Source: University of Toronto
Date: August 4, 2009
Summary:
Researchers at the University of Toronto Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), led by U of T's Professor J.E. Davies, have made important progress in stem cell research that will allow for numerous applications of multi-faceted stem cells known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). This research will advance the selection of specific cells to target specific diseases, ultimately enabling clinicians to "personalize" treatment for patients.
The important research published today in the Public Library of Science journal, PloS-ONE [http://www.plosone.org/home.action], is entitled Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Self-Renew and Differentiate According to a Deterministic Hierarchy. The paper provides the experimental proof of the existence of a human MSC at the single cell level, a key step that has previously eluded the scientific community. The researchers have for the first time, defined a mesenchymal stem cell hierarchy that introduces the possibility of isolating and growing MSCs of different capacities for different clinical applications or drug discovery.This development builds on the team's previous finding that the richest source of MSCs in the body is found in umbilical cord tissue that is normally discarded at birth.
