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Stem Cell Related Patent Number US6576464
| Title: | Methods for providing differentiated stem cells | | Inventors: | Gold, Joseph D.; San Francisco, CA, USA
Lebkowski, Jane S.; Portola Valley, CA, USA | | Summary: | This invention describes methods of depleting a human embryonic stem cell population of undifferentiated stem cells (UC) via genetically altering the UCs in a population to express a nucleic acid encoding a lethal product. The invention relates to a system for producing differentiated cells from a stem cell population wherever a relatively homogenous cell population is desirable. The cells are described as containing an effector gene under the control of a transcriptional control element, such as the TERT promoter, that causes the gene to be expressed in relatively undifferentiated cells in the population. Further disclosed are means by which the expression of the effector gene results in the depletion of UCs, or of the expression of a marker that can be used to remove such cells later. Also provided are suitable effector sequences encoding a toxin, a protein that induces apoptosis, a cell-surface antigen, or an enzyme such as thymidine kinase that converts a pro-drug into a substance that is lethal to the cell. Therapeutic applications in tissue regeneration and in drug screening are included. | | Abstract: | This invention provides a system for producing differentiated cells from a stem cell population for use wherever a relatively homogenous cell population is desirable. The cells contain an effector gene under control of a transcriptional control element (such as the TERT promoter) that causes the gene to be expressed in relatively undifferentiated cells in the population. Expression of the effector gene results in depletion of undifferentiated cells, or expression of a marker that can be used to remove them later. Suitable effector sequences encode a toxin, a protein that induces apoptosis, a cell-surface antigen, or an enzyme (such as thymidine kinase) that converts a prodrug into a substance that is lethal to the cell. The differentiated cell populations produced according to this disclosure are suitable for use in tissue regeneration, and non-therapeutic applications such as drug screening. | | US Patent Website: | Click Here for Full Text of Patent | | Title Number: | US6576464 | | Application Number: | US2001000783203 | | Date Filed: | 13/02/2001 | | Date Published: | 10/06/2003 | | Assignee: | Geron Corporation, Menlo Park, CA, USA |
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