A team of scientists at Oxford University has discovered a new type of embryonic stem cell in mice and rats that is the closest counterpart yet to human embryonic stem cells.
The cells are expected to serve as an improved model for human stem cells in studies of regeneration, disease pathology and basic stem cell biology, bringing scientists closer to realising the potential of stem cells in treatments for disease.
The findings, reported in Nature, are the result of a collaborative effort between scientists at the University of Oxford and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the USA รข€“ a collaboration brought about by the paper's lead author, Paul Tesar, who is a student on NIH and Oxford's joint doctoral programme. Stem cell expert Professor Sir Richard Gardner in Oxford's Department of Zoology is the senior author from Oxford.
Up until now, embryonic stem cells derived in humans and mice had looked different and behaved differently. They had in common their 'pluripotency', or ability to turn into any type of cells, but researchers had found that mouse and human stem cells maintained this state in quite different ways, which required distinct techniques for their growth in culture.
In the new research, the team found that when mouse stem cells were derived from slightly older mouse embryos, they looked very similar to human embryonic stem cells under the microscope and had many of the same properties. Importantly, these new mouse stem cells could be maintained using the same growth factors as those used in the culture of human embryonic stem cells.
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