International Stem Cell Collaboration Results In Discovery Of Promising New Stem Cell Type

Main Category: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 08 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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DaVinci Biosciences LLC in collaboration with University of Utah, Southern California Center for Regenerative Medicine and Omni Hospital in Ecuador, announce the discovery of a previously unidentified stem cell population from adult human testis in Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (BBRC), an international peer-reviewed journal focused on the rapid dissemination of timely and significant experimental results in diverse fields of biological research. Termed gonadal stem cells (GSCs) these adult derived stem cells, unlike previous reported population of stem cells found within the testis, have been found to demonstrate adult stem cell properties. Published in the current journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, the data from this collaborative study describes a multipotent adult stem cell population that has the capacity to readily differentiate into multiple cell types. The study evolved from an international collaboration aimed at identifying novel cell populations at different geographical laboratory locations and for different HLA types.

"We began this study purely as an approach to study and identify novel cell types and mechanisms regulating the role of infertility," said Francisco Silva, President of DaVinci Biosciences. "We were surprised and delighted to find a cell population that demonstrated these stem cell properties."

Dr. Amit Patel, Director of Cardiovascular and Regenerative Medicine for the University of Utah School of Medicine and senior author of the study is currently collaborating with DaVinci Biosciences to study the genetic diversity of different cell populations and their role in personalized medicine. "We are establishing a database of genomic and cell characteristics that can eventually be correlated and placed into clinically translational therapeutic models that would ultimately help patients seeking to be treated with new pharmaceutical and cell-based therapies," said Dr. Patel. "In our attempt to expand cells from this tissue and study the genetics of the cell we found a population of cells that behaved like stem cells which could have therapeutic significance."

The BBRC publication describes the cell population as having a high propensity to differentiate into chondrogenic and osteogenic cell types or cartilage and bone like cells, potentially leading to their use for orthopedic indications. Adult stem cells have been identified and described in various adult tissues to date and this published report is the first to identify an adult stem cell population from human testis with significant promise for new clinical applications.

About DaVinci Biosciences

DaVinci Biosciences LLC is a privately held company dedicated to advancing therapies that improve the quality of life for individuals suffering from trauma, disease and degenerative disorders. Through independent research and partnerships with universities, medical research institutions, and hospitals, DaVinci Biosciences continues to discover biological breakthroughs relating to and further improving the treatment of degenerative disorders and injury. DaVinci Biosciences is headquartered in Costa Mesa, California. For more information please visit www.dvbiosciences.com.

About BBRC

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications is the premier international journal devoted to the very rapid dissemination of timely and significant experimental results in diverse fields of biological research. The development of the "Breakthroughs and Views" section brings the minireview format to the journal, and issues often contain collections of special interest manuscripts. BBRC is published weekly (52 issues/year).

Source
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications