Skin cells from infertile men can be turned into the precursors of sperm cells in a lab, according to a new study.

The findings raise the possibility of one day making sperm from the skin cells of men with fertility problems, the researchers said. However, much more research is needed to determine if this is possible and whether it is safe.

In the new study, researchers first transformed the men's skin cells into stem cells, then implanted the cells into the testes of mice where they formed sperm precursor cells. However, one safety issue is that some of the stem cells formed tumors in the mice, said study researcher Renee Reijo Pera, who conducted the work while at Stanford University, and is now a professor of cell biology and neurosciences at Montana State University.

To conduct the study, Pera and colleagues took skin samples from three infertile men, and two fertile men. The infertile men had a genetic mutation in a region of the genome called AZF1 that prevented them from making mature sperm, a condition called azoospermia. [Sexy Swimmers: 7 Facts About Sperm]

The researchers used the skin cells to produce what are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which have the ability to become nearly any tissue type in the body. These iPS cells were then implanted into the testes of mice, where they turned into germ cells, which normally give rise to sperm in males.

However, in the study, the germ cells did not go on to form mature sperm in the mice, likely because of evolutionary differences between humans and mice that blocked the production of such mature cells, Pera said.

The stem cells from fertile men were much better at generating germ cells than those from infertile men. Still, the fact that the infertile men's stem cells produced germ cells at all was surprising, because men with the AZF1 mutation often have no germ cells, Pera said.

The new findings suggest that these infertile men do in fact have the potential to produce germ cells, but the germ cells are lost over time, Pera said. If that's true, young boys with this mutation might be able to preserve their germ cells for the future by collecting and freezing samples of testes tissue, Pera said.

The mouse model used in the study will help researchers better understand the earliest stages of sperm development, Pera said. For example, the cells of human embryo "decide" whether they are going to be germ cells at day 12 after conception, she said. "We've developed a way to study the earliest steps," which take place in the fetus, Pera said.

Previously, the same group of researchers created germ cells from human embryonic stem cells. And last year, experiments in mice showed that skin cells of the animals can be turned into stem cells, which can then be turned into germ cells. When researchers implanted these germ cells in sterile mice, the mice became fertile.

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Skin cells turned into sperm

May 2, 2014 7:02 pm by Stephanie Baum | 0 Comments MedCity News

In the latest stem cell innovation, a group of researchers from Stanford University successfully converted skin cells to stem cells to sperm cells, raising new questions about a potential path to treat infertility. The study was published in Cell Report.

The research used skin samples from five men with a genetic mutation calledazoospermia a genetic mutation that prevented them from making mature sperm.

According to a description of the study on NPRs website, researchers took skin cells from infertile men and transformed them into pluripotent stem cells, which can be converted into any cell in the body. The cells were inserted in mice testes and became immature human sperm cells.

The research is certainly at the early stage and experts caution it will take a lot more research to develop healthy sperm but it is already drawing mixed responses from the research world. Although its been called provocative, Dartmouth bioethicist Ronald Green got particularly dark and called attention to the downside. He speculated that it could lead to thefts of tissue samples or hair from the dead to recreate the dearly departed.

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Stem cell innovation study converts skin cells to sperm cells in potential infertility treatment

April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

A new study, from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Montana State University, demonstrates that, when implanted into the reproductive system of a mouse model, stem cells created from adult, infertile men will yield primordial germ cells. Primordial germ cells normally become sperm cells.

The findings, published in Cell Reports, help to further our understanding of a genetic cause of male infertility and basic sperm biology. The research team says that their approach holds considerable potential for clinical applications.

All of the infertile male participants suffer from a genetic mutation that prevents their bodies from producing mature sperm. The study suggests that the men with this condition called azoospermia might have produced germ cells at some point in their early lives, but these cells were lost as the men matured to adulthood.

Our results are the first to offer an experimental model to study sperm development, said Renee Reijo Pera of the Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine and Montana State University. Therefore, there is potential for applications to cell-based therapies in the clinic, for example, for the generation of higher quality and numbers of sperm in a dish.

It might even be possible to transplant stem-cell-derived germ cells directly into the testes of men with problems producing sperm, she added. Considerable study to ensure safety and practicality is needed, however, before reaching that point.

Infertility is a fairly common problem, affecting between 10 and 15 percent of couples in the US. The researchers say that many men are affected by genetic causes of infertility, most commonly due to the spontaneous loss of key genes on the Y sex chromosome. Until now, the causes of infertility at the molecular level have not been clear.

The fact that the research team was able to create primordial germ cells from the infertile men is very promising, but they note that these stem cells created far fewer of these sperm progenitors than the stem cells of men without the genetic mutations. They are sure, however, that this research provides a much needed model to study the earliest steps of human reproduction.

We saw better germ-cell differentiation in this transplantation model than weve ever seen, said Reijo Pera, former director of Stanfords Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Education. We were amazed by the efficiency. Our dream is to use this model to make a genetic map of human germ-cell differentiation, including some of the very earliest stages.

Humans share many cellular and physiological processes with common laboratory animals such as mice or fruit flies. In reproduction, however, there are significant variances, making it challenging to recreate the human reproductive processes in a laboratory setting. In addition, many crucial steps, such as the development and migration of primordial germ cells to the gonads,occur in the relatively short first days or weeks after conception.

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Stem Cells Of Infertile Men Used To Create Preliminary Sperm Cells

By Estel Grace Masangkay

An independent group of scientists led by experts at the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute (NYSCF) reported that they have manufactured the first disease-specific line of embryonic stem cells made with a patients DNA. The achievement is heralded as a major breakthrough in the regenerative medicine field.

This is also the first time cloning technologies have been utilized to generate genetically matched stem cells. The team used somatic cell nuclear transfer to successfully clone a skin cell from a 32 year old female patient with Type 1 diabetes. The cells were transformed into insulin-producing cells similar to lost beta cells in diabetes, which could provide better treatment or even a cure for T1D.

Susan Solomon, CEO and co-founder of NYSCF, says she is excited about the successful production of patient-specific stem cells using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). CEO Solomon said she became involved with medical research when her son was diagnosed with T1D.

Dr. Egli, scientist from the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute and who led the research, said, From the start, the goal of this work has been to make patient-specific stem cells from an adult human subject with type-1 diabetes that can give rise to the cells lost in the disease. By reprograming cells to a pluripotent state and making beta cells, we are now one step closer to being able to treat diabetic patients with their own insulin-producing cells.

The scientists analyzed factors that affect stem-cell derivation after SCNT. They added histone deacetylase inhibitors and protocol for human oocyte activation, which were crucial in delivering them to the stage at which embryonic stem cells can be properly derived. The beta cells produced from the patients own skin cells are autologous and match the patients DNA. Further research is underway at NYSCF and other institutions for the development of strategies to protect existing and therapeutic beta cells from attacks of the immune system.

The research teams work appeared in the journal Nature.

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Scientists Produce Personalized Stem Cells For Specific Diseases

Topics: editors picks, family, relationships, science, sex

INFERTILE men could in future be offered a new form of treatment based on converting their skin cells into the sperm-making tissue that is missing in their testicles, scientists have said.

A study has found that it is possible to convert skin cells into male "germ cells" which are responsible for sperm production, using an established technique for creating embryonic-like stem cells, in a form of genetic engineering.

The research, published in the journal Cell Reports, showed that stem cells derived from human skin become active germ cells when transplanted into the testes of mice - even when the man suffers from a genetic condition where he lacks functioning germ cells in his own testes.

Although the mice had functioning human male germ cells, they did not produce human sperm, said Renee Reijo Pera, of Montana State University, who led the study.

"There is an evolutionary block that means that when germ cells from one species are transferred to another, there is not full spermatogenesis unless the species are very closely related," she added.

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Skin cells provide new hope for infertile men

Stem cells made from the skin of adult, infertile men yield primordial germ cells -- cells that normally become sperm -- when transplanted into the reproductive system of mice, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Montana State University.

The infertile men in the study each had a type of genetic mutation that prevented them from making mature sperm -- a condition called azoospermia. The research suggests that the men with azoospermia may have had germ cells at some point in their early lives, but lost them as they matured to adulthood.

Although the researchers were able to create primordial germ cells from the infertile men, their stem cells made far fewer of these sperm progenitors than did stem cells from men without the mutations. The research provides a useful, much-needed model to study the earliest steps of human reproduction.

"We saw better germ-cell differentiation in this transplantation model than we've ever seen," said Renee Reijo Pera, PhD, former director of Stanford's Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Education. "We were amazed by the efficiency. Our dream is to use this model to make a genetic map of human germ-cell differentiation, including some of the very earliest stages."

A difficult process to study

Unlike many other cellular and physiological processes, human reproduction varies in significant ways from that of common laboratory animals like mice or fruit flies. Furthermore, many key steps, like the development and migration of primordial germ cells to the gonads, happen within days or weeks of conception. These challenges have made the process difficult to study.

Reijo Pera, who is now a professor of cell biology and neurosciences at Montana State University, is the senior author of a paper describing the research, published May 1 in Cell Reports. The experiments in the study were conducted at Stanford, and Stanford postdoctoral scholar Cyril Ramathal, PhD, is the lead author of the paper.

The research used skin samples from five men to create what are known as induced pluripotent stem cells, which closely resemble embryonic stem cells in their ability to become nearly any tissue in the body. Three of the men carried a type of mutation on their Y chromosome known to prevent the production of sperm; the other two were fertile.

The germ cells made from stem cells stopped differentiating in the mice before they produced mature sperm (likely because of the significant differences between the reproductive processes of humans and mice) regardless of the fertility status of the men from whom they were derived. However, the fact that the infertile men's cells could give rise to germ cells at all was a surprise.

Previous research in mice with a similar type of infertility found that although they had germ cells as newborns, these germ cells were quickly depleted. The Stanford findings suggests that the infertile men may have had at least a few functioning germ cells as newborns or infants. Although more research needs to be done, collecting and freezing some of this tissue from young boys known to have this type of infertility mutation may give them the option to have their own children later in life, the researchers said.

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Stem cells from some infertile men form germ cells when transplanted into mice

hide captionNew research could be promising for infertile men. Scientists were able to make immature sperm cells from skin cells. Their next challenge is to make that sperm viable.

New research could be promising for infertile men. Scientists were able to make immature sperm cells from skin cells. Their next challenge is to make that sperm viable.

Scientists reported Thursday they had figured out a way to make primitive human sperm out of skin cells, an advance that could someday help infertile men have children.

"I probably get 200 emails a year from people who are infertile, and very often the heading on the emails is: Can you help me?" says Renee Reijo Pera of Montana State University, who led the research when she was at Stanford University.

In a paper published in the journal Cell Reports, Pera and her colleagues describe what they did. They took skin cells from infertile men and manipulated them in the laboratory to become induced pluripotent stem cells, which are very similar to human embryonic stem cells. That means they have the ability to become virtually any cell in the body.

They then inserted the cells into the testes of mice, where they became very immature human sperm cells, the researchers report.

"It's much easier than we actually expected," Pera told Shots.

Other researchers caution that there's still much more research that is needed to prove these cells would actually become healthy sperm that could make a baby. But they said the report was intriguing.

"It's one step closer to being able to make sperm in a petri dish," says George Daley, a stem-cell researcher at Harvard. "So I think that's very provocative."

But others worry the techniques could be misused.

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'Provocative' Research Turns Skin Cells Into Sperm

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

1-May-2014

Contact: Krista Conger kristac@stanford.edu 650-725-5371 Stanford University Medical Center

STANFORD, Calif. Stem cells made from the skin of adult, infertile men yield primordial germ cells cells that normally become sperm when transplanted into the reproductive system of mice, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Montana State University.

The infertile men in the study each had a type of genetic mutation that prevented them from making mature sperm a condition called azoospermia. The research suggests that the men with azoospermia may have had germ cells at some point in their early lives, but lost them as they matured to adulthood.

Although the researchers were able to create primordial germ cells from the infertile men, their stem cells made far fewer of these sperm progenitors than did stem cells from men without the mutations. The research provides a useful, much-needed model to study the earliest steps of human reproduction.

"We saw better germ-cell differentiation in this transplantation model than we've ever seen," said Renee Reijo Pera, PhD, former director of Stanford's Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Education. "We were amazed by the efficiency. Our dream is to use this model to make a genetic map of human germ-cell differentiation, including some of the very earliest stages."

Unlike many other cellular and physiological processes, human reproduction varies in significant ways from that of common laboratory animals like mice or fruit flies. Furthermore, many key steps, like the development and migration of primordial germ cells to the gonads, happen within days or weeks of conception. These challenges have made the process difficult to study.

Reijo Pera, who is now a professor of cell biology and neurosciences at Montana State University, is the senior author of a paper describing the research, which will be published May 1 in Cell Reports. The experiments in the study were conducted at Stanford, and Stanford postdoctoral scholar Cyril Ramathal, PhD, is the lead author of the paper.

The research used skin samples from five men to create what are known as induced pluripotent stem cells, which closely resemble embryonic stem cells in their ability to become nearly any tissue in the body. Three of the men carried a type of mutation on their Y chromosome known to prevent the production of sperm; the other two were fertile.

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Stem cells from some infertile men form germ cells when transplanted into mice, study finds

Researchers hope stem cells could one day treat chronic conditions like diabetes and Parkinsons disease.

Healthy bloom: Insulin, shown in red, is being produced by cells that started as embryonic stem cells derived from a patient with type 1 diabetes.

A series of breakthroughs in cloning technology over the last year and a half are stoking hopes that cells could be used as treatments for patients with chronic, debilitating diseases such as diabetes and Parkinsons.

In January 2013, researchers at the Oregon Health and Science University reported that they had successfully created embryonic stem cells from a human embryo formed when the nucleus of one persons cell was transferred into another persons egg that had its original nucleus removed (see Human Embryonic Stem Cells Cloned). That was the first time stem cells had been made from such a cloned embryo, and the advance provides a potential route by which scientists could create various kinds of replacement cells based on a patients own genome. Many other research teams are pursuing another method of creating stem cells from a patients own cells, but some believe cells made with the cloning technique could be more likely to develop into a wide variety of cell types.

In the most recent advance for the cloning-based approach, a new report describes stem cells produced by cloning a skin cell from a woman with type 1 diabetes. The researchers were then able to turn those stem cells into insulin-producing cells resembling the beta cells that are lost in that disease. The immune system attacks these pancreatic cells, leaving patients unable to properly regulate their blood sugar levels.

Susan Solomon, a coauthor of the new study and cofounder of the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), told reporters the results are an important step forward in our quest to develop healthy patient-specific stem cells to be used to replace cells that are diseased or dead.

The ultimate idea is to treat diabetes with insulin-producing cells made from a patients own cells and a donated egg. Currently, insulin-producing cells harvested from a cadaver are transplanted into some diabetes patients. But patients treated this way must take immunosuppressing drugs, and the number of cadaver cells is limited.

The cloned cells are thought to be better accepted by the immune system. But given that the body attacks its own beta cells, how can researchers prevent the immune destruction of the transplants? Its very difficult, says Solomon. We are acutely aware of the need to address both sides of the problem.

There are also regulatory issues surrounding the cloning method. Lead researcher and coauthor Dieter Egli began the research at Harvard University but moved it to the New York institution because Massachusetts restrictions on egg donation prevented the work from progressing.

Egg supply is another challenge. The cloning works about 10 percent of the time, and only three of the four cloned embryos in the experiment led to viable stem-cell lines. When you think about wider application of this technology for patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, [and others], you are talking about hundreds of millions of people, says Robert Lanza, a stem-cell pioneer at Advanced Cell Technology and coauthor of a recent cloning report. When you start talking about numbers like that, its just not going to be practical to use these cells in that patient-specific way.

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Stem Cells from a Diabetes Patient

Scientists have taken skin cells from a woman suffering from type 1 diabetes, reprogrammed them into embryonic stem cells, and then converted those cells into insulin-producing cells in mice, according to a new study.

The announcement, which comes soon after another stem cell success involving therapeutic cloning, was published Monday in the journal Nature.

"This advance brings us a significant step closer to the development of cell replacement therapies," said senior study author Dieter Egli, a researcher at the New York Stem Cell Foundation.

Embryonic stem cells, or pluripotent cells, are cells that can reproduce endlessly and transform themselves into any type of human tissue. Researchers hope that the cells will one day be used to create transplant tissues that will not be rejected by the patient's body, because they carry their own DNA.

Egli and his colleagues used a cloning technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer, or SCNT -- a process similar to the one used to clone "Dolly" the sheep in 1996.

The process involves removing the nucleus from a human egg cell, replacing it with the nucleus from a foreign "donor" cell, and then allowing the egg to divide and develop for a period of days. The developing embryo will contain a mass of pluripotent cells, which are removed and used to create a line of reproducing cells.

If the cloned embryo were implanted in the womb of a surrogate mother -- an act scientists consider unethical for a number of reasons -- it could possibly develop into a baby.

Up until now, the stem cell field has relied on a very different method of pluripotent cell production called induced pluripotency. The process is viewed as being much easier than SCNT, because it does not involve the controversial use of human egg cells, which are also difficult to obtain.

At a news conference, Egli told reporters that the SCNT process was becoming increasingly refined and should be viewed as a reliable source of pluripotent cells.

"For me this is the way to go," Egli said. "This is about reprogramming a patient's own cells, with their own genotype, with their own DNA that are immunologically matched to them and no one else, essentially. I think this is going to become a reality."

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Scientists report another embryonic cloning success

Scientists have used cloning technology to make stem cells from a woman with Type 1 diabetes that are genetically matched to her and to her disease.

They hope to someday use such cells as tailor-made transplants to treat or potentially even cure the disease, which affects millions and which now has few treatment options other than careful diet and regular use of insulin.

Its the second report his month of success in using cloning technology to make human embryonic stem cells the cells that eventually create a complete human being and that scientists hope to harness to treat diseases ranging from diabetes to Parkinsons and injuries that cause paralysis or organ damage.

I think this is going to become reality, Dr. Dieter Egli of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, whose report is published in the journal Nature on Monday, told reporters. It may be a bit in the future but it is going to happen.

The technique they use is called somatic cell nuclear transfer the same method used to make Dolly, the sheep who was the first mammal to be cloned, in 1996. Scientists remove the nucleus from a normal cell, clear the nucleus from a human egg cell, then inject the nucleus from the skin cell into the egg.

I think this is going to become reality."

Various chemical or electrical tricks can be used to start the egg growing as if it had been fertilized by sperm. In this case, they used DNA from a woman with Type 1 diabetes, and they said they used an improved method to trick the egg into developing.

It got to whats called a blastocyst a ball of cells that has not yet begun to differentiate into the different types of cells and tissues in the body, such as nerve cells, blood cells and bone cells. They removed individual cells and used various chemical baths to direct them to form into the desired cell type the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin and that are destroyed in diabetes. These cells carry the patients own unique DNA, including whatever genetic mistakes led to her diabetes.

These stem cells could therefore be used to generate cells for therapeutic cell replacement, they wrote in their report.

Scientists have cloned sheep, pigs, mice and monkeys, but its been far harder to clone human beings. Its partly because of the controversy few people advocate cloning humans for the purpose of making babies, and many people object to destroying a human embryo, even one that only ever existed in a lab dish.

Original post:
Stem Cells Made From Cloning Diabetic Woman

Scientists have used cloning technology to make stem cells from a woman with Type 1 diabetes that are genetically matched to her and to her disease.

They hope to someday use such cells as tailor-made transplants to treat or potentially even cure the disease, which affects millions and which now has few treatment options other than careful diet and regular use of insulin.

Its the second report his month of success in using cloning technology to make human embryonic stem cells the cells that eventually create a complete human being and that scientists hope to harness to treat diseases ranging from diabetes to Parkinsons and injuries that cause paralysis or organ damage.

I think this is going to become reality, Dr. Dieter Egli of the New York Stem Cell Foundation, whose report is published in the journal Nature on Monday, told reporters. It may be a bit in the future but it is going to happen.

The technique they use is called somatic cell nuclear transfer the same method used to make Dolly, the sheep who was the first mammal to be cloned, in 1996. Scientists remove the nucleus from a normal cell, clear the nucleus from a human egg cell, then inject the nucleus from the skin cell into the egg.

I think this is going to become reality."

Various chemical or electrical tricks can be used to start the egg growing as if it had been fertilized by sperm. In this case, they used DNA from a woman with Type 1 diabetes, and they said they used an improved method to trick the egg into developing.

It got to whats called a blastocyst a ball of cells that has not yet begun to differentiate into the different types of cells and tissues in the body, such as nerve cells, blood cells and bone cells. They removed individual cells and used various chemical baths to direct them to form into the desired cell type the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin and that are destroyed in diabetes. These cells carry the patients own unique DNA, including whatever genetic mistakes led to her diabetes.

These stem cells could therefore be used to generate cells for therapeutic cell replacement, they wrote in their report.

Scientists have cloned sheep, pigs, mice and monkeys, but its been far harder to clone human beings. Its partly because of the controversy few people advocate cloning humans for the purpose of making babies, and many people object to destroying a human embryo, even one that only ever existed in a lab dish.

Excerpt from:
Diabetic Woman's Cells Are Turned Into Embryonic Stem Cells

Skin grown in the laboratory can replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing, UK scientists say.

A team led by King's College London has grown a layer of human skin from stem cells - the master cells of the body.

Stem cells have been turned into skin before, but the researchers say this is more like real skin as it has a permeable barrier.

It offers a cost-effective alternative to testing drugs and cosmetics on animals, they say.

The outermost layer of human skin, known as the epidermis, provides a protective barrier that stops moisture escaping and microbes entering.

Scientists have been able to grow epidermis from human skin cells removed by biopsy for several years, but the latest research goes a step further.

The research used reprogrammed skin cells - which offer a way to produce an unlimited supply of the main type of skin cell found in the epidermis.

They also grew the skin cells in a low humidity environment, which gave them a barrier similar to that of true skin.

Skin barrier

Lead researcher Dr Dusko Ilic, of King's College London, told BBC News: "This is a new and suitable model that can be used for testing new drugs and cosmetics and can replace animal models.

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Human Skin Grown In Lab 'Can Replace Animal Testing'

SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 (UPI) -- An international team of researchers developed skin grown from human stem cells that may eliminate using animals for drug and cosmetics testing and help develop news therapies for skin disorders.

The team led by Kings College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center developed the first laboratory-grown epidermis -- the outer layer of skin -- similar to real skin.

"The ability to obtain an unlimited number of genetically identical units can be used to study a range of conditions where the skins barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation, such as ichthyosis (dry, flaky skin) or atopic dermatitis, (eczema)," Dr. Theodora Mauro, leader of the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center team, said in a statement.

"We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery."

The new skin is grown from human pluripotent stem cells -- stem cells that have the potential to differentiate into almost any cell in the body. Under the right circumstances, the stem cell can produce almost all of the cells in the body.

The human induced pluripotent stem cells can produce an unlimited supply of pure keratinocytes, the predominant cell type in the outermost layer of skin that closely match keratinocytes generated from human embryonic stem cells.

The artificial skin forms a protective barrier between the body and the environment keeping out microbes and toxins, while not allowing water from escaping the body.

The findings were published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

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Researchers create artificial skin using stem cells

A team of researchers from Kings College London and the San Francisco Veteran Medical Center announced on Thursday that they were able to grow an epidermis that had the same permeability as real human skin, by using pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are cultured from adult cells and can develop into any type of cell or tissue.

Researchers say the artificial human skin offers a cost-effective alternative technique for testing drugs and cosmetics.

Our new method can be used to grow much greater quantities of lab-grown human epidermal equivalents, and thus could be scaled up for commercial testing of drugs and cosmetics, Dusko Ilic, leader of the team at King's College London, said in a statement. We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery.

The new study, published in the journalStem Cell Reports,details how researchers triggered pluripotent stem cells to generate an unlimited supply of pure keratinocytes -- the primary cell type of the epidermis. In a high-humidity environment, scientists grew three-dimensional epidermal samples.

The samples engineered in the lab showed no significant differences in structure or function compared with real human skin samples, according to researchers.

Since the 1920s, the U.S. and other industrialized nations have used animals to test the safety and effectiveness of various drugs and vaccines. In the cosmetic industry, nonhuman test subjects, including rabbits, monkeys, rats and dogs, undergo skin and eye irritation tests in which chemicals are rubbed onto sections of shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of restrained test subjects. Some are even forced to swallow large amounts of certain chemicals to determine what constitutes a lethal dose.

While the use of animal testing, particularly Draize Testing, in which test substances are administered to the eye or skin has declined in recent years in the U.S. and Europe, it is still legal in 80 percent of countries. According to the Humane Society, in China alone, an estimated 300,000 animal die each year in cosmetic tests.

Human epidermal equivalents representing different types of skin could also be grown, depending on the source of the stem cells used, Ilic said. [They can] be tailored to study a range of skin conditions and sensitivities in different populations.

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First Human Skin Sample 'Grown' In Lab, Could Artificial Epidermis End Animal Testing?

Gold River, CA (PRWEB) April 27, 2014

SkinStore.com, the nations leading e-commerce specialty retailer with over 9000 products for healing and maintaining healthy skin, has added Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio Repair to its assortment of premium products.

Using state-of-the-art breakthrough stem cell technology, Peter Thomas Roth blended five rose stem cells with four rose extracts to create luxurious, effective anti-aging products. The Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Gel Mask is a cooling, revitalizing gel designed to promote cell turnover. Strengthening and rejuvenating the skin, the soothing mask improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles as well as dullness and dehydration, leaving skin radiant. Cleansing is a vital part of any skin care regimen, but a cleanser can do more than just remove makeup and environmental impurities. Glycolic acid combined with rose water, rose hip seed and other extracts plus rose stem cells make Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Cleansing Gel highly effective at sweeping away dead skin surface cells to reveal fresh, young-looking skin.

Christina Bertolino, Senior Buying Manager at SkinStore.com, said, Peter Thomas Roth is known industry-wide for effective products that produce clinically-proven results. With their cutting-edge plant stem cell technology theyve created a breakthrough in anti-aging.

About SkinStore.com. Physician-founded in 1997, SkinStore carries over 300 premium brands of skin care, cosmetics, hair care, beauty tools and fragrances from around the world. With over 9,000 products to choose from, SkinStore is a leading online resource for clinical and dermatologist-recommended skin care products. Customers receive free shipping on all U.S. orders over $49, and an esthetician-staffed call center is available Monday through Friday to answer questions and offer product recommendations. The company is headquartered in Gold River (Sacramento), California with operations in Sydney, Australia and an affiliate in Hangzhou, China. For more information visit SkinStore.com, SkincareStore.com.au, or SkinStorechina.com

Contact Information Denise McDonald, Content & Production Manager SkinStore http://www.skinstore.com 916-475-1427

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SkinStore.com Announces the Addition of Peter Thomas Roth Rose Stem Cell Bio-Repair Products

An international team led by King's College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC) has developed the first lab-grown epidermis -- the outermost skin layer -- with a functional permeability barrier akin to real skin. The new epidermis, grown from human pluripotent stem cells, offers a cost-effective alternative lab model for testing drugs and cosmetics, and could also help to develop new therapies for rare and common skin disorders.

The epidermis, the outermost layer of human skin, forms a protective interface between the body and its external environment, preventing water from escaping and microbes and toxins from entering. Tissue engineers have been unable to grow epidermis with the functional barrier needed for drug testing, and have been further limited in producing an in vitro (lab) model for large-scale drug screening by the number of cells that can be grown from a single skin biopsy sample.

The new study, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, describes the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to produce an unlimited supply of pure keratinocytes -- the predominant cell type in the outermost layer of skin -- that closely match keratinocytes generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and primary keratinocytes from skin biopsies. These keratinocytes were then used to manufacture 3D epidermal equivalents in a high-to-low humidity environment to build a functional permeability barrier, which is essential in protecting the body from losing moisture, and preventing the entry of chemicals, toxins and microbes.

A comparison of epidermal equivalents generated from iPSC, hESC and primary human keratinocytes (skin cells) from skin biopsies showed no significant difference in their structural or functional properties compared with the outermost layer of normal human skin.

Dr Theodora Mauro, leader of the SFVAMC team, says: "The ability to obtain an unlimited number of genetically identical units can be used to study a range of conditions where the skin's barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation, such as ichthyosis (dry, flaky skin) or atopic dermatitis. We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery."

Dr Dusko Ilic, leader of the team at King's College London, says: "Our new method can be used to grow much greater quantities of lab-grown human epidermal equivalents, and thus could be scaled up for commercial testing of drugs and cosmetics. Human epidermal equivalents representing different types of skin could also be grown, depending on the source of the stem cells used, and could thus be tailored to study a range of skin conditions and sensitivities in different populations."

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The above story is based on materials provided by King's College London. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Skin layer grown from human stem cells could replace animals in drug, cosmetics testing

Scientists able to produce one centimetre-wide fragments of epidermis Outer layer of skin created in a laboratory using stem cells Experts say the lab-grown skin could be used for testing lotions or creams Team from King's College London worked with scientists from the US

By Lucy Crossley

Published: 14:31 EST, 24 April 2014 | Updated: 14:42 EST, 24 April 2014

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Breakthrough: Scientists in the UK and US have been able to grow artificial skin which could replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing in a laboratory (file photo)

Artificial skin which could replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing has been grown in a laboratory for the first time.

Scientists in the UK and US were able to produce one centimetre-wide fragments of epidermis - the outermost skin layer - from stem cells with the same properties as real skin.

The epidermis forms a protective barrier between the body and external environment, preventing water from escaping while keeping out microbes and toxins.

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Artificial skin grown in laboratory for first time

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Apr-2014

Contact: Jenny Gimpel jenny.gimpel@kcl.ac.uk 44-020-784-84334 King's College London

An international team led by King's College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC) has developed the first lab-grown epidermis the outermost skin layer - with a functional permeability barrier akin to real skin. The new epidermis, grown from human pluripotent stem cells, offers a cost-effective alternative lab model for testing drugs and cosmetics, and could also help to develop new therapies for rare and common skin disorders.

The epidermis, the outermost layer of human skin, forms a protective interface between the body and its external environment, preventing water from escaping and microbes and toxins from entering. Tissue engineers have been unable to grow epidermis with the functional barrier needed for drug testing, and have been further limited in producing an in vitro (lab) model for large-scale drug screening by the number of cells that can be grown from a single skin biopsy sample.

The new study, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, describes the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to produce an unlimited supply of pure keratinocytes the predominant cell type in the outermost layer of skin - that closely match keratinocytes generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and primary keratinocytes from skin biopsies. These keratinocytes were then used to manufacture 3D epidermal equivalents in a high-to-low humidity environment to build a functional permeability barrier, which is essential in protecting the body from losing moisture, and preventing the entry of chemicals, toxins and microbes.

A comparison of epidermal equivalents generated from iPSC, hESC and primary human keratinocytes (skin cells) from skin biopsies showed no significant difference in their structural or functional properties compared with the outermost layer of normal human skin.

Dr Theodora Mauro, leader of the SFVAMC team, says: "The ability to obtain an unlimited number of genetically identical units can be used to study a range of conditions where the skin's barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation, such as ichthyosis (dry, flaky skin) or atopic dermatitis. We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery."

Dr Dusko Ilic, leader of the team at King's College London, says: "Our new method can be used to grow much greater quantities of lab-grown human epidermal equivalents, and thus could be scaled up for commercial testing of drugs and cosmetics. Human epidermal equivalents representing different types of skin could also be grown, depending on the source of the stem cells used, and could thus be tailored to study a range of skin conditions and sensitivities in different populations."

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Skin layer grown from human stem cells could replace animals in drug and cosmetics testing

St. Petersburg, FL (PRWEB) April 23, 2014

Human Fibroblast Conditioned Media is a revolutionary ingredient that is taking the beauty and anti-aging industries by storm. These stem cells are in the Sublime Beauty "Cell Renewal | Fibroblast Serum."

These non-embryonic stem cells are rich in growth factors. When topically combined with our own skin, studies have shown that our cells are stimulated to create more collagen resulting in younger, firmer and healthier skin.

"The discovery of growth factors was a big deal in science," says Kathy Heshelow, founder of Sublime Beauty, "and plays a part in wound healing, medical applications and now skin care."

The company offers a product paper about the serum and background on its ingredients on its webstore.

The scientific anti-aging serum will be discussed on the Consumer NewsWatch TV program Thursday morning.

"Cell Renewal" is of high purity, produced under the strictest quality controls and use the latest extraction methods to capture the purest cells. This is a top of the line anti-aging treatment.

Use twice daily on cleansed skin before any other serum or cream is applied.

The company offers 25% off the serum at SublimeBeautyShop now with coupon code STEM25.

About Sublime Beauty: Sublime Beauty offers quality anti-aging skincare to "age younger". Products are available at its webstore and Amazon. The company also offers Skin Brushes and organic products.

Continued here:
Improve Skin Dramatically with Stem Cell Serum, "Cell Renewal | Fibroblast Serum", from Sublime Beauty; Will Be ...