Newswise – A new type of gas-cell – that is, a cell with regenerative capabilities – could be closer to the horizon, a new study led by UNSW Sydney shows.
The stem cells (known as stimulated stem cell stem cells, or iMS) can be made from human cells that are accessible – in this case, fat – and reprogrammed as cells.
The results of the animal study, which created human stem cells and tested their effectiveness in mice, were published online in Advances in science today – and while the results are encouraging, more research and testing is needed before any translation into human therapies can take place.
“The stem cells we developed can accept their surroundings and repair a range of damaged tissues,” says bloodologist John Pimanda, a professor at UNSW Medicine & Health and co-author of the study.
“To my knowledge, no human has ever produced human transformed cell gas. This is unregistered land.”
The scientists created the iMS cells in a laboratory by exposing human fat cells to a mixture that caused the cells to lose their original identity. This process was also suppressed by ‘silent signals’ – signals responsible for limiting cell identity.
The researchers inserted the human iMS cells into mice where they remained dormant – first. However, when the mice were injured, the stem cells changed their surroundings and transformed into the material that needed to be repaired, be it muscles, bones, cartilage, or blood vessels. .
“The stem cells acted like chameleons,” said lead author Dr. Avani Yeola, a postdoctoral gas researcher in Professor Pimanda’s laboratory. Dr Yeola undertook this work as part of her doctoral dissertation at UNSW Medicine & Health.
“They followed local locks to weave into the material that needed healing.”
Technologies already exist to convert cells into stem cells, but they have key limitations: specific stem cells are largely linked in the range of figs they can form, and stimulated stem cells (iPS) cannot. introduced directly because they carry its risk of developing tumors. IPS cells also require additional treatment to generate specific cell types or cigarettes before use. More studies are needed to test how both iPS cells and cigarettes are created by specific human-linked gas cells functioning.
IMS cells, produced by adult tissue, showed no sign of unwanted tension growth. They also adapted to a range of different types of prints in mice.
“These stem cells are unlike any others currently being evaluated in clinical trials,” said Dr Yeola.
“They are made from the patient’s own cells, which reduces the risk of rejection.”
The study builds on the team’s 2016 study using mouse cells and is the next step before human-only experiments. But there is still a long wait – and much more research to be done – to find out if the cells are safe and successful in humans.
If the IMS cells have been shown to be safe for human use, they could one day help repair anything from traumatic injury to heart damage.
“This is one step further in the field of gas cell treatment,” Dr. Yeola said.
Simple but powerful technology
All human cells – whether they are heart cells or brain cells – share the same DNA content. The cells look and behave differently because they use different parts of DNA.
The parts of DNA that the cells do not use are usually blocked by natural changes.
“The idea behind our approach was to reverse these changes,” he said. Pimanda.
“We wanted the cells to have the option of using that part of the DNA if there was a signal from outside the cell.”
The researchers reprogrammed fat cells using two combinations: azacitidine, a drug used in the treatment of blood cancer; and a naturally occurring growth factor that stimulates cell growth and tissue repair.
The cells released the fat and lost their identity as a fat cell about three and a half weeks after the treatment.
“This is a very simple technology,” said Dr. Vashe Chandrakanthan, senior researcher at UNSW Medicine & Health and co-author of the study. Dr. Chandrakanthan, who led the 2016 mouse study with Professor Pimanda, came up with the idea of creating iMS cells.
It states that there are two main capabilities for potential clinical application.
“One idea is to take the patient’s fat cells, put them in a machine where he wakes up with this fertilizer. When he’s done, those regenerated cells could be put in. the vial, and then introduced into the patient, ”says Dr. Chandrakanthan.
“Another option is to combine the two combinations in a simple mini-pump that can be inserted into the body, like a pacemaker.”
Theoretically, this micropump can be placed near a part of the body that needs help (for example, the heart), where it could dispense regulated doses to form new stem cells.
looking forward
While the results are encouraging, the researchers are aware that a potential translation into human therapies is still a long way off.
“Safety is our first and foremost concern,” says Dr. Pimanda.
“Preclinical studies and clinical trials are still needed, and we need to make sure we can generate these cells in a safe condition.
“Business partners could gain experience in making iMS cells at a clinical level and designing and conducting clinical trials,” he says. “This will help take this research to the next level.”
Dr Chandrakanthan says if future studies are successful, real-time delivery of this treatment will take anywhere up to 15 years.
“A successful medical examination that achieves its ultimate goal – that is, translation into routine clinical candidates and treatment – can take many decades,” says Dr. Chandrakanthan. . It is the nature of research.
“While these decisions are very interesting, I will keep my spirits peeled so that we can get this through to patients.”
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