Recently, laser light sources of different regimes have emerged as an essential tool in the biophotonics research area. Classic applications include, for example: manipulating single cells and their subcellular organelles, sorting cells in microfluidic channels and the cytoplasmic delivery of both genetic and non-genetic matter of varying sizes into mammalian cells. In this thesis several new findings specifically in the optical cell sorting as well as in the photo-transfection study fields are presented. In my optical cell sorting and guiding investigations, a new technique for enhancing the dielectric contrast of mammalian cells, which is a result of cells naturally engulfing polymer microspheres from their environment, is introduced. I explore how these intracellular dielectric tags influence the scattering and gradient forces upon these cells from an externally applied optical field. I show that intracellular polymer microspheres can serve as highly directional optical scatterers and that the scattering force can enable sorting through axial guiding onto laminin coated glass coverslips upon which the selected cells adhere. Following this, I report on transient photo-transfection of mammalian cells including neuroblastomas (rat/mouse and human), embryonic kidney, Chinese hamster ovary as well as pluripotent stem cells using a tightly focused titanium sapphire femtosecond pulsed laser beam spot. These investigations permitted advanced biological studies in femtosecond laser transfection: firstly, the influence of cell passage number on the transfection efficiency; secondly, the possibility to enhance the transfection efficiency via whole culture treatments of cells thereby, synchronizing them at the mitotic (M phase) as well as the synthesis phases (S phase) of the cell cycle; thirdly, this methodology can activate the up-regulation of the protective heat shock protein 70 (hsp70). Finally, I show that this novel technology can also be used to transfect mouse embryonic stem (mES) cell colonies and the ability of differentiating these cells into the extraembryonic endoderm.

Dogs are useful preclinical models for the translation of cell transplantation therapies from the bench to the bedside. In order for canine models to be utilized for stem cell transplantation research, it is necessary to advance discoveries in the fields of canine stem cell biology and transplantation. The use of side population hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has garnered much interest for the purification of mouse HSCs and has been translated to several other species, including human. In order to assess if this method of purification of HSCs could be useful for stem cell therapies in humans, safety and efficacy studies in a large animal model, such as the dog would be required. With this objective in mind, we isolated canine bone marrow-derived side population (SP) stem cells and assessed their multilineage differentiation in vitro and engraftment potential in vivo. Utilizing a pregating strategy to enrich for small, agranular SP cells we were able to enrich for blast cells, expressing the ABCG2 transmembrane pump known to be associated with murine and human SP cells. Canine SP cells were also enriched for C-KIT positive cells and lacked expression of CD34 as identified in other species. The small, agranular SP fraction had high CFU potential after long-term culture with canine bone marrow stromal cells and cytokine supplementation. Yet, canine SP cells demonstrated low-level engraftment within the NOD/SCID-β2m-/- xenotransplantation model as compared to unfractionated canine bone marrow, which was indicative of suboptimal activation of quiescent canine SP cells within the murine bone marrow niche. A second source of transplantable canine stem cells was examined through the derivation of canine embryonic stem cells (cESCs). The cESC lines described herein were determined to have similar pluripotent stem cell characteristics to human embryonic stem cells, in that they were maintained in an undifferentiated state upon extended passaging as determined by their expression of the human stem cell markers, OCT3/4, NANOG, SOX2, SSEA3, SSEA4, TRA1-60, TRA1-81 and alkaline phosphatase. In addition, cESCs could be induced to differentiate to cells of the three germ layers within in vitro embryoid body cultures and adherent differentiation cultures. Importantly, these cESC lines were the first reported to differentiate in vivo within teratomas. One method of transplanting stem cells to canine recipients involves the delivery of donor cells to the yolk sacs of developing fetuses in utero. Utilizing cells labeled with supraparamagnetic particles conjugated to a Dragon Green fluorophore and the intracellular fluorescent dye, CMTMR, donor cells were tracked from the yolk sac injection site to fetal tissues after transplantation in early (day-25) and mid (day-35) gestation canine fetuses. Labeled cells were localized primarily to the fetal liver and developing bone marrow cavities when examined at gestational day 32, and had been redistributed to not only the fetal liver and bone marrow by day 42, but also to nonhematopoietic tissues, including the lungs and hearts. No labeled cells were detected within the yolk sacs of transplanted fetuses at either time point. These studies demonstrated the efficacy of yolk sac in utero transplantation for the delivery of donor cells to fetal tissues. Collectively, these results indicate that canine stem cells with characteristics similar to human can be isolated and their engraftment, proliferation and differentiation may be assessed in future studies utilizing the canine in utero transplantation model employing yolk sac delivery.

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Der Embryonale Stammzelltest (EST) ist ein validierter In-vitro-Embryotoxizitätstest, der zur Untersuchung embryotoxischer Wirkungen von Chemikalien eingesetzt werden kann. Während des zehntägigen Differenzierungsassays differenzieren sich die pluripotenten murinen embryonalen Stammzellen (ES-Zellen) der Linie D3 in vitro in spontan kontrahierende Herzmuskelzellen. Dabei rekapitulieren sie Prozesse der frühen Embryogenese in vivo. Ein Zytotoxizitätsassay mit D3-Zellen und ausdifferenzierten, adulten 3T3-Maus-Fibroblasten dient der Ermittlung allgemeiner zytotoxischer Effekte und unterschiedlicher Sensitivitäten beider Zelllinien. Somit basiert der EST auf den beiden wichtigsten Mechanismen pränataler Toxizität, der Störung der Differenzierung und der Zytotoxizität. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, mit Hilfe des EST das embryotoxische Potential der vier Chemikalien Trichostatin A (TSA), Methylazoxymethanolacetat (MAMac), Natriumdodecylsulfat (SDS) und Benzoesäure (BA) abzuschätzen. Dazu wurde mikroskopisch ermittelt, bei welcher Testsubstanzkonzentration in 50 % der während der In-vitro-Differenzierung gebildeten Embryonalkörperchen die Kardiomyozytendifferenzierung inhibiert wird (ID50). Außerdem wurde die halbmaximale Hemmkonzentration des Zellwachstums auf die beiden Zelllinien bestimmt (IC50D3 bzw. IC503T3). Als Erweiterung dieses konventionellen EST wurden mittels quantitativer Real Time-PCR an den Tagen 5, 7 und 10 der Differenzierung zusätzlich Genexpressionsanalysen etablierter herzmuskelspezifischer Markergene (Mesoderm Posterior 1, Tag 5; Myosin light chain 1, Tag 7 und 10) durchgeführt. Deren Expression korreliert in den ES-Zellen mit der embryonalen Herzdifferenzierung in vivo und kann zur Ermittlung der von der Prüfsubstanz hervorgerufenen halbmaximalen Hemmung der Genexpression in den Kardiomyozyten (IC50 Exp) herangezogen werden. Um letztlich embryotoxische Effekte in vivo auf Grundlage der ermittelten In-vitro-Daten abschätzen zu können, wurden die ermittelten Parameter mittels eines für den EST empirisch abgeleiteten mathematischen Prädiktionsmodells (PM) zur Klassifizierung der Testsubstanzen als nicht, schwach oder stark embryotoxisch herangezogen. Für jede der Substanzen waren die ermittelten Halbhemmkonzentrationen in den überwiegenden Fällen vergleichbar und führten unter Verwendung des PMs im konventionellen und im molekularen EST zu deren identischer Klassifizierung. TSA wurde als „stark embryotoxisch“ klassifiziert und beeinflusste insbesondere das Differenzierungspotential der ES-Zellen. Das als „schwach embryotoxisch“ klassifizierte SDS wirkte auf die D3-Zellen stärker differenzierungsinhibierend als zytotoxisch, hemmte jedoch das Wachstum der 3T3-Zellen bereits in deutlich niedrigeren Konzentrationen. MAMac und BA wurden als „nicht embryotoxisch“ klassifiziert. Bei ihnen stand die zytotoxische Wirkung deutlich im Vordergrund. Diese Prädiktionen stimmten mit In-vivo-Befunden überein, was von der Stabilität und der Brauchbarkeit der im konventionellen und molekularen EST ermittelten Parameter zeugte. Einzige Ausnahme war das als Entwicklungsneurotoxin in vivo bekannte MAMac. Da der EST auf mesodermaler Differenzierung basiert, können spezifische Effekte auf neuronale Entwicklungsprozesse offenbar nicht vollständig erfasst werden. Substanzkonzentrationen, die sich als differenzierungsinhibierend auf die morphologische Kardiomyozytendifferenzierung erwiesen haben, führten auch zu einer messbaren Repression der herzmuskelspezifischen Genexpression. Dabei erwies sich die IC50 Exp als ebenso sensitiv wie die konventionellen Parameter und als nutzbringende Ergänzung zu diesen, da sie bereits nach 5 bzw. 7 Tagen der In-vitro-Differenzierung eine mit dem mikroskopischen Parameter übereinstimmende Einschätzung des embryotoxischen Potentials der Chemikalien in vivo ermöglichte. Genexpressionsanalysen weiterer differenzierungsspezifischer Gene können zusätzlich zur Aufklärung zu Grunde liegender Mechanismen der Embryotoxizität von Testsubstanzen dienen. Somit kann der EST durch die Vorteile der Stammzelltechnologie und der Genexpressionsanalyse als neues prädiktives Screening-Instrument zur frühzeitigen Detektion embryotoxischer Substanzeffekte in der pharmazeutischen und chemischen Industrie genutzt werden. / The embryonic stem cell test (EST) represents a validated in vitro embryotoxicity test that can be utilised for investigations of embryotoxic effects of chemical substances. During the 10-day differentiation assay the pluripotent murine embryonic stem cells (ES cells) of the D3 line differentiate in vitro into spontaneously beating cardiac muscle cells that can be observed microscopically. Thereby, ES cells recapitulate processes of early embryogenesis in vivo. A cytotoxicity assay with D3 cells as well as differentiated, adult 3T3 mouse fibroblasts is used to determine general cytotoxic effects and to consider differences in the sensitivity of both cell lines. Hence the EST is based on the two most important mechanisms of prenatal toxicity, such as inhibition of differentiation and cytotoxicity. The aim of the presented work consisted in the evaluation of the embryotoxic potential of the four chemicals trichostatin A (TSA), methylazoxymethanolacetate (MAMac), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and benzoic acid (BA) by means of the EST. For this purpose the concentration of the test substance that causes an inhibition of cardiomyocyte differentiation in 50 % of the embryoid bodies which are formed during the in vitro differentiation (ID50-value) and the halfmaximal inhibiting concentration of cell proliferation of D3 and 3T3 cell lines (IC50D3 and IC503T3) were determined. As extension of this conventional EST, the effect of test substances was investigated at the molecular level by gene expression analyses of cardiac specific genes (Mesoderm Posterior 1, day 5; Myosin light chain 1, day 7 and 10). Their expression in ES cells correlates with the embryonic heart differentiation in vivo. Quantitative Real Time-PCR gene expression analysis was used to determine the halfmaximal inhibition of the cardiomyocyte gene expression (IC50 Exp) caused by the test compound. To predict embryotoxic effects in vivo from the determined in vitro data, these parameters were used for the classification of the test chemicals as non, weak or strong embryotoxic via a mathematical prediction model (PM). In the majority of cases comparable halfmaximal inhibiting concentrations were calculated in the conventional and molecular EST that resulted in the identical classification of the tested chemicals concerning their embryotoxic potential. TSA was estimated as “strongly embryotoxic” and affected particularly the differentiation potential of the ES cells. SDS was classified as “weakly embryotoxic” and acted by inhibiting the differentiation of D3 cells at concentrations lower than cytotoxic concentrations but already repressed the growth of the 3T3 cells in significantly lower ranges. As to MAMac and BA that were classified as “non-embryotoxic” the cytotoxic effects on both cell lines predominated. These predictions were consistent with in vivo findings that testifies the stability and the usefulness of the parameters used in the conventional and molecular EST. MAMac, which is known as a developmental neurotoxin in vivo, represented the single exception. Its misclassification as compared to in vivo data may originate from the limitations of the model system that is based on mesodermal differentiation. Thus, specific effects on neuronal developmental processes obviously cannot be detected completely. Gene expression analysis showed that test substance concentrations which were proved to be inhibiting on the morphological differentiation of cardiomyocytes caused a repression of cardiac-specific marker gene expression as well. Thereby, IC50 Exp-values proved to be just as sensitive as the conventional parameters and can provide valuable and supportive data. They allowed a prediction of the embryotoxic potential of the chemicals in vivo already at day 5 and day 7 of in vitro differentiation. Moreover, gene expression analysis of appropriate differentiation specific genes could be used to investigate mechanisms that are responsible for embryotoxic properties of the test compounds. Thus, the EST is considered to represent a new, predictive screening test especially in the pharmaceutical industry to detect the embryotoxic potential of chemical compounds early in the process of compound development.

Dogs are useful preclinical models for the translation of cell transplantation therapies from the bench to the bedside. In order for canine models to be utilized for stem cell transplantation research, it is necessary to advance discoveries in the fields of canine stem cell biology and transplantation. The use of side population hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has garnered much interest for the purification of mouse HSCs and has been translated to several other species, including human. In order to assess if this method of purification of HSCs could be useful for stem cell therapies in humans, safety and efficacy studies in a large animal model, such as the dog would be required. With this objective in mind, we isolated canine bone marrow-derived side population (SP) stem cells and assessed their multilineage differentiation in vitro and engraftment potential in vivo. Utilizing a pregating strategy to enrich for small, agranular SP cells we were able to enrich for blast cells, expressing the ABCG2 transmembrane pump known to be associated with murine and human SP cells. Canine SP cells were also enriched for C-KIT positive cells and lacked expression of CD34 as identified in other species. The small, agranular SP fraction had high CFU potential after long-term culture with canine bone marrow stromal cells and cytokine supplementation. Yet, canine SP cells demonstrated low-level engraftment within the NOD/SCID-β2m-/- xenotransplantation model as compared to unfractionated canine bone marrow, which was indicative of suboptimal activation of quiescent canine SP cells within the murine bone marrow niche. A second source of transplantable canine stem cells was examined through the derivation of canine embryonic stem cells (cESCs). The cESC lines described herein were determined to have similar pluripotent stem cell characteristics to human embryonic stem cells, in that they were maintained in an undifferentiated state upon extended passaging as determined by their expression of the human stem cell markers, OCT3/4, NANOG, SOX2, SSEA3, SSEA4, TRA1-60, TRA1-81 and alkaline phosphatase. In addition, cESCs could be induced to differentiate to cells of the three germ layers within in vitro embryoid body cultures and adherent differentiation cultures. Importantly, these cESC lines were the first reported to differentiate in vivo within teratomas. One method of transplanting stem cells to canine recipients involves the delivery of donor cells to the yolk sacs of developing fetuses in utero. Utilizing cells labeled with supraparamagnetic particles conjugated to a Dragon Green fluorophore and the intracellular fluorescent dye, CMTMR, donor cells were tracked from the yolk sac injection site to fetal tissues after transplantation in early (day-25) and mid (day-35) gestation canine fetuses. Labeled cells were localized primarily to the fetal liver and developing bone marrow cavities when examined at gestational day 32, and had been redistributed to not only the fetal liver and bone marrow by day 42, but also to nonhematopoietic tissues, including the lungs and hearts. No labeled cells were detected within the yolk sacs of transplanted fetuses at either time point. These studies demonstrated the efficacy of yolk sac in utero transplantation for the delivery of donor cells to fetal tissues. Collectively, these results indicate that canine stem cells with characteristics similar to human can be isolated and their engraftment, proliferation and differentiation may be assessed in future studies utilizing the canine in utero transplantation model employing yolk sac delivery.

Thesis (MA (Journalism))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Moral questions arising from advances in science and technology are proliferating exponentially. Much controversy surrounds the ways in which biotechnology is used to eradicate a vast range of diseases and injuries. Stem cell research is one such way. Throughout the world stem cell research has been met with varying responses that range from opposition and criticism to approval and advocacy. As a result, it has attracted significant attention from the news media. The media have been accused of bias by focusing only on the controversial aspects of the research as opposed to reporting fully and fairly on the remarkable scientific advances. In this study I look at the patterns of media attention paid to stem cell research in the international weekly magazine Time between November 1998 and September 2005 inclusive. Contrary to the results expected on the basis of my literature study which pointed out the notion that the media tend to focus on sensational news more than non-controversial issues, I found that Time did a fair job in reporting on the scientific aspects of stem cell research. The percentage content of articles by year, focusing on scientific information of stem cells, dominated other news frames. The two years following the 2000 and 2004 American presidential elections, are however marked by the dominance of policy frames. This study found that Time covered controversial issues like embryonic stem cell research, public funding debates and political policy development in direct relation to their rise and fall on the political agenda in the United States.

O avanço da ciência, em especial na área da reprodução humana, permitiu a ocorrência de concepção humana de forma extracorpórea através do processo de fecundação in vitro a ser feita em laboratório especializado em reprodução humana assistida. Os embriões não implantados em útero materno são criopreservados. Este trabalho busca trazer os questionamentos da bioética, do biodireito, a cerca deste tema e das questões nele envolvidas. Também examina o enquadramento destes embriões sob a ótica da proteção Constitucional do patrimônio genético, da inviolabilidade da vida e da dignidade da pessoa humana. Trata também do Meio Ambiente quando aborda a Constituição Federal Brasileira de 1988, que em seu artigo 225 § 1º, inciso I, legisla sobre a preservação e restauração dos processos ecológicos e, no inciso II, determina que incumbe ao poder público preservar a diversidade e a integridade do patrimônio genético do País ficando demonstrado que tratar de embriões é tratar de patrimônio genético e de Meio Ambiente.Trata ainda da Nova Lei de Biossegurança/2005, a qual veio permitir pesquisas com célulastronco de embriões criopreservados, bem como a regulamentação desta Lei, tratando ainda sobre a Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade (ADIN) 3.510-0 que fora proposta junto ao Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), questionando a constitucionalidade da permissão legal destas pesquisas. Dessa forma, é feita uma análise sobre a legislação existente com vistas a obter uma visão sobre eventuais direitos e proteção dos embriões criopreservados. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-06-04T19:54:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Denise Kempf.pdf: 1443498 bytes, checksum: 1586cffbe1630fc158628d51f0cd295a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-04T19:54:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Denise Kempf.pdf: 1443498 bytes, checksum: 1586cffbe1630fc158628d51f0cd295a (MD5) / The advancement of science, particularly in the area of human reproduction, allowed the occurrence of human conception in a bypass through the process of in vitro fertilization to be made in a laboratory specializing in assisted human reproduction. The embryos not implanted in the uterus are cryopreserved. This work seeks to bring the questions of bioethics, the biolaw, about this issue and the issues involved. It also examines the framework of these embryos from the perspective of Constitutional protection of genetic heritage, the sanctity of life and human dignity. It also deals with the Environment when addresses the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, which in article 225 § 1, section I, legislation on the preservation and restoration of ecological processes and, in section II, provides that "it is for the government to preserve the diversity and integrity of the genetic heritage being shown that treating embryos is to address genetic heritage and also the Middle Ambiente.Trata Biossegurança/2005 New Law, which has allowed research on stem cells from cryopreserved embryos, as well as regulation this Act, still dealing with on the direct action of unconstitutionality (ADIN) 3510-0 which was proposed to the Supreme Court (STF), questioning the constitutionality of the legal permission of this research. Thus, an analysis is made on the existing legislation in order to get an insight into possible rights and protection of cryopreserved embryos.

O avanço da ciência, em especial na área da reprodução humana, permitiu a ocorrência de concepção humana de forma extracorpórea através do processo de fecundação in vitro a ser feita em laboratório especializado em reprodução humana assistida. Os embriões não implantados em útero materno são criopreservados. Este trabalho busca trazer os questionamentos da bioética, do biodireito, a cerca deste tema e das questões nele envolvidas. Também examina o enquadramento destes embriões sob a ótica da proteção Constitucional do patrimônio genético, da inviolabilidade da vida e da dignidade da pessoa humana. Trata também do Meio Ambiente quando aborda a Constituição Federal Brasileira de 1988, que em seu artigo 225 § 1º, inciso I, legisla sobre a preservação e restauração dos processos ecológicos e, no inciso II, determina que incumbe ao poder público preservar a diversidade e a integridade do patrimônio genético do País ficando demonstrado que tratar de embriões é tratar de patrimônio genético e de Meio Ambiente.Trata ainda da Nova Lei de Biossegurança/2005, a qual veio permitir pesquisas com célulastronco de embriões criopreservados, bem como a regulamentação desta Lei, tratando ainda sobre a Ação Direta de Inconstitucionalidade (ADIN) 3.510-0 que fora proposta junto ao Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), questionando a constitucionalidade da permissão legal destas pesquisas. Dessa forma, é feita uma análise sobre a legislação existente com vistas a obter uma visão sobre eventuais direitos e proteção dos embriões criopreservados. / The advancement of science, particularly in the area of human reproduction, allowed the occurrence of human conception in a bypass through the process of in vitro fertilization to be made in a laboratory specializing in assisted human reproduction. The embryos not implanted in the uterus are cryopreserved. This work seeks to bring the questions of bioethics, the biolaw, about this issue and the issues involved. It also examines the framework of these embryos from the perspective of Constitutional protection of genetic heritage, the sanctity of life and human dignity. It also deals with the Environment when addresses the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, which in article 225 § 1, section I, legislation on the preservation and restoration of ecological processes and, in section II, provides that "it is for the government to preserve the diversity and integrity of the genetic heritage being shown that treating embryos is to address genetic heritage and also the Middle Ambiente.Trata Biossegurança/2005 New Law, which has allowed research on stem cells from cryopreserved embryos, as well as regulation this Act, still dealing with on the direct action of unconstitutionality (ADIN) 3510-0 which was proposed to the Supreme Court (STF), questioning the constitutionality of the legal permission of this research. Thus, an analysis is made on the existing legislation in order to get an insight into possible rights and protection of cryopreserved embryos.