Volume 3, Issue 5, May 2014

Recent findings have provided new insight into the interaction among hematopoietic stem cells (HSPCs), cholesterol, and atherosclerosis. The authors review studies in mice and consider the connection in humans between cholesterol and HSPCs. Recent studies represent an important avenue to determine whether the biology of humans is the same and whether antagonism of HSPC mobilization and differentiation in response to cholesterol is of benefit for prevention and regression of atherosclerosis.

The array of human pluripotent stem cells now includes embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and amniotic fluid stem cells. This article compares several aspects of these stem cell types and highlights the need for future appropriate methodological management to include a decision on the “optimal” stem cell to use for a specific application.

The authors propose a regulatory pathway for human cell- and tissue-based products that is intended to provide a practical means of funding long-term patient monitoring while simultaneously accelerating the pace of access to new products.

The authors present a novel protocol for deriving myogenic progenitors from human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells using free-floating spherical culture. Results show that sphere-based cultures of human pluripotent stem cells, expanded in medium containing high concentrations of fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor, can propagate myogenic progenitors from human embryonic stem cells and healthy and disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells.

This study investigated whether human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived astrocyte progenitors could be engrafted to the rodent spinal cord and how the characteristics of these cells changed. Results show that human embryonic stem cell- and hiPSC-derived astrocyte progenitors survive long-term after spinal cord engraftment and differentiate to astrocytes in vivo with few cells from other lineages present.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be easily and efficiently generated from finger-prick blood. Using this collection method will accelerate the development of large-scale hiPSC banks.

This study identified an increased copy number variant (CNV) content in lenti-miPSCs and retro-miPSCs (29∼53 CNVs) compared with p-miPSCs (9∼10 CNVs), indicating that this improved protein-based reprogramming method maintains genomic integrity better than current viral reprogramming methods. Thus, this study demonstrates that reprogramming methods significantly influence the genomic integrity of resulting induced pluripotent stem cells.

The current study demonstrates that derivation of urothelium from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be sufficiently accomplished in vitro in the absence of matrices, cell contact, or adult cell signaling and that the induction process appears to mimic normal differentiation. The ability to derive urothelium from nonautologous sources holds important implications for the bioengineering of bladder tissue for patients requiring urologic reconstruction.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) show considerable promise for cell replacement therapies for Huntington's disease (HD). Results suggest that transplantation of adenovirus-generated iPSCs may provide a potential avenue for therapeutic treatment of HD.

The authors devised a simple table to record in-process data on the preparation of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). The authors suggest that comparisons of data generated by different laboratories would be facilitated if similar in-process data, probably as supplemental materials, were included in publications using MSCs.

Thirty years ago, retroviral transfer of genetic material into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells led to predictions that this technology would transform modern medicine. Lessons from adverse events have now led to a new generation of vectors, refinements in conditioning regimens, and manufacturing, which are paving the way for expanded applications of the current technology and recent emphasis on gene targeting/genome editing as the next advancements in the field.

During two-dimensional expansion to achieve a clinically relevant number of cells, mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) exhibit profound degeneration in progenitor potency. To harness the robust therapeutic potential of MSCs, a consistent, rapid, and minimally detrimental expansion method is necessary. This review explores how modulations in the two-dimensional paradigm affect MSC progenitor properties and highlights recent efforts in alternative expansion techniques.

With growing understanding of the pathogenesis of diabetic disease, alternative approaches aiming at repair and restoration of failing β-cell function are increasingly considered as complements to current diabetes therapy regimens. This study highlights advances in β-cell regeneration strategies with a focus on pluripotent stem cell platforms in the context of translational applications.

The authors developed a novel peptide sequence with only 12 amino acids based on the Ile-Lys-Val-Ala-Val sequence. This novel short peptide shows great promise in artificial niche development for supporting human neural stem/progenitor cell culture in vitro and in vivo and for promoting human neural stem/progenitor cell transplantation in future clinical therapy.