First step towards banking disease-specific pluripotent stem cells
September 30, 2008
Scientists at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute have recently reported in the scientific journal Cell that they have been able to create stem cells from patients with a wide variety of genetic diseases.
The group, led by Dr. George Daley, achieved this task by taking fibroblasts from the skin or bone marrow of patients with genetic diseases and subsequently infecting these cells with a cocktail of viruses. This caused the cells to back to a state that is similar to pluripotent stem cells (i.e. embryonic stem cells).
These disease-specific cells are of great value as they give researcher more information about the nature of the genetic mutation (and hence the disease) that is carried in these stem cells. Not only will these disease-specific cells help scientists understand what role these cells play in the development of disease, but the information carried in these cells will aid in drug development.
Diseases included in this discovery are adenosine deaminase deficiency-related severe combined immunodeficiency , Shwachman-Bodian-Diamond syndrome, Gaucher diseaseI, Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s disease , Huntington’s disease, type 1diabetes, Down syndrome, and the carrier state of Lesch-Nyhan syndrome.
As controversy over the use of embryonic stem cells in research continues, this discovery helps bypass some of the ethical issues involve as these stem cells can generated by acquiring a fibroblast from patients rather than from an embryo.
Aaron Cheung is a graduate student in the lab of Dr. James Ellis at SickKids.
Stem cell research in Canada
September 29, 2008
What makes
The “True Hollywood Story” of stem cells
September 25, 2008
Gracing the cover of worldwide magazines, allotted millions of dollars to be poked and prodded, and now the star of primetime television (did you see Tuesday’s episode of House?), it seems that everyone is talking about stem cells. But what are the real stem cells and how did they rise to such celebrity status? Caroline Brandon, Master’s Student at SickKids, takes to the streets to find out what people are saying about stem cells. You think you know, but do you?
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Stem cells, cancer and cancer stem cells
September 24, 2008
When stem cells are mentioned in general conversation, in the news, or in political debates, the type of stem cell being referred to is generally an embryonic stem cell. Embryonic stem cells are capable of producing all the different functional cell types in the human body. This unique ability makes embryonic stem cell of great interest to scientists, who hope to utilize the vast potential of these cells to replace damaged or dying tissue (a research field commonly called regenerative medicine).
The human stem cell debate: libertarian, utilitarian or dignitarian… which are you?
September 23, 2008
We are fortunate in Canada to have the Stem Cell Network, an organized association of Canadian stem cell scientists. The Network hosts a number of training and collaborative events each year, but by far the biggest get-together of them all is the Annual General Meeting (this year hosted in Vancouver). It was a few years ago, at the AGM, that I heard Prof. Roger Brownsword speak about the ethics and politics of stem cell research. If I remember his talk correctly, he argued that the opinions of three types of people form the debate surrounding the use of human stem cells in biomedical research: the Libertarian, the Utilitarian, and the Dignitarian.
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Video: Dr. Freda Miller talks about stem cell research
September 22, 2008
Meet Kevin Graham: Cancer stem cell researcher
September 19, 2008
Education: University of Guelph, BSc University of Western Ontario, PhDCurrent Occupation: Research Fellow – Developmental & Stem Cell Biology – The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Hi,
As part of the Connecting for Kids campaign we thought it would be fun and informative to run a series of blogs to give you some insight into the life of a medical researcher, and to present a forum for frank discussion of scientific developments that may hit the news, or stem cell research in general. First, a little bit about myself so you know where my views and opinions are coming from.
I have a science degree (BSc) from the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada), where I studied a whole range of biological science subjects such as microbiology, toxicology, and cell biology. From Guelph I moved to London, Ontario to complete a PhD in Medical Biophysics at the University of Western Ontario. During my Ph.D my topic of study narrowed to focus specifically on cancer, and the ways in which cancer spreads throughout the body. For the last two years I have been fortunate enough to work at SickKids, in the Developmental & Stem Cell Biology program. Here, I am focusing on brain cancer research, specifically brain tumour stem cells - an exciting new area of research.
Have you ever heard of tumour stem cells? Did you know that stem cell research is being used to search for a cure for brain tumours? Admittedly, these probably aren’t the first things that jump to your mind when you hear about stem cell research, but that’s exactly why we started this forum. If I have piqued your interest, please read on, or if you already have questions or comments about any aspect of stem cell research, send them my way, if I can’t answer them sufficiently I will find someone who can!
Presidential candidates talk about science and stem cells
September 16, 2008
Science Debate 2008 was created to raise issues about science and technology policy in the US during the current election and to raise awareness of the reality that innovation in research is vita. Recently the group asked presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama 14 questions about science policy. The short list was narrowed down from an original list of 3,400 questions. It was done with the assistance of leading science organizations. .
Both candiates were asked directly about stem cell research with the following question:
8. Stem cells. Stem cell research advocates say it may successfully lead to treatments for many chronic diseases and injuries, saving lives, but opponents argue that using embryos as a source for stem cells destroys human life. What is your position on government regulation and funding of stem cell research?
Barack Obama responded with the following answer:
Stem cell research holds the promise of improving our lives in at least three ways—by substituting normal cells for damaged cells to treat diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, heart failure and other disorders; by providing scientists with safe and convenient models of disease for drug development; and by helping to understand fundamental aspects of normal development and cell dysfunction.
For these reasons, I strongly support expanding research on stem cells. I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations. As president, I will lift the current administration’s ban on federal funding of research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001 through executive order, and I will ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight.
I recognize that some people object to government support of research that requires cells to be harvested from human embryos. However, hundreds of thousands of embryos stored in the U.S. in in-vitro fertilization clinics will not be used for reproductive purposes, and will eventually be destroyed. I believe that it is ethical to use these extra embryos for research that could save lives when they are freely donated for that express purpose.
I am also aware that there have been suggestions that human stem cells of various types, derived from sources other than embryos, make the use of embryonic stem cells unnecessary. I don’t agree. While adult stem cells, such as those harvested from blood or bone marrow, are already used for treatment of some diseases, they do not have the versatility of embryonic stem cells and cannot replace them. Recent discoveries indicate that adult skin cells can be reprogrammed to behave like stem cells; these are exciting findings that might in the future lead to an alternate source of highly versatile stem cells. However, embryonic stem cells remain the “gold standard,” and studies of all types of stem cells should continue in parallel for the foreseeable future.
Rather than restrict the funding of such research, I favor responsible oversight of it, in accord with recent reports from the National Research Council. Recommendations from the NRC reports are already being followed by institutions that conduct human embryonic stem cell research with funds from a variety of sources. An expanded, federally-supported stem cell research program will encourage talented U.S. scientists to engage in this important new field, will allow more effective oversight, and will signal to other countries our commitment to compete in this exciting area of medical research.
While I support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, I believe clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress. Moreover, I believe that recent scientific breakthroughs raise the hope that one day this debate will be rendered academic. I also support funding for other research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research which hold much scientific promise and do not involve the use of embryos. I oppose the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes and I voted to ban the practice of “fetal farming,” making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes.
John McCain answered with this:
While I support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research, I believe clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress. Moreover, I believe that recent scientific breakthroughs raise the hope that one day this debate will be rendered academic. I also support funding for other research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research which hold much scientific promise and do not involve the use of embryos. I oppose the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes and I voted to ban the practice of “fetal farming,” making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes.
To read the candidate’s full answers on science policy, visit: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=42
While the candidates’ willingness to lessen the rectrictions on embryonic stem cell research is encouraging, putting hope in researchers finding an alternative way to harness the potential of stem cells without using embryonic stem cells means that the development and implementation of stem cell therapeutics could take even longer.
Colena Johnston
September 16, 2008
My daughter Colena was diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) before she was even born. The cardiac defect was noticed when I was attending an ultrasound appointment to determine why Colena was overdue. Read more
The California/Canada Connection
September 15, 2008
Collaboration is key to making progress in stem cell research. In July, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty got together to announce the creation of the Cancer Stem Cell Consortium. This project will coordinate and fund cancer stem cell research for both Canadian and Californian researchers, universities and private industry. Read more
Rett Syndrome and induced Pluripotent Stem cells goes “Green”
June 17, 2009 by Aaron Cheung
Stem cell researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children have now devised a method, reported in the scientific journal Nature Methods, that will facilitate the generation of induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells. I have previously blogged about the promise of iPS cells (see related articles). iPS cells are cells which have been reprogrammed from a differentiated somatic cell (such as your skin cells) to a pluripotent stem cell (like an embryonic stem cell, only that you don’t need to use embryos!). The generation of iPS cells is inherently very rare which occurs at a frequency of about 0.01% meaning you can generate about one iPS cell line out of hundred thousand cells. Out of which, many lines fail to satisfy the different rigorous tests necessary to be given the prestigious name of “iPS cell”.
Continue reading Rett Syndrome and induced Pluripotent Stem cells goes “Green”
Some of our experts
Stem Cell Origins
Cancer stem cells
Stem Cells and the Nervous System
