VIDEO: Stem cell research facility to open at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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TROY — During a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute forum on Friday, dozens were able to see their “first baby picture:” a single cell that eventually multiplied, in part due to stem cells, into an organism with trillions of cells.
“That, to me, is the most amazing thing in the study of biology,” said Glenn Monastersky, director of the Rensselaer Center for Stem Cell Research.
More research into and discoveries about stem cells, which are having important implications in medicine since they are able to divide and renew themselves over long periods of time, will take place there.
The Rensselaer facility will focus on bone and muscle repair along with spinal cord injuries. “It’s our fervent hope to truly save lives down the road,” said Jonathan Dordick, director of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
“That, to me, is the most amazing thing in the study of biology,” said Glenn Monastersky, director of the Rensselaer Center for Stem Cell Research.
More research into and discoveries about stem cells, which are having important implications in medicine since they are able to divide and renew themselves over long periods of time, will take place there.
The Rensselaer facility will focus on bone and muscle repair along with spinal cord injuries. “It’s our fervent hope to truly save lives down the road,” said Jonathan Dordick, director of the Rensselaer Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Thanks in part to a $2.45 million grant awarded to RPI by the state’s Stem Cell Science Program, the stem cell research center will use state-of-the-art technology including a Thermo Fisher Arrayscan cell-imaging system which utilizes advanced optics and analytical software to guide the analysis of stem cell development, and an Olympus VivaView microscopy/incubation system which is a unique piece of equipment in this region. The college expects to see a lot of interest in the VivaView and in the research facility, said Dordick.
The stem cell facility, with two labs in three rooms including one clean room, will become active come July 1, officials said.
Rensselaer will be using stem cell lines from adults, instead of embryos, to conduct the research, officials clarified.
It was estimated that 700,000 frozen embryos are located in the United States for similar testing, said Monastersky during a presentation Friday as part of The Promise of Stem Cell Research, a forum on the topic that followed a ribbon cutting of the labs located on the first floor.
“The opening of the Rensselaer Center for Stem Cell Research marks a milestone on the path toward this important area of exploration, which promises so much in terms of alleviating disease and improving health,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “At the center we will work at the frontiers of this promising discipline in collaboration with New York state and investigators from across the region.”
In his presentation, Monastersky explained that there are four types of stem cells including embryonic, adult tissue, cancer, and hematopoietic. Sources for stem cells are from blastocyst embryos, somatic cell nuclear transfer, which is basically cloning the cell, and from adult cells.Continued...
The stem cell facility, with two labs in three rooms including one clean room, will become active come July 1, officials said.
Rensselaer will be using stem cell lines from adults, instead of embryos, to conduct the research, officials clarified.
It was estimated that 700,000 frozen embryos are located in the United States for similar testing, said Monastersky during a presentation Friday as part of The Promise of Stem Cell Research, a forum on the topic that followed a ribbon cutting of the labs located on the first floor.
“The opening of the Rensselaer Center for Stem Cell Research marks a milestone on the path toward this important area of exploration, which promises so much in terms of alleviating disease and improving health,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “At the center we will work at the frontiers of this promising discipline in collaboration with New York state and investigators from across the region.”
In his presentation, Monastersky explained that there are four types of stem cells including embryonic, adult tissue, cancer, and hematopoietic. Sources for stem cells are from blastocyst embryos, somatic cell nuclear transfer, which is basically cloning the cell, and from adult cells.Continued...
