Start MSC2
At start-MSC2 is one of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research funded with several million euro joint project with the objective of standardization of stem cell preparations , particularly mesenchymal stem cells , for cell-based therapies.
Six German research groups are working in the project, which is now in the second funding period. The coordinator is Anthony D. Ho, Medical Director of the Department of Internal Medicine V at Heidelberg University Hospital .
Project goals
The research consortium sees the establishment of guidelines for the quality control of stem cell preparations and especially of the cell lines derived from them as a necessary prerequisite for the reproducible development of cell-based therapies. In the case of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in particular, the quality of the preparation varies considerably between the various laboratories. In the past funding period, the consortium therefore established optimized conditions and standard protocols for MSC preparations. In addition, markers for a precise characterization of these cells were identified and tested. The influence of cellular senescence (number of passages during the multiplication of the MSC preparations) on the differentiation potential was examined in detail in vitro and in vivo . The research group was able to show that the optimized MSC are able to differentiate into bones, cartilage and fat, but not into liver and heart cells. Instead, they serve as an excellent breeding ground for maintaining the stem cell properties of other progenitor cells . In contrast, the development of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) has recently made it possible to induce pluripotency through the targeted introduction of defined genetic factors. Against this background, the consortium plans to compare the potential of the standard MSC preparations with MSCs with induced pluripotency (iP-MSC) in the second funding period.
The research consortium names the following project goals :
- Development of standard procedures and guidelines for GMP-compliant production of human MSC.
- Use of MSC preparations under optimized and standardized conditions as a surrogate niche for other stem cells.
- Influence of replicative senescence on gene expression, adhesion proteins and functional properties in MSC.
- Uncovering differentiation mechanisms and establishing protocols for the induction of pluripotency in human MSC.
Sub-projects and participating scientists
- Subproject 1
- GMP-compliant processing by MSC: banking, further characterization, standardization of production and quality control
- Project management: Harald Klüter and Karen Bieback
- Subproject 2
- Gene and protein profiles of human MSC subpopulations
- Project management: Anthony D. Ho and Patrick Wuchter
- Subproject 3
- Mechanisms of differentiation and reprogramming of MSC
- Project management: Daniel Besser
- Subproject 4
- Molecular differentiation features for determining the formation of specific myocardial, liver, fat and interstitial cells
- Project management: Werner W. Franke
- Subproject 5
- Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) and iP-MSCs: developmental potential and epigenotype
- Project management: Albrecht Müller
- Subproject 6
- Development of hepatocytes from specialized MSC subpopulations
- Project management: Michael Ott
Web links
- Homepage of the joint project
- BmBF: Start-MSC2 project description and presentation of participating research groups