Description:
Princeton
University Invention # 05-2180
Molecular
mechanisms regulating the identity of stem cells and their balance of
self-renewal and differentiation are critical for proper tissue development of
every organism and the development of regenerative cell therapies. Embryonic
stem cell-based therapies bear some potential but are very controversial.
Understanding the factors required for nuclear reprogramming might help to
develop personalized stem cell therapies thereby circumventing some of the
logistical and societal concerns surrounding somatic-cell nuclear transfer into
oocytes.
Researchers in the Department of
Molecular Biology at Princeton University have generated new tools, Nanog
Enhanced Fluorescence Reporter Cells, (NeFRECs), which allow for the easy,
large-scale screening of developmental processes in murine embryonic stem and
germ cells, and nuclear reprogramming.
NeFRECs simplify and speed up the screening
of small molecule libraries, hormones or other chemical compounds, and genomic
libraries by gain-of function (over-expression) or loss-of function (RNA
interference) for the above-mentioned purposes. Since fluorescence is used,
detection is amenable to a high throughput format.
Princeton researchers have successfully applied NeFRECs to confirm known
small molecules interfering with embryonic stem cell identity. Similar success
was demonstrated using RNA interference against known stem cell maintenance
genes. NeFRECs allow for many different culture protocols, hence, facilitating
screens for a wide variety of purposes, such as maintaining stem cell identity
under a diverse variety of differentiation conditions or induction of
differentiation under self-renewal conditions. NeFRECs also facilitated the
Princeton researchers in the derivation of embryonic germ cells from embryonic
stem cells in vitro.
Further research is ongoing in the development of additional tools and
applications to better understand the molecular mechanisms of stem cell
identity, regulation and nuclear reprogramming.
Princeton
University is currently seeking industrial collaborators to commercialize this
tool. Patent protection is pending.
For more information on Princeton
University Invention # 05-2180 please contact:
Publications:
Schaniel C, Yen-Sin A, Ratnakumar K,
Cormier C, James T, Bernstein E, Lemischka I, Paddison P, Smarcc1/Baf155
Couples Self-Renewal Gene Repression with Changes in Chromatin Structure in
Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells, Stem Cells. 2009 Sep
25
Schaniel C, Li F, Schafer XL, Moore T,
Lemischka I, Paddison P, Delivery of short hairpin RNA¿s ¿triggers of gene
silencing-into mouse embryonic stem cells, Nature Methods, vol 3, No 5,
May 2006, pg 397.
Patent Application # 20060195918,
Embryonic Stem Cell Self Maintenance and Renewal Reporter, Notice of Allowance
received 9/25/09.
Laurie Tzodikov
Office of Technology Licensing and Intellectual Property
Princeton University
4 New South Building
Princeton, NJ 08544-0036
(609) 258-7256
(609) 258-1159 fax
tzodikov@princeton.edu