Stem cell research how to#

The work has relevance to sarcopenia – common, age-related muscle atrophy – as well as metabolic diseases that affect the muscle, such as obesity and diabetes. Learning more about how lipid droplets influence stem cells could lead to their manipulation to repair muscle damage more rapidly or to heal muscle disease, he said. In the past, scientists viewed the droplets as inert storage containers, “like a garbage can,” Kuang said. “Does the type of fat that they contain influence their role? And do their various downstream metabolites play different roles in determining stem cell fate?” he said. Are dietary essential omega-3 or omega-6 (healthy unsaturated fats) found within lipid droplets, for example? Markworth is especially interested in the role of lipid metabolites – known as bioactive lipid mediators – in muscle biology. “Right now, we don’t really know what types of lipids are found in these droplets,” he said. The NIH project, however, will explore the potential positive role that lipids may play as important signaling molecules in muscle. People often think of lipids as bad because they accumulate within the body as fat tissue, Markworth said. “The question now is what do the lipid droplets do in the cell? Do they supplement energy to the cells? Or do the lipid droplets perhaps secrete certain types of molecules that regulate cell function?” “We know that if you perturb lipid droplets, the cells do not do well,” Kuang said. The grant follows a study that Kuang and eight Purdue co-authors published in the journal Cell Reports last year showing how fat plays an unexpected role in the fate of muscle stem cells. Working with Kuang on the project are Christina Ferreira, a developmental biologist with training in analytical chemistry in the Bindley Bioscience Center James Markworth, assistant professor of animal sciences and Chi Zhang, assistant professor of chemistry in the College of Science. The livestock aspect will delve into animal growth to enhance meat production, quality and taste. The human angle will focus on muscle-related disease, aging and injury. The content of lipid droplets makes the stem cell function better or worse,” said Kuang, Cancer Center Chair in Stem Cell Biology and a professor of animal sciences in Purdue’s College of Agriculture. “Lipid droplets are important as a regulatory component of the stem cell.

A team of Purdue University scientists led by Shihuan Kuang has received a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to define the role of lipid droplets in muscle stem cell function, a study with implications in both humans and livestock. President Obama overturned Bush's stem cell policy in 2009 to expand the number of stem cell lines available to researchers.WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. While this did slow the destruction of human embryos, many believe the restrictions set back the progress of stem cell research. President Bush, for example, limited federal funding to a study of 70 or so hES cell lines back in 2001.

But should taxpayer dollars be used to fund embryo and stem cell research when some believe it to be unethical? Legislators have had the unique challenge of encouraging advances in science and medicine while preserving a respect for life. The federal government allocates billions of dollars each year to biomedical research.

Stem cell research how to#

Most people agree that these guidelines are appropriate.ĭisagreements surface, however, when political parties debate about how to fund stem cell research. Scientists instead receive 'leftover' embryos from fertility clinics with consent from donors. In the United States, laws prohibit the creation of embryos for research purposes. Governments around the globe have passed legislation to regulate stem cell research.