CSIRO and the Australian Stem Cell Centre are collaborating in all four of the newly announced Collaborative Streams.
The Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC) was founded in 2002 to capitalise on Australia’s significant strengths in the field of stem cell research.
Together with its partnering organisations, the ASCC supports a critical mass of internationally competitive Australian stem cell research.
The growth and maturation of the Australian stem cell field created a need to consolidate the research, to maximise the outcomes and to fund innovative research.
Excellence in Australian stem cell research
The growth and maturation of the Australian stem cell field created a need to consolidate the research, to maximise the outcomes and to fund innovative research.
The four new ASCC Collaborative Streams are an innovative way of funding stem cell research in Australia. Each Stream consists of a network of high-calibre Australian scientists with internationally-recognised leaders who have agreed to work collaboratively to solve key questions in stem cell research and translation.
The Collaborative Streams consist of 32 research modules from across Australia, built around four important themes of stem cell research:
Announced in July 2009, the Collaborative Streams have been allocated a total of A$15.4 million from the ASCC to fund the research until June 2011.
These leading stem cell researchers will be involved in the following Collaborative Streams:
Associate Professor David Haylock:
Associate Professor Susie Nilsson:
Dr Andrew Laslett:
Collaborative Streams
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Bioreactors and Smart Surfaces for Stem Cell Propagation
For stem cells to be used to treat disease, we need to grow them in large volumes, to guarantee they are safe for use in patients and to turn them into the cell types appropriate for treatment of different diseases.
Stream 1 will investigate various artificial surfaces and small molecules that recreate the natural environments in which stem cells grow and differentiate.
The goal is to produce large numbers of cells in controlled culture systems so that these cells can be used to treat patients.
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Reprogramming and Induction of Pluripotency
The ability to reprogram normal adult cells into more primitive pluripotent cells is a significant advance in the stem cell field that can ultimately be used to better understand disease progression and potentially to develop treatments.
Stream 2 brings together Australian researchers working with induced pluripotent cells to better understand the process of reprogramming and to test their therapeutic potential in a range of diseases.
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Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation
Pluripotent stem cells human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells have captured the public imagination because of their potential to differentiate into all the cell types in the human body.
The aim of the research in Stream 3 is to dissect and understand the signals that guide stem cells along specific pathways to mature cell types including blood, heart, pancreas, lungs and kidneys. These cells will also provide valuable tools for the understanding and potential treatment of disease.
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Adult Stem Cells
Stem cells are now thought to reside in most, if not all organs of the adult body where they are involved in day to day tissue maintenance. Despite their widely differing origins, locations and capabilities, adult stem cells share many common features.
The researchers collaborating in this Stream will develop a common approach to their projects, with the view that knowledge gained about stem cells in one organ may illuminate the characteristics and behaviour of stem cells in other organs.
Read more about the Australian Stem Cell Centre (ASCC) [external link].
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