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New stem cell tools to aid drug development
Date:9/2/2008

r and stem cell biologist, Dr Stefan Przyborski and their research groups at Durham University, who are all members of the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI). They also worked with spin-out company Reinnervate; local SME, High Force Research Ltd and Newcastle University.

Dr Przyborski said: "The key thing about these synthetic molecules is that they remain stable and are exactly the same every time you use them, ensuring more reliable scientific experiments compared to those which use ATRA. Because the results will be more scientifically robust, this will accelerate drug development using human stem cell-derived tissues and potentially reduce the numbers of animals used in such research"

"Another significant characteristic of these synthetic molecules is that they direct stem cells down specific pathways, meaning that they, individually, will be useful for very specific types of drug development work. EC23, for example, produces almost 40 per cent more neurons than ATRA."

Dr Whiting said: "We've set out to make stable mimics of natural compounds which control cell development, but in this case, not only have we uncovered a compound which is not only stable and does what the natural system does, but it actually seems to be better as well. It's a real bonus and shows the validity of the approach."

Dr Przyborski, who is also Director and Chief Scientific Officer of spin-out company Reinnervate Limited, is currently marketing EC23 through Reinnervate. He said the results showed that synthetic retinoids EC23 and EC19 could be used to replace All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA).

ATRA is sensitive to light, heat and air, and exposure to light especially causes it to degrade rapidly, meaning scientists are never sure exactly what concentration or what mixture of isomers they are working with.

The experiments on EC23 and EC19, which included highly detailed analysis by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) showe
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Contact: Dr. Stefan Przyborski
stefan.przyborski@durham.ac.uk
44-191-334-1341
Durham University
Source:Eurekalert  

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New stem cell tools to aid drug development
New stem cell tools to aid drug development