The Stem Cell Podcast

Guest: Dr. Amritha Jaishankar is the Executive Director of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF). She is a scientist by training who has devoted her career to developing cures for debilitating and life-threatening conditions, and to advancing this field, through various roles in federal, university, and industry settings. She talks about the history of the MSCRF, its programs to promote the commercialization of stem cell-based technologies, and its role in the Maryland stem cell research ecosystem. Featured Products and Resources: STEMCELL is hiring! Are your pluripotent stem cells what you think they are? Explore now. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Marijuana and Cardiovascular Disease – Researchers identified a compound that can protect the cardiovascular system from tetrahydrocannabinol-induced atherosclerosis. Long-Range Responses in Tissue Regeneration – Scientists studied how brain transcriptomes respond to cardiac damage in zebrafish. A Multi-Organ Chip – Human heart, liver, skin, and bone tissue niches were linked by vascular flow in a tissue-chip system. Protecting Hematopoietic Stem Cells from Inflammation – Adiponectin receptors promote HSC quiescence and self-renewal throughout adulthood. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Amritha Jaishankar Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Ophir Klein is the inaugural Executive Director of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s and the David and Meredith Kaplan Distinguished Chair in Children’s Health. He discusses his work on intestinal epithelium regeneration, which he will present at the “Tissue Fibrosis and Repair: Mechanism, Human Disease, and Therapies” Keystone Symposium taking place from June 12-16th in Keystone, Colorado. He also talks about mechanisms of tooth development, analyzing three-dimensional facial images to diagnose genetic syndromes, and how parasitic infections affect the intestinal stem cell niche. Featured Products and Resources: Keep current with the latest in intestinal cell news. Add Intestinal Organoids to Your Research with IntestiCult™. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Zebrafish Skin Cell Division – Skin cells undergo asynthetic fission to expand body surfaces in zebrafish. Reducing Off-Target Effects of CAR T Therapy – Researchers developed a protease-based platform that uses an FDA-approved small molecule to regulate CAR activity. Improving Hepatocyte Differentiation  – Thyroid hormone receptor beta was found to be a missing ingredient in lab-made liver cells. Cellular Reprogramming Enhances Liver Regeneration – Liver-specific expression of the four Yamanaka factors indnduces cellular plasticity and counteracts liver failure in vivo. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Ophir Klein Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. David Hay is the Chair of Tissue Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, where his group is defining novel ways to produce liver tissue from PSCs. They use in vitro derived tissue to better model human liver physiology and to develop supportive cell based therapies for disease. Dr. Hay also founded Stimuliver, a company that is developing a disruptive liver implant to treat critically failing liver function in humans. He talks about hepatocyte differentiation, liver disease modeling, and automating the production of cell therapies. Featured Products and Resources: The StemCellfie contest is back! Enter your best cell image by April 28th for a chance to win a StemCellfie prize package. Reliably generate, expand, and differentiate physiologically relevant human liver organoids with HepatiCult™. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Reprogramming Human Somatic Cells to PSCs with Small Molecules – Researchers chemically reprogrammed human somatic cells to pluripotent stem cells that exhibit key features of embryonic stem cells. Somatic Mutations in Mammals – Scientists performed whole-genome sequencing of intestinal crypts across 16 species of mammals, and found that somatic mutation rates are evolutionarily constrained. A Comprehensive Map of HSC Development  – A new map unveils specific milestones in the HSC maturation process and provides scientists with a blueprint for producing fully functional HSCs in the lab. Generating Functional Rat Gametes from PSCs – Researchers produced fetal stage rat germ cells that can produce viable offspring. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. David Hay Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Agnete Kirkeby is an Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen and a Group Leader at Lund University. The Kirkeby group studies the factors involved in human neural subtype specification in order to enable production of specific neurons for understanding and treating neurological diseases. They apply advanced human stem cells models to understand how hundreds of human neuronal subtypes are formed during embryo development. She talks about moving cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease from animal models to clinical trials, modeling neural tube development, and developing stem cell treatments for narcolepsy. Featured Products and Resources: Explore technical videos and webinars on neurological disease modeling. STEMdiff Neural Crest Differentiation Kit enables high-purity generation of neural crest precursors from human pluripotent stem cells. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Transgene-Free Totipotent-Like Cells – Researchers rolled back hPSCs to an eight-cell embryo-like stage. A New Bipotent Progenitor in Human Lung Regeneration – Using spatial transcriptomics and single-cell profiling, scientists identified new terminal and respiratory bronchiole cell types. Alveolar Regeneration –  Researchers identified a distinct progenitor in a region of the human lung that plays a critical role in maintaining the gas-exchange compartment and is altered in chronic lung disease. A Computational Tool to Measure Cell Identity and Fate Transitions – A new computational tool called “Capybara” can classify discrete cell identity and intermediate “hybrid” cell states. Preserving β cell Function in Type 2 Diabetes – Inhibiting HIF-1α improved β cell function in mouse models of diabetes and in human islet organoids. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Agnete Kirkeby Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guests: Dr. Melissa Little is the President, Keith Alm is the CEO, and Dr. Amander Clark is the Vice President of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). They discuss what they’re looking forward to at the upcoming ISSCR 2022 meeting, and the future of the organization and the stem cell research community. Featured Products and Resources: STEMCELL is hiring! Survey Report: Where Is Pluripotent Stem Cell Research Now? The Stem Cell Science Round Up An Alternate Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle – Researchers identified a non-canonical tricarboxylic acid cycle that is required for changes in cell state. Replacing Microglia in Brain Disease – Scientists used circulation-derived myeloid cells to replace microglia in a mouse model of Prosaposin deficiency. iPSC-Derived CAR T Cells – 3D organoid culture supported differentiation of CAR+ iPSCs into functional CAR T cells. Cryopreservation of Islets for Transplantation – Researchers cryopreserved islets for nine months and implanted them into mice, leading to long-term glycemic control. Photo Reference: Courtesy of ISSCR Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Kelly McNagny is a Professor of Medical Genetics and Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia. His research program is focused on hematopoietic stem cell biology, specifically in understanding the signaling networks that regulate stem cell differentiation and how these cells interact with their microenvironment. He talks about how hematopoietic stem cell differentiation is related to chronic inflammatory diseases, targeting glycosylation in solid tumors, and his international career path. Featured Products and Resources: Visit the Hematopoiesis Resource Center for videos, tips, and protocols to help with your research questions. Make sure your cells are still hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells by using StemSpan SFEM II medium. The Stem Cell Science Round Up A Signaling Circuit to Control Cell Population – Researchers engineered mammalian cells with signaling circuits that allow cells to control their own population size. Direct Reprogramming of Fibroblasts into Functional Cardiomyocytes – Scientists used extracellular vesicles to enhance transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells. Modeling Injury and Repair in Kidney Organoids – Researchers identified a drug that mediates kidney repair in a cisplatin-induced injury organoid model. Infecting Cervical Organoids with HPV and Chlamydia – Chlamydia and HPV co-infection creates a unique cellular microenvironment that may lead to cancer. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Kelly McNagny Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Mingxia Gu is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Her lab’s goal is to develop novel therapies for the regeneration of the heart, lung, and vasculature in patients with congenital cardiac and pulmonary defects. She talks about developing lung organoids to study COVID-19, how multi-lineage organoids can mimic human tissues, and her lab’s motto to “move fast and break things.” Featured Products and Resources: Grow functional airway organoids with PneumaCult™. Derive, expand, and differentiate human skeletal muscle progenitors with MyoCult™. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Mitochondrial Inheritance and Cell Fate – Metabolic bias induced by asymmetric apportioning of aged mitochondria leads to changes in cell fate and stemness. Whole Genome Sequencing of hESCs – Researchers performed whole genome sequencing on 143 readily-available hESCs, and found that a third of them shared sibling relationships. Single Cell Sequencing with Fewer Cells – Scientists developed a new single cell analysis platform designed for low cell-input samples. Cardiac Wound Healing – Muscleblind-like protein 1 regulates myocardial infarction-induced cardiac fibroblast proliferation. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Mingxia Gu Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Alejo Rodriguez-Fraticelli is a Group Leader at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in Barcelona, where his team studies stem cell memory and epigenetics in hematopoiesis, immunity, and leukemia. He talks about setting up a new lab as a “playground for scientists,” how cancer is the “evil twin” of regeneration, and advanced methods for lineage tracing. Featured Products and Resources: Visit the Hematopoiesis Resource Center for videos, tips, and protocols to help with your research questions. The StemSpan™ Leukemic Cell Culture Kit is optimized for in vitro culture and drug screening of human leukemic cells. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Curing Cancer with CAR T Therapy – Ten years after treatment, two leukemia patients remained in remission and had long-persisting CD4+ CAR T cells. Retinal Organoids with Active Cones – Researchers generated retinal organoids with cone photoreceptors that respond to light. Lineage Fate in the Mouse Embryo – Scientists identified a new type of mitotic spindle that is assembled exclusively at the eight-cell stage of development. Switching Differentiation Paths – Knocking out Brm allows mesoderm cells to transform directly into ectoderm cells. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Alejo Rodriguez-Fraticelli Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Nazish Sayed is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. His lab is focused on developing new technologies that drive innovation in regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and drug testing in vascular biology. He talks about developing an inflammatory clock for aging, using iPSC-derived endothelial cells to run a clinical trial in a dish, and his experience as a cancer patient. Featured Products and Resources: Learn how patient-derived and gene-edited hPSC lines can be used to model cardiac disease in vitro. Expand, maintain, and differentiate skeletal muscle progenitor cells with MyoCult™. The Stem Cell Science Round Up A Pig Heart Transplant – A genetically modified pig heart was transplanted into a human patient. Sex Differences in Brain Organoids – Researchers used brain organoids to study the effects of androgen exposure in early development on excitatory neurons and brain volume. An iPSC-Derived Model of Albinism – Scientists generated a patient-derived retinal pigment epithelium model that recapitulates the pigmentation defects seen in albinism. From Clonal Hematopoiesis to Myeloid Malignancies – Researchers showed that TRAF6 loss can initiate acute myeloid leukemia in the context of clonal hematopoiesis. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Nazish Sayed Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Ru Gunawardane is the Executive Director at the Allen Institute for Cell Science. She leads a group of researchers creating a collection of high-quality gene edited stem cell lines to study cell organization and activities through live cell imaging. Dr. Katylyn Gerbin is a Scientist at the Allen Institute, whose work focuses on implementing cardiac differentiation methods and developing the cardiomyocyte pipeline using gene-edited hiPSCs. They discuss the Institute’s mission to understand the fundamentals of how cells work, how they generate their gene-edited stem cell lines, and their recent work tracking cell states in hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Dr. Gunawardane recently published a Nature Cell Biology article on the importance of disease models that reflect diverse ancestral backgrounds and sex. Featured Products and Resources: Try the New Standard in hPSC Maintenance: mTeSR™ Plus Medium Survey Report: Hurdles of Genome Editing Using CRISPR-Cas9 The Stem Cell Science Round Up SARS-CoV-2 Induces Fibrosis in Kidney Cells and Organoids – SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect kidney cells, inducing cell injury with subsequent fibrosis. Fluctuating Methylation Clocks for Cell Lineage Tracing – Researchers used fluctuating DNA methylation sites to track the ancestry and dynamics of a cell population. Forebrain Assembloid Models of Timothy Syndrome – Scientists used forebrain assembloids to study interneuron migration in Timothy syndrome. Lineage Tracing in Cerebral Organoid Development – Researchers used iTracer, a lineage recorder, to explore clonality and lineage dynamics during cerebral organoid development. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Drs. Ru Gunawardane & Kaytlyn Gerbin Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe