Dental pulp marrow similar cells (DPMSC) and methods of isolating and using

Abstract

The invention provides for isolated population of pulp marrow similar cells (DPMSCs) and methods for isolating and using these cells. The population of DPMSCs are highly homogenous for CD1O, CD29, CD13, CD44, CD49a, CD49d, CD59, CD73, CDw90, CD105, Oct-4 Isoform A and B, Nanog, Sox-2, and SSEA-4.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is related to and claims the priority benefit of Italian patent application RM2008A000342, filed on Jun. 26, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates generally to compositions and methods for isolating and using dental pulp marrow similar cells (DPMSCs).BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Organ and tissue generation from stem cells and their successive transplantation provide possible treatments for a number of pathologies, making stem cells a central focus of research in many fields. Using stem cells for generation of organs and tissues for transplantation provides a possible therapy for diabetes, Parkinson's disease, liver disease, heart disease, and autoimmune disorders, to name a few. However, there are at least two major problems associated with organ and tissue transplantation. First, there is a shortage of donor organs an...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0149]DPMSCs of the present invention provide other advantages over hematopoietic stem cells for gene therapy, as well. Stem cells of the present invention are relatively easy to isolate from bone marrow aspirates obtained under local anesthesia, easy to expand in culture, and easy to transfect with exogenous genes. Adequate numbers of hematopoietic stem cells for the same purpose must be isolated from at least one liter of marrow and the cells are difficult to expand in culture (see Prockop, D. J., Science (1997) 276: 71-74).

Problems solved by technology

However, there are at least two major problems associated with organ and tissue transplantation.

First, there is a shortage of donor organs and tissues.

The second major problem is the potential incompatibility of the transplanted tissue with the immune system of the recipient.

Because the donated organ or tissue is recognized by the host immune system as foreign, anti-rejection medications must be provided to the patient at a significant cost, both financially and physically.

Unfortunately, xenotransplantation does not overcome the problem of tissue incompatibility, but even exacerbates it.

Furthermore, according to the Centers for Disease Control, there is evidence that damaging viruses cross species barriers.

Stem cells which differentiate only to form cells of hematopoietic lineage, however, are unable to provide a source of cells for repair of other damaged tissues, for example, heart or lung tissue damaged by high-dose chemotherapeutic agents.

This cell is capable of differentiating to form a number of cell types of mesenchymal origin, but has been reported by the team who isolated it to be apparently limited in differentiation potential to cells of the mesenchymal lineage since hematopoietic cells were never identified in the expanded cultures.

In addition, the degree of telomerase activity in tissue specific stem cells has not been fully explored, in part because large numbers of highly enriched populations of these cells are difficult to obtain.

Many of these studies have not conclusively demonstrated that a single cell can differentiate into tissues of different organs.

Thus, although embryonic stem cell research provides a promising alternative solution to the problem of a limited supply of organs for transplantation, the problems and risks associated with the need for immunosuppression to sustain transplantation of heterologous cells or tissue would remain.

The greatest disadvantage associated with the use of autologous stem cells for tissue transplant thus far lies in their limited differentiation potential.

A number of stem cells have been isolated from fully-developed organisms, particularly humans, but these cells, although reported to be pluripotent, have demonstrated limited potential to differentiate to multiple cell types.

While bone marrow is an excellent source of stem cells with proven therapeutic value, the process of collecting bone marrow is invasive, and, moreover, recent data implicate bone marrow stem cells in cancer development (Houghton et al., 2004).

However, none of these references describe a homogeneous population of purified stem cells which can differentiate into cells of different lineages.