Source: University of Queensland
Date: 16 August 2010
Summary:
A discovery by researchers at University of Queenland's Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) will enable better methods to grow stem cells for use in cancer research and regenerative medicine. The research team led by AIBN's Associate Professor Ernst Wolvetang found that the inclusion of vitamin C in cell culture media was responsible for chemical modification of DNA which has been known to cause chromosome instability and cancer in laboratory stem cell populations. According to Dr. Wolvetang, this discovery is important for stem cell researchers because they rely on genetically stable, non-cancerous stem cells to develop methods to repair damaged or diseased tissues. This work was the subject of two publications in the international journal Stem Cells.
