A new technique developed at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Sydney could make stem cell studies up to 100 times more efficient.
Studying stem cell samples from hundreds of individuals in the same culture dish, using a powerful new method, could have transformative potential for personalised treatments and the study of complex human traits.
Stem cells can develop into many different cell types in the body and allow scientists to study diseases and test drugs in human cells. A major hurdle, though, is the expense and time required since these studies call for samples from hundreds – or even thousands – of donors.
"The Garvan and UNSW researchers’ innovative ‘village in a dish’ system can accelerate this research by growing and studying stem cells from large numbers of donors simultaneously, in the same culture dish, making studies up to 100 times more efficient.
The system is described in a paper published in Nature Communications."
Our village model provides a powerful way to understand how genetic differences between people influence health and disease,” says Professor Joseph Powell, Director of the UNSW Cellular Genomics Futures Institute, Director of Cellular Science at the Garvan Institute, and senior author of the study.
“Even though we share the majority of our DNA, variations in our genes lead to unique traits and responses. The village system captures this diversity at a large scale, revealing how genetic differences between people affect the complex mechanisms underlying biology and disease.”