Home > Press > Carnegie Mellon develops bio-mimicry method for preparing and labeling stem cells: Method allows researchers to prepare mesenchymal stem cells and monitor them using MRI
Mesenchymal stem cells have labeled with Ferumoxytol using a bio-mimicry method developed at Carnegie Mellon University. The method can be used to better evaluate stem cell therapies in preclinical and clinical trials. CREDIT: Carnegie Mellon University |
Abstract:
Researchers led by Carnegie Mellon University Professor of Biological Sciences Chien Ho have developed a new method for preparing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that not only leads to the production of more native stem cells, but also labels them with a FDA approved iron-oxide nanoparticle (Ferumoxytol). The technology could allow researchers to track the cells in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during preclinical and clinical trials. The findings are published by Scientific Reports.
Stem cells, with their ability to regenerate into a multitude of different cell types, show great promise for treating a number of diseases and injuries. Stem cells taken from a patient's own body are of particular interest, due to a decreased chance of rejection. These cells are most commonly harvested from the bone marrow, which contains two types of stem cells, hematopoietic and mesenchymal.
Hematopoietic stem cells can be used to form the different types of blood cells and are used to treat leukemia and multiple myeloma. Mesenchymal stem cells can be used to generate bone, cartilage and fat cells, and have promise for repairing bone and cartilage, damaged heart cells, and treating inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
More than 360 registered clinical trials are using MSCs, but the results have been mixed, with some patients reacting well and others not responding to the stem cell treatment. To understand why these results can be so variable, researchers need to be able to track the stem cells as they migrate through the body to see if they reach and graft to the appropriate site. To do this, researchers could label the stem cells with a superparamagnetic iron-oxide (SPIO) contrast agent and image the patient using MRI.
Ferumoxytol is the only SPIO nanoparticle that has been approved by the FDA, but researchers have not been able to label MSCs with Ferumoxytol in cell culture (ex vivo) without the help of a transfection agent. Transfection agents are undesirable because they can change the cells' biology and inhibit their effectiveness. Furthermore, researchers have had difficulty culturing the large amount of cells needed for clinical dosing. Current methods also result in cells of different sizes and functionalities. Smaller, round cells are preferable because they show a higher capacity for regeneration and differentiation.
To surmount these problems, Ho and colleagues took advantage of the cell's natural ability to engulf and internalize Ferumoxytol in vivo. Ho's team developed a "bio-mimicry" method to create an environment in a petri dish that is much like the environment found inside the body. His team began by using traditional methods to extract cells from bone marrow, separate the MSCs from the other cells and expand the number of MSCs. His team then devised a new way to culture MSCs by introducing other cells from the bone marrow, mimicking the in-vivo environment. The resulting MSCs retain their optimal size and regeneration capabilities and can internalize Ferumoxytol for cell tracking. Because MSCs are multi-potent, this new methodology can prepare more native cells for applications in cell therapy and regenerative medicine.
###
Additional study authors include Li Liu, Lanya Tseng, Qing Ye and Yijen Wu from Carnegie Mellon's Department of Biological Sciences, and Daniel J. Bain from the Department of Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Pittsburgh. The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (EB-001977).
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Jocelyn Duffy
412-268-9982
Copyright © Carnegie Mellon University
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Related Links |
Related News Press |
News and information
Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain April 5th, 2024
NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Imaging
Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024
The USTC realizes In situ electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using single nanodiamond sensors November 3rd, 2023
Observation of left and right at nanoscale with optical force October 6th, 2023
Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy
NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Chemical reactions can scramble quantum information as well as black holes April 5th, 2024
Possible Futures
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
With VECSELs towards the quantum internet Fraunhofer: IAF achieves record output power with VECSEL for quantum frequency converters April 5th, 2024
Nanomedicine
New micromaterial releases nanoparticles that selectively destroy cancer cells April 5th, 2024
Good as gold - improving infectious disease testing with gold nanoparticles April 5th, 2024
Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024
Discoveries
Chemical reactions can scramble quantum information as well as black holes April 5th, 2024
New micromaterial releases nanoparticles that selectively destroy cancer cells April 5th, 2024
Utilizing palladium for addressing contact issues of buried oxide thin film transistors April 5th, 2024
Announcements
NRL charters Navy’s quantum inertial navigation path to reduce drift April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Simulating magnetization in a Heisenberg quantum spin chain April 5th, 2024
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Tools
Ferroelectrically modulate the Fermi level of graphene oxide to enhance SERS response November 3rd, 2023
The USTC realizes In situ electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using single nanodiamond sensors November 3rd, 2023
Nanobiotechnology
New micromaterial releases nanoparticles that selectively destroy cancer cells April 5th, 2024
Good as gold - improving infectious disease testing with gold nanoparticles April 5th, 2024
Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024
Research partnerships
Discovery points path to flash-like memory for storing qubits: Rice find could hasten development of nonvolatile quantum memory April 5th, 2024
Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024
'Sudden death' of quantum fluctuations defies current theories of superconductivity: Study challenges the conventional wisdom of superconducting quantum transitions January 12th, 2024
The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
Premium Products | ||
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||