Download Adult Stem Cell Research

National Centre for
Adult Stem Cell
Research
Stem cell biology from the lab to the clinic
Stem cells are at the forefront of biomedical innovation, promising new ways
to repair and replace damaged cells and tissues, and new ways to uncover the
causes of diseases, leading to new diagnostics and new drugs.
Our goal is to understand the biology of adult stem cells for their
diagnostic and clinical application in neurological disorders and diseases such as
schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron disease and multiple sclerosis.
With more than 40 research staff and students the Centre is part of
Griffith University’s Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies, drawing on
expertise across the disciplines from stem cell biology to drug discovery.
Our research focuses on applications of adult neural stem cell
biology in understanding disease, in cell therapy and in drug discovery,
drawing on techniques in molecular and cellular neurobiology, systems
biology, and bioinformatics.
With a strong clinical focus, we use stem cells from people with brain
disease to better understand disease aetiology for new diagnostics and new
therapies. With expertise in neuroanatomy, neurophysiology and behavioural
neuroscience, we use stem cells to discover new cell transplantation therapies to
repair the brain and spinal cord.
With experience in cell therapy clinical trials our goal is regenerative
medicine using the patient’s own stem cells for autologous therapies, avoiding
technical and ethical complications of other stem cells sources, including
immune rejection.
The goal of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research is to advance
adult stem cell research by:
• Increased understanding of adult stem cell biology;
• Developing technologies for adult stem cell production;
• Applying adult stem cells to understanding the cause of brain and nervous
system diseases;
• Applying adult stem cells to preclinical models of nervous system diseases;
• Applying adult stem cells to drug discovery and development.
stem
cells
the possibilities
Stem cells from the adult nervous system
stem
cells
the science
Our research uses the
stem cells that continually
regenerate the sensory nerve
cells of the olfactory mucosa,
the organ of the sense of
smell in the nose.
These cells naturally repair
the nervous system and are a
source of stem cells to repair
the brain and spinal cord and
a source of stem cells for
investigating diseases of the
nervous system.
Olfactory stem cells represent
a true “breakthrough” in adult
stem cell research.
They have the ability to
develop into many cell types
of the body including cells
from brain, heart, muscle,
liver and kidney.
They are easily accessed
via the nose using a local
anaesthetic, easily grown
in the laboratory making
them ideal for largescale investigations,
transplantations and
commercial applications.
With an accessible source
of adult stem cells and the
know-how to find, grow,
manipulate, and preserve
them, we are at the forefront
of adult stem cell research
world-wide.
Diseases and disorders of the brain and spinal cord
Cellular models of disease
The National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research centres on
five Clinical Themes: Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, motor
neuron disease, multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury which,
combined, cost Australia around $4 billion each year in health
and social costs, requiring continuing medical treatment and a
significant burden on families and carers.
These conditions are our focus in applying adult stem cell
biology to discover new diagnostics and new treatments.
In the same way that breast cancer cells are used to learn about
breast cancer, it is possible to use stem cells from people with
brain disease to learn about brain disease.
The National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research has over
50 adult stem cell lines from people with Parkinson’s disease,
schizophrenia, motor neuron disease, and other diseases.
The advantage of adult stem cells is that they can be
grown in quantity for multiple assays and can be differentiated
into cells of interest to investigate the effect of disease on the
different cells of the brain.
These patient-derived, disease-specific cell lines can
be compared to identify the gene networks and biochemical
pathways that contribute to disease and to investigate geneenvironment interactions, such as the role of toxins in the
development of brain diseases.
Cell transplantation therapies
Each year about 250 Australians suffer from spinal cord injury.
People with spinal cord injuries usually require continuing highlevel care for the rest of their lives, and suffer complications
that shorten their lives by an average of 22 years. There are no
effective treatments to repair the injured spinal cord.
A specialised cell from the olfactory mucosa, the olfactory
ensheathing cell, has proven therapeutic after transplantation in
pre-clinical experiments. With its clinical partners, the National
Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research has undertaken the first
clinical trial of olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation in
human paraplegia.
In addition to spinal cord injury we are undertaking
preclinical experiments of transplantation in Parkinson’s disease,
multiple sclerosis and motor neuron disease patients.
Images courtesy of Adrian Meedeniya and Brenton Cavanagh
New drugs and diagnostics
Adult stem cells will provide new cellular models of disease.
Stem cells from different patients with the same disease can
be compared to identify abnormalities common to all patients,
including those with known genetic causes and those with no
known cause.
Cellular pathways that are commonly dysregulated in
disease-specific stem cells, or brain cells derived from them,
will provide new biomarkers for disease diagnosis and for new
targets for drug therapies.
Disease-specific stem cells can also be used in the drug
development process for assessing the toxicity of new drug
candidates and for assessing their efficacy.
stem
cells
the research
Research teams
Research training, support and scholarships
The research of the National Centre for Adult Stem Cell
Research is organised in four Research Groups: Stem Cell
Biology, Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, Developmental
Biology and Cell Therapies. These teams bring a multidisciplinary and multi-team approach to our basic research
on stem cell biology and the clinical research themes.
Students are an integral part of research at the National
Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research, as part of its program to
encourage, educate and train young scientists. Scholarships are
offered annually to outstanding PhD and Honours candidates,
and vacation scholarships are offered to undergraduate
students to work on the Centre’s core research programs.
Students have access to all staff and facilities of the
Centre and receive support to attend national and international
meetings. Collaborations of scientists and clinicians in the
Centre keep students immersed in the potential applications of
their research in diagnosis and treatment of human disease.
Research facilities
Our extensive cell culture facility includes Australia’s only robotic
system for high throughput cell culture and a unique closed
system for stem cell culture. Other cell-based facilities include
fluorescence-activated cell sorting, digital microscopy and
live-cell imaging. Gene-based facilities include gene expression
microarray and genotype analysis.
Workflow, patient information and experimental
data are strictly managed with a laboratory information
management system that feeds into databases linking
cell-based and gene-based analyses with patient-derived
and quality-control information.
The National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research is part
of Griffith University’s Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular
Therapies, located in a $30 million purpose-built facility
funded by the Australian Government and Queensland’s
Smart State initiative.
The Institute brings together cell and molecular biologists,
structural and chemical biologists, and pharmaceutical and
medicinal chemists with the goal of discovering new therapies.
The Institute is unique in Australia with facilities and
expertise specialising in high throughput biology and chemistry
for drug discovery and systems biology.
Institute facilities include a confocal plate reader for
high-throughput cell assays, a high-throughput calcium imaging
system, and several robotic cell-free assay systems.
The Institute is home to the Queensland Compound
Library, Australia’s largest collection of bioactive compounds,
and the Queensland node of the Cooperative Research Centre
for Cancer Therapeutics.
National Centre for Adult Stem Cell Research
Eskitis Institute for Cell and Molecular Therapies
Griffith University
Brisbane Innovation Park
Don Young Road
Nathan QLD 4111 Australia
Telephone: +61 (0)7 3735 4233
Facsimile: +61 (0)7 3735 4255
Email:
stemcells@griffith.edu.au
www.griffith.edu.au/stem-cells