THURSDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- Using a faster and more
efficient method of reprogramming adult stem cells to an embryonic
stem cell-like state, Johns Hopkins researchers developed a human
stem cell line containing the mutation associated with sickle cell
anemia.
"We hope our new cell lines can open the door for researchers
who study diseases like sickle cell anemia that are limited by the
lack of good experimental models," Linzhao Cheng, an associate
professor of gynecology and obstetrics, medicine and oncology, and
a member of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering, said
in a prepared statement.
The researchers found that using a viral protein called SV40
large T antigen, along with four genes known to trigger adult cells
to reprogram into embryonic-like stem cells, resulted in
reprogramming within 12 to 14 days, compared to three to four weeks
when large T wasn't used.
"Not only did T speed up reprogramming, we also found that it
increases the total number of reprogrammed cells, which is great
because often in reprogramming, not all cells go all the way,"
Cheng said.
Using this new method, the researchers created embryonic-like
stem cells that contained the mutation that causes sickle cell
anemia.
"One challenge to studying blood diseases like sickle cell
anemia is that blood stem cells can't be kept alive for very long
in the lab, so researchers need to keep returning to patients for
more cells to study," Cheng said. "Having these new cell lines
available might enable some bigger projects, like screening for
potential drugs."
The study was published online May 29 in the journal
Stem Cells.
More information
The U.S. National Institutes of Health has more about
stem
cells.
