The Stem Cell Podcast

Guest: Dr. Thorold Theunissen is an Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology at Washington University in St. Louis investigating the molecular basis of pluripotency, the mechanisms of trophoblast development, and the generation of stem cell-based embryo models. Dr. Rowan Karvas is a CRM Fellow in Regenerative Medicine working in the Theunissen lab. They talk about their recent work developing 3D-cultured blastoids and how they could be used to study pregnancy-related diseases and infertility. Featured Products and Resources: Take your human pluripotent stem cell cultures further with mTESR™ Plus. Save time and keep current with ESC & iPSC News from STEMCELL Science News. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Lab-Grown Human Embryos – Researchers have created structured stem cell-based embryo models and have grown them outside the womb for 14 days post-fertilization. A Human Model for Autism – Scientists have developed a single-cell brain organoid screen to identify developmental defects in autism. Semi-Human Kidneys in Pigs – Researchers have successfully grown kidneys containing human cells in pig embryos. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Thorold Theunissen and Rowan Karvas. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Nicolas Rivron is a Principal Investigator at the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. His group recreates embryonic development using mammalian stem cells in a dish to better understand the encoded principles of self-organization. He talks about building human blastoid models and using them to study implantation. He also discusses differences in development between mice and humans, trophectoderm stem cells, and an ethical framework for embryo models. Featured Products and Resources: Keep current with the latest in ESC and iPSC news. Download a free e-book on organoid research  The Stem Cell Science Round Up Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease – A Phase I trial showed safety, tolerability, and an improvement in dyskinesia symptoms. CRISPR for Sickle Cell Disease – CRISPR-Cas9 disruption of the HBG1 and HBG2 gene promoters was an effective strategy for induction of fetal hemoglobin. Towards a Universal CAR T Cell Therapy for Blood Cancers – Epitope-edited CAR T cells were effective against patient-derived acute myeloid leukemia, B cell lymphoma, and acute T cell leukemia. Transient-Naive-Treatment Reprogramming – A new reprogramming strategy produces hiPSCs with similar epigenetic and functional profiles to human embryonic stem cells. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Nicolas Rivron Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guests: Dr. Laura Andres-Martin is a Research Investigator, Oncology, Dr. Daniel Paul is the Senior VP, Discovery & Platform Development, and Dr. Raeka Aiyar is the VP, Scientific & DEIB Outreach at the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF). This episode was recorded live and in-person at the NYSCF Research Institute. The panelists talk about NYSCF’s approach to automation, their women’s reproductive cancer initiative, and promoting inclusion and belonging in science. They also talk about Founder Susan Solomon’s legacy and future plans to break down barriers in stem cell research. Photo Reference: Courtesy of NYSCF Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Nathaniel Huebsch is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis. His lab focuses on understanding how mechanical cues originating at cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix contacts influence signaling and fate. They are especially interested in how those cues affect heart development and disease. He talks about cardiac models and cardiomyocyte maturity. Featured Products and Resources: Use STEMCELL’s STEMdiff Cardiomyocyte media and supplements to differentiate, enrich, expand, and cryopreserve functional hPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Explore STEMCELL’s Organoid Information Hub. The Stem Cell Science Round Up Modeling Early Development – Peri-gastruloids model human post-implantation development into early organogenesis. Fatty Acid Synthesis in Endoderm Differentiation – Researchers identified a fatty acid synthesis/oxidation shift during early differentiation. Editing HSCs In Vivo – Scientists designed a strategy to reprogram bone marrow stem cells directly within the body without the need for donor cells or the use of potentially toxic conditioning regimens. T Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors – Gavo-cel is an engineered T cell therapy tested in patients with mesothelin-expressing solid tumors. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Thomas Durcan is an Associate Professor and Director of the Early Drug Discovery Unit at the Montreal Neurological Institute. He oversees a team of 40+ research staff and students, committed to applying patient-derived stem cells towards the development of phenotypic discovery assays and 3D neuronal organoid models for neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. He talks about modeling sporadic ALS in a dish, partnering with the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and promoting open science. Featured Products and Resources: See the Stem Cell Podcast live at the New York Stem Cell Foundation! Learn about the STEMdiff™ Cerebral Organoid Kit from STEMCELL Technologies The Stem Cell Science Round Up SARS-CoV-2 in the Placenta – Researchers developed induced trophoblast stem cell models to study placental models of infection. Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in the Embryo – Loss of microRNA-128 in zebrafish leads to an expansion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in the aorta–gonad–mesonephros. Cochlear Organoids – Derived hair cells exhibit cochlear-like structural and functional properties. Cell Replacement in a Chimeric Mouse Brain – Old or diseased human glial cells in the chimeric mouse brain are eliminated by transplanted young cells. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Dr. Thomas Durcan Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

In June 2023, we attended ISSCR 2023, the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, in Boston. We spoke with delegates about their research and impressions of the meeting, including their reasons for attending, what they were most looking forward to, and the most memorable research presented. Featured Products and Resources: Register for a live, in-person podcast recording at the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute. Prepare for your next conference. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: Dr. Thomas Zwaka is the Director of the Huffington Center for Cell-Based Research in Parkinson’s Disease and a Professor of Regenerative and Developmental Biology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His research focuses on fundamental questions surrounding stem cell biology, including how to reverse the process of differentiation and “re-program” any given cell type into a pluripotent stem cell. He talks about his lab’s work using bat iPSCs to study viruses. Featured Products and Resources: Save time and keep current with ESC & iPSC News. Explore ways to assess your hPSCs and learn about essential qualities and attributes to consider for gene editing, disease modeling, and maintenance. The Stem Cell Science Round Up A New Base Editing Technology – Scientists have developed a novel adenine transversion editor capable of efficient A·T-to-C·G base editing. Exploring Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy – Researchers investigated the genotype-phenotype relationship in siblings with a family history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A Preclinical Model for Parkinson’s Disease – A new optogenetic method induces α-syn aggregates in Parkinson’s disease neurons and organoids. A Stem Cell Zoo – Scientists have recapitulated the segmentation clock of six mammals using PSCs. Photo Reference: Courtesy of Thomas Zwaka Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: In June 2023, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the final day of the meeting. In this episode, they discuss some of the research presented during Concurrent Track E, as well as Plenary V and VI, which were focused on modeling development and disease and clinical applications, respectively. Lastly, they discuss their experience meeting and recording podcast episodes with delegates from the meeting. Featured Products and Resources: Explore resources to find out how you can access and maintain high-quality hPSC cultures. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: In June 2023, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the third day of the meeting. In this episode, they discuss the research presented throughout Concurrent Tracks C & D, as well as some of the meeting drama that resulted. They also highlight Plenary IV, which was focused on niche regulation of differentiation and regeneration, and discuss the podcast’s Meet Up Hub event, giving a shout-out to some of the attendees that dropped by. Featured Products and Resources: Watch Dr. Andrew Gaffney and Erin Knock discuss the generation of a standardized iPSC line. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe

Guest: In June 2023, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the second day of the meeting. In this episode, they discuss Concurrent Tracks A & B and highlight some of the research on epigenetic regulation of distinct cell states presented during Plenary III. Featured Products and Resources: Explore free, self-paced, online training courses to move your research forward. Subscribe to our newsletter! Never miss updates about new episodes. Subscribe