Elusive Stem Cells with Dual Potential and Therapeutic Promise Are Described in Stem Cells and Development.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

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LARCHMONT, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 13, 2004

The human adult hemangioblast, an elusive stem cell with therapeutic potential and the capability to generate both hematopoietic (blood-forming) and endothelial (vascular) cells, can be isolated and grown in culture using a technique detailed in the June 2004 (Volume 13, Number 3) issue of Stem Cells and Development (formerly Journal of Hematotherapy & Stem Cell Research), a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). A pre-publication copy of the paper, entitled "Identification of the Adult Human Hemangioblast," is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/scd.

The report is one of the first to identify a population of cultured human stem cells with properties of hemangioblasts, and suggests that this novel culture system could be used to develop cellular therapies to treat disorders affecting both hematopoiesis and the vascular system.

Sonja Loges and colleagues from the Departments of Medicine, Neurosurgery, and Anatomy at University Hospital Eppendorf in Hamburg, Germany, describe a cell culture method that involves collecting stem cells from mobilized peripheral blood and following the differentiation pathway of individual cells. The authors isolated human CD133+-enriched cells from the peripheral blood and expanded the stem cell population in the presence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), stem cell growth factor (SCGF), and FLT-3 ligand. Inserted into these cells was a vector containing green fluorescent protein (GFP), creating a marker gene that would fluoresce and enable the researchers to detect labeled cells and to follow the differentiation of single cells.

The marked cells were allowed to divide and differentiate in culture, becoming either neutrophils or endothelial cells. About 25% of the cells derived from each original clone demonstrated the capability for dual differentiation.

Stem Cells and Development, edited by Denis English, Ph.D., Director of the Experimental Cell Research Program of The Methodist Research Institute in Indianapolis, is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online. The Journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells, especially those of the hematopoietic system. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/scd

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Cloning and Stem Cells, Human Gene Therapy, and Tissue Engineering. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsletters is available at www.liebertpub.com.