Serum-free cultures help transplanted MSCs improve efficacy
2011-06-28
(Press-News.org) Tampa, Fla. (June 28, 2011) – Mensenchymal stem cells (MSCs), multipotent cells identified in bone marrow and other tissues, have been shown to be therapeutically effective in the immunosuppression of T-cells, the regeneration of blood vessels, assisting in skin wound healing, and suppressing chronic airway inflammation in some asthma cases. Typically, when MSCs are being prepared for therapeutic applications, they are cultured in fetal bovine serum.
A study conducted by a research team from Singapore and published in the current issue of Cell Medicine [2(1)], freely available on-line at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/cm , has shown that culturing MSCs in a serum-free media with a 'cocktail" of additives that include growth factors and cytokines, supports cellular growth and increases the potential for adipose and cartilage tissue engineering.
"Our observations that the serum-free media supported cellular growth were attributed to the signaling cascades triggered by the cytokines presented in the serum-free formulation and the interaction with a collagen substrate," said Dr. Saey Tuan Barnabas Ho, corresponding author. "Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to cultivate MSCs in a serum-free environment that enhances the cells' specific differentiation capacities."
The researchers said that the fetal bovine serum commonly used in cell cultures is a "complex mixture" with biochemical effects largely undefined and the "composition varying between serum batches" leading to "inconsistent outcomes." There were also safety concerns with cells cultured in fetal bovine serum because of the "potential presence of viruses, prions and mycoplasms."
The researchers reported that their enhanced, serum-free culture for MSCs aided in the "upregulation of adipogenesis and chondrogenesis."
"There is an impetus to develop an "off the shelf" serum-free media consisting of cytokines," said Dr. Ho.
The use of a cell culture medium that contains known quantities of specific growth factors and other proteins rather than the mixed bag you get with serum-containing media allows for greater control over the fate of the cells", said Dr. Cesar Borlongan, Editor of Cell Medicine and Professor at the University of South Florida Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair. "This study demonstrates that the growth factor-defined, serum-free medium can also improve the cell fate regulation, suggesting that the use of this medium should therefore be encouraged."
###
Contact: Dr. Saey Tuan Barnabas Ho, National University of Singapore, DSO Building, (Kent Ridge), NUS Tissue Engineering Program
Tel: +98 21 2208 9946 Fax: +98 21 2206 9451 Email: kajbafzd@sina.tums.ac.ir
Citation: Ho, S. T. B.; Tanavde, V. M.; Hui, J. H.; Lee, E. H. Upregulation of Adipogenesis and Chondrogenesis in MSC Serum Free Culture. Cell Med. 2(1):27-41; 2011.
The editorial offices for CELL MEDICINE are at the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair, College of Medicine, the University of South Florida. Contact, David Eve, PhD. at cellmedicinect@gmail.com
News Release by Randolph Fillmore, Florida Science Communications. rfillmore@sciencescribe.net
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2011-06-28
In another world first, Australian Company JetBoarder pioneers the way in the new sport of JetBoarding. Their newest model, which previewed at Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in Australia, is a real world first.
Click link to see more: http://vimeo.com/24210179
Called the 'Sprint', the focus with the kids' JetBoarder was safety first and fun second, in a new experience for kids aged 12-16. Our SPRINT Model achieves this plus more advises Chris Kanyaro. "We want to give kids the opportunity to enjoy the latest craze taking the world by storm" in ...
2011-06-28
For Hollywood celebrities, the term "splitsville" usually means "check your prenup." For scientists wanting to mass-produce high quality nanoribbons from boron nitride nanotubes, "splitsville" could mean "happily ever after."
Scientists with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley, working with scientists at Rice University, have developed a technique in which boron nitride nanotubes are stuffed with atoms of potassium until the tubes split open along a longitudinal seam. This creates defect-free boron nitride ...
2011-06-28
TORONTO, Ont., June 28, 2011—A chemical produced by the same cells that make insulin in the pancreas prevented and even reversed Type 1 diabetes in mice, researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have found.
Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is characterized by the immune system's destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas that make and secrete insulin. As a result, the body makes little or no insulin.
The only conventional treatment for Type 1 diabetes is insulin injection, but insulin is not a cure as it does not prevent or reverse the loss of ...
2011-06-28
EVANSTON, Ill. --- To many, a tax on soda is a no-brainer in advancing the nation's war on obesity. Advocates point to a number of studies in recent years that conclude that sugary drinks have a lot to do with why Americans are getting fatter.
But obese people tend to drink diet sodas, and therefore taxing soft drinks with added sugar or other sweeteners is not a good weapon in combating obesity, according to a new Northwestern University study.
An amendment to Illinois Senate Bill 396 would add a penny an ounce to the cost of most soft drinks with added sugar or sweeteners, ...
2011-06-28
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Inkjet printers, a low-cost technology that in recent decades has revolutionized home and small office printing, may soon offer similar benefits for the future of solar energy.
Engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a way for the first time to create successful "CIGS" solar devices with inkjet printing, in work that reduces raw material waste by 90 percent and will significantly lower the cost of producing solar energy cells with some very promising compounds.
High performing, rapidly produced, ultra-low cost, thin film solar electronics ...
2011-06-28
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The pen may have bested the sword long ago, but now it's challenging wires and soldering irons.
University of Illinois engineers have developed a silver-inked rollerball pen capable of writing electrical circuits and interconnects on paper, wood and other surfaces. The pen is writing whole new chapters in low-cost, flexible and disposable electronics.
Led by Jennifer Lewis, the Hans Thurnauer professor of materials science and engineering at the U. of I., and Jennifer Bernhard, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, the team published ...
2011-06-28
Stepladders, a household product used by thousands of people every day, are a surprisingly common cause of injury. In 2009, more than 187,000 Americans visited the hospital after sustaining stepladder injuries, many of which resulted from a fall. A recent human factors/ergonomics study explores how improved design and user behavior can decrease the likelihood of future accidents.
In their upcoming HFES 55th Annual Meeting presentation, "The Role of Human Balance in Stepladder Accidents," HF/E researchers Daniel Tichon, Lowell Baker, and Irving Ojalvo review research ...
2011-06-28
Cambridge, Mass. - June 28, 2011 - At a glance, a painting by Jackson Pollock (1912) can look deceptively accidental: just a quick flick of color on a canvas.
A quantitative analysis of Pollock's streams, drips, and coils, by Harvard mathematician L. Mahadevan and collaborators at Boston College, reveals, however, that the artist had to be slow—he had to be deliberate—to exploit fluid dynamics in the way that he did.
The finding, published in Physics Today, represents a rare collision between mathematics, physics, and art history, providing new insight into ...
2011-06-28
Grand Rapids, Mich. (June 28, 2011) – Most of us have had a doctor prescribe an antibiotic for a stubborn bacterial infection, or for a cut that gets infected. However, prescribing an antibiotic to fight cancer? In fact, anti-cancer antibiotics have been used since the 1950s to successfully treat several forms of cancer, but often the side effects limit the duration they can be given to a patient.
One particularly promising anti-cancer antibiotic is Geldanamycin and a modified form of this drug known as 17AAG. Despite its proven ability to selectively kill many ...
2011-06-28
Some areas of the southern United States are suffering from the longest dry spell since 1887 and a new Baylor University study shows that could prove problematic for aquatic organisms.
The Baylor study found that drought conditions make some chemicals in the environment more toxic to fish and other aquatic life. Specifically, the study found that drought conditions exacerbate the magnitudes of the natural pH shifts in the water. This is important, the researchers said, because some contaminants in the water, such as ammonia, are more toxic to aquatic life depending on ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Serum-free cultures help transplanted MSCs improve efficacy
