Blog & News - Bedford Research Foundation

November 12, 2012

Bedford Research Foundation 2012 Newsletter

Read about all of the progress and the research that has occurred at the Foundation over the course of the past year! Dr. Kiessling outlines her vision for the upcoming year as well. Thank you for your support.

Four Years of the Spinal Cord Workshop

At the Frontier of Stem Cell Research and Spinal Cord Injury

The 2009 Workshop in partnership with University of Georgia and the Shepherd Center

Since 2008, the Spinal Cord Workshop has brought together international leaders in surgery and basic science to debate and develop a list of the challenges to cures for spinal cord injury. The goal of the workshop is to develop a “white paper,” listing the obstacles.

The workshop has brought to light such problems as how researchers use animal models to test theories, how to measure outcomes from studies (i.e. what defines success?), and the distribution of funds.

Additionally, the researchers have pointed out a significant lack of corporate involvement because of the limited market size, considering that spinal cord injury, while devastating, effects only 11,000 new patients every year. Therefore, most corporations are unwilling to invest in SCI treatments,even if discoveries could cascade to help a host of other diseases in the future.

Participants have expressed the importance of intimate workshops like this one, to allow for a space to share not only scientific discoveries, but also failures. Much of scientific progress is failure and in the current “success story only”environment, scientists and physicians don’t have the chance to share the side of the research that leads to many important discoveries: what doesn’t work in the lab.

The reports from these clinician scientist are easily accessible at the Foundation’s website. For more information about this year’s spinal cord workshop, www.SpinalCordWorkshop.org to read an interview with Dr. Kiessling about what she learned this year, and what you can do(in addition to donating) to help.

The 2013 Activated Egg Symposium

Mario Capecchi, PhD

Nov 8, 2013: Dr. Mario Capecchi will keynote the tenth annual AES. Dr. Capecchi is a Distinguished Professor of Human Genetics & Biology at the University of Utah School of Medicine,an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and a Nobel Laureate for Physiology & Medicine, 2007.

Dr. Capecchi is best known for his pioneering work on the development of “gene targeting” in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. This technology allows scientists to create mice with mutations in any desired gene. The power of this technology is that the investigator chooses both which gene to mutate and how to mutate it. This allows scientists to evaluate in detail the function of any gene of the mouse.

Testis Stem Cell Project

Thanks to private donations, BSCRF scientists are in Phase 3 of the testis stem cell project.

Testis tissue may be a readily available source of patient-specific stem cells for men, and may take less time to develop and characterize than the iPS cells Professor Yamanaka received the Nobel Prize for this year. Bedford Research scientists are taking advantage of their more than two decades of experience with testis tissues to collaborate with Dr. Martin Dym, Georgetown University, who reported deriving pluripotent stem cells from testis biopsies in 2009.

Dr. Dym has generously shared some of the cryopreserved tissues used in his original report so Bedford Research scientists can improve the stem cell derivation process.

Phase 4 will use fresh biopsies from male volunteers for this study to establish the success rate. Phase 4 will begin in 2013, if funds are available.

First Circadian Incubator Videomicroscope

The PER2Luc mouse has circadian genes coupled with firefly “Luciferase” genes. When the circadian genes turn “on” they glow, dimly, like a firefly

Three years ago Bedford Research Foundation scientists discovered that circadian rhythm genes may be important for stem cells. If true, new ways of culturing them need to be developed.

The question is: what circadian signals to test? A signal common to all mammals is a daily fluctuation in body temperature.

BRF scientists are taking advantage of a mouse strain that has been engineered to glow when the circadian rhythm genes are active. BRF scientists derived two embryonic stem cell lines from this mouse strain, and are conducting studies to determine if circadian temperature oscillations play a role in stem cell growth and tissue development.

A characteristic of embryonic stem cells is the ability to aggregate together and form embryonic muscle cells of the heart. Work is in progress to see if this process involves expression of circadian rhythm genes.

2012 New Jersey Stem Cell Symposium Keynote

Dr. Kiessling was the Keynote Speaker at the Symposium on September 19, 2012, “Totipotency, Pluripotency and Growth Factors.” The sixth annual symposium attracted over 240 scientists.

SPAR Presented at HIV Forum in Washington, D.C.

A roundtable, “Safe Conception and Reproductive Options for HIV-Infected Individuals” organized by the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, featured a presentation about SPAR by Dr. Kiessling. The Foundation’s specialized HIV-infertility program now has over 170 healthy babies, www.SemenTesting.org.

Prostate Cancer Research Project Update

Clinton McCabe

Dr. Joseph Ciccone

Dr. Robert Eyre

Dr. Robert Eyre, and his colleague, Dr. Joseph Ciccone, collaborate with Bedford Research scientists to develop improved early detection tests for prostate cancer.

Following up work Dr. Eyre reported at the New England chapter of the American Urologic Association, the team is recruiting men needing prostate biopsy for cancer detection to also provide specimens for the new Bedford Research screening test.

The test under development will screen semen specimens, half of which are fluids and cells from the prostate gland, for the presence of genes that are over-expressed and under-expressed specifically in prostate cancer.

Recent concerns about the lack of specificity of the PSA test, currently the only available screening test for prostate cancer besides prostate biopsy, have increased the importance of this study. The goal is to provide physicians and their patients with a more accurate screening test for cancer, that also distinguishes aggressive cancers from slow-growing tumors. The research is being coordinated at BSCRF by Clinton McCabe.

A New Branch Of Medicine

Letter from the Director About Research at the Foundation

19 identical albino frogs created by nuclear transplantation into unfertilized eggs.

Fifty years ago, John B. Gurdon discovered frogs could develop from the genetic material of a single adult cell transplanted into a frog egg, the first cloned animal. The experiment was done not to clone frogs, but to ask a question: do adult cells contain all the genetic information needed for embryonic development.

John Gurdon’s experiment answered the question,genetic information is not lost in adult tissues, it is selectively turned off or on.

This heralded a new era of cell discovery that took 50 years for the Nobel Committee to recognize and award Professor Gurdon the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine this year. For the next 34 years, however, it was believed that only frogs, not mammals, could be cloned from adult cells, a viewpoint astoundingly reversed by the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996.

Embryonic stem cells were derived from mouse embryos in the early 1980’s and from human embryos in 1998. The remarkable capacity of embryonic stem cells to multiply in culture, and become every cell type in the body, heralded a new era of regenerative medicine.

We are now nearly a decade and a half into that era, with astounding scientific progress being made all over the world, but little in the way of therapies. Why?

What are the obstacles to translating laboratory discoveries into off-the-shelf therapies? Is it the way the experiments are designed in the laboratories that does not translate into the safety studies required by the Food and Drug Administration? Is it unnecessary bureaucracy? Is it lack of coordination among the groups needed to go from bench to bedside?

Dr. Yamanaka’s discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells may eliminate the need for embryos.

One known barrier to stem cell therapy is the need for transplanted cells to not be rejected as “foreign.” Cell rejection would be avoided if stem cells could be derived from the patient’s own cells, rather than from a stem cell bank. Toward this end, Shinya Yamanaka discovered in 2007 a new method to re-program adult cells into pluripotent cells, thus replacing eggs. The discovery so captured the attention of the global scientific community that laboratories all over the world quickly confirmed Yamanaka’s findings, thus lifting stem cell research out of the controversy associated with human embryos. Dr. Yamanaka shared the Nobel prize this year with Professor Gurdon.

The prospect of regenerating damaged tissues and organs is arguably the most exciting development of modern medicine. Spinal cord injury seems especially suited for regenerative medicine because the injury is usually a well-defined lesion in an otherwise healthy adult. This year’s 2012 Spinal Cord Workshop is a frank discussion among leaders in the field to pinpoint, and hence correct, the principal barriers to cure SCI. Once identified, those barriers could also apply to other diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s Disease,stroke, multiple sclerosis, AIDS, and cancer.

We are witnessing the development of a new branch of medicine, with all its growing pains.

Dr. Steven L. Stice, Dr. Hans Keirstead, Dr. Ann A. Kiessling and Dr. Wise Young at the first Spinal Cord Workshop in 2008

At this time, there is no consensus on the best source of stem cells, the best way to program pluripotent stem cells into the tissue needed, and how best to guard against unwanted growth of stem cells that could lead to cancer. Bedford Research Foundation scientists remain focused on how to improve the efficiency of deriving patient-specific stem cells from naturally pluripotent sources, including unfertilized eggs and testis, and whether or not the discovery by BRF scientists a few years ago that circadian rhythms may play a role is true

My frustration about how much more BSCRF could accomplish each day with more people, more money, is balanced by pride in our ability to do more with less, and by gratitude to the supporters and committee members who believe in our mission. Our administrative costs are low,our ratio of new information/research dollar spent is high, our goals are lofty.

With gratitude for your support,

Ann A Kiessling, PhD
Director, Bedford Research Foundation

Who is Bedford Research Foundation?

Philanthropy Is The Key To Continued Progress

The average cost of each experiment is $90,000. Because much of our overhead is covered by fee-for-service laboratory tests, 92% of every dollar donated goes directly toward these experiments. This innovative funding model allows Bedford Research scientists greater flexibility to move quickly in promising new research directions.

Continued progress requires meeting our annual funding goal of $450,000 in 2019.

Donate Today!

in Newsletter 0 comments

September 18, 2012

Dr. Ann Kiessling Devotes Full Time to Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation

The Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation has announced that Dr. Ann Kiessling, its award-winning founder and executive director, is stepping down from the Harvard Medical School faculty after 27 years to devote her full attention to the stem cell research and other initiatives of the Foundation.

“My nearly three decades at Harvard have been wonderful, highly productive years for the two areas of NIH-funded research in my laboratory: reproductive biology of eggs and early embryos, and semen transmission of HIV. Being surrounded by highly talented HMS faculty, both clinical and basic science, stimulated our thinking and shortened the timeline to research answers,” said Dr. Kiessling, a nationally recognized pioneer in stem cell and HIV research.

To PSA or Not to PSA: That is the Question

Download or print this article as a PDF

The current raucous debate over the commonly used PSA blood test to screen for prostate cancer, the third leading cause of cancer deaths in men in the U.S.^(a), stems from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendation to discontinue PSA screening^(b). The debate is pitting physician against physician, cancer advocacy groups against health care insurance companies, and leaving men with enormous questions about what to do about their lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer.

The Task Force’s recommendation is based on its review of medical literature that concluded that PSA screening leads to more unnecessary treatment complications than are justified by lives saved because of:

the questionable accuracy of the PSA test to detect cancer,
medical complications caused by unnecessary follow-up procedures because the PSA test has false positives, and
increasing pressures to slow the rate of increase of medical care

However, the well meaning conclusion by the U.S. Task Force to discontinue PSA screening is not likely to be followed by all physicians because of the negative consequences of missing a cancer if PSA screening is not performed.

A large European study has clearly demonstrated, however, that PSA screening reduces deaths from prostate cancer by 20%^(c,d). Therefore, until there are better options, PSA screening is unlikely to be abandoned, but the results need to be put in the context of individual prostate cancer risk and other medical indicators in order to minimize unnecessary invasive procedures. New guidelines for follow-up diagnostics and treatment need to be developed, and there is an urgent need for better prostate cancer screening tests, like those being developed for semen specimens by Bedford Research Foundation scientists.

BACKGROUND

PSA is an acronym for “prostate specific antigen,” a protein made specifically by the prostate gland. The biological role of the prostate is to contribute fluids and proteins to semen at ejaculation. The other glands that contribute fluids and proteins to semen are the seminal vesicles. The prostate and seminal vesicles contract at ejaculation; the seminal vesicles contribute proteins that are extremely large, making semen thick, thus concentrating the sperm in the vagina, close to the cervix, the opening to the uterus. PSA is a specific type of protein, an enzyme, that is capable of breaking up the large seminal vesicle proteins, making them shorter and less viscous, allowing the sperm to swim free of the ejaculate, through the cervix into the uterus and fallopian tubes in search of an egg.

Another biological role for the proteins and fluids contributed by the prostate to ejaculated semen is to block negative responses to sperm by cells of the immune system in the vagina to protect the female reproductive organs from bacterial infection. Laboratory studies by Bedford Research scientists have shown that even very small amounts of semen added to cultures of immune cells causes them to die within 24 hours^(e). It seems possible that this suppression of immune response to protect sperm has the unwanted side effect of making the prostate gland itself “immune suppressed” and thus less capable of protecting itself from infections and cancer. Some men suffer from low grade infections of the prostate for years, a condition known as “chronic prostatitis.” Other men may also have chronic prostatitis, but without symptoms. Some studies indicate that chronic, low-grade infections can eventually lead to cancer.

Like most cancers, prostate cancer has several forms, many of which are so slow-growing that they are not life threatening — not unlike a wart. Others are highly threatening because they grow very fast and invade surrounding tissues. The various types of prostate cancers are best distinguished by examination of small pieces of the prostate (biopsies) by a trained pathologist. Even then, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish fast growing from slow growing cancers, grouped under the general term “neoplasias” (“new growth”).

Because like other cancers, early prostate cancer can have no symptoms and not be detected during a physical exam of the prostate, the development of the PSA screening test in the late 1980’s was greeted with enthusiasm as an additional tool to protect men from death by prostate cancer. Because it was a blood test, it was initially thought to predict cancer spread, beyond the prostate gland itself, into surrounding tissues, including the spine and the blood stream. It is now known, however, that cancerous prostate cells actually produce less PSA than normal prostate cells, so blood levels of PSA do not necessarily mirror tumor size or spread. A further complication of PSA screening is that many fast growing prostate cancers never lead to elevations in PSA levels. Moreover, chronic, low-grade infections, and the gradual increase in the size of the prostate gland that accompanies aging can also lead to elevated PSA in blood samples. The reason for this is unknown.

STUDIES CAUSING DEBATE

By the mid 1990’s many studies to refine the use of PSA blood tests to predict prostate cancer had appeared. Some suggested following changes in PSA levels over time, some suggested isolating different forms of PSA in blood, e.g. “bound” or “free.” But none of the refinements increased the specificity of the PSA blood test to distinguish prostate cancer from other diseases of the prostate, nor to always detect prostate cancer itself.

In March, 2009, the results of two large studies to determine the usefulness of testing blood samples for PSA were reported in the New England Journal of Medicine. The U.S. study^(f) enrolled 76,693 men from 1993 to 2001: 38,343 to receive annual PSA screening and 38,350 to receive “usual care” to serve as the control group. Eighty six percent of the “annual PSA screening” group actually received annual screening for six years, and up to 52% of those in the “control group” also received annual PSA screening, markedly decreasing the power of the study to distinguish the long term effects of annual PSA screening after 7 to 10 years of follow-up. In contrast, the larger European study^(c) enrolled 182,000 men in seven European countries (Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Italy, Spain and Switzerland) who were randomly assigned to receive PSA screening at an average of once every four years, or to receive no PSA screening. After an average of 9 years of follow-up, the death from prostate cancer in the screening group was 20% lower than in the control group. A more recent two-year follow-up to the original 9 years^(d) confirmed that death from prostate cancer was 21% lower in the screening group at 11 years of follow up than in the control group.

Importantly, both the U. S and European study teams noted the high rate of complications and unnecessary surgeries resulting from both false-positive PSA screens, and highly invasive surgeries for slow-growing cancers that were in all likelihood not life threatening.

GOING FORWARD

That PSA screening prevents death from prostate cancer has been clearly demonstrated by the large European study. They are careful to note, however, that preventing death from prostate cancer did not influence “all cause mortality,” suggesting no over-all lengthening of life span.

One way to prevent the complications and unnecessary surgeries that result from PSA screening is to not do it anymore, as has been recommended by the U.S. Task Force. Another way to prevent such problems is to adjust the responses of physicians and patients to the results of PSA screening. The panic that sets in at the mere thought of a cancer diagnosis needs to be treated first, before further diagnostics are initiated. Patients need to be able to keep in perspective the difference between a diagnosis of prostate cancer and the risk of dying from prostate cancer. The table illustrates the difference in the rates of death of the top five^(a) cancers in men:

Estimated New Cancer Cases and Deaths in U.S. Men for 2012, All Races

Primary Site	Estimated New Cases in 2012	Estimated Deaths in 2012	Ratio of Deaths/New Cases
Prostate	241,740	28,170	0.12
Digestive System (esophagus to rectum, liver and pancreas)	156,760	80,560	0.51
Respiratory System	130,270	91,110	0.70
Urinary System (bladder and kidney)	97,610	19,670	0.20
Lymphoma and Leukemia	69,950	24,490	0.35

Cancer Facts & Figures, 2012, American Cancer Society; excludes basal and squamous cell skin

Having by far the lowest ratio of Deaths to New Cases emphasizes the slow growing nature of most prostate cancers. The aggressive U.S. campaigns to encourage people to get tested for cancer as a life-saving measure have been very successful, with many cancers detected at early enough stages for successful treatment. Bedford Research Foundation scientists are laying the groundwork for additional screening tools for early detection of prostate cancer in semen specimens.

But until new prostate cancer screening tools are developed and tested, it is time to launch a campaign about prostate cancer that emphasizes most are not life threatening, and overly-aggressive treatment of an elevated PSA screening test may cause life altering side effects far worse than living with the cancer itself.

National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society Cancer Facts and Figures (pdf).
Screening for prostate cancer. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, 2008.
Screening and prostate-cancer mortality in a randomized European Study. N Engl J Med 2009;360:1320-8.
Prostate-Cancer Mortality at 11 Years of Follow-up. N Engl J Med 2012;366:981-990.
Seminal Plasma Induces Programmed Cell Death in Cultured Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells. Aids Res and Human Retroviruses, 2002,18:797-803. .pdf attached
Mortality Results from a Randomized Prostate-Cancer Screening Trial. N Engl J Med 2009; 360:1310-1319.

in Science Highlights 0 comments

February 23, 2012

Stem Cell Controversy: The Ethics of Research with Human Eggs

Harvard Ethicist, Daniel Wikler, lays out a mind-blowing discussing of why members of the pro-life movement have more reason to support embryo research than to oppose it.

Over-Regulation of Parthenotes Stifles Valuable Scientific Research

Sean Kealy, UPenn Law RegBlog

A recent article in Scientific American questioned whether research on stem cell lines derived from unfertilized eggs was too tightly regulated by the federal government. Now that technology allows the creation of stem cells without fertilization, there is no question that federal laws and guidelines are overly restrictive, causing a detrimental effect on valuable scientific inquiry.

Since 1996, Congress has included the Dickey-Wicker Amendment in the annual federal budget. This amendment was a conservative reaction to what some considered to be scientific research that showed little respect toward life.

in Foundation News 0 comments

December 6, 2011

Why I Support Stem Cell Research

Victoria Staebler

My support for stem cell research has its foundation in my deep-seeded belief in reproductive rights for women. Since I came of age in the 1970’s, women’s reproductive rights and freedom have been continually eroded by federal and state legislation. That has been coupled with diminished government support and funding – ranging from access to abortion services to stem cell research. Because of that, I have volunteered time and donated money to help preserve these rights.

But last summer, my support for stem cell research became personal. During a mugging on the Cape, my stepson was shot by the assailant, resulting in a severed spinal cord at T-5. He’s now a parapalegic. The stem cell research that BRF is doing is laying the foundation for regenerative cell therapy that could potentially cure not only spinal cord injury victims like him, but an incredible range of diseases, from Parkinson’s to bone marrow cancer.

In our current divisive political environment, I don’t believe we will see any support from either the federal government or the National Institute of Health for years to come. So it’s up to us as individuals to move this initiative forward. I’ll bet there’s a personal connection for many of you as well. Please donate, volunteer and spread the word.

Victoria Staebler is a member of the Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation’s Board of Trustees. She is a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch and serves on the board of the Boston Club.

in Foundation News 0 comments

November 18, 2011

Testis Stem Cell Project Update

Thanks to private donations, BSCRF scientists have launched the testis stem cell project.

Phase 1 is the isolation of a new line of testis stem cells from the Per2Luc mouse to study the role of circadian genes in testis stem cells. Phase 2 is to improve the efficiency of deriving testis stem cells from cryopreserved (frozen to stay alive) Per2Luc testis tissues. Phases 1 and 2 are underway.

Phase 3, starting in early 2012, will be to collaborate with Dr. Martin Dym, Georgetown University, in deriving human testis stem cells from cryopreserved biopsies archived in his laboratory. We will compare the efficiency of testis stem cell derivation using our newly developed circadian culture conditions with the efficiency previously reported by Dr. Dym.

Phase 4 will derive patient-specific stem cells from the male volunteers for our study

in Foundation News 0 comments

November 18, 2011

Progress in Circadian Rhythms And Stem Cells

BSCRF’s new mouse embryonic stem cells, PL034 (learn about the first incubator videomicroscope).

BSCRF scientists have derived two unique lines of stem cells that may lead to a breakthrough in the efficiency of stem cell derivation and expansion.

BSCRF scientists are following up their discovery that the genes that regulate the rhythms of daily life, circadian rhythm genes, may play important roles in stem cell derivation and stability in culture. Circadian rhythm genes regulate cells in the body by turning “on” and “off” over a 24-hour cycle in response to signals such as light/dark cycles, hormone pulses, and body temperature variations.

Currently, stem cells are cultured in constant temperature in the dark. If BSCRF’s research proves that circadian rhythm genes play important roles in stem cell division and stability, it could markedly improve the efficiency of stem cell derivation and expansion, urgently needed to produce major advances in stem cell therapy.

Circadian Rhythm Genes: turn “on” and “off” in response to the rhythm of daily life.

To conduct this research, foundation scientists are using a genetic technology that links the circadian genes of a mouse with a gene from a firefly. When the circadian gene is “on”, the mouse cells glow like a firefly; when the circadian gene is “off”, the cells go dark. This mouse, “PER2Luc,” was derived by a circadian gene scientist several years ago and has been used by Dr. Fred Davis of Northeastern University, to study circadian gene expression in mouse tissues.

BSCRF scientists have derived two new lines of embryonic stem cells from PER2Luc embryos. Light emitted by the stem cells is detectable in Dr. Davis’s luminometer, but BSCRF scientists are developing microscope equipment to record light emitted by individual cells in order to compare standard stem cell culture conditions with new culture conditions that support circadian rhythm such as the temperature variations of a mouse. These new stem cells will also be useful to all scientists seeking to understand the relationship between circadian rhythm and cell functions

in Foundation News 0 comments

November 10, 2011

Bedford Research Foundation 2011 Newsletter

Read about all of the progress and the research that has occurred at the Foundation over the course of the past year! Dr. Kiessling outlines her vision for the upcoming year as well. Thank you for your support.

Progress in Circadian Rhythms And Stem Cells

BSCRF’s new mouse embryonic stem cells, PL034 (see below for information on the first incubator videomicroscope).

BSCRF scientists have derived two unique lines of stem cells that may lead to a breakthrough in the efficiency of stem cell derivation and expansion.

BSCRF scientists are following up their discovery that the genes that regulate the rhythms of daily life, circadian rhythm genes, may play important roles in stem cell derivation and stability in culture. Circadian rhythm genes regulate cells in the body by turning “on” and “off” over a 24-hour cycle in response to signals such as light/dark cycles, hormone pulses, and body temperature variations.

Currently, stem cells are cultured in constant temperature in the dark. If BSCRF’s research
proves that circadian rhythm genes play important roles in stem cell division and stability, it could markedly improve the efficiency of stem cell derivation and expansion, urgently needed to produce major advances in stem cell therapy.

Circadian Rhythm Genes: turn “on” and “off” in response to the rhythm of daily life.

To conduct this research, foundation scientists are using a genetic technology that links the circadian genes of a mouse with a gene from a firefly. When the circadian gene is “on”, the mouse cells glow like a firefly; when the circadian gene is “off”, the cells go dark. This mouse, “PER2Luc,” was derived by a circadian gene scientist several years ago and has been used by Dr. Fred Davis of Northeastern University, to study circadian gene expression in mouse tissues.

Body temperature of the mouse dips approximately 1 celsius at the beginning and the end of daylight.

BSCRF scientists have derived two new lines of embryonic stem cells from PER2Luc embryos. Light emitted by the stem cells is detectable in Dr. Davis’s luminometer, but BSCRF scientists are developing microscope equipment to record light emitted by individual cells in order to compare standard stem cell culture conditions with new culture conditions that support circadian rhythm such as the temperature variations of a mouse. These new stem cells will also be useful to all scientists seeking to understand the relationship between circadian rhythm and cell functions.

If supporting circadian rhythm genes is important to stem cells, either for their expansion as pluripotent cells or for their uniform differentiation, new methods of stem cell culture need to be developed.

To begin to determine the importance of circadian genes, BSCRF scientists have brought together several different pieces of equipment in order to continually visualize the new PER2Luc stem cells and their emission of light. Because the bioluminescence signal is very low, special cameras are being tested to find one that can detect light emission in individual cells in culture.

The programmable microscope stage incubator (OkoLabs) is being quality controlled by monitoring the cleavage and development of fertilized mouse eggs continuously for six days because mouse embryos require extremely fastidious culture conditions for successful early development. This work has provided new benchmarks for early mouse embryo development in culture to the stages needed for successful stem cell derivation.

The PER2Luc mouse has circadian genes coupled with firefly “Luciferase” genes. When the circadian genes turn “on” they glow, dimly, like a firefly under the microscope.

The 2011 Activated Egg Symposium

2010 Keynote: Janet Rossant, PhD

Nov 4, 2011: The keynote for our ninth annual symposium is Dr. Janet Rossant, Professor of Molecular Genetics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Toronto, and Chief of Research at the Hospital for Sick Children.

Dr. Rossant is internationally recognized for her pioneering research on stem cells and how they develop into tissues. Dr Rossant will speak on “Manipulating the mouse embryo: from lineages to stem cells and back again.” (see full speaker list at the Symposium Website) The dinner speaker is Chris Hempel, Founder, Addi and Cassi Fund, with compelling talk on the “Regulatory hurdles to research”.

Sponsored by Hamilton Thorne, The McKnight Foundation, Irv & Diane Naylor and Qualcomm.

Testis Stem Cell Project

Thanks to private donations, BSCRF scientists have launched the testis stem cell project.

Phase 1 is the isolation of a new line of testis stem cells from the Per2Luc mouse to study the role of circadian genes in testis stem cells. Phase 2 is to improve the efficiency of deriving testis stem cells from cryopreserved (frozen to stay alive) Per2Luc testis tissues. Phases 1 and 2 are underway.

Phase 3, starting in early 2012, will be to collaborate with Dr. Martin Dym, Georgetown University, in deriving human testis stem cells from cryopreserved biopsies archived in his laboratory. We will compare the efficiency of testis stem cell derivation using our newly developed circadian culture conditions with the efficiency previously reported by Dr. Dym.

Phase 4 will derive patient-specific stem cells from the male volunteers for our study.

CWU Alumni Award

In October, Dr. Kiessling was honored by Central Washington University with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Dr. Kiessling earned her second Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree there. Robert Lowery of CWU praised Dr. Kiessling, “Those degrees, along with a subsequent doctorate in Biochemistry/ Biophysics from Oregon State, became the educational foundation of her extraordinary career…”

UVA Alumni Award

In March, Dr. Kiessling was awarded the first ever Alumni Achievement Award by the University of Virginia School of Nursing. An enthusiastic crowd attended her talk, “Retroviruses, Reproduction, and Regenerative Medicine: The Influence of Federal Funding.” Watch the UVU Alumni Award video.

Victoria Staebler Joins The Foundation Board

The Foundation welcomes Victoria Staebler, Senior Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch, to the Bedford Foundation Board of Trustees. Vicki holds degrees from Middlebury college and the University of Vermont, serves on the board of directors of The Boston Club, and has honorary board positions at PCI Media Impact, Inc. and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

New Lab Staff At The Foundation

We welcome two new staff members: Jacob Noble and Jack Vernamonti. Jake has a BS in physics and math from Northeastern University and is heading up the time-lapse, circadian rhythm, video projects. Jack has a BS in Biochemistry from Colby College and is Coordinator for the Special Program of Assisted Reproduction (SPAR), proudly announcing the birth of 157 babies free of HIV infection.

A Letter From The Director About Research At The Foundation

Our new century has brought world-wide turmoil to social structures, weather patterns, and the earth’s crust itself. Amidst financial collapses, government renewals, tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes, people all over the world are redefining “normal.”

So too with biomedical research. Gone is the paradigm of dependence on the federal government for basic research funding: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can only fund about 10% of submitted grant applications from outside institutions, and that will not change for the foreseeable future. In addition, since funding “sure bets” accounts for most of the federal research budget, speculative research will not be federally funded. And speculative research is where the big breakthroughs lie. As stated by the Pew Charitable Trusts: “If 90% of our funded projects succeed, we are not taking enough risks.”

As the world’s people and institutions struggle with how to do more with less, so must science. American scientists are fortunate in that since the inception of the U.S. tax code in 1917, exemptions have been granted for charitable giving, supporting the notion that citizens have the right to support public causes they believe in.

Despite the global turmoil, our new century has brought steady growth to the Bedford Research Foundation. Our goal is to dramatically improve the efficiency of deriving patient-specific stem cells from naturally pluripotent sources: unfertilized eggs and testis. The added value in doing this is the information we are gaining about embryo development, because to regenerate tissues (heart, spinal cord, immune system, pancreas, etc) we need to study how those tissues form in the mouse. Combined, the work will not only benefit the new field of regenerative medicine, but will also provide new insights into normal human development, perhaps providing avenues to side-step degenerative diseases.

My frustration about how much more we could accomplish each day with more people, more money, is balanced by pride in our ability to do more with less, and by gratitude to the supporters who believe in our mission and our goals, and to the exceptional committee members who meet to support our needs for research oversight. Our administrative costs are low, our ratio of new information/research dollar spent is high, our goals are lofty

With gratitude for your support,

Ann A Kiessling, PhD
Director, Bedford Research Foundation

Who is Bedford Research Foundation?

Philanthropy Is The Key To Continued Progress

The average cost of each experiment is $90,000. Because much of our overhead is covered by fee-for-service laboratory tests, 92% of every dollar donated goes directly toward these experiments. This innovative funding model allows Bedford Research scientists greater flexibility to move quickly in promising new research directions.

Continued progress requires meeting our annual funding goal of $450,000 in 2019.

Donate Today!

in Newsletter 0 comments

November 4, 2011

You Say Embryo, I Say Parthenote

Julia Galef, Scientific American

“You Say Embryo, I Say Parthenote“, BSCRF and the importance of parthenote stem cells reported in the November, 2011 Scientific American by Julia Galef.

embryos and parthenotes Scientific America

Parthenogenetic stem cells Image:
From “Derivation of High-Purity Definitive Endoderm from Human Parthenogenetic Stem Cells using an in vitro Analog of the Primitive Streak,” by Nikolay Turovets et al., in Cell Transplantation, Vol. 20, No. 6; June 2011

Check out the Scientific American article, then for more information, see the BSCRF article, “The History of the Dickey-Wicker Amendment” on the ban on federal funding of non-embryonic, parthenote stem cell research.

And also, see the BSCRF one-minute video, “What Are Parthenote Stem Cells?”

Thanks to your donations, Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation is one of the few laboratories able to work on parthenote, non-embryonic, stem cell research.

Donate Now

in Foundation News 0 comments