UC Irvine scientists find new way to sort stem cellsDecember 21, 2007UC Irvine scientists have found a new way to sort stem cells that should be quicker, easier and more cost-effective than current methods. The technique could in the future expedite therapies for people with conditions ranging from brain and spinal cord damage to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The method uses electrodes on a tiny, inch-long glass slide to sort cells by their electric charges and has been used in cancer research. The stem cell field suffers from a lack of tools for identifying and sorting cells. This important discovery could add a new tool to current sorting methods, which generally require expensive, bulky equipment. "For therapeutic purposes, we want stem cells to turn into specific cell types once they have been transplanted. The trick to doing this is identifying beforehand which cells will become the desired cell type, such as a neuron," said Lisa Flanagan, lead author of the study and a stem cell biologist at UCI. "We have discovered a new, potentially better way to do this by focusing on the electric properties of the cells."
This study appears online Dec. 20 in the journal Stem Cells. The technique used by the scientists, called dielectrophoresis, is based on the premise that different types of cells have different electric properties. Stem cells that are destined to become neurons, for example, have a different electric charge than stem cells that will become astrocytes, another type of brain cell. The scientists discovered that the cells react differently when electric fields are applied. At one frequency, a neuron will be attracted to an electrode but an astrocyte will not, and at a different frequency, an astrocyte will be attracted but a neuron will not. Identifying and sorting stem cells is important when creating stem cell-based therapies. Without a purification process, stem cell transplantations can cause tumors or be rejected by the body's immune system. In this study, the scientists wanted to identify and collect stem cells that were destined to become neurons, which are cells in the brain and spinal cord that process and transmit information. Neurons that die as a result of injury or disease do not regenerate, which is why people with neuronal loss suffer problems such as paralysis and memory loss. Scientists believe that stem cell transplantations might be able to restore part of the lost function. With the goal of identifying future neurons, UCI engineers built a tiny device using a glass slide to perform the dielectrophoresis. First, scientists place unsorted mouse stem cells on one side of the device. The cells then float in sugar water through a tiny channel past electrodes set to a particular frequency. At a certain frequency, stem cells destined to become neurons will stick to the electrodes while other cells pass by. The cells that stick then can be removed and grouped together, potentially for use in a therapy. Currently, stem cells most often are separated using a machine called a fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS). FACS machines, which use lasers to detect the light scattering and fluorescent characteristics of the cells, can weigh hundreds of pounds and cost $500,000 or more. The UCI-designed dielectrophoresis device is just a fraction of the size and cost. The two devices could be used to complement each other to create ultra pure stem cell populations. "Once the mold is created, these sorts of devices can cost just pennies to make," said Ed Monuki, senior author and UCI developmental biologist. "You could have many for every member of your lab and it wouldn't be prohibitively expensive." A strong collaborative partnership between UCI biologists and engineers made this discovery possible. With input from biologists, engineers built the device in UCI's Integrated Nanosystems Research Facility. "This represents truly an interdisciplinary effort that expands the horizon in both biology and engineering fields," said Abraham Lee, a study co-author affiliated with the Department of Biomedical Engineering in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UCI. The biologists are affiliated with the UCI Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the Department of Developmental and Cell Biology, and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. A hub for stem cell research in Southern California, UCI is raising money for a new building that will house its stem cell researchers, the core laboratory, training facilities and research space. UCI is applying to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine for a facilities grant to build the structure. Jente Lu, Lisen Wang, Steve Marchenko and Noo Li Jeon of UCI also worked on this study, which was supported by the Roman Reed Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund of California. The University of California, Irvine | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Related Stem Cell News Articles NC State Is First University in Nation to Offer Canine Bone Marrow Transplants Dogs suffering from lymphoma will be able to receive the same type of medical treatment as their human counterparts, as North Carolina State University becomes the first university in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting. Cardiac cell transplant studies show promise in cardiac tissue repair Two studies published in the current issue of CELL TRANSPLANTATION (17:6) examine the efficacy of transplanting bone marrow cells (BMCs) for the repair of heart tissue. Stem cell research puts interstate rivalry on hold Victoria and New South Wales have put aside their competitive interstate rivalry to collaborate on a stem cell research project, as announced by Innovation Minister Gavin Jennings and NSW Minister for Science and Medical Research, Verity Firth, today. Cell removal technique could lead to cheaper drugs Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have pioneered a simple way to remove dead cells from cell cultures used to make protein-based drugs, which are increasingly prescribed to treat a range of illnesses. Bone marrow stem cells may help control inflammatory bowel disease Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model. Bowel cancer indicator should lead to better treatment STEM cell scientists have developed a more accurate way of identifying aggressive forms of bowel cancer, which should eventually lead to better treatment and survival rates. Stem cell indicator for bowel cancer should lead to better survival rates Stem cell scientists have developed a more accurate way of identifying aggressive forms of bowel cancer, which should eventually lead to better treatment and survival rates. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. UC Riverside researcher develops novel method to grow human embryonic stem cells The majority of researchers working with human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) - cells which produce any type of specialized adult cells in the human body - use animal-based materials for culturing the cells. But because these materials are animal-based, they could transmit viruses and other pathogens to the hESCs, making the cells unsuitable for medical use. Limbs saved by menstrual blood stem cells Cells obtained from menstrual blood, termed 'endometrial regenerative cells' (ERCs) are capable of restoring blood flow in an animal model of advanced peripheral artery disease. Protein key to control, growth of blood cells New research sheds light on the biological events by which stem cells in the bone marrow develop into the broad variety of cells that circulate in the blood. The findings may help improve the success of bone marrow transplants and may lead to better treatments for life-threatening blood diseases. More Stem Cell News Articles |
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