ISSCR : 2008 Annual Meeting : 2007 Exhibitors

Novel Flow Cytometric Techniques for Analysis of Protein Phosphorylation and Signaling Networks in Stem Cell Population
Robert Balderas
BD BioSciences
Room: Great Hall A, Exhibition Level
Intracellular assays which measure signal transduction have been limited by the inability to identify subsets of cells within complex populations on the basis of post-translational modifications. We demonstrate the ability to simultaneously monitor active protein states via phospho-epitope recognition in cell subpopulations by multiparameter flow-cytometric analysis. Multi-dimensional assessment of phosphorylation status, in combination with other established flow cytometric assays (ie, surface markers, cytokines, apoptosis and cell cycle), provides functional assessment on a single cell level. We and our collaborators are currently investigating the use of this technique in monitoring disease progression and stem cell differentiation.

Mesoblast Ltd. Announces Clinical Trial Results in Groundbreaking Mesenchymal Precursor Cell Trial to Treat Long Bone Fractures
Richard Farrugia
Mesoblast
Room: Great Hall B, Exhibition Level
Interim clinical trial results will be presented from a study investigating the use of autologous adult mesenchymal precursor cells (MPC’s) in the management of delayed healing and non-union of tibial and femoral fractures requiring secondary intervention to promote fracture union.

Novel Cell Culture Systems for Stem Cells
Mohan C. Vemuri. PhD
Invitrogen
Room: Great Hall C, Exhibition Level
Stem cells are excellent candidates for cell replacement therapy and tissue engineering due to their prolonged proliferation potential and unique ability to differentiate into tissue specific lineages. In order to efficiently expand and differentiate stem cells, reliable reagents that are defined, qualified and preferably prepared from animal origin free raw materials are desirable. Stem cell culture systems require considerable optimization strategies involving the use of the right combination and concentration of different growth factors and substrates. The use of such defined components simplifies scale up cultures in controlled conditions and enables production of stem cells in large scale for therapeutic use. This presentation will focus on tools and novel reagents for stem cell culture, feeder-free and serum-free stem cell culture medium to expand embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells and neuronal stem cell populations. Novel reagents useful in the characterization of stem cells will also be covered.

A Feeder-Independent Medium for Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) Culture
Chris Lannon
StemCell Technologies Inc.
Room: Great Hall D, Exhibition Level
Complementing this tutorial is BD Biosciences’: Surface Applications in Feeder-Independent Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, 8:00 a.m.

Flow Cytometry for Large Cells and Cell Clusters
Rock Pulak
Union Biometrica, Inc.
Room: Meeting Room 3-7, Mezzanine Level
Many objects are too large and fragile for conventional flow cytometry. Manual microscopic manipulation of these objects is tedious, subjective, and limits the experiments size / scope. In this tutorial, we discuss instruments to automate this process of sorting large (40-1,500 micron) particles in a continuously flowing stream at a rate of 10-30 objects/second. Using object size, optical density, and intensity of fluorescent markers as sorting criteria, selected objects are dispensed in multi-well plates. A pneumatic sorting mechanism avoids harming / changing objects, making the instrument suitable for live biological materials or sensitive chemistries. Examples: cellular clusters (embryonic stem cells, Islets of Langerhans); bead-based combinatorial libraries; and model organisms (C.elegans, Drosophila, Zebrafish).

Tuesday, June 19
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.

Enumerating Neural Stem Cell Frequency: Beyond the Neurosphere Assay
Brent Reynolds, BAISc, MSc, PhD
StemCell Technologies Inc.
Room: Hall A, Exhibition Level
In the mammalian central nervous system, neural stem cells (NSCs) are often studied using a culture system referred to as the Neurosphere Assay. A central tenet of this assay, that all neurospheres are derived from a NSC, has been challenged using mathematical model analysis providing evidence that the neurosphere assay overestimates NSC frequency. A new assay, called the Neural Colony-Forming Cell Assay (NCFC Assay), has been developed and validated and is able to provide an accurate measure of NSC numbers by discriminating between stem and progenitor cells based on their proliferative potential. Comparisons of results between the assays will be presented.

Serum-Free Growth of Embryonic Stem Cells
Matt Singer, PhD
Millipore Corporation
Room: Hall B, Exhibition Level
Development of a fully defined culture system for growth of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) will enable their reproducible self-renewal and differentiation. Millipore has introduced HEScGRO TM Human ES Cell Medium, the first ready-to-use, serum- and animal component-free medium to derive and support the undifferentiated growth and expansion of human ESCs on human fibroblast feeder cells. It has been rigorously tested and validated to maintain the pluripotency and chromosomal stability, as well as the differentiative capacity, of several human ESC lines beyond 30 passages. Millipore has also released the fully defined ESGRO Complete™ Serum- and Feeder-free System to culture mouse ESCs while maintaining their pluripotency and germline competency.

Surface Applications in Feeder-Independent Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Susan Qian, PhD
BD Biosciences
Room: Hall C, Exhibition Level
This session complements the StemCell Technologies talk, “Feeder-Independent Culture of Human Embryonic Stem Cells,” scheduled for Monday, June 18, 8:30 - 9:00 am .

A Filter Harvest System for Mononuclear Cell Enrichment
Frank Igoe
Pall Life Sciences
Room: Hall D, Exhibition Level
The Pall Filter Harvest System is a rapid, easy to use, closed system for enrichment of Mononuclear cells (MNC) from whole blood and other samples. Inherent advantages over traditional density gradients include increased recovery, reproducibility, speed and ease of use. Study results comparing the Pall Filter Harvest System to density gradients for enrichment of MNCs from whole blood will be presented. Downstream quantitation of hematopoietic colony assays will also be included.

Wednesday, June 20
8:00 – 8:30 a.m.

What’s New from Corning Life Sciences: Surfaces for Optimized Stem and Primary Cell Growth
Debra Hoover
Corning Incorporated
Room: Hall A, Exhibition Level
Stem cell research continues to escalate in both adult and embryonic fields of investigation. As niches are defined, the importance of microenvironment in determining cell lineage commitment and cell health is becoming increasingly apparent. We will present data on Ultra-Web ™ , electrospun nanofibers composed of polyamide or polyamine surfaces which create a structural framework similar to extracellular matrix. Additionally, the polyamine surface provides amine groups and enables covalent attachment with biomolecules to create specific environments. For cells requiring a strict non adherent surface, Ultra-Low Attachment Surface provides a covalently bound, hydrophilic, hydrogel surface that maintains multiple stem cell types.

Advances in Transfection Technologies Enabling Stem Cell Research Applications
Kouichi Hasegawa
Roche Applied Science
Room: Hall B, Exhibition Level
Roche Applied Science is a leader in transfection technology, with FuGENE® 6 Transfection Reagent referenced in over 10,500 peer reviewed publications. With the launch of FuGENE® HD Transfection Reagent, Roche has taken transfection to a higher level, enabling even greater potential in transfection applications. Maximizing protein expression while minimizing cytotoxicity is especially relevant for any type of cellular analysis including stem cell research applications. An application presentation will highlight the enabling results obtained utilizing FuGENE® HD Transfection Reagent in human embryonic stem cells.

Enabling Fluorescent Detection Technologies for Stem Cell Research
Jeffrey Croissant, PhD
Invitrogen
Room: Hall C, Exhibition Level
Stem cell characterization is the process that identifies a cell or cell population by differences in antigenicity, gene expression, and protein abundance. Characterization allows for determination of cell growth, viability, stage of development and cell type. A variety of methodologies are employed to effectively characterize cells, including fluorescent dyes and flow cytometry analysis. This presentation will discuss unique fluorescent methodologies that can be employed to characterize the rare events associated with embryonic and adult stem cell research. The discussion will include unique methods to: effectively label and track cell populations; detect endogenous enzyme activities associated with pluripotant stem cells; efficiently label various organelles; identify side population cells and characterize differential glycosylation.

Two Novel Human Neural Progenitor Cell Systems
TBD
Millipore Corporation
Room: Hall D, Exhibition Level
Stem cells show great promise as not only therapeutics but also as tools for research. Millipore now provides two novel human neural progenitor stem cells types for use in research. The first, the ReNcell lines are Immortalized human progenitor cells isolated from two different regions of a fetal brain. The second are the ENStem-A human neural progenitor cells. These are differentiated from the H1 human embryonic stem cells. Both types of cells are nestin-positive and are able to differentiate into electrophysiologically active neurons and into astrocytes.

Enabling Discovery through High Content Imaging: Applications to Stem Cell Biology
Mindy Goldsborough
BD Biosciences, Bioimaging Systems
Room: Meeting Room 3 – 7, Mezzanine Level
High content imaging is an enabling technology that is particularly relevant to stem cell applications where quantitative image analysis can be challenging. The power of imaging resides in its ability to measure not only fluorescence intensity changes, but also the temporal and spatial dynamics of molecules within cells and tissues in a 3-D environment. The true promise of high content imaging is the ability to combine or multiplex information obtained from a wide array of imaging probes. In reality however, multiplexing is often restricted due to reagent, assay, and instrumentation limitations. BD Biosciences, Bioimaging Systems is addressing these limitations by developing specific reagents and instrumentation that enable high level multiplexing and data analysis. Development of a line of Bioimaging Certified antibody reagents has had a direct impact on the ability to multiplex a variety of cellular outputs into a single assay. The use of these reagents in stem cells and differentiated cell systems will be discussed. In addition, we will highlight the features and capabilities of the BD Pathway imaging platforms such as single cell live-cell kinetic and high-resolution confocal imaging and the impact these features have on high content imaging.

Updated: February 22, 2008