although progress has been made towards differentiating stem cells to specific cell lineages, the efficiency is often poor and the number of cells generated is not suitable for therapeutic usage. Recent studies demonstrated that controlling the stem cell microenvironment can influence differentiation. Components of the extracellular matrix are important physiological regulators and can provide mechanical cues, direct differentiation and improve cell engraftment into damaged tissue. Bioreactors are used to control the microenvironment and produce large numbers of desired cells. This article describes recent methods to achieve cardiomyocyte differentiation by engineering the stem cell microenvironment. Successful translation of stem cell research to therapeutic applications will need to address large-scale cardiomyocyte differentiation and purification, assessment of cardiac function and synchronization, and safety concerns. PMID: 19761397 [PubMed - in process] |
| Intracoronary blood- or bone marrow-derived cell transplantation in patients with ischemic heart disease.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Intracoronary blood- or bone marrow-derived cell transplantation in patients with ischemic heart disease. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):709-19 Authors: Reffelmann T, Kloner RA Soon after the first experimental scientific investigations of cell transplantation in various animal models of myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction, a growing number of clinical trials evaluated the effects of intracoronary injection of peripheral blood- or bone marrow-derived cells in patients with myocardial infarction or chronic ischemic heart disease. In most of these trials, changes in parameters of left ventricular remodeling over time, such as left ventricular volumes, ejection fraction or infarct size, were used as trial end points, whereas information on mortality and morbidity after cell transplantation is sparse. Several meta-analyses, each including various sets of studies, estimated that intracoronary cell therapy was associated with small reductions in left ventricular end-systolic volumes and a moderate increase in left ventricular ejection fraction of 2.9-6.1% over time compared with control patients. As most of the clinical trials included a limited number of patients, results vary substantially between different studies. When evaluating whether effects of intracoronary cell transplantation on parameters of left ventricular remodeling may be transferable to meaningful consequences in terms of clinical outcome, the following aspects appear to be imperative. Robust data on mortality and clinical events based on a sufficient number of patients are required. Furthermore, effects of cell therapy must be compared with established therapeutic concepts for the treatment of myocardial infarction, such as reperfusion therapy or pharmacological interventions aiming at favorably influencing the remodeling process. Moreover, the potential effects of cell therapy must be evaluated as treatment options additive to established therapeutic strategies. PMID: 19761396 [PubMed - in process] |
| Pulp and dentin tissue engineering and regeneration: current progress.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Pulp and dentin tissue engineering and regeneration: current progress. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):697-707 Authors: Huang GT Dental pulp tissue is vulnerable to infection. Entire pulp amputation followed by pulp-space disinfection and filling with an artificial rubber-like material is employed to treat the infection - commonly known as root-canal therapy. Regeneration of pulp tissue has been difficult as the tissue is encased in dentin without collateral blood supply except from the root apical end. However, with the advent of the concept of modern tissue engineering and the discovery of dental stem cells, regeneration of pulp and dentin has been tested. This article will review the early attempts to regenerate pulp tissue and the current endeavor of pulp and dentin tissue engineering, and regeneration. The prospective outcome of the current advancement in this line of research will be discussed. PMID: 19761395 [PubMed - in process] |
| Ficoll-Paque versus Lymphoprep: a comparative study of two density gradient media for therapeutic bone marrow mononuclear cell preparations.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Ficoll-Paque versus Lymphoprep: a comparative study of two density gradient media for therapeutic bone marrow mononuclear cell preparations. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):689-96 Authors: Yeo C, Saunders N, Locca D, Flett A, Preston M, Brookman P, Davy B, Mathur A, Agrawal S Aims: Contradictory outcomes from recent clinical trials investigating the transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cell (BM-MNC) fraction containing stem/progenitor cells to damaged myocardium, following acute myocardial infarction, may be, in part, due to the different cell isolation protocols used. We compared total BM-MNC numbers and its cellular subsets obtained following isolation using Ficoll-Paque and Lymphoprep - two different density gradient media used in the clinical trials. Materials & methods: Bone marrow samples were taken from patients entered into the REGENERATE-IHD clinical trial after 5 days of subcutaneous granulocyte colony-stimulating factor injections. Each sample was divided equally for BM-MNC isolation using Ficoll-Paque and Lymphoprep, keeping all other procedural steps constant. Isolated fractions were characterized for hematopoietic stem cells, endothelial progenitor cells, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes and NK cells using cell surface markers CD34(+), CD133(+)VEGFR2(+), CD45(+)CD3(+), CD45(+)CD19(+) and CD45(+)CD16(+)CD56(+), respectively. There were no significant differences in the absolute numbers and percentage cell recovery of various mononuclear cell types recovered following separation using either density gradient media. Cell viability and the proportion of various cell phenotypes investigated were similar between the two media. They were also equally efficient in excluding unwanted red blood cells, granulocytes and platelets from the final cell products. Conclusion: We demonstrated that the composition and quantity of cell types found within therapeutic BM-MNC preparations for use in clinical trials of cardiac stem cell transplantation are not influenced by the type of density gradient media used when comparing Ficoll-Paque and Lymphoprep. PMID: 19761394 [PubMed - in process] |
| Conjunctival epithelial cells maintain stem cell properties after long-term culture and cryopreservation.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Conjunctival epithelial cells maintain stem cell properties after long-term culture and cryopreservation. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):677-87 Authors: Schrader S, Notara M, Beaconsfield M, Tuft S, Geerling G, Daniels J Aim: Transplantation of tissue-engineered conjunctival epithelial cell sheets has proven to be a promising technique for conjunctival reconstruction. The ability to cryopreserve conjunctival epithelial cells and maintain their stem cell population would improve their availability for clinical use. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether cryopreservation and long-term in vitro culture has an effect on the proliferative capacity and the progenitor-like cell characteristics of conjunctival epithelial cells. Method: Human conjunctival cells from bulbar biopsies were isolated and expanded on a growth arrested 3T3 feeder layer. The cells were evaluated for cytokeratin (CK4/CK19) expression by immunostaining. An aliquot with half of the cells from the initial culture was frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored for 14 days and, in addition, donor cells were cryopreserved for more than 6 months (202.7 +/- 13.0 days). Both cryopreserved and noncryopreserved cells were serially cultivated over four passages. For each passage the colony-forming efficiency and the cell population doubling rates were evaluated, and expression of putative progenitor cell markers, p63alpha and ABCG2, was assessed by immunostaining and reverse transcription PCR. Results: Both noncryopreserved and cryopreserved cells demonstrated a high colony-forming capacity that decreased with passage. Cells from both groups underwent approximately 20 cell population doublings before senescence. Immunoreactivity to p63alpha and ABCG2 was found in both groups until passage 4 and their presence was also confirmed by reverse transcription PCR. No difference in cell viability, colony-forming efficiency and immunoreactivity to p63alpha and ABCG2 was observed between cells cryopreserved for 14 days, and more than 6 months (202.7 +/- 13.0 days). Conclusion: Conjunctival epithelial cells with progenitor cell-like characteristics can be efficiently cryopreserved and can subsequently maintain their function in vitro over several culture passages. The option to cryopreserve conjunctival cells prior to in vitro expansion would be an advantage when cells have to be cultivated for clinical transplantation. PMID: 19761393 [PubMed - in process] |
| Hair follicle neogenesis induced by cultured human scalp dermal papilla cells.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Hair follicle neogenesis induced by cultured human scalp dermal papilla cells. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):667-76 Authors: Qiao J, Zawadzka A, Philips E, Turetsky A, Batchelor S, Peacock J, Durrant S, Garlick D, Kemp P, Teumer J Aim: To develop a method by which human hair follicle dermal papilla (DP) cells can be expanded in vitro while preserving their hair-inductive potential for use in follicular cell implantation, a cellular therapy for the treatment of hair loss. Materials & methods: DP cells were isolated from scalp hair follicles in biopsies from human donors. DP cell cultures were established under conditions that preserved their hair-inductive potential and allowed for significant expansion. The hair-inductive potential of cells cultured for approximately 36 doublings was tested in an in vivo flap-graft model. In some experiments, DiI was used to label cells prior to grafting. Results: Under the culture conditions developed, cultures established from numerous donors reproducibly resulted in an expansion that averaged approximately five population doublings per passage. Furthermore, the cells consistently induced hair formation in an in vivo graft assay. Grafted DP cells appeared in DP structures of newly formed hairs, as well as in the dermal sheath and in the dermis surrounding follicles. Induced hair follicles persisted and regrew after being plucked 11 months after grafting. Conclusion: A process for the propagation of human DP cells has been developed that provides significant expansion of cells and maintenance of their hair-inductive capability, overcoming a major technical obstacle in the development of follicular cell implantation as a treatment for hair loss. PMID: 19761392 [PubMed - in process] |
| Research highlights.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Research highlights. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):663-6 Authors: Gyöngyösi M PMID: 19761391 [PubMed - in process] |
| Interview: Discussions on the development of human embryonic stem cell-based therapies.
September 19, 2009 at 7:14 am
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| | Interview: Discussions on the development of human embryonic stem cell-based therapies. Regen Med. 2009 Sep;4(5):659-61 Authors: Lebkowski JS Dr Jane Lebkowski joined Geron Corporation in 1998 and is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of the Regenerative Medicine Division. Dr Lebkowski heads Geron's human embryonic stem cell program, and is responsible for all research, preclinical development, product development, manufacturing and clinical development activities. Prior to Geron, Dr Lebkowski was Vice President of Research and Development at Applied Immune Sciences. Following the acquisition of Applied Immune Sciences by Rhone Poulenc Rorer (RPR, currently Sanofi-Aventis), Dr Lebkowski remained at RPR as Vice President of Discovery Research. During Dr Lebkowski's tenure at RPR, she coordinated preclinical investigations of gene-therapy approaches for treatment of cancer, cardiovascular disease and nervous system disorders, and directed vector formulations and delivery development. Dr Lebkowski received her PhD in Biochemistry from Princeton University in 1982, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Genetics, Stanford University (CA, USA) in 1986. Dr Lebkowski has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers and has 12 issued US patents. Dr Lebkowski serves as the co-chair of the Industrial Committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research and serves on the editorial boards of several scientific publications. PMID: 19761390 [PubMed - in process] |
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