In 2021, The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) released Standards for Human Stem Cell Use in Research aimed at enhancing rigor in preclinical research, improving inter and intra- lab reproducibility and ultimately strengthening the pipeline of therapies for patients and impact of stem cell biology on many aspects of human health and well-being.

At the same time, and arguably, one of the most impactful outcomes was the development of the “Reporting Practices for Publishing Results with Human Pluripotent and Tissue Stem Cells” checklist. This is an important resource for all early career scientists and students coming into the field and will also help established scientists, reviewers, and editors prepare and assess manuscripts for the inclusion of critical details relevant to work with pluripotent stem cells and related technologies.

Our CEO recently attended the annual ISSCR 2024 meeting in Hamburg, read her reflections on sessions reporting on extending the original standards here.

NEWS

This month we announced an exciting a new partnership with StemCultures, a life sciences company dedicated to developing innovative reagents that enhance the quality and efficiency of cell growth and differentiation in culture. This collaboration merges our expertise in complex protein manufacturing and engineering with proprietary controlled-release technologies by StemCultures to develop new reagents for precision stem cell expansion and differentiation.

We are excited to announce the launch of our first co-developed products this summer. These products aim to significantly enhance neural cell differentiation from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and introduce innovative stabilized FGF-2 products. These advancements build on the comprehensive suite of tools already developed by our companies to tackle the challenges associated with the rapid degradation of essential media components, such as growth factors and cytokines, during stem cell culture.

APPLICATION NOTE

In collaboration with Tong Li, Omer Bayraktar, and Maryna Panamarova at the Wellcome Sanger Institute

It is essential to use high-quality and biologically active recombinant proteins to maintain the neural phenotype of the iNeurons. This application note reports on the use of high purity, animal origin-free BDNF (QK050) for the maintenance of iNeurons.

NEURAL PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT

BDNF (Qk050) plays a crucial role in neural development, maintenance, and function.

Qkine animal origin-free BDNF is a reliable neural growth factor for enanced iPSC-derived neuronal cultures.

APPLICATION NOTE

This application note describes how to maintain, grow, and test the pluripotency of iPSCs cultured on Qkine vitronectin coated plates and using E8-like media containing Qkine thermostable FGF2-G3 and TGF-β1 PLUS growth factors.

iPSC PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS

Thermostable FGF-2 (Qk053) helps refine protocols and working practices for more reliable and automation-friendly stem cell culture. Uniquely Qkine thermostable FGF-2 contains no protein tags, smoothing the transition to preclinical manufacture.

Vitronectin (Qk120) fully animal origin-free with higher compliance documentation for translational applications. Qkine manufacturing processes remove the issue of endotoxin contamination associated with vitronectin produced in animal and other animal-free systems.

• Cambridge Tech Week | September 10, 2024 | Cambridge, UK
• CMS24 | September 12-13, 2024 | Silicon Valley, California
• CARMA Conference 2024 | September 17, 2024 | Bath, UK
• Europe Supplier Diversity and Inclusion Conference 2024 | September 23025, 2024 | Paris, France

Qkine are committed to producing the most high quality and bioactive growth factors and cytokines, coming soon to our range are the potent cytokines Il-7, INF-gamma and IL-18. To add to our wide range of neural growth factors, NGF and to add to the species specific growth factors, bovine PDGF-BB.