Hong Kong researchers generated animal product-free new human stem cells which can be derived into different human cell types and tissues, providing insights for clinical applications of stem cell therapy, according to the University of Hong Kong which made the results public on Thursday.
Researchers from the university's faculty of medicine recently generated new human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) by reprogramming human skin cells into embryonic stem cell-like state with the use of a special enzyme inhibitor.
The span-new stem cells, with the absence of animal products such as live mouse cells and serum, eliminated the problem of potential immune rejection, bringing a better prosperity for clinical application. Besides, ethical issue related to human embryonic stem cells could be avoided.
By transplanting the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from hiPSCs into the limbs of mice with poor blood supply due to damaged arteries, the researchers found that the MSCs can form new blood vessels and improve circulation of the limbs. This provides promises to treat different forms of cardiovascular diseases.
Professor Tse Hung-fat of the university's medical school said that the patient-own hiPSCs provide an unlimited source of human live cells -- heart cells, brain cells, vessel cells, and liver cells, allowing scientists to investigate the use of those cells for tissue regeneration, to study the disease process and to test the response of drugs in a culture dish.
"In the near future, this new technology should help clinicians to understand disease development and to provide insights for the development of novel treatment strategies, and thus bringing new hopes to translate human stem cell technologies to the clinic," he said.
The study results has been published in three different international journals including Cell Stem Cell, Cellular Reprogramming and Circulation.