Medical News Today
New Method To Produce Blood Cells From Stem Cells Could Yield A Purer, Safer Cell
Therapy
16 Jul 2013
A new protocol for reprogramming induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into mature blood cells, using
just a small amount of the patient's own blood and a readily available cell type, is reported on in the current
issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. This novel method skips the generally accepted process of
mixing iPSCs with either mouse or human stromal cells during the differentiation process and, in essence,
ensures no outside and potentially harmful DNA is introduced into the reprogrammed cells.
As such, it could lead to a purer, safer therapeutic grade of stem cells for use in regenerative medicine.
The discovery of iPSCs holds great promise for regenerative medicine since it is possible to produce
patient-specific iPSCs from the individual for potential autologous treatment - that is, treatment using the
patient's own cells. This avoids the possibility of rejection and numerous other harmful side effects.
CD34+ cells are a type of blood stem cell that has been linked to proliferation. However, collecting enough
CD34+ cells from a patient to produce an adequate amount of blood usually requires a large volume of
blood to be taken from the patient. But scientists found a way around this, as outlined in the new study
conducted by researchers in the Department of Medicine and Institute for Human Genetic, University of
California-San Francisco. They were led by Yuet Wai Kan, M.D., FRS, and Lin Ye, Ph.D.
"We used Sendai viral vectors to generate iPSCs efficiently from adult mobilized CD34+ and peripheral
blood mononuclear cells (MNCs)," Dr. Kan explained. "Sendai virus is an RNA virus that carries no risk of
altering the host genome, so is considered an efficient solution for generating safe iPSC."
"Just 2 milliliters of blood yielded iPS cells from which hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells could be
generated. These cells could contain up to 40 percent CD34+ cells, of which approximately 25 percent were
the type of precursors that could be differentiated into mature blood cells. These interesting findings reveal
a protocol for the generation iPSCs using a readily available cell type," Dr. Ye added. "We also found that
MNCs can be efficiently reprogrammed into iPSCs as readily as CD34+ cells. Furthermore, these MNCs
derived iPSCs can be terminally differentiated into mature blood cells."
"This method, which uses only a small blood sample, may represent an option for generating iPSCs that
maintains their genomic integrity," said Anthony Atala, MD, Editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine
and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "The fact that these cells were
differentiated into mature blood cells suggests their use in blood diseases."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
Blood cell derived induced pluripotent stem cells free of reprogramming factors generated by Sendai viral
vectors, Lin Ye, Marcus O. Muench, Noemi Fusaki, Ashley I. Beyer, Jiaming Wang, Zhongxia Qi, Jingwei Yu
and Yuet Wai Kan, First Published Online July 11, 2013, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, doi:
10.5966/sctm.2013-0006
STEM CELLS Translational Medicine
New Method To Produce Blood Cells From Stem Cells Could Yield A Purer, Safer Cell
Therapy
16 Jul 2013
A new protocol for reprogramming induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into mature blood cells, using
just a small amount of the patient's own blood and a readily available cell type, is reported on in the current
issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine. This novel method skips the generally accepted process of
mixing iPSCs with either mouse or human stromal cells during the differentiation process and, in essence,
ensures no outside and potentially harmful DNA is introduced into the reprogrammed cells.
As such, it could lead to a purer, safer therapeutic grade of stem cells for use in regenerative medicine.
The discovery of iPSCs holds great promise for regenerative medicine since it is possible to produce
patient-specific iPSCs from the individual for potential autologous treatment - that is, treatment using the
patient's own cells. This avoids the possibility of rejection and numerous other harmful side effects.
CD34+ cells are a type of blood stem cell that has been linked to proliferation. However, collecting enough
CD34+ cells from a patient to produce an adequate amount of blood usually requires a large volume of
blood to be taken from the patient. But scientists found a way around this, as outlined in the new study
conducted by researchers in the Department of Medicine and Institute for Human Genetic, University of
California-San Francisco. They were led by Yuet Wai Kan, M.D., FRS, and Lin Ye, Ph.D.
"We used Sendai viral vectors to generate iPSCs efficiently from adult mobilized CD34+ and peripheral
blood mononuclear cells (MNCs)," Dr. Kan explained. "Sendai virus is an RNA virus that carries no risk of
altering the host genome, so is considered an efficient solution for generating safe iPSC."
"Just 2 milliliters of blood yielded iPS cells from which hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells could be
generated. These cells could contain up to 40 percent CD34+ cells, of which approximately 25 percent were
the type of precursors that could be differentiated into mature blood cells. These interesting findings reveal
a protocol for the generation iPSCs using a readily available cell type," Dr. Ye added. "We also found that
MNCs can be efficiently reprogrammed into iPSCs as readily as CD34+ cells. Furthermore, these MNCs
derived iPSCs can be terminally differentiated into mature blood cells."
"This method, which uses only a small blood sample, may represent an option for generating iPSCs that
maintains their genomic integrity," said Anthony Atala, MD, Editor of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine
and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "The fact that these cells were
differentiated into mature blood cells suggests their use in blood diseases."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
References:
Blood cell derived induced pluripotent stem cells free of reprogramming factors generated by Sendai viral
vectors, Lin Ye, Marcus O. Muench, Noemi Fusaki, Ashley I. Beyer, Jiaming Wang, Zhongxia Qi, Jingwei Yu
and Yuet Wai Kan, First Published Online July 11, 2013, Stem Cells Translational Medicine, doi:
10.5966/sctm.2013-0006
STEM CELLS Translational Medicine
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