UCSF begins distributing first of its two embryonic stem cell lines

Stem Cell Week

via NewsRx.com and NewsRx.net  

October 14, 2002

University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) has begun distributing the first of its two human embryonic stem cell lines to academic researchers, increasing the opportunity for scientists around the world to study the therapeutic potential of the cells .

The UCSF cells are being sent to 9 academic researchers in the United States and 2 in England, the total number of scientists who, to date, have completed formal requests to study the cells . The scientists include 10 from universities and 1 from the National Institutes of Health. Approximately 30 additional inquiries from the United States, Europe and Asia have been made to study the cells, but the applications have not yet been submitted. The University expects to receive additional requests for the cells during the next year.

The hope is that studies on the basic biology of human embryonic stem cells will provide insights that could lead to the use of these cell-transplantation therapy, to treat such diseases as diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease. "We are very pleased to be able to share these cells with other academic researchers. The effort that has gone into getting these cells ready for distribution has been worthwhile. Studying the basic biology of embryonic stem cells is a key step in exploring their therapeutic potential," said Meri Firpo, PhD, UCSF assistant research geneticist in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences.

Firpo led the team that derived the two cell lines in the UCSF laboratory of Roger Pedersen, PhD, at that time UCSF professor and research director, reproductive genetics unit, department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, and now at Cambridge University in England.

Firpo and her colleagues derived the two lines of embryonic stem cells in the winter and spring of 2001. The cells were obtained from 3- to 5-day-old embryos that had been left over following fertility treatments and had been donated for research. The cells were then developed into cell "lines," large quantities of genetically identical cells created by replication initiated with a single cellin the laboratory dish.

Last fall and winter, following the establishment of the NIH Stem Cell Registry, the University of California Office of the President and UCSF negotiated mutually agreeable terms with several institutions for sharing the cells with academic researchers. The negotiations took place with Geron, which funded the research and holds the exclusive commercial license to the two stem cell lines; WiCell Research Institute, a nonprofit subsidiary of Wisconsin Alumni Research Association, which holds the patent on the technology used to derive the cells and the National Institutes of Health, which will fund research conducted by recipients of UCSF's two cell lines.

The terms of the agreement are reflected in a Materials Transfer Agreement (MTA) that researchers interested in studying the UCSF celllines must complete. In May, Firpo received a 2-year, $800,000 Infrastructure grant award from the NIH to prepare the cells lines for distribution, which has involved hiring and training a team of technicians to grow the cells, establishing an administrative system for distributing them, and training visiting scientists from other labs to grow the cells. The grant also funds some basic science studies on the cells.

Funding for this research is supported in part by Geron Corp., with a matching grant from the University of California BioSTAR program, as well as by the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. The principal investigator of the BioSTAR grant is Susan Fisher, UCSF professor of stomatology, anatomy and pharmaceutical chemistry. Firpo is co-PI on the BioSTAR grant and leads the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation grant.

The current work in human embryonic stem cells is emblematic of a broader stem cell initiative at UCSF. In August, the University announced the establishment of a major new endeavor, the Developmental and Stem Cell Biology Program. The goals of the program are to consolidate and promote a broad range of investigations regarding cell development, specifically cell "determination" and "differentiation," the defects in those processes that give rise to disease, and the potential for stem cell therapy in the treatment of disease. The intent is to consolidate the already existing strength in UCSF's labs and to expand those efforts into a focused program.

The program was launched in August with the announcement of Intel chairman Andy Grove's $5 million matching grant to fuel the new UCSF Stem Cell Discovery Fund. The "Grove Stem Cell Challenge," is intended to fund basic studies in stem cell biology and their translation into clinical practice.

UCSF has a long tradition in the field of embryonic stem cell research. In addition to the human embryonic stem cell research initiated by Roger Pedersen, UCSF developmental biologist Gail Martin, PhD, codiscovered embryonic stem cells in mouse studies in the early 1980s, and coined the term. Developmental biologist Didier Stainier, PhD, is pioneering studies of embryonic stem cells in zebrafish, identifying genes that contribute to the development of heart stem cells. And neurologist Arturo Alvarez-Buylla, PhD, recently discovered the origin of the human brain's stem cells,and is exploring whether it is these cells that, when cancerous, lead to brain tumors.

"There is an enormous opportunity to investigate and understand developmental and stem cell biology at levels ranging from fundamental processes to the treatment of disease, and UCSF seeks to be at the forefront of that field both in the laboratory and in the clinic," said Keith Yamamoto, PhD, UCSF School of Medicine vice dean for research.

This article was prepared by Stem Cell Week editors at http://www.NewsRx.net.