New technique paves way for cheaper, quicker stem cell therapies
From our ANI Correspondent
Washington, Dec 21: Scientists at the University Of California,
Irvine, have found a novel way to sort stem cells which can prove to
be quicker, easier and more cost-effective than current methods and
may also speed up the production of future stem cell therapies.
This technique, called dielectrophoresis, can be beneficial in future
to develop therapies for people with conditions ranging from brain
and spinal cord damage to Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
The study was led by Lisa Flanagan, a stem cell biologist at UCI.
This technique makes use of electrodes on a tiny, inch-long glass
slide to sort cells according to their electric charges and has been
used in cancer research. here's a lack of tools for identifying and
sorting cells in the stem cell field.
This can prove to be a significant discovery as it could add a new
tool to current sorting methods, which generally involve 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.
She added: "We have discovered a new, potentially better way to do
this by focusing on the electric properties of the cells."
Dielectrophoresis relies on the fact that different types of cells
have different electric properties. For example, the stem cells meant
to become neurons, have a different electric charge than stem cells
that will become astrocytes, another type of brain cell.
It was revealed that the cells respond differently when electric
fields are applied. While, 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.
It is important to identify and sort stem cells while creating stem
cell-based therapies. Stem cell transplantations can cause tumors or
be rejected by the body's immune system, if a purification process is
not there.
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.
However, neurons that die as a result of injury or disease do not
regenerate, which is why people with loss of neurons experience
problems like paralysis and memory loss.
The scientists thought that stem cell transplantations might be able
to restore part of the lost function.
UCI engineers made a tiny device using a glass slide to perform the
dielectrophoresis in order to identify future neurons,
Firstly, scientists positioned 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 definite frequency, stem cells intended 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.
At present, stem cells are usually separated using a machine called a
fluorescence-
FACS machines use lasers to detect the light scattering and
fluorescent characteristics of the cells, can weigh hundreds of
pounds and cost 500,000 dollars or more.
The UCI-designed dielectrophoresis device is just a part of the size
and cost. The two devices could be used to complement each other in
order 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.
He added: "You could have many for every member of your lab and it
wouldn't be prohibitively expensive."
This study appeared online in the journal Stem Cells.
Copyright Asian News International
http://www.dailyind
cheaper-quicker-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
____________________________________________
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Earn your degree in as few as 2 years - Advance your career with an AS, BS, MS degree - College-Finder.net.
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
No comments:
Post a Comment