Another question on cell price

I have another question. Can cells be priced as raw materials of cell products? 

Cells are priceless in two meanings: 1. very expensive and 2. no price.

New cell-based therapy law

I wonder if the Diet has time to discuss and approve the new HCT/Ps law in this on-going session. Ministerial ordinance will also need to be issued for practical aspect of performing cell-based therapy under the new HCT/Ps. 

Identity of cell products in terms of production process modification

If one wants to change production procedure of cell products, it is essential that the final product can be considered identical or not.  From the viewpoints of cell markers, final products are usually considered identical. However, we must be careful to change of the production procedure due to cell-specific characteristics, compared with low-molecular pharmaceuticals.

MRC5 and AT1OS cells

Human Diploid cells: MRC5 are derived from normal lung tissue of a 14-week-old male fetus (Caucasian) by J. P. Jacobs in September 1966 (Nature 227: 168-170, 1970). 

AT1OS: "AT", "1" and "OS" represent "ataxia telangiectasia", "No. 1" and "Osaka", respectively. "OS" is sometimes mistyped as "0(zero)S".  AT1OS cells are derived from a 10-year old Japanese boy with progressive cerebellar ataxia and repeated upper respiratory infection.

Is statistics necessary for molecular biology?

In molecular biology, I wonder if statistical approach is required. Most of biochemical methods does not fit statistical analysis. 

Also, is "research question" necessary in certain researches of molecular biology and biochemistry?  To elucidate disease mechanism and biological mechanism, research question is, off course, necessary. However, gene cloning and protein purification does not require research question, I guess. What we want (probably this might be research question) is just to clone cDNA and purify protein. 

Dr Farber

Dr Farber, a founder of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, was a pediatric pathologist.  He started a modern chemotherapy.  I did not know that Sidney Farber was a pediatric pathologist.  

from Prof M Watanabe.

Blog in English

Good expression concerning my way of thinking is copied and pasted below:

My core value is based on creating mutual understanding through communication...

I have recently changed language of this blog from Japanese to English.  It is also fun to write scientific issues in English.  

Cardiac disease-modeled pluripotent cell

We are generating cardiac disease-modeled cells. Interestingly, patients with ataxia telangiectasia develop ischemic heart disease.  We can deposit ataxia telangiectasia-iPS cells to the national banks.

Copy and Paste:

Ann Intern Med. 2000 Nov 21;133(10):770-8.

Mortality rates among carriers of ataxia-telangiectasia mutant alleles.

Su Y, Swift M.

Source

The Institute for the Genetic Analysis of Common Diseases, New York Medical College, 4 Skyline Drive, Hawthorne, NY 10532, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Mutations at the ataxia-telangiectasia locus cause a distinctive autosomal recessive syndrome in homozygotes and predispose heterozygotes to cancer and ischemic heart disease.

OBJECTIVE:

To examine mortality rates among persons carrying a mutated ataxia-telangiectasia gene.

DESIGN:

Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING:

The United States and Canada.

PARTICIPANTS:

405 grandparents of patients with ataxia-telangiectasia.

MEASUREMENTS:

Ages at death and risk for death (from all causes, cancer, ischemic heart disease, and other causes) among carriers and noncarriers of ataxia-telangiectasia mutations.

RESULTS:

Compared with noncarriers, carriers of a mutated ataxia-telangiectasia allele had a significantly increased risk for death at 20 through 79 years of age (relative risk, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.3 to 2.8]) (P < 0.001). On average, carriers died 7 to 8 years earlier than noncarriers. Cancer caused most of the excess deaths, and ischemic heart disease caused the remainder. Among carriers, relative risk for death from cancer and ischemic heart disease before 80 years of age was 2.6 (CI, 1.4 to 4.7; P = 0.002) and 2.0 (CI, 1.0 to 4.0; P = 0.062), respectively. Compared with noncarriers, carriers who died of cancer were a mean of 4 years younger (P > 0.2) and carriers who died of ischemic heart disease were a mean of 11 years younger (P = 0.006).

CONCLUSION:

Carriers of mutations at the ataxia-telangiectasia locus, who make up 1.4% to 2% of the general population, have a higher mortality rate and an earlier age at death from cancer and ischemic heart disease than noncarriers.

Human iPSC cardiomyocytes continued to beat in vivo for 6 months

Urology conference@Niigata

Amazing video of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytic sheet was presented by Matsuura, Tokyo Women's Medical School. The cardiomyocytic sheet beat synchronously at the intradermal site. It was "human cell sheet". The size was 2 cm in diameter. I was so impressed with the results and the sheet can also be used for lysosomal strage diseases with cardiac impairment such as Fabry syndrome.

The other discussion was cell implantation into the subcapsular region of the kidney. The capsule can easily be removed by surgery. But, once the capsule was removed, severe adhesion occurred.  Secondary operation is thus almost impossible due to severe adhesion. This was suggested by Oya, Keio Univ. 

先進的な分子機構モテ&#12441;ルの提示には、酵母なと&#12441;のシンフ&#12442;ルなモテ&#12441;ル生物

http://bsw3.naist.jp/JSE/newsletter/NewsNo29.pdf

上記サイトからコピペ。面白いセミナー報告。

    本会議では、モデル生物としての酵母の高い有用性がいたるところで示され、現在日本国内外で盛んになっているヒトなどの多細胞生物におけるエピジェネティックス研究に欠けている先進的な分子機構モデルの提示には、酵母などのシンプルなモデル生物研究が必要不可欠であることが強調されていました。基本的なモデル生物研究の成果で高次生命現象の解明を引っ張るという本来あるべき研究の姿を再確認できた点が本会議を開催して最も良かった点だと考えています。 

Decellular device

I heard a seminar concerning decellular artificial vessels to supply blood vessels to ischemic tissues. Decellularization is really an interesting method to avoid immune rejection and infection. The source for cellular products is camel!!!! Vessels can be obtained from the long neck of camel. 

Decellular device includes vessels, liver, lung, heart, and urinary bladder.

医薬品、医療機器等の品質、有効性及び安全性の確保等に関する法律

薬事法

改正薬事法

PMD法

Lectin microarray論文が引用二位

Lectin microarray論文がGenes to Cellsに引用二位だそうで嬉しい。下の画像で、真ん中より下の方に遠慮がちに書かれています。Toyodaさん、よかったですね～