Our CEO recognized as #21 to watch in Cambridge in 2020

Stemnovate creates neurons from skin cells of dogs, cats and horses to reduce need for animal testing

Stemnovate and Babraham institute awarded grant for collaboration on Alzheimer's research

Accelerate Mitochondrial Research 

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After a year of development, we are proud to introduce the Mitochondrial Platform, which has reduced research time by an impressive 300 days. Our platform is now operational and offers comprehensive research on mitochondrial disorders, as well as studies on neurodegenerative diseases and oncology.
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Reflecting on this year of development and our challenges in reaching out to patients worldwide, we have built a supportive community. Parents have expressed heartfelt support for our efforts, often sharing concerns that, while our work may ultimately benefit future generations, their children participating in the research may not see immediate gains.
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Our commitment to overcoming any challenges that might prolong the research process is unwavering. The efficiency of our platform has significantly improved, saving the equivalent of 300 days. It took a year to establish our processes, build the supply chain, develop models, and collect the necessary data to reach this milestone. Additionally, we spent years developing the Stemnovate Platform, which has helped us demonstrate our capabilities.
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From the day of consent, we facilitate participation across countries and borders while ensuring compliance with country-specific regulations. We provide specialized cell models, including functional neurons, heart, and liver cells. Our multi-omics approach offers deep insights derived from actual cell studies and gene and protein expression data. This involves thorough bioinformatics, whole genome sequencing, cell modelling, functional analysis, reproducibility, and unbiased data analysis.
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We have been observing genetic and mitochondrial changes and often receive requests from parents to understand what these changes mean for their children. While there are no simple answers to this question, we are hopeful that by continuing to study these alterations within the context of cellular pathways and functions, we can explore new treatment, management, or therapy paths. We also assist multiple companies in testing new drug molecules to develop effective treatments.
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It is important to share our journey, as many partners and team members work together to overcome challenges and make this possible.&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(22, 145, 121);" title="https://stemnovate.co.uk/contact-us" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/contact-us">If you're interested, please get in touch</a> with us to discuss how we can expedite your mitochondrial research journey toward a successful clinical application.
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If you or a family member has a rare disease, neurodegenerative disorder, or liver-related condition, <a style="color: rgb(22, 145, 121);" title="https://stemnovate.co.uk/campaign/volunteer-for-alpers" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/campaign/volunteer-for-alpers">you can participate in our research</a>.
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Please note that we are not a charity or not-for-profit organization and do not solicit donations. Instead, we operate a commercial platform to help pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions conduct research more efficiently and effectively. Its commercial nature ensures our sustainability and ability to continue our important work.
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Advancements in the Mitochondrial Platform for Accelerating Research on Rare Diseases.

Mitochondrial Research Accelerator: Stemnovate Challenges the Barriers

Be the Reason for Someone's Smile Today

This has provided valuable resources for the scientific community and facilitated international collaborations in bioinformatics and computing, leading to significant breakthroughs in scientific research, pharmaceutical development, and healthcare. The potential of biobanking is awe-inspiring, offering a promising future for medical research.
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However, it is essential to acknowledge the challenges and potential risks associated with biobanks. Many individuals hesitate to participate in biobank research due to concerns about privacy rights and possible discrimination. Additionally, the legal and regulatory frameworks governing biobanks must be more consistent to ensure ethical practices across different areas of medical research.
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Stemnovate has introduced an innovative biobanking initiative to address the initial challenge of obtaining human cells for research. As a commercial organization, Stemnovate acquires samples with the donor's informed consent. The process of obtaining these samples is conducted transparently and ethically, ensuring that the rights and privacy of the donors are respected at all times.
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As part of the process, donors or volunteers are provided with information about the research objectives and usage and given the opportunity to inquire about the purpose, storage, and commercial process, as well as the withdrawal and anonymization of the samples.
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The company is committed to upholding the regulations set forth by the Human Tissue Authority in the United Kingdom and the ethical standards outlined by the Health Research Authority. This dedication ensures that Stemnovate's practices are not only legal but also ethical, providing a strong sense of reassurance to donors and the wider community about the company's integrity and commitment to ethical biobanking.
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We sincerely appreciate all the volunteers who have supported our biobanking initiative. Their donations and participation in our studies contribute to the advancement of medical research and can potentially improve healthcare outcomes for the wider community. The stories and experiences shared by families and participants are heartening and reinforce the importance of our work.
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We acknowledge the invaluable support of the families who have come forward to donate samples for our Alzheimer's studies. Similarly, obtaining whole organ donations is significant for our liver platform. Drug-induced liver failure and variable drug responses are major concerns for the safety of new medicines. As obtaining such organs and tissues is challenging, Stemnovate generates stem cells from skin and blood cells and then directs them to become liver cells and other cell types, such as brain and heart cells.
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Stemnovate currently supplies cells to numerous top researchers and ships them globally. The company aims to address gender bias and promote inclusivity, ensuring research representation of all ethnicities and ages. This approach will not only make new medicines safer but also more effective.
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On World Organ Donation Day in August, the theme "Be the Reason for Someone's Smile Today" will promote awareness about the importance of organ donation. Stemnovate is committed to raising awareness about the shortage of donors, especially among young children and individuals with rare conditions such as mitochondrial diseases.
Join us in our research to contribute to developing new medicines and therapies. Your participation makes a difference.
Resources 
&nbsp; &nbsp; <a title="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00428-021-03151-0" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00428-021-03151-0">1. Basic principles of biobanking: from biological samples to precision medicine for patients.&nbsp;</a>
&nbsp; &nbsp;<a title="https://doi.org/10.1787/11d960b7-en" href="https://doi.org/10.1787/11d960b7-en"> 2. &ldquo;Building and sustaining collaborative platforms in genomics and biobanks for health innovation&rdquo;, OECD Science, Technology and&nbsp; Industry Policy Papers, No. 102, OECD Publishing, Paris.</a>
&nbsp; &nbsp;<a title="https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/02/08/default-calendar/who-public-health-laboratories-knowledge-sharing-webinars-bio-banking" href="https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/02/08/default-calendar/who-public-health-laboratories-knowledge-sharing-webinars-bio-banking">3. &nbsp;</a><a title="https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/02/08/default-calendar/who-public-health-laboratories-knowledge-sharing-webinars-bio-banking" href="https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2023/02/08/default-calendar/who-public-health-laboratories-knowledge-sharing-webinars-bio-banking">Biobanking: concepts and considerations</a>
&nbsp; <a title="https://www.biobankinguk.org/wp-content/uploads/UKCRCTDCC_2030Vision-DraftConsultation.pdf" href="https://www.biobankinguk.org/wp-content/uploads/UKCRCTDCC_2030Vision-DraftConsultation.pdf">&nbsp;4. State of Biobanking in the UK :&nbsp; Future Directions for Coordination</a>

Biobanking is a crucial aspect of medical research and diagnostics. It involves systematically collecting biological samples and associated data. Recent technological advancements have expanded the capabilities of biobanking, allowing for the collection, linking, tracking, and analysis of samples and data across various disease areas and institutions. 

Biobanking and Organ Donation

Innovation for rare diseases in children

We are launching a new platform dedicated to developing new treatments for rare diseases that affect children. Rare diseases are disorders that affect one in every 2000 people in the general population. <a style="color: rgb(45, 194, 107);" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36443134/">Approximately 3.5-5.9% of the population is affected by over 6,000 rare diseases</a>, with 70% occurring primarily in children. Genetic mutations account for over 70% of these cases, with 80% being inheritable.
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<a style="color: rgb(45, 194, 107);" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37568186/">Living with a rare disease can be highly challenging</a>, particularly if it begins during childhood. However, rare diseases in children do not only harm the child but cause pain for entire families. Parents are forced to watch their children suffer without proper answers as to the cause of their suffering, as there is a lack of diagnosis and treatment despite scientific advances. In addition, rare diseases carry significant ethical burdens for the clinicians who treat the children, as they have to make the difficult decision as to whether or not to continue life support. Stories such as Indi Gregory's shed light on the difficulties faced by parents of critically ill children with rare diseases. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-67396720">Indi was just six months old</a>, with a rare mitochondrial disease, when her parents hoped to convince the High Court in the United Kingdom to continue her life support.&nbsp;
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Newborn screening is a crucial tool for early diagnosis of rare diseases. However, due to the high cost and country-specific variations, there is a need to improve access to such screening. In Europe, countries such as Italy and the Netherlands screen newborns for over 40 rare diseases, while Germany and France only screen for six. In the UK,&nbsp;<a style="color: rgb(45, 194, 107);" href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/newborn-screening/overview/#:~:text=The%20newborn%20blood%20spot%20test,is%20sent%20off%20for%20testing.">newborns undergo screening for nine rare but severe health conditions.</a>
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Developing treatments for rare diseases in children takes work. It is a complex and expensive task that can take several years. Although&nbsp;<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36241954/">innovative technologies </a>like antibody therapy, enzyme replacement therapy, gene therapy, and stem cell therapy hold promise in treating several rare diseases, conducting complex clinical trials in children is challenging. As a result, pharmaceutical companies often need more time to invest in producing new therapies for rare diseases. We understand that this can be frustrating for families affected by rare diseases. Our platform, which integrates stem cell research with advanced molecular biology and tissue engineering, aims to help accelerate research and development for children with rare diseases, and we are partnering with leading pharmaceutical companies to find new treatments.
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We also aim to raise public awareness about rare diseases, as people living with rare diseases and their struggles often remain invisible to the rest of the world.
We are calling for the participation of family members and parents of children diagnosed with rare diseases to volunteer in our research studies. Together, we can strive to discover a cure that will significantly impact the lives of those affected by these conditions.
You can email us at&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="mailto:info@stemnovate.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">info@stemnovate.co.uk</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener">send your queries</a>.
<a title="Register Now" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/campaign/volunteer-for-alpers">Volunteer for mitochondrial research study&nbsp; </a>
<a title="https://stemnovate.co.uk/campaign/volunteer-for-alpers" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/campaign/volunteer-for-alpers">Register Now</a>
References
Somanadhan S, O'Donnell R, Bracken S, McNulty S, Sweeney A, O'Toole D, Rogers Y, Flynn C, Awan A, Baker M, O'Neill A, McAneney H, Gibbs L, Larkin P, Kroll T. Children and young people's experiences of living with rare diseases: An integrative review. J Pediatr Nurs. 2023 Jan-Feb;68:e16-e26. doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2022.10.014. Epub 2022 Nov 25. PMID: 36443134.
Beckman RA, Antonijevic Z, Ghadessi M, Xu H, Chen C, Liu Y, Tang R. Innovations in Clinical Development in Rare Diseases of Children and Adults: Small Populations and/or Small Patients. Paediatr Drugs. 2022 Nov;24(6):657-669. doi: 10.1007/s40272-022-00538-7. Epub 2022 Oct 15. PMID: 36241954.

Stemnovate new platform is dedicated to developing new treatments for rare diseases that affect children 

Stemnovate innovates for rare diseases in children

Women in science

Attention, all the ladies! You are phenomenal, and your passion for science is worth celebrating. Keep up the incredible work and continue to inspire the world with your brilliance!

Women in science - you are worthy of your passion

Furry companions

Specialisations define the medical world; human and veterinary medicine is broad because their subjects come in all shapes, sizes and furs.
It is important to test drugs intended for human use on animals before use to ensure their safety. However, the boundaries between testing drugs on animals and ensuring their safety for humans can sometimes become blurred. Researchers all over the world conduct experiments to gain a better understanding of diseases. By testing these drugs on animals beforehand, we can ensure that they meet specific standards and avoid potential harm to humans. Therefore, animal testing plays a vital role in guaranteeing the safety and effectiveness of human drugs.
<a href="https://journals.lww.com/journalacs/citation/2022/09000/the_story_of_charles_guthrie_and_alexis_carrel.29.aspx">Alexis Carrel and Charles Guthrie performed the first heart transplant in 1905 </a>at the University of Chicago in the dogs (1). <a href="https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/helping-you-to-decide/about-organ-donation/statistics-about-organ-donation/">In 2022-23,&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/helping-you-to-decide/about-organ-donation/statistics-about-organ-donation/">two hundred fourteen human heart transplants&nbsp;</a><a href="https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/helping-you-to-decide/about-organ-donation/statistics-about-organ-donation/">&nbsp;were carried out in the United Kingdom (2). </a>There would be no vaccines for smallpox, polio and numerous other diseases without monkeys, cows and mice.
<a href="https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project">2003 was significant for the human genome project,</a> but we have had finer tools since then, such as computational methods and ever-evolving sequencing technologies (3). Unsurprisingly, we have sequences of flies, mosquitoes, rodents, cats, dogs, horses, cows, alligators, and the list continues.
It is a known fact that humans and animals share genetic similarities. For instance, chimpanzees share 98% of their DNA with humans, while dogs share 94% and cows 80%. However, despite these similarities, each species is unique due to subtle differences. Understanding these differences is crucial in comprehending evolution, physiological processes, and disease pathways.
&nbsp;
Unfortunately, there is little communication between scientific fields and specialists, which can hinder progress. In the 19th century, Rudolf Virchow proposed the concept of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4790223/">"One medicine," </a>which emphasizes the interconnectedness of humans, animals, and the environment. This concept has led to better understanding of zoonotic diseases, and notable work has been done by James Steele, who founded the Veterinary Public Health division in the USA in 1947. In addition, Calvin Schwabe coined "One Medicine" at the University of California, highlighting the importance of the interrelationships among humans, animals, and the environment, which are critical to health.
Recent outbreaks of COVID and EBOLA highlight the significance of one medicine. <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/here-s-why-denmark-culled-17-million-minks-now-plans-n1249610">Denmark culled 17 million mink in 200 or more farms in response to COVID-19</a> (5). Zoonosis affects billion and millions of deaths occur every year due to diseases transmitted from animals to humans.
&nbsp;Dogs exhibit components of human non-communicable diseases, for example, visceral obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension and hyperglycaemia. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-00087-7">Obesity affcets humans and dogs alike</a> with insulin resistance, increased cholesterol and blood pressure (6).&nbsp;
<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34651755/">Cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) affects cats</a> aged 11 years and above and interestingly shares similarities with human Alzheimer's disease (AD), where cognitive decline ultimately results in dementia. The neuropathologies in cats have shown accumulation of&nbsp;&beta;-amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau deposits (7).
Stemnovate platform successfully implements one medicine and one health concept for research and drug discovery. We undertake human preclinical research and develop disease models for the liver, heart, and neurodegeneration disorders like Alzeheimer's.&nbsp;
In parallel, we have an <a href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/Applications/Animal-Health">animal health platform</a> whereby we create in vitro models, i.e., laboratory models with multiple cell types for numerous animal species including cats, dogs, horses and cows.
We can ensure safe treatments for humans while advancing animal health and, in the process, create unique bioengineering models.&nbsp;
We have dedicated projects on the industrialisation of these unique concepts where we are reducing and replacing animal testing.
With the arrival of the New Year, we are excited to announce the launch of our new platform. We facilitate advanced research in animal health, which includes providing access to advanced bioinformatics and data for animal breed and gender identification, cell bioengineering, and application development for drug discovery and disease modelling. We are excited to gather and analyse data from both humans and animals to overcome medical challenges and improve the lives of everyone, including our furry companions.
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References&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Skladman, Rachel MD; Hanto, Douglas W MD, PhD, MBE; Sacks, Justin M MD, MBA, FACS. The Story of Charles Guthrie and Alexis Carrel. Journal of the American College of Surgeons 235(3):p 559-565, September 2022. | DOI: 10.1097/XCS.0000000000000290.</li>
<li>https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/helping-you-to-decide/about-organ-donation/statistics-about-organ-donation/</li>
<li>https://www.genome.gov/human-genome-project</li>
<li>Gyles C. One Medicine, One Health, One World. Can Vet J. 2016 Apr;57(4):345-6. PMID: 27041751; PMCID: PMC4790223.</li>
<li>https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/here-s-why-denmark-culled-17-million-minks-now-plans-n1249610#</li>
<li>Heeley, A.M., O'Neill, D.G., Davison, L.J.&nbsp;et al.&nbsp;Diabetes mellitus in dogs attending UK primary-care practices: frequency, risk factors and survival.&nbsp;Canine Genet Epidemiol&nbsp;7, 6 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40575-020-00087-7</li>
<li>Sordo L, Gunn-Moore DA. Cognitive Dysfunction in Cats: Update on Neuropathological and Behavioural Changes Plus Clinical Management. Vet Rec. 2021 Jan;188(1):e3. doi: 10.1002/vetr.3. Epub 2021 Jan 12. PMID: 34651755.</li>
</ol>

Stemnovate's revolutionary 'One Medicine' platform now offers a significant advantage for both humans and animals. Don't miss the opportunity to experience this cutting-edge technology.

One Medicine platform for humans and animals gets an edge

Osteoporosis 

How can space excursion affect our bones?

Reducing Carbon Footprint

Large public biotech and pharmaceutical companies are globally responsible for more than 200 million metric tons of carbon dioxide and equivalent emissions (<a href="#ref1">1</a>).
&nbsp;
At Stemnovate Limited, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and doing our part to help protect the environment. As a biotech company, we are aware of the impact that our operations and shipping can have on the environment, and we are taking steps to minimise that impact.
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One of the ways we're doing this is by reducing excess packaging. In science, it's common to receive small vials of materials packaged in layers of boxes and packing material. We're working to reduce this excess packaging by using more efficient shipping methods, renewable freezer packs, and smaller box sizes. (<a href="#ref3">3</a>)
&nbsp;
We're also exploring renewable media bottles. We aim to have bottles that can be recycled, sterilised and reused, reducing our reliance on plastic consumables. In addition, we're exploring alternatives to replace plastic consumables whenever possible and have reduced our paper usage by transitioning to digital documents. Here at Stemnovate, we offer a great chance to get hold of a Stemnovate recycling bag upon purchase by request (<a href="#ref4">4</a>).
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Another way we're reducing our environmental impact is by accomplishing more with less. We're proud to be an efficient lab that can perform larger-scale projects with fewer resources than a more extensive lab would typically use. We accomplish this by integrating advanced techniques that help reduce our environmental impact, but it also helps us save money and be more efficient overall. (<a href="#ref5">5</a>)
&nbsp;
Upon research, we discovered that one of the most effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint is to reduce our energy consumption. We will implement energy-efficient practices throughout our facilities, including using LED lighting and motion sensors to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
&nbsp;
We understand the importance of sustainable practices in our industry. We are committed to using sustainable materials and reducing harmful chemicals in our operations. We are also committed to reducing our carbon footprint through research and development efforts. Our goal is to develop <a style="color: rgb(230, 126, 35);" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215038217306039">sustainable and environmentally</a> friendly products that can help reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. We are reducing animal testing with a positive effect on sustainability.
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At Stemnovate Limited, reducing our carbon footprint is our responsibility as a company and our duty as global citizens. We are committed to doing our part to protect the environment and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. We encourage other companies to join us in this effort and take action to <a href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/">reduce their carbon footprint</a>.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The<a style="color: rgb(230, 126, 35);" href="https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/"> urgency in reducing carbon footprint</a> is a must as worldwide the pharmaceutical industry's carbon footprint is greater than that of the automotive industry .
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Together we can find new and innovative ways to minimise our environmental impact and help create a greener future. By working together and taking small steps, we can make a big difference in protecting the planet.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
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REFERENCES:
<ol>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a class="ref1" href="https://www.statnews.com/2023/03/29/climate-health-biotech-pharma-sustainability/#:~:text=Globally%2C%20large%20public%20biotech%20and,estimates%20from%20one%202022%20report">https://www.statnews.com/2023/03/29/climate-health-biotech-pharma-sustainability/#:~:text=Globally%2C%20large%20public%20biotech%20and,estimates%20from%20one%202022%20report</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
<a class="ref3" href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329973496_Packaging_in_biotechnology_Industry_trends_challenges_and_solutions">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329973496_Packaging_in_biotechnology_Industry_trends_challenges_and_solutions</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&nbsp;<a class="ref3" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215038217306039">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215038217306039</a>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" aria-level="1">
&nbsp;<a class="ref5" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215038217306039">https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2215038217306039</a>
</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;

Checking Our Carbon Footprints

Cats

Move over, dogs; there's a new furry friend in town! That's right; we're talking about cats! These adorable and quirky creatures have been winning over hearts for centuries. From their playful antics to soothing purrs, cats make us feel at home.
Did you know cats also play an essential role in biomedical research? That's right; these lovable felines are helping scientists discover mysteries of human diseases and develop new treatments.
&nbsp;
Cats have been part of biomedical research for many years (<a href="#ref1">1</a>). Scientists use cats to study various medical conditions, from cardiovascular disease to neurological disorders and have played an essential role in developing new treatments and therapies. For example, cats have been used to study the effects of high blood pressure on the eyes and have helped researchers develop new treatments for glaucoma. Cats have also been used to study the impact of various drugs on the cardiovascular system and have helped researchers develop new treatments for heart disease (<a href="#ref2">2</a>).&nbsp;
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Cats also suffer from leukaemia, Alzheimer's, infections, and immunodeficiency. Sordo et al., 2021 reported that elderly cats develop age-related behavioural and neuropathological changes that ultimately lead to cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). At Stemnovate, we have developed new-generation cell models for humans and companion animals, including cats and dogs. Our project on Alzheimer's disease is exciting as cats show similar conditions due to their long life span. We are collaborating on research related to stem cells and regenerative medicine. Our work on Alzheimer's disease involves studying tauopathies, and we are partnering with the Babraham Institute. Our work involves developing new therapies for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis (<a href="#ref3">3</a>).&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The use of animals in research is controversial, and many people are concerned about animal welfare. However, animal welfare is a top priority in biomedical research, and strict regulations are in place to ensure that animals use is humane and ethical. Researchers must also use alternative methods, such as computer simulations and cell cultures, whenever possible to minimise animal use in research.&nbsp;
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It is important to note that we at Stemnovate are not performing any research on live animals. Still, we create cell models in the laboratory from a minimal amount of tissue donated from routine surgeries, which otherwise would be discarded. The tissues are quality assured to be free of microbial contamination, and then we reprogram them to form stem cells, also known as Induced pluripotent stem cells. We have been creating these models for years to differentiate these stem cells into neurons, heart, liver, etc. These models have tremendous potential for studying many animal diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, modelling sensory neurons, and muscle disorders. (<a href="#ref4">4</a>) (<a href="#ref5">5</a>)
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We are an animal-friendly company and take pride in our work on cell models as animal alternatives. We thank all pet owners and veterinarians who have been supporting our work.
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Keep yourself updated by following our social platforms or subscribing to our newsletter.&nbsp;
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Find more about our new cell products for feline research.
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References
(1) <a class="ref1" style="word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/what-is-animal-research/a-z-animals/cat">https://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/what-is-animal-research/a-z-animals/cat</a>
(2) <a class="ref2" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36315028/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36315028/</a>
(3) <a class="ref3" style="word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2021.684607/full">https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fragi.2021.684607/full</a>
(4) <a class="ref4" style="word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.babraham.ac.uk/news/2023/02/stemnovate-and-babraham-institute-collaboration">https://www.babraham.ac.uk/news/2023/02/stemnovate-and-babraham-institute-collaboration</a>
(5) <a class="ref5" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/About-Us">https://stemnovate.co.uk/About-Us</a>

Cell models are animal alternatives for new drug discovery

What Cats Have To Do With Alzheimer's Disease?

Bio-2023

We here at Stemnovate were thrilled to attend the Bio International Convention-2023 from June 5th-8th. The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center meeting in the USA featured many talks, workshops, and networking events (<a href="#ref1">1</a>).
One of the highlights of the event was the great networking opportunities. We met with various international pharma and biotech professionals, a fantastic opportunity to share ideas and learn from others.(<a href="#ref2">2</a>) As a company, we were also pleased to see that gender and ethnic diversity are considered essential aspects of the new era of drug development (<a href="#ref3">3</a>). The adverse drug reaction remains the 'Achilles Heel' of drug discovery, and non inclusive clinical trials have hampered the value. The convention provided a forum for discussions on the importance of diversity and how it can improve the quality of research and development.
Our company has a dedicated platform addressing gender and ethnic diversity for research and health equity. Our biobank of human cells meets the requirements for variety in cell types and represents human variability in drug metabolism (<a href="#ref4">4</a>).&nbsp;
The FDA representatives shared information on compliance in drug discovery. The innovations for reducing animal testing are an essential point of discussion (<a href="#ref5">5</a>).
We here at Stemnovate are doing some innovative work in the biotechnology field, especially the 3Rs, that is, reducing, replacing and refining animal testing. Our multispecies models for companion animals are unique approaches that could benefit animals and humans. By studying the same biological processes in multiple model systems, we may better understand the biology in question and develop more effective treatments. We now provide these unique models to the pharma industry and leading research institutions (<a href="#ref6">6</a>).
The Fireside chats were exciting and pleasant to hear from many industry leaders from GSK, MERCK, and Sanofi. Artificial intelligence, gene therapies and drug discovery for orphan diseases were other hot topics.&nbsp;
Overall, the Bio23 conference was a fantastic opportunity for networking with some of the brightest minds in biotechnology and the pharma industry. We left the event feeling inspired and energised, and we can't wait to see what exciting developments will come out of the conference in the years to come!
&nbsp;
References
(1) <a class="ref1" href="https://www.bio.org/events/bio-international-convention">https://www.bio.org/events/bio-international-convention</a>
(2) <a class="ref2" href="https://www.bio.org/events/bio-international-convention/sessions/2393206">https://www.bio.org/events/bio-international-convention/sessions/2393206</a>
(3) <a class="ref3" href="https://dndi.org/advocacy/gender-equity-in-drug-development/">https://dndi.org/advocacy/gender-equity-in-drug-development/</a>
(4) <a class="ref4" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/Applications/Drug-Discovery-Platform">https://stemnovate.co.uk/Applications/Drug-Discovery-Platform</a>
(5) <a class="ref5" style="word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.npr.org/2023/01/12/1148529799/fda-animal-testing-pharmaceuticals-drug-development"> https://www.npr.org/2023/01/12/1148529799/fda-animal-testing-pharmaceuticals-drug-development</a>
(6) <a class="ref6" href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/Applications/Animal-Health">https://stemnovate.co.uk/Applications/Animal-Health</a>

Stemnovate at Bio-2023, Boston : Stand Up for Science

International Women's Day 

&nbsp;
&nbsp;
International women's day is, of course, today, the 8th of March, and it's been 48 years since the United Nations recognized this day as women's day in 1975, which was also an international Women's Year.&nbsp;
This year united nations theme is&nbsp;&nbsp;DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
The key facts are that 37% of women do not use the Internet, and their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) get limited <a href="https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day/background">(1)</a>.&nbsp;
It has an impact not only on the economy but also on the health of women worldwide. Women are involved in more adverse drug reactions than men across different countries.&nbsp;
Gender bias creates a disadvantage for a girl child right from birth. We often talk about equality but still are far from having an open discussion about gender equity. Gender equity is&nbsp;the process of being fair to women and men. To ensure fairness, we must address social disadvantages that prevent women from operating on a level playing field with men <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/equity-equality-women-iwd/">(2)</a>.&nbsp;
<h2>As a businesswoman, I believe in creating a space that allows individuals to grow to the best of their potential and use this platform to bring positive change in society.</h2>
We are promoting STEM education and have a Stemnovate ambassador program that allows students to come and get work experience with us <a href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/jobdetails/STEMJOB-94955?trk=organization_guest_main-feed-card_feed-article-content">(3)</a>.
On the science front, we have a unique platform that addresses the need for a fair evaluation of the role of genetics and gender differences in diseases and understanding physiological functions better.
Our biobank is creating this value because several women have read about our research focus and volunteered to give their samples with informed consent for commercial use allowing researchers around the world to have inclusive studies.&nbsp;
We continue our journey in drug discovery to understand the role of gender and ethnicity on our health and disease <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8950058/">(4)</a> so that better treatment can be made available to all, irrespective of social and economic barriers.
&nbsp;
References
<ol>
<li>https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day/background</li>
<li>https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2023/03/equity-equality-women-iwd/</li>
<li>https://stemnovate.co.uk/jobdetails/STEMJOB-94955?trk=organization_guest_main-feed-card_feed-article-content</li>
<li>Brabete AC, Greaves L, Maximos M, Huber E, Li A, L&ecirc; ML. A Sex- and Gender-Based Analysis of Adverse Drug Reactions: A Scoping Review of Pharmacovigilance Databases. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2022 Feb 28;15(3):298. doi: 10.3390/ph15030298. PMID: 35337096; PMCID: PMC8950058.</li>
</ol>

International women's day: opportunities for positive change

Alzheimer's disease

We all wish to have superhero powers to overcome life's challenges. But sometimes superheroes need help too. For example, Thor is a superhero character in Marvel comics and movies, played by Chris Hemsworth. &nbsp;Recently, Chris made a public announcement about his risk of developing Alzheimer's; his grandfather, unfortunately, had Alzheimer's disease <a href="#ref1">1</a>.&nbsp;
According to WHO, 55 million people live with dementia worldwide. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form contributing to 60-70% of cases, and is one of the significant causes of disability and dependency among older people globally <a href="#ref2">2</a>.
Alzheimer's disease is a disorder that causes degeneration of the cells in the brain marked by loss of cognitive functioning &mdash; thinking, remembering, and reasoning &mdash; and behavioural abilities to such an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life and activities. The risk of disease increases with ageing, but other factors like genetics, head injuries, vascular diseases, infections, and environmental factors can be contributing factors. Currently, there is no cure for this condition, nor can we prevent or diagnose Alzheimer's at its early stages <a href="#ref3">3</a>.&nbsp;
We can only develop a treatment by understanding disease progression, so we need reliable disease models.&nbsp;
Our research focuses on understanding the mechanism of Alzheimer, and one target is abnormal tau protein metabolism. Tau is a mature neuron's major microtubule-associated protein (MAP). This protein gets hyperphosphorylated in Alzheimer's and accumulates in the brain <a href="#ref4">4</a>.&nbsp;
One of the targets for treatment can be clearing these protein accumulations. And for that, we can look into the body's self-cleaning mechanism called autophagy.&nbsp;
We can only prove our hypothesis if we have blood samples or a tiny skin biopsy from patients with Alzheimer's and other usually aged individuals. Therefore, we aim to obtain these samples under informed consent for this work.&nbsp;&nbsp;
We use cells from blood or small biopsy to create neurons in the laboratory and test probable drug molecules for developing a treatment.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Our mission is to develop reliable disease models that researchers use to fast create a cure for this neurodegenerative condition and enable healthy ageing.&nbsp;
If you are at risk of Alzheimer's or have a family member diagnosed with Alzheimer's and would like to volunteer, please get in touch with our team by emailing <a href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/contact-us">info@stemnovate.co.uk.</a><a href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/contact-us">&nbsp;</a>
&nbsp;
References
<ol>
<li><a class="ref1" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63668310">&nbsp;https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63668310</a></li>
<li><a class="ref2" href="2)%20https:/www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia">https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia</a></li>
<li><a class="ref3" href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16984-1">Silva, M.C., Nandi, G.A., Tentarelli, S.&nbsp;et al.&nbsp;Prolonged tau clearance and stress vulnerability rescue by pharmacological activation of autophagy in tauopathy neurons.&nbsp;Nat Commun&nbsp;11, 3258 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16984-1.</a></li>
<li><a class="ref4" href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-022-01084-8">Lee, JH., Yang, DS., Goulbourne, C.N.&nbsp;et al.&nbsp;Faulty autolysosome acidification in Alzheimer's disease mouse models induces autophagic build-up of A&beta; in neurons, yielding senile plaques.&nbsp;Nat Neurosci&nbsp;25, 688&ndash;701 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01084-8Lee, JH., Yang, DS., Goulbourne, C.N.&nbsp;et al.&nbsp;Faulty autolysosome acidification in Alzheimer's disease mouse models induces autophagic build-up of A&beta; in neurons, yielding senile plaques.&nbsp;Nat Neurosci&nbsp;25, 688&ndash;701 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01084-8</a></li>
</ol>

Alzheimer's disease is a brain condition that affects memory and thinking skills leading to dementia

Alzheimer's disease: Volunteer to tackle dementia

Cell differentiation

Contaminated Blood: Lessons to Learn

&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/11/what-is-the-contaminated-blood-scandal">In the 1970s and 1980s, the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS resulted in an estimated 2,400 deaths of HIV- and hepatitis C-infected patients</a>.<a href="#R1">1&nbsp;</a><a style="font-size: 14px;" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62565747">Government officials have confirmed that survivors of the contaminated blood scandal will receive interim payments of&nbsp;&pound;100,000&nbsp;this week</a>.<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 18pt;"><a href="#R2">2</a>
 People with bleeding disorders and those with haemophilia contracted these infections through blood products in the 1970s.&nbsp; Despite this, it wasn't until this year (2022), after more than 3,000 people died, that compensation payments began. Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver, and if left untreated, it can lead to liver scarring, also called cirrhosis. In severe cases, it can lead to liver failure or liver cancers; unfortunately, no treatment is available.
 Better screening in clinical settings and research are needed to avoid repeat of such incidents. Knowing the source of biological and therapeutic materials used in the clinic is essential for patients. To ensure the safety and reliability of our products, we test our high-quality cells for HIV-1, HIV-2, Hepatitis-A, Hepatitis-B, Hepatitis-C&nbsp;and mycoplasma. Furthermore, we integrate sequencing and bioinformatics as essential quality control to enable microbial species identification.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
The blood scandal though a tragedy&nbsp;is also an opportunity to learn how these viruses affect different individuals. Our human population shows a variable response to infections and treatments because of our gender, nutrition, health and ethnicity. Some of the individuals exposed to these contaminated samples remained unaffected by the hepatitis C virus. The individuals showing resistance even after exposure opened a window for research to examine the factors involved in disease development and progression.&nbsp;But, obtaining tissues from internal organs such as the liver and heart for research is challenging.&nbsp; Stemnovate's induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have huge potential&nbsp;to model liver diseases. We work on <a style="font-size: 14px;" href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2012/press-release/">reprogramming cells</a>; this <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/2012/press-release/">Noble prize winning technology</a> allows skin cells from biopsies or blood cells to form stem cells ethically without using embryos. So induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are an excellent tool for creating liver cells.&nbsp; These cells can be generated directly from patients with specific diseases and model the natural progression of the disease in vitro, thus making them an ideal tool to model liver diseases.
 <a style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); font-size: 14px;" href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/hepatitis-cliona-ofarrelly-trinity">Stemnovate is working with Prof Cliona O'Farrelly at Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland) to find out why some people can block infection by hepatitis C viruses to understand the progression of Hepatitis C disease and improve treatments</a>.<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 18pt;"><a href="#R3">3</a> <a style="color: rgb(14, 16, 26); font-size: 14px;" href="https://www.tcd.ie/Biochemistry/research/ofarrelly/hepatitisc/">Dr O'Farrelly studies women whose immune systems prevent the hepatitis C virus from establishing an infection.</a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 18pt;"><a href="#R4">4</a> She recruited groups of women exposed to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) through a contaminated anti-D blood product, which attacks the liver. Unfortunately, many developed hepatitis C, and some could not survive the disease. To understand role of liver in immunity and viral infection variability, <a href="https://www.tcd.ie/Biochemistry/people/ofarrecl/">Prof Cliona O'Farrelly's</a> teamed up <a href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/About-Us">Dr Ruchi Sharma, CEO of&nbsp;Stemnovate </a>and <a href="https://www.ed.ac.uk/profile/david-hay">Prof David Hay,&nbsp; Director, Stemnovate and Chair of tissue engineering&nbsp;at the University of Edinburgh.</a>
&nbsp;
The Stemnovate team took over the challenge to use white&nbsp;cells from the participant's blood samples and 'reprogram' them to grow as liver cells in the lab, thus avoiding a need for invasive liver biopsies.
&nbsp;
Stemnovate is further working in partnership with Prof Cliona to model innate antiviral responses and metabolism on these iPSC-derived liver cells. This work forms a part of PhD and will be published.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Scientific research using iPSCs has the potential to model and improve treatments.&nbsp;With the broader use of sequencing and regulatory stringency, hopefully, there will be no scandal remotely related to infected blood in the future. Nevertheless, it is heartbreaking to lose precious lives, as in these tragic events.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<a style="color: rgb(230, 126, 35);" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-69027421">&nbsp;https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-69027421</a>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<h2 dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">References:-</h2>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: bold;">&nbsp;<a class="R1" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jul/11/what-is-the-contaminated-blood-scandal" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 10pt;">Boseley S. What is the contaminated blood scandal?. <span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 10pt;">The guardian<span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 10pt;">. 2017.</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><a class="R2" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-62458081"><span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 10pt;"> Triggle N. Infected blood victims to get &pound;100,000 compensation. <span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 10pt;">bbc<span style="font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 10pt;">. 2022.</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><a class="R3" href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/hepatitis-cliona-ofarrelly-trinity" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> O&rsquo;Connell C. Hepatitis C: Could this research help us tackle viruses?. siliconrepublic. 2018.</a></li>
<li style="font-weight: bold;"><a class="R4" href="https://www.tcd.ie/Biochemistry/research/ofarrelly/hepatitisc/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> Liver Immunology: Hepatitis C - School of Biochemistry and Immunology - Trinity College Dublin. Tcd.ie. https://www.tcd.ie/Biochemistry/research/ofarrelly/hepatitisc/. Published 2022. Accessed August 26, 2022</a></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

What is to learn from the contaminated blood scandals ?

Hepatitis

<h4>The need for new liver research tools</h4>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Liver diseases dramatically impact patients' quality of life worldwide and account for approximately 2 million deaths per year worldwide, 1 million due to complications of cirrhosis and 1 million due to viral hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma <a href="#Ref1">1</a>. In addition, some cases progress to organ failure and require liver transplantation. Therefore, understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of liver disease is a research priority.
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">&nbsp;
<h4 style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">The problem with current tools</h4>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Current approaches include animal testing for drug screening and toxicity; and animal modelling of acquired and genetic liver pathologies.
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">One of the main problems with these approaches is that differences between animals and humans in liver pathways make the drug discovery and toxicology findings challenging to extrapolate to humans and now necessitate the use of in vitro models of the human liver <a href="#Ref2">2</a>.
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">&nbsp;
<h4 style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">IPSCs disease modelling</h4>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Stemnovate generates hepatocyte cells from skin fibroblasts and blood cells reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cells have the potential for disease modelling, drug testing, and future cellular therapies <a href="#Ref3">3</a>.
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">iPSCs have multiple advantages compared with animal testing. First, disease modelling is more accurate when done in humans. Using these cells avoids patients' need for invasive biopsies. Furthermore, iPSCs have self-renewing properties nearly indefinitely. It is incredible that by adding growth factors and small molecules, iPSCs differentiate into liver cells in vitro <a href="#Ref4">4</a>. Therefore liver differentiation allows liver generation from patients with particular backgrounds to study genotype-phenotype relationships. Such a model can be crucial in drug development and modelling liver diseases such as hepatitis B/C viral infections and even cancers.
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">To differentiate these cells, we induce definitive endoderm to generate hepatic progenitor cells and final maturation to liver cells by adding specific cocktails of growth factors in culture. These cells express albumin, CK18, cytochrome p450 enzymes, alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT), and asialoglycoprotein receptor1 and function similar to primary human hepatocytes.
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">iPSCs can be generated directly from patients with specific diseases and model the natural progression of the disease in vitro, thus making them an ideal tool to model liver diseases. <a href="https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/hepatitis-cliona-ofarrelly-trinity">For example, Stemnovate is working with Prof Cliona O'Farrelly at Trinity College (Dublin, Ireland)</a> to find out why some people can block infection by hepatitis C to improve treatment. Dr O'Farrelly studies women whose immune systems prevent the hepatitis C virus from establishing an infection. She recruited groups of women exposed to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) through a contaminated anti-D blood product, which attacks the liver. Unfortunately, many developed hepatitis C and some died from the disease. <a href="https://stemnovate.co.uk/blogs/what-is-to-learn-from-the-contaminated-blood-scandals-question-mark">To do this, Prof Cliona O'Farrelly's team teamed up with Stemnovate to use white cells from the participant's blood samples and 'reprogram' them to grow as liver cells in the lab, avoiding this way invasive liver biopsies.</a>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">At Stemnovate, we have focused on creating liver in vitro and industrialising the process by creating a biobank of fully characterised IPSC lines and a reproducible liver differentiation method, ensuring biomarker profiling and functionality.&nbsp;
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">Furthermore, we are innovating new applications that have the potential to help new treatment development for liver cirrhosis and liver cancers.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<img style="width: 100%; height: 100%; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Reprogramming-Differentiation" src="https://stemnovateimages.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com//Productimg/ReprogrammingDifferentiation.gif" alt="Reprogramming-Differentiation" width="100%">
Drugs or their intermediary metabolites can have a toxic effect and induce liver injury, which is the leading cause of acute liver failure and the major reason for drug withdrawal from the market. The search for models that could predict liver toxicity has been a challenge so far. Primary hepatocytes are considered the "gold standard" for drug metabolism and drug toxicity screenings, but their availability is dependent on human donors.
The use of iPSCs-derived hepatocytes in vitro for drug toxicity screenings offers a solution to this problem. Stemnovate iPSCs-derived hepatocytes have been used as a system to study the long-term toxicity of hepatotoxic compounds.
&nbsp;
<h3 style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">References</h3>
<p style="font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(14, 16, 26); background-color: transparent; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;">&nbsp;
<ol>
<li><a class="Ref1" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30266282/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> Asrani SK, Devarbhavi H, Eaton J, Kamath PS. Burden of liver diseases in the world. J Hepatol. 2019 Jan;70(1):151-171. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2018.09.014. Epub 2018 Sep 26. PMID: 30266282.</a></li>
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