Doctoral student and Kaye Innovation Award winner Ido Sagi at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Credit: Hebrew University)
Potential for regenerative medicine and cancer research earns doctoral student Ido Sagi a Kaye Innovation Award
Stem cell research holds huge potential for medicine and human health. In particular, human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), with their ability to turn into any cell in the human body, are essential to the future prevention and treatment of disease.
One set or two? Diploid versus haploid cells
Most of the cells in our body are diploid, which means they carry two sets of chromosomes — one from each parent. Until now, scientists have only succeeded in creating haploid embryonic stem cells — which contain a single set of chromosomes — in non-human mammals such as mice, rats and monkeys. However, scientists have long sought to isolate and replicate these haploid ESCs in humans, which would allow them to work with one set of human chromosomes as opposed to a mixture from both parents.
This milestone was finally reached when Ido Sagi, working as a PhD student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research, led research that yielded the first successful isolation and maintenance of haploid embryonic stem cells in humans. Unlike in mice, these haploid stem cells were able to differentiate into many other cell types, such as brain, heart and pancreas, while retaining a single set of chromosomes.
With Prof. Nissim Benvenisty, Director of the Azrieli Center, Sagi showed that this new human stem cell type will play an important role in human genetic and medical research. It will aid our understanding of human development – for example, why we reproduce sexually instead of from a single parent. It will make genetic screening easier and more precise, by allowing the examination of single sets of chromosomes. And it is already enabling the study of resistance to chemotherapy drugs, with implications for cancer therapy.
Diagnostic kits for personalized medicine
Based on this research, Yissum, the Technology Transfer arm of the Hebrew University, launched the company New Stem, which is developing a diagnostic kit for predicting resistance to chemotherapy treatments. By amassing a broad library of human pluripotent stem cells with different mutations and genetic makeups, NewStem plans to develop diagnostic kits for personalized medication and future therapeutic and reproductive products.
Learn more: First ‘haploid’ human stem cells could change the face of medical research; earn Kaye Innovation Award
The Latest on: Haploid embryonic stem cells
- CRISPR Gene Editing Newson February 28, 2021 at 4:00 pm
New work details how the revolutionary, ... Dec. 10, 2020 — Scientists have developed an easy way to genetically profile a cell, including human cells, and rapidly determine all DNA sequences in ...
- Embryonic fate after somatic cell nuclear transfer in non-enucleated goldfish oocytes is determined by first cleavages and DNA methylation patternson February 17, 2021 at 12:50 pm
It was surmised that this haploid DNA could either be inactivated ... is the reprogramming of the donor differentiated cells so that an embryonic profile of gene expression can be established ...
- Sperm News and Researchon February 14, 2021 at 4:00 pm
A team led by UT Southwestern has derived a new "intermediate" embryonic stem cell type from multiple species that can contribute to chimeras and create precursors to sperm and eggs in a culture dish.
- The NEMP family supports metazoan fertility and nuclear envelope stiffnesson February 10, 2021 at 4:00 pm
3 Program in Developmental and Stem ... cells (fig. S4, C and D), reduced proliferation (fig. S4, E to G), and disorganization of germline and somatic cells (fig. S4, H and I). Analysis of adult ...
- Metastable Epialleles, Imprinting, and the Fetal Origins of Adult Diseaseson February 2, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Furthermore, the epigenetic regulatory system that maintains the functionally haploid state of these ... epigenetically established before embryonic stem cell differentiation.
- KNOX2 Genes Regulate the Haploid-to-Diploid Morphological Transition in Land Plantson February 2, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Plants have a life cycle characterized by alternation between two generations, haploid (gametophyte) and diploid (sporophyte), where each phase develops a multicellular body (1, 2). The gametophyte ...
- The Maternal Nucleolus Is Essential for Early Embryonic Development in Mammalson February 2, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Moreover, using nuclear transfer experiments, we demonstrate that nucleoli originating from a somatic cell or even from an embryonic stem (ES) cell cannot substitute ... at metaphase II revealed a ...
- How do organisms grow and develop? - OCR 21C test questions - OCR 21st Centuryon July 25, 2020 at 9:11 pm
How many new cells are produced during meiosis? A cell found in the embryo that can differentiate into any type of cell A cell in a meristem that can differentiate into any type of cell A cell in ...
- Cell differentiationon July 25, 2020 at 9:11 pm
Cells at early stages in the development of the embryo are stem cells. If cells are removed from the embryo – called embryonic stem cells – they will differentiate into any cell type.
- 3R competencieson June 27, 2019 at 8:50 am
ultrasound In the line with the main research scope on investigation of epigenetic control mechanisms in a cell fate during development, Professor's Wutz group successfully established a protocol for ...
via Google News and Bing News