Duke University

Stem Cell Research Program

Since stem cell treatments first became a possibility in medicine during the 1960s, DUMC researchers and physicians have played a major role in advancing their increasingly complex uses. In recent years, DUMC has worked to create a number of unique methods to apply stem cells to the treatment of cancer and rare diseases. The mission of the Duke Stem Cell Research Program is to advance the understanding of stem cells and to promote their application in the clinical realm to help save lives and reduce suffering. At the basic science level, both embryonic and adult stem cell research and a variety of model organisms, including mice, flies, and fish, are being studied.

Over the past several years, Duke scientists have demonstrated the ability to reprogram adipose—derived adult stromal cells into fat, cartilage, and bone cells. All of these cells arise from mesenchymal, or connective tissue, parentage. However, the latest experiments have demonstrated that researchers can transform these cells from fat into a totally different lineage. Earlier this year, Duke researchers demonstrated that these adipose—derived cells are truly adult stem cells. As a source of cells for treatment, adipose tissue is not only limitless but does not carry the potentially charged ethical or political concerns other stem cell sources do.

Recent experiments at DUMC have demonstrated that newly transformed adipose cells expressed many similar cellular proteins as normal nerve and glial cells. Furthermore, they showed that the functions of these cells were similar to nerves. These newly formed cells were exposed to N—methyl-D—aspartate (NMDA), an agent that blocks the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate and is toxic to nerve cells. In response to NMDA, the newly induced cells died—a response similar to that of normal nerve cells under the same conditions. The goal is to understand the rules that govern how stem cells grow and multiply and how they differentiate into many different specialized cell types. Over the past five years, Duke researchers under the direction of Farshid Guilak, Ph.D., have been investigating novel approaches to treating cartilage damage. In their experimental system, the researchers expose human adipose—derived stem cells to different cocktails of nutrients, vitamins, and growth factors. This chemical reprogramming forces these cells to progress along different paths, whether to bone, cartilage, or nerves.

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