Using induced pluripotent stem cells, scientists can better study human disease

Lower risk of rejection in cell transplants on the horizon

2013-04-22

(Press-News.org) Boston, MA—Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology will speak at EB 2013 on the topic of stem cells, pluripotency and nuclear reprogramming. His work has led to major advances in our understanding of embryonic stem cells and "induced pluripotent stem" (IPS) cells, which appear identical to embryonic stem cells but can be created from adult cells without using an egg. Dr. Jaenisch will discuss the mechanism of in vitro reprogramming and the inefficiency of gene targeting on Sunday, April 21at 2:30 pm at the meeting of the American Association of Anatomists at Experimental Biology.

The stem cell field is no stranger to controversy and has become widely discussed for the cells' ability to generate any cell type. They offer a new way to study human development. "The greatest interest in using stem cells is for disease research," said Jaenisch. "In the late 1990s when Dolly was cloned, it was called therapeutic cloning. It is considered controversial for using human eggs and is technically difficult. With IPS cells, we now have a way to study the pathogenesis of disease in petri dishes, without human eggs."

According to Jaenisch, where Dolly was a theoretical solution, we now have new technology that makes it possible to move into application. IPS cells will allow scientists to study complex human diseases in Petri dishes, a step toward analyzing the conditions and developing therapies.

Another potential benefit from IPS cells is to use them for transplantation into a patient to cure disease possibly. "We can likely find a way to reduce the risk of organ/tissue rejection. We can also correct mutations in IPS cells," he added, which gives researchers one less complicating factor.

Jaenisch received his doctorate in medicine from the University of Munich in 1967. Before coming to Whitehead, he was head of the Department of Tumor Virology at the Heinrich Pette Institute at the University of Hamburg. He has coauthored more than 375 research papers and has received numerous prizes and recognitions, including an appointment to the National Academy of Sciences in 2003. He received the 2011 National Medal of Science.

### About Experimental Biology 2013 Experimental Biology's mission is to share the newest scientific concepts and research findings shaping future and current clinical advances – and to give scientists and clinicians an unparalleled opportunity to hear from colleagues working on similar biomedical problems using different disciplines. With six sponsoring societies and another 20 U.S. and international guest societies, the annual meeting brings together scientists from throughout the United States and the world, representing dozens of scientific areas, from laboratory to translational to clinical research. The meeting also offers a wide spectrum of professional development sessions.

About the American Association of Anatomists AAA is the professional home for an international community of biomedical researchers and educators focusing on anatomical form and function. We promote the three-dimensional understanding of structure as it relates to development and function, from molecule to organism. AAA was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1888, for the "advancement of anatomical science."

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Change diet, exercise habits at same time for best results, Stanford study says

2013-04-22

STANFORD, Calif. — Most people know that the way to stay healthy is to exercise and eat right, but millions of Americans struggle to meet those goals, or even decide which to change first. Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered that focusing on changing exercise and diet at the same time gives a bigger boost than tackling them sequentially. They also found that focusing on changing diet first — an approach that many weight-loss programs advocate — may actually interfere with establishing a consistent exercise routine. Their findings ...

Green spaces may boost wellbeing for city dwellers

2013-04-22

New research published in the journal Psychological Science has found that people living in urban areas with more green space tend to report greater wellbeing than city dwellers that don't have parks, gardens, or other green space nearby. The research has been led by Dr Mathew White from the University of Exeter Medical School's European Centre for Environment & Human Health, in Truro, Cornwall. By examining data from a national survey that followed UK households over time, Dr White and colleagues at the European Centre have found that individuals reported less mental ...

Starting with 2 health behaviors may be better than 1

2013-04-22

A worrisome increase in obesity levels in much of the world suggests that current methods of motivating people to eat healthier food and get more exercise are not all that successful. Much of today's research focuses on ways of delivering messages in order to obtain the best sustained adherence to these two key health behaviors. One such study by Abby King and colleagues from the Stanford School of Medicine in California looks at the timing of giving exercise and nutrition advice. The researchers found that a higher success rate might be possible when the advice is given ...

Biggest family tree of human cells created by scientists at the University of Luxembourg

2013-04-22

Cells are the basic unit of a living organism. The human body consists of a vast array of highly specialized cells, such as blood cells, skin cells and neurons. In total more than 250 different cell types exist. How are the different types related to each other? Which factors are unique for each cell type? And what in the end determines the development of a certain cell? To answer these questions, the research team designed a computer-based method that uses already existing biological data from research groups all over the world and analyses them in an entirely new way. ...

Hundreds of alterations and potential drug targets to starve cancer tumors identified

2013-04-22

NEW YORK—A massive study analyzing gene expression data from 22 tumor types has identified multiple metabolic expression changes associated with cancer. The analysis, conducted by researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, also identified hundreds of potential drug targets that could cut off a tumor's fuel supply or interfere with its ability to synthesize essential building blocks. The study was published today in the online edition of Nature Biotechnology. The results should ramp up research into drugs that interfere with cancer metabolism, a field that dominated ...

Stem cell transplant restores memory, learning in mice

2013-04-22

MADISON – For the first time, human embryonic stem cells have been transformed into nerve cells that helped mice regain the ability to learn and remember. A study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is the first to show that human stem cells can successfully implant themselves in the brain and then heal neurological deficits, says senior author Su-Chun Zhang, a professor of neuroscience and neurology. Once inside the mouse brain, the implanted stem cells formed two common, vital types of neurons, which communicate with the chemicals GABA or acetylcholine. "These ...

A scientist on a mission

2013-04-22

BOSTON — When thousands of experimental biology researchers gather in Boston this weekend, many of them undoubtedly will be presenting work related to the hunt for the next generation of antibiotics and how to battle back existing and emerging superbugs. But for one scientist from Texas Rio Grande Valley, it's not about what the research of tomorrow holds: It's about the kind of action the people in communities like his need today. Subburaj Kannan, an instructor of microbiology at Southwest Texas Junior College, is passionate when he talks about how antibiotic resistance ...

Study: Low-dose aspirin stymies proliferation of 2 breast cancer lines

2013-04-22

BOSTON — Regular use of low-dose aspirin may prevent the progression of breast cancer, according to results of a study by researchers at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kansas City, Mo., and the University of Kansas Medical Center. The study found that aspirin slowed the growth of breast cancer cell lines in the lab and significantly reduced the growth of tumors in mice. The age-old headache remedy also exhibits the ability to prevent tumor cells from spreading. The lead author of the study, Gargi Maity, a postdoctoral fellow who works in the cancer research ...

Lost your keys? Your cat? The brain can rapidly mobilize a search party

2013-04-22

A contact lens on the bathroom floor, an escaped hamster in the backyard, a car key in a bed of gravel: How are we able to focus so sharply to find that proverbial needle in a haystack? Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that when we embark on a targeted search, various visual and non-visual regions of the brain mobilize to track down a person, animal or thing. That means that if we're looking for a youngster lost in a crowd, the brain areas usually dedicated to recognizing other objects, or even the areas attuned to abstract thought, ...

Structure of cell signaling molecule suggests general on-off switch

2013-04-22

DURHAM, N.C. – A three-dimensional image of one of the proteins that serves as an on-off switch as it binds to receptors on the surface of a cell suggests there may be a sort of main power switch that could be tripped. These surface receptors are responsible for helping cells discern light, set the heart racing, or detect pain. The finding, published online April 21, 2013, in the journal Nature by a research collaboration involving this year's Nobel laureates in chemistry, could help in the development of more effective drugs to switch on or off the cell receptors that ...

Using induced pluripotent stem cells, scientists can better study human disease

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: