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Cell Research (cell + research)
Kinds of Cell Research Selected AbstractsKILLING EMBRYOS FOR STEM CELL RESEARCHMETAPHILOSOPHY, Issue 2-3 2007JEFF MCMAHAN Abstract: The main objection to human embryonic stem cell research is that it involves killing human embryos, which are essentially beings of the same sort that you and I are. This objection presupposes that we once existed as early embryos and that we had the same moral status then that we have now. This essay challenges both those presuppositions, but focuses primarily on the first. I argue first that these presuppositions are incompatible with widely accepted beliefs about both assisted conception and monozygotic twinning. I then argue that we never existed as embryos. If this last claim is right, killing an embryo does not kill someone like you or me but merely prevents one of us from existing. [source] ALTERNATE NUCLEAR TRANSFER IS NO ALTERNATIVE FOR EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCHBIOETHICS, Issue 2 2008JOHN A. FENNEL ABSTRACT Recent developments allow for the creation of human stem cells without the creation of human embryos, a process called alternate nuclear transfer (,ANT'). Pursuing this method of stem cell research makes sense for pro-lifers if arguments for the sanctity of the human embryo do not apply to ANT. However, the technology that makes ANT possible undermines the erstwhile technical barrier between human embryos and somatic cell DNA. These advances bring home the force of hypothetical arguments about the potential of the DNA in somatic cells, showing that there is not a morally relevant difference between the potential of an embryo and the potential of the DNA in a somatic cell. Therefore, the supposed distinction between entities that are potential human life and entities that are human life does not give any support to arguments for the sanctity of the human embryo because those arguments extend value to too many entities. [source] DONATING FRESH VERSUS FROZEN EMBRYOS TO STEM CELL RESEARCH: IN WHOSE INTERESTS?BIOETHICS, Issue 9 2007CAROLYN MCLEOD ABSTRACT Some stem cell researchers believe that it is easier to derive human embryonic stem cells from fresh rather than frozen embryos and they have had in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinicians invite their infertility patients to donate their fresh embryos for research use. These embryos include those that are deemed ,suitable for transfer' (i.e. to the woman's uterus) and those deemed unsuitable in this regard. This paper focuses on fresh embryos deemed suitable for transfer , hereafter ,fresh embryos', which IVF patients have good reason not to donate. We explain why donating them to research is not in the self-interests specifically of female IVF patients. Next, we consider the other-regarding interests of these patients and conclude that while fresh embryo donation may serve those interests, it does so at unnecessary cost to patients' self-interests. Lastly, we review some of the potential barriers to the autonomous donation of fresh embryos to research and highlight the risk that female IVF patients invited to donate these embryos will misunderstand key aspects of the donation decision, be coerced to donate, or be exploited in the consent process. On the basis of our analysis, we conclude that patients should not be asked to donate their fresh embryos to stem cell research. [source] Erasure of the paternal transcription program during spermiogenesis: The first step in the reprogramming of sperm chromatin for zygotic developmentDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 5 2008Junke Zheng Abstract Male germ cells possess a unique epigenetic program and express a male-specific transcription profile. However, when its chromatin is passed onto the zygote, it expresses an transcription/epigenetic program characteristic of the zygote. The mechanism underlying this reprogramming process is not understood at present. In this study, we show that an extensive range of chromatin factors (CFs), including essential transcription factors and regulators, remodeling factors, histone deacetylases, heterochromatin-binding proteins, and topoisomerases, were removed from chromatin during spermiogenesis. This process will erase the paternal epigenetic program to generate a relatively naive chromatin, which is likely to be essential for installation of the zygotic developmental program after fertilization. We have also showed that transcription termination in male germ cells was temporally correlated with CF dissociation. A genome-wide CF dissociation will inevitably disassemble the transcription apparatus and regulatory mechanism and lead to transcription silence. Based on data presented in this and previous studies (Sun et al., Cell Research [2007] 17:117,134), we propose that paternal-zygotic transcription reprogramming begins with a genome-wide CF dissociation to erase the existing transcription program in later stages of spermatogenesis. This will be followed by assembling of the zygotic equivalent after fertilization. The transcription/epigenetic program of the male germ cell is transformed into a zygotic one using an erase-and-rebuild strategy similar to that used in the maternal-zygotic transition. It is also noted that transcription is terminated long after meiosis is completed and before chromatin becomes highly condensed during spermatogenesis. The temporal order of these events suggests that transcription silence does not have to be coupled to meiosis or chromatin condensation. Developmental Dynamics 237:1463-1476, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] 16th Meeting of the European Society for Pigment Cell Research 4,7 September 2010 Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UKPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 4 2010Article first published online: 16 JUL 2010 First page of article [source] Programme of the 3rd conference of the Asian Society for Pigment Cell ResearchPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009Article first published online: 11 MAY 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Abstracts of the 2nd conference of the Asian Society for Pigment Cell ResearchPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 3 2007Article first published online: 16 MAY 200 First page of article [source] 13th meeting of the European Society for Pigment Cell Research (ESPCR-2006) 24,27 September 2006, Barcelona, SpainPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 5 2006Article first published online: 28 JUN 200 First page of article [source] 13th meeting of the European Society for Pigment Cell Research (ESPCR-2006) 24,27 September 2006, Barcelona, SpainPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 5 2006Article first published online: 1 SEP 200 First page of article [source] Abstracts of the XIIIth Annual Meeting of the PanAmerican Society for Pigment Cell ResearchPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 4 2006Article first published online: 7 JUL 200 First page of article [source] New Associate Editors for Pigment Cell ResearchPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 1 2002Article first published online: 21 JAN 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] The 15th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Pigment Cell ResearchPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 6 2001Article first published online: 21 DEC 200 First page of article [source] Editorial: The ,Impact' of Pigment Cell ResearchPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 6 2000Article first published online: 25 DEC 200 No abstract is available for this article. [source] Hall of Fame , The Top Cited Articles in Pigment Cell ResearchPIGMENT CELL & MELANOMA RESEARCH, Issue 1 2000Vincent J. Hearing No abstract is available for this article. [source] Embryo Stem Cell Research: Ten Years of ControversyTHE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS, Issue 2 2010John A. Robertson This overview of 10 years of stem cell controversy reviews the moral conflict that has made ESCs so controversial and how this conflict plays itself out in the legal realm, focusing on the constitutional status of efforts to ban ESC research or ESC-derived therapies. It provides a history of the federal funding debate from the Carter to the Obama administrations, and the importance of the Raab memo in authorizing federal funding for research with privately derived ESCs despite the Dickey-Wicker ban on federal funding of embryo research. It also reviews the role that scientists themselves have played in developing regulations for ESC research, the emergence of ESCROs as special review bodies for ESC research, and the thorough consent requirements for donation of IVF embryos to ESC research. With research now transitioning from the lab to the clinic, the article reviews the challenges of ensuring safety and consent in translational research. It concludes with a call for respecting those persons who have to using or working with ESC products and an account of how obtaining stem cells from a person's own cells will alleviate some but not all of the controversy surrounding ESC research. [source] Stem Cell Research as Innovation: Expanding the Ethical and Policy ConversationTHE JOURNAL OF LAW, MEDICINE & ETHICS, Issue 2 2010Rebecca Dresser Research using human embryonic stem cells raises an array of complex ethical issues, including, but by no means limited to, the moral status of developing human life. Unfortunately much of the public discussion fails to take into account this complexity. Advocacy for liberal and conservative positions on human embryonic stem cell research can be simplistic and misleading. Ethical concepts such as truth-telling, scientific integrity, and social justice should be part of the debate over federal support for human embryonic stem cell research. Moreover, the debate should be conducted in accord with principles of deliberative democracy, including respect for people holding competing views. [source] Patent Policy for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in TaiwanTHE JOURNAL OF WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, Issue 4 2010Jerry I.-H. The potential of human embryonic stem cell (ESC) research could prove to provide immense therapeutic value for illnesses not curable under currently existing therapies. However, human ESC research is controversial as it touches the fundamental value of human life. Taiwan has been aiming to become the biotech hub of Asia-Pacific and is becoming a major player in human ESC research. Whether or not the research results from human ESC are patentable could have a profound impact on the progress in this field. In this article, the science of human ESC research is clarified and tested against the existing murky Taiwan patent standards. In particular, this article distinguishes between therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning techniques, asks questions about the patentability of totipotent human ESCs and explores the meaning of the word embryo. This article draws comparison with the European practice on ethical standards and concludes that patenting human ESC research might not be so controversial, but Taiwan has to make its patent law clearer in this field to fulfill the country's intended goal. [source] Jürgen Behm: Building Bridges from Surface Science to Catalysis and Fuel Cell ResearchCHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 7 2010Olaf Magnussen Prof. Dr. No abstract is available for this article. [source] ,-Cell research , A decade of rapid growthDIABETES OBESITY & METABOLISM, Issue 2009Bo Ahrén First page of article [source] Single-cell gene profiling of planarian stem cells using fluorescent activated cell sorting and its "index sorting" function for stem cell researchDEVELOPMENT GROWTH & DIFFERENTIATION, Issue 1 2010Tetsutaro Hayashi To achieve an integrated understanding of the stem cell system of planarians at both the cellular and molecular levels, we developed a new method by combining "fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS) index sorting" analysis and single-cell reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction (RT,PCR) to detect the gene expression and cell cycle state of stem cells simultaneously. Single cells were collected using FACS, and cDNAs of each cell were used for semi-quantitative RT,PCR. The results were plotted on the FACS sorting profile using the "index sorting" function, which enabled us to analyze the gene expression in combination with cell biological data (such as cell cycle phase) for each cell. Here we investigated the adult stem cells of planarians using this method and obtained findings suggesting that the stem cells might undergo commitment during S to G2/M phase. This method could be a powerful and straightforward tool for examining the stem cell biology of not only planarians but also other organisms, including vertebrates. [source] Progenitor cells in the adult pancreasDIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 1 2004Andrew M. Holland Abstract The ,-cell mass in the adult pancreas possesses the ability to undergo limited regeneration following injury. Identifying the progenitor cells involved in this process and understanding the mechanisms leading to their maturation will open new avenues for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, despite steady advances in determining the molecular basis of early pancreatic development, the identification of pancreatic stem cells or ,-cell progenitors and the molecular mechanisms underlying ,-cell regeneration remain unclear. Recent advances in the directed differentiation of embryonic and adult stem cells has heightened interest in the possible application of stem cell therapy in the treatment of type 1 diabetes. Drawing on the expanding knowledge of pancreas development, ,-cell regeneration and stem cell research, this review focuses on progenitor cells in the adult pancreas as a potential source of ,-cells. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Generation of endoderm-derived human induced pluripotent stem cells from primary hepatocytes,HEPATOLOGY, Issue 5 2010Hua Liu Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research have significantly changed our perspective on regenerative medicine. Patient-specific iPS cells have been derived not only for disease modeling but also as sources for cell replacement therapy. However, there have been insufficient data to prove that iPS cells are functionally equivalent to human embryonic stem (hES) cells or are safer than hES cells. There are several important issues that need to be addressed, and foremost are the safety and efficacy of human iPS cells of different origins. Human iPS cells have been derived mostly from cells originating from mesoderm and in a few cases from ectoderm. So far, there has been no report of endoderm,derived human iPS cells, and this has prevented comprehensive comparative investigations of the quality of human iPS cells of different origins. Here we show for the first time reprogramming of human endoderm-derived cells (i.e., primary hepatocytes) to pluripotency. Hepatocyte-derived iPS cells appear indistinguishable from hES cells with respect to colony morphology, growth properties, expression of pluripotency-associated transcription factors and surface markers, and differentiation potential in embryoid body formation and teratoma assays. In addition, these cells are able to directly differentiate into definitive endoderm, hepatic progenitors, and mature hepatocytes. Conclusion: The technology to develop endoderm,derived human iPS cell lines, together with other established cell lines, will provide a foundation for elucidating the mechanisms of cellular reprogramming and for studying the safety and efficacy of differentially originated human iPS cells for cell therapy. For the study of liver disease pathogenesis, this technology also provides a potentially more amenable system for generating liver disease-specific iPS cells. (HEPATOLOGY 2010;51:1810,1819) [source] Reproductive stem cell research and its application to urologyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF UROLOGY, Issue 2 2008Takehiko Ogawa Abstract: Germ cells are defined by their innate potential to transmit genetic information to the next generation through fertilization. Males produce numerous sperm for long periods to maximize chances of fertilization. Key to the continuous production of large numbers of sperm are germline stem cells and their immediate daughter cells, functioning as transit amplifying cells. Recently, it has become possible to expand germline stem cells of rodents in vitro. In addition, multipotent stem cells, which are functionally the same as embryonic stem cells, have been established from neonatal mouse testes. These stem cells derived from the testis should contribute to biological research and technologies. On the other hand, the nature of human spermatogenesis is largely unknown due to the lack of an appropriate experimental system. However, the prevailing testicular sperm extraction procedure unraveled hitherto unknown facets of human spermatogenesis. The establishment of a culturing method for human spermatogonial stem cells in hopefully the near future would be a great benefit for achieving further insight into human spermatogenesis and should lead to more sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic clinical measures for male infertility. [source] Label-free biochemical characterization of stem cells using vibrational spectroscopyJOURNAL OF BIOPHOTONICS, Issue 11 2009James W. Chan Abstract Raman and infrared (IR) spectroscopy are two complementary vibrational spectroscopic techniques that have experienced a tremendous growth in their use in biological and biomedical research. This is, in large part, due to their unique capability of providing label-free intrinsic chemical information of living biological samples at tissue, cellular, or sub-cellular resolutions. This article reviews recent developments in applying these techniques for the characterization of stem cells. A discussion of the potential for these methods to address some of the major challenges in stem cell research is presented, as well as the technological and scientific advancements that are needed to progress the knowledge in the field. (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Progenitor cells in vascular diseaseJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 3 2005Neil Roberts Abstract Stem cell research has the potential to provide solutions to many chronic diseases via the field of regeneration therapy. In vascular biology, endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have been identified as contributing to angiogenesis and hence have therapeutic potential to revascularise ischaemic tissues. EPCs have also been shown to endothelialise vascular grafts and therefore may contribute to endothelial maintenance. EPC number has been shown to be reduced in patients with cardiovascular disease, leading to speculation that atherosclerosis may be caused by a consumptive loss of endothelial repair capacity. Animal experiments have shown that EPCs reendothelialise injured vessels and that this reduces neointimal formation, confirming that EPCs have an atheroprotective effect. Smooth muscle cell accumulation in the neointimal space is characteristic of many forms of atherosclerosis, however the source of these cells is now thought to be from smooth muscle progenitor cells (SMPCs) rather than the adjacent media. There is evidence for the presence of SMPCs in the adventitia of animals and that SMPCs circulate in human blood. There is also data to support SMPCs contributing to neointimal formation but their origin remains unknown. This article will review the roles of EPCs and SMPCs in the development of vascular disease by examining experimental data from in vitro studies, animal models of atherosclerosis and clinical studies. [source] Stemness, fusion and renewal of hematopoietic and embryonic stem cellsJOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 2 2003S. Constantinescu Abstract Development of replacement cell therapies awaits the identification of factors that regulate nuclear reprogramming and the mechanisms that control stem cell renewal and differentiation. Once such factors and signals will begin to be elucidated, new technologies will have to be envisaged where uniform differentiation of adult or embryonic stem cells along one differentiation pathway can be induced. Controlled differentiation of stem cells will require the engineering of niches and extracellular signal combinations that would amplify a particular signaling network and allow uniform and selective differentiation. Three recent advances in stem cell research open the possibility to approach engineering studies for cell replacement therapies. Fusion events between stem cells and adult cells or between adult and embryonic stem cells have been shown to result in altered fates and nuclear reprogramming of cell hybrids. Hematopoietic stem cells were shown to require Wnt signaling in order to renew. The purification of Wnt proteins would allow their use as exogenous purified cytokines in attempts to amplify stem cells before bone marrow transplantation. The homeodomain protein Nanog has been shown to be crucial for the embryonic stem cell renewal and pluripotency. However, the cardinal question of how stemness is preserved in the early embryo and adult stem cells remains opened. [source] Nanoparticles as tools to study and control stem cellsJOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 4 2009L. Ferreira Abstract The use of nanoparticles in stem cell research is relatively recent, although very significant in the last 5 years with the publication of about 400 papers. The recent advances in the preparation of some nanomaterials, growing awareness of material science and tissue engineering researchers regarding the potential of stem cells for regenerative medicine, and advances in stem cell biology have contributed towards the boost of this research field in the last few years. Most of the research has been focused in the development of new nanoparticles for stem cell imaging; however, these nanoparticles have several potential applications such as intracellular drug carriers to control stem cell differentiation and biosensors to monitor in real time the intracellular levels of relevant biomolecules/enzymes. This review examines recent advances in the use of nanoparticles for stem cell tracking, differentiation and biosensing. We further discuss their utility and the potential concerns regarding their cytotoxicity. J. Cell. Biochem. 108: 746,752, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Perspectives on human stem cell researchJOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009Kyu Won Jung Human stem cell research draws not only scientists' but the public's attention. Human stem cell research is considered to be able to identify the mechanism of human development and change the paradigm of medical practices. However, there are heated ethical and legal debates about human stem cell research. The core issue is that of human dignity and human life. Some prefer human adult stem cell research or iPS cell research, others hES cell research. We do not need to exclude any type of stem cell research because each has its own merits and issues, and they can facilitate the scientific revolution when working together. J. Cell. Physiol. 220: 535,537, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Cancer stem cells in leukemia, recent advancesJOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 2 2007Gang-Ming Zou The history of stem cell research was started in the early 1900s in Europe where the researcher realized that various types of blood cells came from a particular "stem cells." However, it was not until 1963 that the first quantitative description of the self-renewal activities of transplanted mouse bone marrow cells were documented by Canadian scientist Ernest A McCulloch and James E Till in Toronto. The concept of cancer stem cells has been used over 50 years ago; whereas the strong evidence for the existence of a Cancer Stem Cells was obtained recently. Consequently, there is increasing attention in recent year about cancer stem cells. The findings from recent studies support the concept that stem cells are integral to the development of several forms of human cancer. Changes in stem cell behavior can contribute to tumor formation. Leukemia is a cancer of blood-forming tissue, including the bone marrow and lymphatic system. Leukemic stem cells represent the cancer stem cells in the leukemia. In this review, we summarize the recent advance in the study of leukemic stem cells. J. Cell. Physiol. 213: 440,444, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] THE AMBIGUITY OF THE EMBRYO: ETHICAL INCONSISTENCY IN THE HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL DEBATEMETAPHILOSOPHY, Issue 2-3 2007KATRIEN DEVOLDER Abstract: We argue in this essay that (1) the embryo is an irredeemably ambiguous entity and its ambiguity casts serious doubt on the arguments claiming its full protection or, at least, protection against its use as a means for stem cell research, (2) those who claim the embryo should be protected as "one of us" are committed to a position even they do not uphold in their practices, (3) views that defend the protection of the embryo in virtue of its potentiality to become a person fail, and (4) the embryo does not have any rights or interests to be protected. Given that many are willing to treat the embryo as a means in other practices, and that human embryonic stem cell (hESC) research holds great potential to benefit many people, one cannot but conclude that hESC research is permissible and, because of its immense promise for alleviating human suffering, even obligatory. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||