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Translational Medicine Manipulating Methodologies for Reprogramming Cells Richard A. Stein, M.D., Ph.D. A stride that marked the turn of the century—realizing the possibility of reprogramming embryonic and adult fbroblasts into pluripotent stem cells by the co-expression of only four gene products—opened a vibrant chapter in the biomedical sciences. In the short time that has elapsed since that seminal discovery, new and increasingly versatile strategies have been proposed to develop reprogramming protocols that are not only cost- and time-effective, but also safer. "Currently, a major interest in the feld of stem cell research is the possibility of reprogramming fbroblasts into other tissue-specifc cell types without reverting to the pluripotent state," says Sheng Ding, Ph.D., professor and investigator at the University of California, San Francisco, and the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease. Because pluripotent stem cells that fail to undergo differentiation are tumorigenic, such a direct reprogramming approach presents a superior safety profle. "We can use this type of reprogramming in tissue culture, ex vivo, to manufacture large numbers of functional cell types," Dr. Ding says. Another strategy is to deliver certain drugs into the region of tissue damage and induce in situ reprogramming. Dr. Ding and his colleagues recently developed two different paradigms for cell reprogramming. One of them relies on cell type-specifc factors that can be delivered into fbroblasts to generate the desired cell type. "Another approach that we developed, which provides a more universal paradigm for reprogramming, uses generic reprogramming factors only for a short period of time, to epigenetically activate fbroblasts, and those plastic fbroblasts are subsequently exposed to a different type of signal to fully differentiate," he explains. Using this strategy, Dr. Ding and his colleagues generated cardiac, neural progenitor, and blood vessel endothelial cells, without reverting to pluripotency as an intermediate step. This process very much resembles the one encountered in other species in vivo, wherein regeneration can occur through the Red blood cells carrying pathologic mitochondria, which are shown by the dark staining iron granules around the circumference of the nucleus. These abnormal red blood cells (sideroblasts) are an indication of bone marrow failure in Pearson's syndrome, which a team at Children's Hospital Boston modeled in vitro using iPS cells. Suneet Agarwal, M.D., Ph.D. NEWS Molecular Diagnostics > Diatherix Acquires Tem-PCR from Qiagen Diatherix Laboratories has acquired the patent to Tem-PCR, a diagnostic testing technology that the company had been licensing Tem-PCR from Qiagen. Tem-PCR allows for rapid identification of multiple infectious disease organisms. With this acquisition, Diatherix, an independent CLIA-certified clinical laboratory, plans to expand its business model to begin manufacturing and distributing diagnostic testing products to healthcare providers for on-site use. The goal is to speed the process of diagnosing and treating infectious diseases. > Rheonix Enters Development Agreement with Life Tech Rheonix and Life Technologies have entered into a joint development agreement to introduce a molecular testing platform. Life Technologies will market, sell, and distribute Rheonix-supplied technology, including the Rheonix CARD®, a disposable cartridge the size of a credit card. 44 | The consumable cartridge is part of a system specifically designed for the food testing market. The system, targeted for introduction in 2014, will enable laboratories to detect disease-causing organisms, including serotype identification. Once a raw sample is placed on the Rheonix CARD, the automated platform runs through sample extraction and DNA purification, amplification, and detection, eliminating the need for multiple pieces of existing equipment. > Genalyte Inks Agreement with University of Colorado Diabetes Center Genalyte today launched a type 1 diabetes (T1D) antigen panel, which it said is the first multiplexed assay that measures seven autoantibodies associated with the destruction of pancreatic islet cells seen in the disease. The antigen panel was developed through a $500,000 first-phase Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant awarded to Genalyte by the National In- September 1, 2013 | GENengnews.com | Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News stitute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Genalyte won the funding to develop multiplexed assays for early detection and monitoring of T1D. The grant also supports expansion of the approach to allow autoantibody response profiling by multiple criteria, which is expected to enhance the ability of researchers and clinicians to detect and monitor development of the disease. In a related development, Genalyte said it is collaborating with the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes (BDC) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine to further develop and test multiplexed antigen panels for early T1D detection. Martin Gleeson, Ph.D., Genalyte's CSO, noted in a statement that two BDC investigators—George Eisenbarth, M.D., Ph.D., the center's executive director, and Liping Yu, Ph.D.—established assays for the measurement of islet autoantibodies, components of the immune system that eventually destroy the pancreatic islet cells that produce insulin. > Epistem Wins Grant to Develop Point-of-Care HepC Tests Epistem has just received €1.5 million (approximately $1.99 million) in funding over a three-year period by the European Commission's 7th Framework Program as part of a €6.0 million (around $7.97 million) consortium project for the development of point-of-care (PoC) hepatitis C assays. The PoC-HCV consortium also includes Inserm (Institut Pasteur), Inserm Transfert, Qlucore, and Biosurfit as members. Epistem will develop a number of tests on its hand-held PCR platform Genedrive®, which can provide genotype test results. The assays that Epistem is planning to develop include tests to detect and genotype the hepatitis C virus, develop hepatitis C viral load tests to monitor patient treatments, and ascertain the IL-28b genotype of hepatitis C-infected patients to help select patients who will respond to treatment with pegylatedinterferon/ribavirin therapy. n