The Stem Cell Podcast

Guest: Dr. Jackie Damen is a currently a Principal Scientist in Scientific Support for Hematology at STEMCELL Technologies, and was previously the Director of Contract Assay Services. She talks about the company’s culture and growth, and how in her role, she teaches scientists and helps them conduct their experiments. She also discusses systems for drug screening and discovery, opportunities in industry, and her affinity for microscopy and photography. Featured Products and Resources: Keep current with the latest in cell biology research with STEMCELL Science News. STEMCELL is hiring! Explore more than 100 current openings. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Organoids to Model Polycystic Kidney Disease – Scientists developed homogenous organoids to study autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease and identify drug candidates. Generating Mature Cardiomyocytes – Researchers used cardiac mimetic matrix to generate cardiomyocytes with adult-like characteristics and model pathological hypertrophy. Tracking T Cells in Cancer Organoids – Scientists live-tracked more than 150,000 engineered T cells in patient-derived solid-tumor organoids and identified behavioral clusters. Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Aorta-Gonad-Mesonephros – PDGFRA+ cells contribute to the aorta-gonad-mesonephros endothelium and transplantable hematopoietic stem cells. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Jackie Damen Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Marian Hettiaratchi is an Assistant Professor at the Knight Campus at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on affinity-based biomaterials to promote tissue and bone repair. She talks about the delivery vehicles for these biomaterials, and her recent work on heparin-mediated delivery of BMP-2 to promote bone regeneration. Featured Products and Resources: Keep current with the latest in cell biology research with STEMCELL Science News. STEMCELL is hiring! Explore more than 100 current openings. The Stem Cell Science Round Up DNA Replication Errors in Preimplantation Embryos – DNA replication stress in human preimplantation embryos predisposes gene-poor regions to fragility and to the formation of aneuploidies, impairing developmental potential. Stem Cell Movement in the Intestine – The number of effective stem cells in small intestinal crypts is determined by Wnt-dependent retrograde cellular movement. Inflammation Affects HSC Self-Renewal – Inflammation and infection irreversibly depletes functional HSCs. Colon Cancer Stem Cell Dormancy – Researchers used a lineage-tracing system to identify LGR5+ cancer stem cells that drive cancer growth after chemotherapy. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Marian Hettiaratchi Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Lydia Finley is an Assistant Member of the Cell Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The Finley lab investigates how cellular metabolic pathways regulate cell fate decisions in stem cells and cancer cells. She talks about the metabolic profiles and needs of different cell types, her lab’s discovery of an alternate TCA cycle, and how track and field led her to pursue metabolism research. Featured Products and Resources: We want your feedback! Fill out our survey for a chance to win a bluetooth speaker. STEMCELL is hiring! Explore more than 100 current openings. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Chemical Induction of Mouse Totipotent Stem Cells – Researchers used three small molecules to induce totipotent stem cells from mouse PSCs. Aneuploidy in T Cell Therapy – Scientists found that aneuploidy and chromosomal truncations are frequent outcomes of CRISPR–Cas9 cleavage. Modeling Nipah and Hendra Virus Infections – Researchers modeled viral infection of the human vasculature in PSC-derived artery and vein cells. A Gatekeeper Transcription Factor for Pancreatic Differentiation – CRISPR screening showed that HHEX suppresses liver differentiation to promote pancreatic lineage commitment. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Lydia Finley Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In June 2022, we attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meeting in San Francisco. We spoke with delegates to get their impressions of the meeting. They discussed the most memorable research presented and shared their thoughts on the challenges facing the stem cell field. Featured Products and Resources: Which organoid are you? Take the quiz! If you need help translating your research to the clinic, the Services for Cell Therapy team at STEMCELL Technologies can support you. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In June 2022, we attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meeting in San Francisco, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the final of four special episodes from the meeting. Featured Products and Resources: Explore on-demand webinars on your favorite topics in stem cell research. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In June 2022, we attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meeting in San Francisco, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the third of four special episodes from the meeting. Featured Products and Resources: The Stem Cell Research Standards Task Force is a half-day meeting on Sunday, June 19 that will explore the developing quality standards for pluripotent stem cell research. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In June 2022, we attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meeting in San Francisco, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the second of four special episodes from the meeting. Featured Products and Resources: Access free, self-paced virtual training courses from STEMCELL Technologies. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In June 2022, we attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meeting in San Francisco, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the first of four special episodes from the meeting. Featured Products and Resources: View STEMCELL’s Virtual Conference Exhibition Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Michael Levin is the Director of the Allen Discovery Center and a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Tufts University. He is a cognitive biologist who utilizes model systems such as Xenopus to answer fundamental questions in developmental biology. He talks about regenerating frog legs, using bioelectricity to direct development, and the potential applications of xenobots. Featured Products and Resources: Reduce medium acidosis with mTeSR™ Plus. Explore technical videos and webinars on neurological disease modeling. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Repairing a Discarded Liver for Transplantation – Researchers used a perfusion device to preserve a discarded liver for multiple days, and successfully transplanted it into a patient. Improving Cell Therapy with IL-9 Receptors – By repurposing IL-9 receptor signaling, T cells gained new functions, resulting in improved anti-tumor activity for hard-to-treat solid tumors. Liver Regeneration After Acute Injury – Scientists used spatially resolved single-cell RNA sequencing to study mouse liver regeneration after acute acetaminophen intoxication. Epigenetic Changes in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension – Researchers found that the epigenetic reactivation of transcription factors associated with lung development underlies pulmonary arterial hypertension pathogenesis. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Michael Levin Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Steven Stice is the DW Brooks Distinguished Professor and Director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center at the University of Georgia, and the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ArunA Biomedical. He talks about his early work cloning rabbits and reprogramming blastomeres. He also discusses using exosomes to treat neurological diseases, helping trainees move into industry, and preserving endangered species. Featured Products and Resources: Explore technical videos and webinars on neurological disease modeling. Read about the insights and hurdles of CRISPR genome editing. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Rejuvenating Mice with Heterochronic Parabiosis – Researchers constructed a single-cell transcriptomic atlas and found that heterochronic parabiosis rejuvenated adult stem cells across tissues. A Molecular Reference Atlas for over 400 Cell Types – Scientists used single-cell transcriptomics to measure mRNA in nearly 500,000 cells from 24 tissues and organs. Understanding Disease Gene Function – A cross-tissue atlas allowed researchers to link specific cell populations to monogenic and polygenic diseases. Immune Cell Diversity in the Human Body – Researchers designed an automated cell classification tool to assign cell identity to immune cells across tissues. Mapping the Developing Immune System – Scientists combined single-cell RNA sequencing, antigen-receptor sequencing, and spatial transcriptomics to reconstruct the developing immune system. How XIST Loss Affects Stem Cell Differentiation and Tumor Development – The loss of XIST impairs human mammary stem cell differentiation and promotes the emergence of highly tumorigenic and metastatic carcinomas. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Steven Stice Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe