Aprender mediante el estudio de casos

El estudio de casos es una estrategia didáctica especialmente adecuada para favorecer el aprendizaje de competencias y para facilitar la relación entre teoría y práctica. Aunque los casos pueden ser de distintos tipos, existen algunas consideraciones generales que tener en cuenta para que cumplan una función didáctica. Como toda estrategia, el uso de casos tiene muchas posibilidades pero también algunas limitaciones. En el artículo se comenta, a título de ejemplo, un proyecto de casos en red para la formación de profesorado

Cèl·lules mare embrionàries i medicina regenerativa

Embryonary stem cells and Regenerative Medicine.Embryonary stem cells have represented a scientific revolution in recent years given their potential capacity to turn into any cell type in the organism. Their therapeutic importance lies in the fact that they can be useful for treating diseases caused by a deficit in cell functioning. Numerous research groups world-wide are working to find out the differentiation mechanisms, as well as alternative techniques to using preembryos, in order to discover a safe and efficient therapy for these types of illness

Generation of a bank of clinical-grade, HLA-homozygous iPSC lines with high coverage of the Spanish population

BackgroundInduced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cell therapies are an interesting new area in the field of regenerative medicine. One of the approaches to decrease the costs of iPSC-derived therapies is the use of allogenic homozygous human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched donors to generate iPSC lines and to build a clinical-grade iPSC bank covering a high percentage of the Spanish population.MethodsThe Spanish Stem Cell Transplantation Registry was screened for cord blood units (CBUs) homozygous for the most common HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1 haplotypes. Seven donors were selected with haplotypes covering 21.37% of the haplotypes of the Spanish population. CD34-positive hematopoietic progenitors were isolated from the mononuclear cell fraction of frozen cord blood units from each donor by density gradient centrifugation and further by immune magnetic labeling and separation using purification columns. Purified CD34 + cells were reprogrammed to iPSCs by transduction with the CTS CytoTune-iPS 2.1 Sendai Reprogramming Kit.ResultsThe iPSCs generated from the 7 donors were expanded, characterized, banked and registered. Master cell banks (MCBs) and working cell banks (WCBs) from the iPSCs of each donor were produced under GMP conditions in qualified clean rooms.ConclusionsHere, we present the first clinical-grade, iPSC haplobank in Spain made from CD34 + cells from seven cord blood units homozygous for the most common HLA-A, HLA-B and HLA-DRB1 haplotypes within the Spanish population. We describe their generation by transduction with Sendai viral vectors and their GMP-compliant expansion and banking. These haplolines will constitute starting materials for advanced therapy medicinal product development (ATMP)

Access to stem cell data and registration of pluripotent cell lines: the Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry (hPSCreg)

The value of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) in regenerative medicine has yet to reach its full potential. The road from basic research tool to clinically validated PSC-derived cell therapy products is a long and winding one, leading researchers, clinicians, industry and regulators alike into undiscovered territory. All stakeholders must work together to ensure the development of safe and effective cell therapies. Similarly, utilization of hPSC in meaningful and controlled disease modeling and drug screening applications requires information on the quality and suitability of the applied cell lines. Central to these common goals is the complete documentation of hPSC data, including the ethical provenance of the source material, the hPSC line derivation, culture conditions and genetic constitution of the lines. Data surrounding hPSC is scattered amongst diverse sources, including publications, supplemental data, researcher lab books, accredited lab reports, certificates of analyses and public data repositories. Not all of these data sources are publicly accessible nor associated with metadata nor stored in a standard manner, such that data can be easily found and retrieved. The Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry (hPSCreg; https://hpscreg.eu/) was started in 2007 to impart provenance and transparency towards hPSC research by registering and collecting standard properties of hPSC lines. In this chapter, we present a short primer on the history of stem cell-based products, summarize the ethical and regulatory issues introduced in the course of working with hPSC-derived products and their associated data, and finally present the Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Registry as a valuable resource for all stakeholders in therapies and disease modeling based on hPSC-derived cells

The pluripotency state of human embryonic stem cells derived from single blastomeres of eight-cell embryos

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived from blastocyst stage embryos present a primed state of pluripotency, whereas mouse ESCs (mESCs) display na & iuml;ve pluripotency. Their unique characteristics make na & iuml;ve hESCs more suitable for particular applications in biomedical research. This work aimed to derive hESCs from single blastomeres and determine their pluripotency state, which is currently unclear. We derived hESC lines from single blastomeres of 8-cell embryos and from whole blastocysts, and analysed several na & iuml;ve pluripotency indicators, their transcriptomic profile and their trilineage differentiation potential. No significant differences were observed between blastomere-derived hESCs (bm-hESCs) and blastocyst-derived hESCs (bc-hESCs) for most na & iuml;ve pluripotency indicators, including TFE3 localization, mitochondrial activity, and global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation, nor for their trilineage differentiation potential. Nevertheless, bm-hESCs showed an increased single-cell clonogenicity and a higher expression of na & iuml;ve pluripotency markers at early passages than bc-hESCs. Furthermore, RNA-seq revealed that bc-hESCs overexpressed a set of genes related to the postimplantational epiblast. Altogether, these results suggest that bm-hESCs, although displaying primed pluripotency, would be slightly closer to the na & iuml;ve end of the pluripotency continuum than bc-hESCs

Two decades of embryonic stem cells : a historical overview

STUDY QUESTION How did the field of stem cell research develop in the years following the derivation of the first human embryonic stem cell (hESC) line? SUMMARY ANSWER Supported by the increasing number of clinical trials to date, significant technological advances in the past two decades have brought us ever closer to clinical therapies derived from pluripotent cells. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Since their discovery 20 years ago, the use of human pluripotent stem cells has progressed tremendously from bench to bedside. Here, we provide a concise review of the main keystones of this journey and focus on ongoing clinical trials, while indicating the most relevant future research directions. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a historical narrative, including relevant publications in the field of pluripotent stem cells (PSC) derivation and differentiation, recounted both through scholarly research of published evidence and interviews of six pioneers who participated in some of the most relevant discoveries in the field. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The authors all contributed by researching the literature and agreed upon body of works. Portions of the interviews of the field pioneers have been integrated into the review and have also been included in full for advanced reader interest. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE The stem cell field is ever expanding. We find that in the 20 years since the derivation of the first hESC lines, several relevant developments have shaped the pluripotent cell field, from the discovery of different states of pluripotency, the derivation of induced PSC, the refinement of differentiation protocols with several clinical trials underway, as well as the recent development of organoids. The challenge for the years to come will be to validate and refine PSCs for clinical use, from the production of highly defined cell populations in clinical grade conditions to the possibility of creating replacement organoids for functional, if not anatomical, function restoration. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This is a non-systematic review of current literature. Some references may have escaped the experts’ analysis due to the exceedingly diverse nature of the field. As the field of regenerative medicine is rapidly advancing, some of the most recent developments may have not been captured entirely. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS The multi-disciplinary nature and tremendous potential of the stem cell field has important implications for basic as well as translational research. Recounting these activities will serve to provide an in-depth overview of the field, fostering a further understanding of human stem cell and developmental biology. The comprehensive overview of clinical trials and expert opinions included in this narrative may serve as a valuable scientific resource, supporting future efforts in translational approaches. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) ESHRE provided funding for the authors’ on-site meeting and discussion during the preparation of this manuscript. S.M.C.S.L. is funded by the European Research Council Consolidator (ERC-CoG-725722-OVOGROWTH). M.P. is supported by the Special Research Fund, Bijzonder Onderzoeksfonds (BOF01D08114). M.G. is supported by the Methusalem grant of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in the name of Prof. Karen Sermon and by Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT, Project Number: 150042). A.V. and B.A. are supported by the Plataforma de Proteomica, Genotipado y Líneas Celulares (PT1770019/0015) (PRB3), Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Research grant to B.H. by the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO) (FWO.KAN.2016.0005.01 and FWO.Project G051516N). There are no conflicts of interest to declare. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER Not applicable. ESHRE Pages are not externally peer reviewed. This article has been approved by the Executive Committee of ESHRE

Derivació de línies de cèl·lules mare embrionàries humanes

Les cèl·lules mare embrionàries (CME) representen una font potencial de cèl·lules per a ús terapèutic en algunes malalties produïdes per la pèrdua de la funció cel·lular. Normalment, aquestes cèl·lules procedeixen d'embrions donats per les parelles sotmeses a tècniques de reproducció assistida (TRA). Es presenten els resultats obtinguts en el Banc de Línies Cel·lulars del Centre de Medicina Regenerativa de Barcelona (CMRB), on s'han descongelat 254 embrions donats per parelles sotmeses al programa de fecundació in vitro (FIV) de l'Institut Universitari Dexeus. La taxa de supervivència va ser del 51,9 %. S'han obtingut cinc línies de CME. Tres d'aquestes línies procedeixen d'embrions de mala qualitat i presenten la capacitat d'autorenovació, pluripotència i diferenciació característiques d'aquestes cèl·lules. Els embrions de mala qualitat, sovint descartats en els centres de RA, poden ser una font útil per a la derivació de CME.Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) represent a potential source for cell therapy for many degenerative diseases. Usually hESC lines are derived from surplus embryos donated from couples undergoing In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). We here present the results obtained in the Stem Cell Bank at the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona. 254 embryos have been thawed. The embryos were donated from couples from the IVF programme at the Institut Universitari Dexeus. The embryo survival rate was 51.9%. Five ESC lines were obtained. Three of these lines came from poor quality embryos. The cell lines present self-renewal, pluripotency, and differentiation properties characteristic of these cells Poor quality embryos, usually discarded in assisted reproduction centres, could be useful for ESC derivation

Generation of four induced pluripotent stem cell lines from a family harboring a single nucleotide variant in SCN5A

Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a valuable approach to model cardiovascular diseases. We nucleofected non-integrating episomal vectors in skin fibroblasts of three family members carrying a single nucleotide variant (SNV) in SCN5A, which encodes the cardiac-type sodium channel, and of a related healthy control. The SNV SCN5A_c.4573G > A had been previously identified in a Brugada Syndrome patient. The resulting iPS cell lines differentiate into cells of the 3 germ layers, display normal karyotypes and express pluripotency surface markers and genes. Thus, they are a reliable source to study the effect of the identified mutation in a physiologically relevant environment

Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line from a healthy Caucasian male

The effects of genetic mutations on protein function can be studied in a physiologically relevant environment using tissue-specific cells differentiated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). However, it is crucial to use iPSC derived from healthy individuals as control. We generated an iPS cell line from skin fibroblasts of a healthy Caucasian male by nucleofection of non-integrating episomal vectors. This cell line has normal karyotype, expresses pluripotency surface markers and pluripotency genes, and successfully differentiates into cells of the 3 germ layers. Therefore, it can be used as control for any disease of interest that is modelled using iPSC