First Evidence that Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells From Human Adult Tissues are Multipotent

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. - April 1, 2014 - PRLog -- Contact: Vicki Cohn , Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., (914) 740-2100, ext. 2156, vcohn@liebertpub.com

First Evidence that Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells From Human Adult Tissues are Multipotent

New Rochelle, NY--Rare, very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) isolated from human adult tissues could provide a new source for developing regenerative therapies to repair complex tissues damaged by disease or trauma. The ability of these most-primitive, multipotent stem cells to differentiate into bone, neurons, connective tissue, and other cell types, and the proper criteria for identifying and isolating VSELs, are described in two articles in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The articles are available free on the Stem Cells and Development website (http://www.liebertpub.com/scd).

Russ Taichman and coauthors, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) and NeoStem (New York, NY), implanted human VSELs into the cavity created by a cranial wound and provided the first demonstration that they could generate tissue structures containing multiple cell types. Their work is presented in "Human and Murine Very Small Embryonic-Like (VSEL) Cells Represent Multipotent Tissue Progenitors, In Vitro and In Vivo." (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/scd.2013.0362)

Malwina Suszynska et al., University of Louisville, KY, and Pomeranian Medical University (Szczecin) and Jagiellonian University (Krakow), Poland, explore the challenges in isolating these rare stem cells and the importance of not confusing VSELs with other types of embryonic or reprogrammed adult pluripotent stem cells, or with monopotent adult stem cells. In the Issues in Development article "The Proper Criteria for Identification and Sorting of Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells (VSELs), and Some Nomenclature Issues," the authors present the most current descriptions and terminology for characterizing VSELs. (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/scd.2013.0472)

“I find the data presented by the Taichman group to be compelling and challenging. However, the current debate as to the significance of the body of publications concerning VSELs can only be resolved by a cooperative investigation across laboratories using identical methodologies and source materials," says Editor-in-Chief Graham C. Parker, PhD,  The Carman and Ann Adams Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI.

About the Journal
Stem Cells and Development is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published 24 times per year in print and online. The Journal is dedicated to communication and objective analysis of developments in the biology, characteristics, and therapeutic utility of stem cells, especially those of the hematopoietic system. Complete tables of content and a free sample issue may be viewed on the Stem Cells and Development website (http://www.liebertpub.com/scd).

About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Cellular Reprogramming, Tissue Engineering, and Human Gene Therapy. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website (http://www.liebertpub.com).