About us
Five stem cell research laboratories providing four different sources of adult (from cord blood, bone marrow and placenta) and human embryonic stem cells have teamed with two partners specialising in applied banking and fundamental cryobiological research. CRYSTAL is thus in a position to solve existing problems in an integrated, systematic approach and to provide standardised, reproducible methods and tools to advance therapeutic stem cell research in Europe.
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| The Crystal project group |
The aim of CRYSTAL is to develop tools and procedures to enable cryopreservation of different stem cell types for generation of sufficient numbers of high-quality cells suitable for safe human stem cell therapy. To this end, CRYSTAL will carry out focused research on methods, tools and protocols required for optimal cryopreservation and banking of stem cells.
In order to achieve this objective, the following unresolved methodological and experimental aspects of stem cell banking will be addressed.
Rationale
Stem cells are at the centre of biomedical research: besides advancing the basic understanding of human development and cellular differentiation processes, stem cells hold the unique potential for novel therapies of degenerative diseases such as ischemia of the heart, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and certain types of tumours. Transplantation of both heterologous and autologous haematopoietic stem cells is practised routinely to treat leukaemia or to restore the haematopoietic system of patients undergoing chemotherapy. These therapies do not currently utilise banked stem cells, but rely on the isolation and preparation of suitable cells from donors or the patient himself on a per case basis.
Future therapies of degenerative disorders, however, will have to build on a readily available, reliable and safe supply of high-quality stem cells or stem cell-derived progeny. Current banking approaches rely on storing sources of stem cells such as umbilical cord blood, but the reliable banking of defined, well-characterised stem cells (both somatic and embryonic) and conditions for reliable outgrowth are still in the stage of infancy. Isolation, identification and culture of stem cells are not standardised between laboratories, and reproducibility of protocols is limited. Culture of human embryonic stem (ES) cells routinely requires the use of animal products or cells, thus currently ruling out their therapeutical use. Cryopreservation of stem cells itself presents a challenge, as current methods represent a trade-off between preventing formation of damaging ice crystals and toxic effects of cryoprotectants. In particular, amenability of different stem cell populations to freezing is not well understood, the viability of human embryonic stem cells is low after freezing, and short- and mid-term effects of freezing on cellular properties remain to be investigated.
As it is currently not clear which sources of stem cells will be most useful for future therapeutic applications, it is vital to study a wide range of stem cells and to define a set of standardised procedures to validate stem cell preparations regarding their identity, suitability for banking and optimal conditions for cryopreservation. The CRYSTAL consortium therefore assembles experts from the areas of somatic and embryonic stem cell research, cryopreservation and stem cell banking to pursue an integrated approach to systematically address these shortcomings of current banking strategies. CRYSTAL will provide standardised, reproducible protocols, and encourage research into stem cell therapies by making its protocols publicly available and providing a solid foundation for the future development of stem cell therapies.
