You have a team of students who are doing stem cell culture work and are responsible for feeding cells. Spontaneous differentiation may require manual scraping of the unwanted cells and makes the student’s job increasingly more difficult.
The challenging tasks of feeding and cleaning cultures are minimized when using StemCultures controlled-release growth factors.
Consider the wide-eyed approach to stem cell therapies by any given class of new medical student researchers. While the entire academic world has already participated in the ethical questions unique to stem cell therapies over many decades, those unfamiliar with the academic research lab are just beginning to ponder those questions. Because the use of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) requires the disposal of a human embryo, student researchers will question the benefits of the outcome against the controversies of the process.
The use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) encouraged by StemCultures reduces or eliminates the issue of ESCs. Where appropriate, iPSCs or PSCs—human stem cells with limited adaptability without induction—are put into use.
PSCs do not have the bioavailability of iPSCs, but regardless, all stem cells can be developed into three cell types. The first of these, ectodermal cells, are useful for tissues of the skin and nervous system. They also can be progressed into endodermic cells, the second type, which is found in the liver and pancreas, the lining of the intestines, and the respiratory tract. The third type is the mesodermic cell, used for the body’s connective tissues including cartilage, bone, and muscles, plus most of the circulatory system.
By utilizing StemCultures’ growth aids, the well-intentioned student in the academic research lab setting will settle at a stage of acceptance with the unique process and well-ordered progress of this new culturing technique.
Let’s look at the protein-coding of the FGF2 gene. The FGF2 protein falls into the fibroblast family and it can be involved with the regulation of limb development, tumor growth management, wound healing, and the binding of heparin. FGF2 promotes cellular proliferation and regulatory pathways that are mitogenic, meaning there is a rapid division of cells. This is especially useful in angiogenic cases where new blood cells need to be developed rapidly.
Unfortunately, FGF2 degrades in the incubator, with a half-life of four or five hours. For that reason, the researcher needs to feed FGF2-dependent cell lines, such as iPSCs daily; otherwise, these cells can differentiate spontaneously. If that happens, the clinician is required to perform additional steps to remove the unwanted cells, which can include the tedious process of using a microscope to hand remove unwanted differentiated colonies.
StemCultures has learned to offset such risks by implementing a system for controlling growth factor levels. Both FGF2 DISCs and FGF2 StemBeads are available to rescue the researcher from those risks by stabilizing the culture because they overcome the short half-life of FGF2 or other encapsulated proteins.
Oftentimes, academic research labs focus on one specific area to conduct their research. Therefore, if a lab is specialized in stem cell therapies and advancing therapeutics in that area, it should be very familiar with the workload associated with this type of culture. In other cases, an academic research lab might only need to utilize stem cell culture for a few minor parts of its research and have less ideal equipment to facilitate this work. In either case, applying StemCultures-recommended cell culture protocols will make understanding and controlling stem cell growth easier.
One reason stem cell research is becoming more integrated into academic research labs is because students learn to appreciate the benefits of stem cell research because of the benefits that stem cell therapies provide the patient. Success with stem cell treatment can eliminate the need for surgery along with the concomitant risks of anesthesia. It can eliminate or reduce a patient’s dependence on medication.
Some of the disadvantages to stem cell therapies include a possible need for immunosuppression so that the stem cells are not attacked by the patient’s immune system. There are also rare cases of tumors forming from stem cells when used in transplantation. However, academic research labs are working to eliminate these risks by taking the patient’s adult cells, inducing them into stem cells, and returning them to the patient, personalizing the treatment for the patient.
Nevertheless, research continues beyond some of the therapies mentioned here to include the study or potential for organoids which is a simplified, small organ that academic research labs can use for disease modeling. Other facilities use organoids for their ability to be implanted with a cancer dormancy mechanism that would wake in the patient’s body to prevent future cancers. Your relationship with StemCultures will ensure that you receive the most up-to-date information possible.
