Here's a look at what's coming up in the August 2015 issue of JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments.
In JoVE Developmental Biology, a major goal in stem cell research is to grow human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in fully humanized conditions without using feeder cells, exogenous supplements, or synthetic substrates. This will eliminate the risk of contamination by animal cells and facilitate economical mass production for therapeutic applications. Jung and Kim previously showed that chorionic cells from the human placenta could support the propagation of hPSCs. So this month, they isolate and culture placental chorionic cells and use the placenta-conditioned media to culture the hPSCs. The result is an almost completely humanized culture system that can advance stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
Also in JoVE Developmental Biology, the ability to genetically reprogram differentiated cells into stem-like states has revolutionized the field of regenerative medicine. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be derived from many different cell types, including lymphocytes from whole blood and keratinocytes from skin samples. But these require pretty invasive extraction methods, so Hung et al. focus on the keratinocytes from hair follicles, which can be harvested simply by plucking a few hairs. Our authors culture the follicles to isolate keratinocytes, and transfect them with non-viral episomal vectors to produce iPSCs. These could be used for disease modeling and for deriving patient-specific stem cells.
JoVE Bioengineering also applies to regenerative medicine with a protocol by Uzarski et al. for bioengineering kidney tissues. This involves carefully removing the cells from kidneys by perfusion. The decellularized tissue retains much of the kidney's intricate structure, so it serves a biological scaffold for new renal cells. The kidney scaffolds are recellularized with human renal cells, which repopulate the matrix, proliferate, and survive in perfusion culture for over a week. With a shortage of donor kidneys available for transplantation, patients with renal failure may benefit from kidney grafts made from their own cells.
In JoVE Behavior, feeding disorders are common in young children, especially those with developmental delays. So Weber and Gutierrez demonstrate a treatment protocol that includes three different procedures for presenting foods: One procedure involves several successive steps that approximate eating. In another, preferred foods are always placed on the left side. This is designed to foster compliance with foods served on the left. In the third procedure, the non-preferred food is placed on top of the preferred one, and always served from the left. Parents, teachers, and clinicians can try this simple protocol before seeking more specialized treatment.
You've just had a sneak peek of the August 2015 issue of JoVE. Visit the website to see the full-length articles, plus many more, in JoVE: The Journal of Visualized Experiments.