Employing the HSC Niche, Article Writing Example

Peerani, R. and Zandstra, P.W. Enabling stem cell therapies through synthetic stem cell-niche engineering. Journal of Clinical Investigation. 120.1 (2010): 60-70.

Employing the HSC niche as a model, Peerani and Zandstra (2010) investigated microscale engineering strategies that might prove to be capable for systematically reconstructing individual, stem cell-niche components. According to the researchers, synthetic stem cell-niche engineering may form a new foundation for regenerative therapies. The researchers searched for enabling stem cell–targeted therapies that are required to understand the creation of local microenvironments (niches) that stimulate endogenous stem cells; or serve as a platform for receipt and integration of stem cell transplants and their derivatives. In vivo stem-cell niche complexity is generated in a dynamic unit as the study points out, and modular descriptors for some stem cell systems are only understood in the context of those interactive components.

Information derived from the study indicates the interpretation of the mechanistic function of stem-cell organisms is core to building synthetic engineering systems. The functional otongeny of stem-cell components include soluble and surface bound cytokines; cell ECM interactions; cell-cell interactions; mechanical forces; physicochemical cues; and systemic factors. Existing stem-cell strategies are typically comprised of multi-plex control components that serve to ‘produce’ hybrid devices into macroscopic O₂ controlled bioreactors and interactive microscopic transmitters. What does this mean for cancer research? Extrinsic control of the stem-cell niche is an important step to regenerative therapies.