PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New method for generating human stem cells is remarkably efficient

2010-10-01
(Press-News.org) The ability to efficiently generate patient-specific stem cells from differentiated cells and then reliably direct them to form specialized cells (like neurons or muscle) has tremendous therapeutic potential for replacing diseased or damaged tissues. However, despite some successes, there have been significant limitations associated with existing methods used to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Now, a study published by Cell Press on September 30th in the journal Cell Stem Cell presents a novel strategy for creating iPSCs that exhibits some significant advantages when compared with current iPSC technologies. The new method does not require risky genetic modification and holds great promise for making the reprogramming process more therapeutically relevant.

"Clinical application of iPSCs is currently hampered by low efficiency of iPSC generation and protocols that permanently alter the genome to effect cellular reprogramming," explains senior study author, Dr. Derrick J. Rossi from Harvard Medical School. "Perhaps even more importantly, safe and effective means of directing the fate of patient-specific iPS cells towards clinically useful cell types are lacking."

In the current study, Dr. Rossi and colleagues did not take the standard approach to permanently alter the genome to achieve expression of protein factors known to reprogram adult cells into iPSCs. Instead, they developed synthetic modified messenger RNA molecules (which they termed "modified RNAs") that encoded the appropriate proteins but did not integrate into the cell's DNA.

Repeated administration of the modified RNAs resulted in robust expression of the reprogramming proteins in mature skin cells that were then converted to iPSCs with startling efficiency. "We weren't really expecting the modified RNAs to work so effectively, but the reprogramming efficiencies we observed with our approach were very high," says Dr. Rossi.

Importantly, the modified RNA method was also used to successfully to control the fate of the iPSCs. "Creation of iPSCs is the critical first step towards patient-specific therapies, but to truly realize the promise of iPS cell technology for regenerative medicine or disease modeling, we must harness the potential of iPS cells to generate clinically useful cell types," notes Dr. Rossi. RNA-induced iPSCs with an RNA associated with muscle cell development caused the cells to differentiate into muscle cells —again simply, efficiently and without the immediate risk of inducing genetic mutations.

These findings demonstrate that the novel RNA-induced iPSC technology offers significant advantages over existing methodologies. "Our technology represents a safe, efficient strategy for somatic cell reprogramming and directing cell fate that has wide ranging applicability for basic research, disease modeling and regenerative medicine," concludes Dr. Rossi. "We believe that our approach has the potential to become a major and perhaps even central enabling technology for cell-based therapies."

###

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Genetic alteration linked with human male infertility

2010-10-01
One in seven couples worldwide has difficulty conceiving a child, and male infertility is thought to account for nearly half of those cases. Although the cause of male infertility is often unknown, scientists have now discovered a genetic alteration that disrupts sperm production in otherwise healthy men. The research, published by Cell Press on September 30th in the American Journal of Human Genetics, provides new insight into one cause of male infertility. "Many genes are known to be essential for the production of sperm, but there are surprisingly few single gene changes ...

Fossilized giant penguin reveals unusual colors, sheds light on bird evolution

2010-10-01
Paleontologists have unearthed the first extinct penguin with preserved evidence of scales and feathers. The 36-million-year-old fossil from Peru shows the new giant penguin's feathers were reddish brown and grey, distinct from the black tuxedoed look of living penguins. The new species, Inkayacu paracasensis, or Water King, was nearly five feet tall or about twice the size of an Emperor penguin, the largest living penguin today. "Before this fossil, we had no evidence about the feathers, colors and flipper shapes of ancient penguins. We had questions and this was ...

Researchers sequence genome of mosquito that spreads West Nile virus

Researchers sequence genome of mosquito that spreads West Nile virus
2010-10-01
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Last year, 720 people in the United States became infected with West Nile virus, a potentially serious illness that is spread through the bite of a mosquito – the Culex mosquito – that has first fed on infected birds. Such mosquitoes have the virus eventually located in their salivary glands and transmit the disease to humans and animals when they bite to draw blood. To understand the genetic makeup of the Culex mosquito, and how the insect is able to transmit this and other viruses, an international team of scientists, led by geneticists at the ...

Researchers advance biosynthesis of potent anti-cancer drug Taxol

2010-10-01
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass.--Researchers from Tufts University School of Engineering and MIT have reported a new way to biosynthesize important precursors to the potent anti-cancer compound Taxol in an engineered strain of E. coli bacteria. The findings are significant steps on the way to achieving cost-effective, large-scale production of Taxol and the effort to design new Taxol-like pharmaceuticals. The work is reported in the October 1, 2010, issue of the journal Science. Taxol (paclitaxel) and its structural analogs are among the most powerful and commercially ...

Researchers decode genome of mosquito that spreads West Nile virus, encephalitis and elephantiasis

2010-10-01
Chestnut Hill, Mass. (9/30/2010) – Scientists have sequenced the genome of the Southern house mosquito, providing new insights into the most diverse and widespread of three groups of disease-bearing mosquitoes and shedding new light on the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, encephalitis, West Nile virus and filariasis, international teams of researchers report in the upcoming edition of the journal Science. Breeding in drains, cesspools and other polluted water bodies, Culex quinquefasciatus feeds on blood from birds, livestock and humans and transmits ...

Ethnicity: A reason for heart problems post-transplant in South Asians

2010-10-01
Ethnicity is a contributing risk factor of cardiovascular problems in kidney recipients of South Asian origin post-transplant, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). South Asians comprise 25% of all Canadian visible minorities and have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease in the general population. However, the risk of cardiovascular events has never been studied in this minority population. To investigate, G.V. Ramesh Prasad, MBBS, MSc, FRCPC, FACP, FASN (University of Toronto) and ...

Fossilized giant penguin feathers reveal color, feather structure of ancient birds

2010-10-01
A North Carolina State University researcher is part of a team that has discovered fossilized feathers from a giant penguin that lived near the Equator more than 36 million years ago. These feathery fossils reveal color patterns in an ancient extinct penguin species, and offer clues to how modern penguin feathers evolved. The penguin in question – dubbed Inkayacu paracasensis, or Water King – dates from the late Eocene period and stood almost five feet tall. The fossil was discovered near the Paracas Reserve, located along the eastern coastline of Peru. A research team ...

Dinosaurs significantly taller than previously thought, MU researcher finds

Dinosaurs significantly taller than previously thought, MU researcher finds
2010-10-01
COLUMBIA, Mo.– It might seem obvious that a dinosaur's leg bone connects to the hip bone, but what came between the bones has been less obvious. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri and Ohio University have found that dinosaurs had thick layers of cartilage in their joints, which means they may have been considerably taller than previously thought. The study is being published this week in the journal PLoS ONE (Public Library of Science). "Our study of the limbs of modern-day relatives of dinosaurs shows that dinosaurs were significantly taller than original ...

Researchers engineer microbes for low-cost production of anti-cancer drug, Taxol

2010-10-01
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- MIT researchers and collaborators from Tufts University have now engineered E. coli bacteria to produce large quantities of a critical compound that is a precursor to the cancer drug Taxol, originally isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. The tree's bacteria can produce 1,000 times more of the precursor, known as taxadiene, than any other engineered microbial strain. The technique, described in the Oct. 1 issue of Science, could bring down the manufacturing costs of Taxol and also help scientists discover potential new drugs for cancer and ...

Major disease-vector mosquito reveals the secrets of its immune system

2010-10-01
1st October 2010 - The Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito poses a significant threat to human health as a blood-sucking transmitter of elephantiasis-causing worms and encephalitis-inducing viruses. An international team of scientists, including researchers from the University of Geneva and the SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics sequenced its genome and studied its responses to pathogen infections. Two articles published in today's issue of Science, describe results from comparing the Culex mosquito with the malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, and the dengue mosquito, Aedes ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Underserved youth less likely to visit emergency department for concussion in Ontario, study finds

‘Molecular shield’ placed in the nose may soon treat common hay fever trigger

Beetles under climate stress lay larger male eggs: Wolbachia infection drives adaptive reproduction strategy in response to rising temperature and CO₂

Groundbreaking quantum study puts wave-particle duality to work

Weekly injection could be life changing for Parkinson’s patients

Toxic metals linked to impaired growth in infants in Guatemala

Being consistently physically active in adulthood linked to 30–40% lower risk of death

Nerve pain drug gabapentin linked to increased dementia, cognitive impairment risks

Children’s social care involvement common to nearly third of UK mums who died during perinatal period

‘Support, not judgement’: Study explores links between children’s social care involvement and maternal deaths

Ethnic minority and poorer children more likely to die in intensive care

Major progress in fertility preservation after treatment for cancer of the lymphatic system

Fewer complications after additional ultrasound in pregnant women who feel less fetal movement

Environmental impact of common pesticides seriously underestimated

The Milky Way could be teeming with more satellite galaxies than previously thought

New study reveals surprising reproductive secrets of a cricket-hunting parasitoid fly

Media Tip Sheet: Symposia at ESA2025

NSF CAREER Award will power UVA engineer’s research to improve drug purification

Tiny parasitoid flies show how early-life competition shapes adult success

New coating for glass promises energy-saving windows

Green spaces boost children’s cognitive skills and strengthen family well-being

Ancient trees dying faster than expected in Eastern Oregon

Study findings help hone precision of proven CVD risk tool

Most patients with advanced melanoma who received pre-surgical immunotherapy remain alive and disease free four years later

Introducing BioEmu: A generative AI Model that enables high-speed and accurate prediction of protein structural ensembles

Replacing mutated microglia with healthy microglia halts progression of genetic neurological disease in mice and humans

New research shows how tropical plants manage rival insect tenants by giving them separate ‘flats’

Condo-style living helps keep the peace inside these ant plants

Climate change action could dramatically limit rising UK heatwave deaths

Annual heat-related deaths projected to increase significantly due to climate and population change

[Press-News.org] New method for generating human stem cells is remarkably efficient