Purified Compositions of Stem Cell Derived Differentiating Cells
Introduction Stem cells have a capacity for both self-renewal and the generation of differentiated cell types. Embryonic Stem (ES) cells are derived from cultures of inner cell mass (ICM) cells, and have the property of participating as totipotent cells when placed into host blastocysts. The development pathways that endogenous ICM cells or transferred ES cells take to tissue formation and organogenesis has led many to hope that these pathways can be controlled for the development of tissue and organ specific stem cells. The ability of ES cells to grow specialized cells and tissues could provide an unprecedented tool in clinic by providing a means for transplantation and repair of damaged muscles, nerves, organs, bones and other tissues. However, the extraordinary proliferative capacity of ES cells makes it desirable from separating differentiating cells from their pluripotent parents. Therefore, improved methods of selection to enrich for specific cells of interest are of great value. Technology description Dr Charles Murry’s laboratory has developed methods for selection of viable differentiating cells from cultures of stem cells. The stem cells are cultured in conditions permissive for differentiation and the formation of cellular aggregates, such as embryoid bodies. Smaller cell aggregates are generated by dissociation, and differentiating cells of interest are sorted by a method that maintains cell-to-cell contacts, and then selected for phenotypic features. Business Opportunity This technique may be useful for obtaining cells for therapeutic applications from mixed populations, e.g. cardiomyocytes for repair of myocardial infarcts or pacemaker cells for arrhythmia management. It also could permit preparation of pure populations for pharmaceutical screening or biosensor development. Intellectual Property Position Published Patent Application: US20060040389 “Purified Compositions of Stem Cell Derived Differentiating Cells”Type of Offer: Licensing
« More Biotech Patents
« More Science Patents