Toward a CRISPR Picture: Use of CRISPR/Cas9 to Model Diseases in Human Stem Cells In Vitro

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into any cell in the body unlocking enormous research potential. Combined with the recent discovery of CRISPR/Cas9 endonucleases in bacteria and their modification for use in biomedical research, these methods have the potential to revolutionize the field of genetic engineering and open the door to generating in vitro models that more closely resemble the in vivo system than ever before. Use of CRISPR/Cas9 has created a whirlwind within the scientific community in the last few years, as the race to move beyond just disease analysis and toward the goal of gene and cell therapy moves further. This review will detail the CRISPR/Cas9 method and its use in stem cells as well as highlight recent studies that demonstrate its use in creating robust disease models. Finally, recent results and current controversies in the field are reviewed and lingering challenges to further development are explored. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 62–68, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Different Porosities of Chitosan Can Influence the Osteogenic Differentiation Potential of Stem Cells

Scaffolds porosity has an important role in in vitro and in vivo differentiation process of stem cells with given the amount of space available to the cells to proliferate and differentiate. In the present study, chitosan with three porosities including 10%, 15%, and 20% that created by gelatin were used for investigation of the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation potential of adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs). In order to be more like the scaffold to natural bone tissue, freeze‐drying method was used in the scaffold preparation. Scaffold morphology, cell attachment, and toxicity were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy and MTT assay. Then, osteogenic differentiation potential of ADSCs cultured on chitosan with different porosities was evaluated by common osteogenic markers such as Alizarin red staining, ALP activity, calcium content, and osteogenic‐related genes expression via real‐time RT‐PCR. Although all scaffolds supported the proliferation and differentiation of ADSCs, but 10% scaffold demonstrated higher amount of osteogenic markers in comparison with the other porosities and control groups. Taking together, it can be concluded that osteogenic differentiation well done in the scaffolds with lower porosity because density of the cells will increase by forcing resulted from the scaffold, so osteogenic differentiation of the stem cells have an inverse association with scaffold porosity. J. Cell. Biochem. 119: 625–633, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An example implementation of STEM in preschool education: Carrying eggs without breaking

Abstract

Although there are many examples of activities for using STEM in the preschool education, the number of studies on how these activities can be used in practice, how children can react, and what kind of products they can design are limited. The aim of this study is to implement the STEM activity called “How do I carry the eggs without breaking?” which is planned for 48-66-month-old children and to convey the implementation stages in order to set an example for other researchers. Because there is no any guidelines or models about implementation of STEM activities, we set out 7 steps from STEM-oriented studies, which are shown in detail in the study, have been formed by focusing on the points that should be at an STEM activity. During all the steps of the activity, students cooperatively worked in groups and their social relations were improved. While children were trying to test their designs by carrying real eggs, they had fun because in the designation process they used ping-pong balls. At the testing stage, some designs of the groups could not have carried the eggs and they were broken. The teacher had guided them to test the new ideas on redesign.     

Stem cells as promising therapeutic options for neurological disorders

Due to the limitations of pharmacological and other current therapeutic strategies, stem cell therapies have emerged as promising options for treating many incurable neurologic diseases. A variety of stem cells including pluripotent stem cells (i.e., embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells) and multipotent adult stem cells (i.e., fetal brain tissue, neural stem cells, and mesenchymal stem cells from various sources) have been explored as therapeutic options for treating many neurologic diseases, and it is becoming obvious that each type of stem cell has pros and cons as a source for cell therapy. Wise selection of stem cells with regard to the nature and status of neurologic dysfunctions is required to achieve optimal therapeutic efficacy. To this aim, the stem cell‐mediated therapeutic efforts on four major neurological diseases, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke, will be introduced, and current problems and future directions will be discussed. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 743–753, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.