2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Development of synthetic polymer gels that control the function of ES/iPS cells
Project/Area Number |
19K23596
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Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
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Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
Review Section |
0403:Biomedical engineering and related fields
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Research Institution | Hokkaido University |
Principal Investigator |
Hirota Akira 北海道大学, 化学反応創成研究拠点, 博士研究員 (20847181)
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Project Period (FY) |
2019-08-30 – 2021-03-31
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Keywords | ES/iPS細胞 / 合成ハイドロゲル / バイオマテリアル / 幹細胞ニッチ |
Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Hydrogels harboring features similar to those of the biological tissues have been expected as a promising source of biomaterials. In this study, we aimed to apply synthetic hydrogel technologies to the culture and control of ES/iPS cells. We found that ES/iPS cells can be maintained in an undifferentiated state with distinct cellular morphologies on various synthetic hydrogels. In addition, we also found that lineage specification of pluripotent stem cells was affected on some synthetic hydrogels. Furthermore, we found that the charge on the hydrogel surface has a significant effect on the stem cell function, and elucidated partially the underlying molecular mechanism. These findings will be a basis for future studies aiming to establish novel methods to control functions of ES/iPS cells by using synthetic hydrogels.
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Free Research Field |
幹細胞生物学分野
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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
細胞は様々な環境情報を認識し、その変化に適切に応答しつつ複雑な器官な形成や恒常性の維持を可能とする。ES/iPS細胞などの多能性幹細胞でも、周囲の環境の微妙な変化が、未分化性や分化能に重大な影響を及ぼす。本研究により、組成が明確な合成ハイドロゲルを用いることで、幹細胞機能を制御する新たな足場の物理的な性質とその分子メカニズム一端を明らかにした。これは「細胞外基質の様々な性質が幹細胞の機能にどのように影響するのか」という細胞生物学上の重要課題の解明に貢献するものである。今後、この成果を端緒として合成培養基質により幹細胞機能を自在に制御するという再生医療研究の新たな潮流を創造できると考えている。
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