2016 Fiscal Year Research-status Report
| Project/Area Number |
16K15664
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| Research Institution | Kyoto University |
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Principal Investigator |
ALEV CANTAS 京都大学, iPS細胞研究所, 特定拠点助教 (30726477)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
池谷 真 京都大学, iPS細胞研究所, 准教授 (20442923)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
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| Keywords | Tendon Progenitor Cells / iPSCs / mesoderm differentiation |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
One of the central aims of our proposed research project is the development of a defined step-wise in vitro induction and differentiation protocol for the efficient derivation of tendon/ligament progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells (ESCs/iPSCs). In this context, we have focused initially the directed and step-wise induction of paraxial and somitic mesoderm from human iPSCs, and are continuing to work on the derivation of tendon/ligament progenitor cells from aforementioned mesodermal cell populations. Optimization of our induction and differentiation protocols is ongoing and initial evaluation of in vitro derived human tendon/ligament progenitor cells has started.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
We have so far succeeded with achieving several of the milestones, which were set for the project in question. In this regard, substantial progress has been made, especially with the development of defined induction and differentiation protocols suitable for the efficient and reproducible in vitro derivation of human tendon/ligament progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells. Evaluation and further improvement of the initial culture conditions is currently underway. The generation of fluorescent reporter iPSC-lines targeting defined genes/transcripts, specifically expressed in tendon/ligament progenitor cells, such as scleraxis (SCX) or mohawk (MKX), is ongoing and progressing according to the initial research plan.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
Following the roadmap set in our initial proposal, we will continue to optimize and evaluate our step-wise in vitro induction and differentiation protocols of human iPSC-derived tendon/ligament progenitor cells. Furthermore, building on the already achieved preliminary results, we will continue to establish and characterize the human iPSC-based reporter lines of genes selectively expressed in tendon/ligament progenitor cells. This will be followed by the functional and molecular characterization of in vitro induced human tendon/ligament progenitor cells, with a special focus on translating the obtained results towards disease modeling, drug discovery and/or cellular therapy.
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| Causes of Carryover |
As some of the necessary consumables and reagents could not be delivered in time, with the expected day of arrival exceeding the end of the 1st fiscal year (FY2016), we decided to transfer a certain amount of the initial grant to the next fiscal year, and therefor kindly request that this amount be added to the already allocated budget for FY2017.
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| Expenditure Plan for Carryover Budget |
The reagents and consumables, which will be acquired using aforementioned transferred amount of the allocated overall grant, will be used in accordance with our stipulated research plan in a timely and efficient manner.
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