I have to admit that I never received the Fields Medal in Mathematics. Therefore, I won’t be able to develop this equation and prove that I’m right. However, what I can prove, is that in cell culture, 2 = 5.  How is this possible?

Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells and cells differentiated from iPS cells have widely been used for in vivo models human disease progression. Jason Meyer, of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, uses iPS cell-derived models to study retinogenesis and retinal disease. Two recent papers from his lab highlight the benefits of using Stemgent’s RNA reprogramming technology to enable robust differentiation of iPS cells to the retinal lineage (1, 2). RNA reprogramming technology was chosen in order for these studies to ensure that no vestiges of the reprogramming vectors were retained by the cells or integrated into the genome.

The introduction of transgenes into stem cells has shown to be a valuable experimental technique for studying stem cell biology. Transfecting stem cells without inhibiting cell viability and cell growth has shown to be difficult. DNA-In® Stem Transfection Reagent offers a simple, robust and reproducible method for delivering DNA into a wide range of stem cells, including neural stem cells. Formulated and optimized specifically for embryonic and adult stem cells, DNA-In® Stem is a new-generation transfection reagent that enables high efficiency transfection while maintaining maximum cell viability and cell growth.

In this post, I invite you to discover the benefits of using DNA-In® Stem Transfection Reagent vs. other reagents. A lot of pictures and graphs rather than long descriptions! Last but not least, DNA-In® Stem Transfection Reagent is less expensive compared to Lipofectamine reagents…

Lipotransfers are ideal for restorative surgery, but retention is a problem. In a recent study, PRP grade concentrated platelets were used for a study examining how platelet-rich plasma helps to enhance fat graft survival.

Not just for clotting blood: Platelets play a powerful role in augmenting fat grafts after transplantation. Image credit: http://commons.wikimedia.org.

In this age of crash diets and liposuction, it might sound surprising that some people receive fat transplants. But seriously, fat grafting is widely used and valued as a feasible method for addressing moderate defects caused by injuries, surgical removal of tumours, and congenital deficiencies. Fat grafting is safe and has the look and feel of normal soft tissue. However, long-term volume retention is suboptimal (30-70%), often requiring multiple surgeries.