Canadian Stem Cell News

Note this recent release builing upon or previous coverage of the emerging stem cell field:

Ottawa (March 30, 2012) – The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) recently signed a partnership agreement to fund joint research projects on the epigenetics of stem cells. The agreement was established under CIHR’s Canadian Epigenetics, Environment and Health Research Consortium Signature Initiative and JST’s Strategic International Collaborative Research Program.

“CIHR is pleased to work in collaboration with our colleagues at the prestigious Japan Science and Technology Agency,” said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. “We believe this partnership will pave the way to major breakthroughs in this field and the eventual development of new therapeutics to improve human health.”

Epigenetics is a ground-breaking science that examines how environmental factors, such as diet and stress, can have life-long effects on health. This new field of research looks at long-term changes in gene activity that are not the result of modifications in the genetic code. The epigenetics of stem cells is a novel research area where both Canada and Japan demonstrate research excellence.

“The goal of this joint research program is to advance novel biological knowledge in the epigenetics of stem cells,” said Dr. Michiharu Nakamura, President of the Japan Science and Technology Agency. “It is also expected that the collaborative research among Japanese and Canadian scientists will contribute to develop innovative treatment methodologies for clinical medicine.”

Under the partnership, CIHR has committed up to $6M CAD and JST 600M Yen (approximately $8M CAD) for a total investment of $14M CAD over the next five years. The funding will support a maximum of three research teams that will require the participation of Canadian and Japanese researchers. A funding opportunity will be posted on CIHR and JST’s websites in May.

Prime Minister Harper highlighted this partnership in a recent meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

Canadian stem cell drive targets Chinese donors

Canada’s Chinese community put out the call for more stem cell donors Saturday to address a disproportionate under-representation in the international stem cell registry. In all, 11 events were taking place in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal where Chinese Canadians, and the general public at large, could sit down at registration station, give a sample of their DNA through a painless swab of their inside cheek, and then have their data put into the international registry.

Canadian discovery unrecognized for 37 years!

It’s wild to think that two Canadians were responsible for a monumental discovery that would change the face of medical research forever. It’s even more mind-boggling knowing that their discovery remained largely unpublicized for over 37 years! Check out yesterday’s Globe and Mail to read more about Armstrong McCulloch and James Edgar Till’s discovery of human stem cells.

Researchers discover a switch that controls stem cell pluripotency

Scientists have found a control switch that regulates stem cell “pluripotency,” the capacity of stem cells to develop into any type of cell in the human body. The discovery reveals that pluripotency is regulated by a single event in a process called alternative splicing.

Alternative splicing allows one gene to generate many different genetic messages and protein products. The researchers found that in genetic messages of a gene called FOXP1, the switch was active in embryonic stem cells but silent in “adult” cells—those that had become the specialized cells that comprise organs and perform functions.

New cell culture technique for exploring complex biological problems

A Canadian research team has developed an automated microfluidic cell culture platform to monitor the growth, survival and responses of hundreds of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) at the single cell level.

This new tool allows scientists to study multiple temporally varying culture conditions simultaneously and to gain new insights on the growth factor requirements for HSC survival.

The team designed and fabricated microfluidic devices — about the size of a matchbox — containing 1,600 to 6,400 miniature culture chambers that can sustain robust cell growth, along with an automated time-lapse imaging system to track clones over multiple days as they expand from single cells.

For more information read platform to monitor hematopoietic stem cells