Minerva Biotechnologies Unveils Breakthrough To Enhance Stem Cell Treatments
KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 (Bernama) -- Minerva Biotechnologies has published a study in the journal PLOS ONE detailing findings that could resolve long-standing debates in the scientific community regarding the role of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in human stem cell differentiation and pluripotency.
The study, titled 'The Wnt pathway induces a naïve-like subpopulation in primed stem cells, while NME7AB leads to a homogeneous naïve-like population', offers new insights into how stem cell states can be more effectively manipulated for therapeutic applications.
'These data represent a major breakthrough for the large-scale, GMP-compliant manufacture of patient-derived MSCs for therapeutic uses.
'This approach will replace the current practice of sourcing MSCs from bone marrow donors, whose profiles are often unknown or unverified,' said its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Cynthia Bamdad in a statement.
Minerva researchers found that activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, in the absence of other growth factors, created two distinct cell populations—naïve OCT4+ XaXa cells surrounded by differentiating OCT4- XaXi cells.
While activation of the β-catenin pathway prior to or during differentiation enhanced outcomes for primed stem cells, it did not affect NME7AB-induced naïve state stem cells.
The study also found that homogeneous populations of naïve stem cells induced by recombinant NME7AB demonstrated superior differentiation potential compared to their primed counterparts.
Notably, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) generated and expanded in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-compliant minimal media using NME7AB as the sole growth factor differentiated efficiently into mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
Minerva's resulting MSCs resisted senescence and showed the ability to differentiate into highly pure populations of chondrocytes, osteoblasts and adipocytes—cell types crucial for the repair or regeneration of cartilage, bone and fat tissues.
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