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The mammalian blood system is one of the best-researched hierarchical stem cell systems. It is also a main focus of the research in HI-STEM as it is a key for the understanding of the development of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and the catastrophic deregulation of the system during e.g. development of leukemia.

An essential research tool in stem cell research is the ability to differentiate in detail the cell populations that make up the hematopoietic system. Today the method-of-choice is the separation of bone marrow cells via FACS (Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting). Here a population of cells is labelled with fluorochrome-conjugated antibodies against specific marker proteins, which are only expressed during certain stages of the hematopoietic development. However, separating the first stages of the system is extremely tricky as only single marker genes change between the stages and only certain combinations of fluorochromes can be applied due to overlaps in their fluorescence characteristics.

To improve and better standardize such approaches, HI-STEM researcher Marcus Eich and Steffen Schmitt (head of the DKFZ’s Core Facility Imaging and Cytometry), developed a new optimized multicolor immunofluorescence panel termed OMIP-059. The panel allows the simultaneous discrimination and quantification of all major populations of the mouse hematopoietic system from the earliest HSCs to the committed progenitor populations with high resolution using only one staining. In addition, it also integrates detection of the internal reporter gene GFP and the CD45.1 and CD45.2 alleles, which are frequently used for various applications.

All experimental details for the panel have now been published in the journal Cytometry: Part A so that the panel can be widely applied in HSC research.

 

Citation:

Eich, M., Trumpp, A., & Schmitt, S. (2019). OMIP-059: Identification of Mouse Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells with Simultaneous Detection of CD45.1/2 and Controllable Green Fluorescent Protein Expression by a Single Staining Panel. Cytometry A. doi: 10.1002/cyto.a.23845

On June 4th, as part of her visit of the DKFZ, her Honour Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Elizabeth Dowdeswel (@LGLizDowdeswell) visited the HI-STEM Lab. As part of her tour she showed great interest in our research on the role of stem cells in cancer.

 

https://twitter.com/LGLizDowdeswell

https://twitter.com/LGLizDowdeswell

Elizabeth Dowdeswell and Andreas Trumpp

Elizabeth Dowdeswell and Andreas Trumpp

Elizabeth Dowdeswell in the HI-STEM Lab

Elizabeth Dowdeswell in the HI-STEM Lab

The HI-STEM Founding Team celebrates ten years of successful cooperation: Friedrich von Bohlen, Managing Director dievini Hopp BioTech Holding, Josef Puchta, Administrative Director DKFZ, Heike Bauer, Head Dietmar Hopp Stiftung, Dietmar Hopp Founder and Managing Director Dietmar Hopp Foundation, Andreas Trumpp, HI-STEM Managing Director, Michael Baumann, DKFZ Managing Director, Christof Hettich, Co-Managing Director dievini Hopp BioTech Holding (from left to right) | © Stefan Hebling

Ten years ago, HI-STEM, the Heidelberg Institute for Stem Cell Technology and Experimental Medicine, started its work within the newly renovated labs of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). On the occasion of this anniversary, the founders have drawn a balance: Researchers at HI-STEM could proof for multiple cancer types how stem cells play a role during initiation, progression and therapy resistance of malignant tumors. The work of HI-STEM, which has been published in high-profile publications, has indicated new approaches for a more targeted and effective treatment of this devastating diseases.

In 2008, the DKFZ and the Dietmar Hopp Foundation joined forces to establish HI-STEM as a non-for-profit public private partnership. This concept of collaboration between academic research and a private organization was at that time highly innovative. “We are very grateful to all who contributed to the foundation of HI-STEM ten years ago. Especially we want to thank Dietmar Hopp and his foundation as well as the Management Board of the DKFZ for their extraordinary and sustained support.” says HI-STEM Managing Director Andreas Trumpp, who also acts as division head at the German Cancer Research Center.

Further Information:

Based on an ongoing collaboration between HI-STEM and the German Biotech Company Miltenyi Biotec GmbH, our cell-culture medium for tumor cells from the pancreas is now available for sale at Miltenyi. The medium is an improved version of the one described in our Nature Medicine Paper (Noll et. al., Nature Medicine 2016) and allows the reliable expansion of tumor cells from primary or xenotransplanted human pancreatic tumor samples.

For more information visit the product page at Miltenyi, have a look at their application page or download the flyer.

We at HI-STEM are glad that our methods are now accessible for more researchers with the advantage of a quality controlled medium production.

Further Information:

  • Pancreas TumorMACS Medium at Miltenyi
  • Read our news article on the publication from 2016: Mechanism of therapy resistance in pancreatic cancer uncovered
  • Read the paper: Noll, E.M., Eisen, C., Stenzinger, A., Espinet, E., Muckenhuber, A., Klein, C., Vogel, V., Klaus, B., Nadler, W., Rosli, C., Lutz, C., Kulke, M., Engelhardt, J., Zickgraf, F.M., Espinosa, O., Schlesner, M., Jiang, X.Q., Kopp-Schneider, A., Neuhaus, P., Bahra, M., Sinn, B.V., Eils, R., Giese, N.A., Hackert, T., Strobel, O., Werner, J., Buchler, M.W., Weichert, W., Trumpp, A., & Sprick, M.R. (2016). CYP3A5 mediates basal and acquired therapy resistance in different subtypes of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Nature Medicine, 22(3), 278-287. doi: 1038/nm.4038
  1. The long non-coding RNA Meg3 is highly and specifically expressed in HSCs, but surprisingly is not required for hematopoiesis – New Publication in Scientific Reports
  2. Congratutions to Dr. Mattia Falcone for sucessfullly defending his PhD Thesis on BCAT1 in Leukemia!
  3. HI-STEM lab visited by Tino Sorge, Member of the German Bundestag
  4. Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel visits the German Cancer Research Center
  5. Human blood cells can be directly reprogrammed into neural stem cells - New Publication in Cell Stem Cell
  6. Prestigious award for Andreas Trumpp
  7. Marieke Essers receives the Prize of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
  8. International Behr-Symposium on Stem Cells and Cancer
  9. HI STEM researchers show link between stress signaling and chemotherapy resistant metastasis in breast cancer
  10. Andreas Trumpp elected as Board Member of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR)
  11. HI-STEM Teams Win Gold and Silver at the DKFZ’s Sommerfest Cup!
  12. New Review in Cell Stem Cell: Causes and Consequences of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Heterogeneity

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