Latest Pluripotency Stories

New research findings show that embryonic stem cells unable to fully compact the DNA inside them cannot complete their primary task: differentiation into specific cell types that give rise to the various types of tissues and structures in the body. Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University found that chromatin compaction is required for proper embryonic stem cell differentiation to occur. Chromatin, which is composed of histone proteins and DNA, packages DNA...

FARMINGTON, Conn., May 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Global Information Inc. is pleased to announce two significant new reports Opportunities in Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) ProductsHuman embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, the stage reached 4 to 5 days after fertilization. They are the most pluripotent of all stem cell types, able to develop into any of over 200 different cell types in the human body, rending them...

Stem cells derived from neural crest could be ideal for researchers in studying how cells affect development and disease. This embryonic structure found in vertebrates gives rise to many tissues and organs, including most of the peripheral nervous system. However, it has been difficult to find a reliable source for enough of these cells to satisfy researchers’ needs. Work by a team of US scientists could soon change that. “We have found a way that, with a bit more fine-tuning, could...

IRVINE, Calif., April 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- GeneTex, a leading manufacturer of antibodies and antibody-related reagents, is set to launch a new monoclonal antibody against stage-specific embryonic antigen 5 (SSEA-5), a marker for human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) that may also improve the safety of stem cell-based treatments. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120416/LA87543) (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111129/LA13485LOGO-b) The therapeutic potential...

--Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Researchers Develop Potential Source for Future Diabetes, Liver Treatments-- PHILADELPHIA, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Researchers have generated a new type of human stem cell that can develop into numerous types of specialized cells, including functioning pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. Called endodermal progenitor (EP) cells, the new cells show two important advantages over embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent...

MADISON, Wis., March 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (CDI) today announced an expansion of its existing distribution agreement with iPS Academia Japan, Inc. to include iCell® Neurons and iCell Endothelial Cells. The original distribution agreement, announced on June 8, 2011, covered the distribution of CDI's iCell Cardiomyocytes, the first commercially available product based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), in Japan. CDI is the...

A research team has identified epigenetic signatures, markers on DNA that control transient changes in gene expression, within reprogrammed skin cells. These signatures can predict the expression of a wound-healing protein in reprogrammed skin cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), cells that take on embryonic stem cell properties. Understanding how the expression of the protein is controlled brings us one step closer to developing personalized tissue regeneration strategies using...

Researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC) have successfully developed and demonstrated a new experimental technique for producing cells with specific functions through the artificial reconstruction of transcriptional regulatory networks. As an alternative to induced pluripotent stem cells, the technique promises to enable faster and more efficient production of functional cells for use in cancer therapy and a variety of other areas. Starting with the first-ever production of...

MADISON, Wis., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellular Dynamics International, Inc. (CDI), the world's largest commercial producer of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines and tissue cells for drug discovery and safety, today announced several customer presentations of studies employing the company's iCell® products at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) Annual Meeting on March 11 to 15 in San Francisco. A number of these studies demonstrate the superior predictivity of CDI's...

Finding promises to streamline creation of therapeutic cells Despite the promise associated with the therapeutic use of human stem cells, a complete understanding of the mechanisms that control the fundamental question of whether a stem cell becomes a specific cell type within the body or remains a stem cell has—until now—eluded scientists. A University of Georgia study published in the March 2 edition of the journal Cell Stem Cell, however, creates the first ever blueprint of how...