Stem Cells

This month: free growth factors for summer projects, GDNF, mLIF vs ESGRO and our new blog, the difference between growth factors and cytokines

This month: on-demand webinar, can R-spondin1 recombinant protein replace conditioned media? and enter our photo competition

this month: TGFbeta3 launched, photo competition now open and are endoderm implants the future of medicine?

Implantable endoderm organoids combine synthetic support structures and cells to repair or replace the function of endoderm-derived organs like the pancreas, liver, colon, stomach, intestines, lungs, and gall bladder. Adult cells are notoriously difficult to expand in vitro without loss of function, so many implants have harnessed new technologies based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Pioneers in the field are working to optimize cell lines and effectively scale manufacture protocols to transition to the clinic and fulfill the promise of these next generation of stem cell therapies.

In this months pep talk we explore why quality isn't just about purity and a product spotlight on BMP-4 lot comparibility.

On Friday, 11th February, it’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2022. To celebrate, I’d like to give a big shout-out to people of all genders who champion gender equality in science and inspire the next generations of scientists, thank you!

Happy New Year! It’s five years since Marko and I founded Qkine, the time has flown. Highlights have been the wonderful feedback we’ve had from customers and launching innovative products such as the first true animal-free TGFβ1, tag-free thermostable FGF2-G3, and demonstrating the efficacy of HGF NK1 in hepatocyte differentiation.

There has been an impressive drive towards innovation in stem cell protocols this year. As 2021 comes to a close, we reflect on the highlights for stem cell science over the year. It was great to see new culture media, such as B8 and “Beefy-9”, published, developments in cultivated meat science hit the news and iPSC-based therapies edge closer to the clinic. Reproducibility remains the underlying theme, and indeed requirement, for maximising the impact of these wonderful developments and at Qkine we’ll continue to do everything we can to help in 2022.

There has been an impressive drive towards innovation in stem cell protocols this year. As 2021 comes to a close, we reflect on the highlights for stem cell science over the year. It was great to see new culture media, such as B8 and “Beefy-9”, published, developments in cultivated meat science hit the news and iPSC-based therapies edge closer to the clinic. Reproducibility remains the underlying theme, and indeed requirement, for maximising the impact of these wonderful developments and at Qkine we’ll continue to do everything we can to help in 2022.

October update celebrating the launch of hyperstable FGF2-G3 for media optimisation, new media recipe quick reference resources for organoid researchers and the launch of animal-free OSM, which completes the hepatocyte differentiation growth factor set. Not forgetting us becoming an ISO9001: 2015 certified manufacturer!

Qkine and Enantis have concluded a global licensing deal for Enantis’s patented FGF2-STAB® technology. FGF2-STAB® is a hyperstable form of FGF-2 (bFGF), a core reagent for stem cell culture. FGF2-STAB (FGF2-G3) does not degrade in culture media for enhanced weekend-free stem cell culture media and advanced chemically defined systems, such as those needed in the cultured meat industry.

There is no fundamental difference between ESGRO and recombinant mouse leukaemia inhibitor factor (mLIF) protein. Both can be used for the successful maintenance of mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency. 10E7 units of ESGRO is equivalent to 100 µg of pure protein. Thank you to Susanne van den Brink (postdoc in Anna Bigas lab, IMIM, Barcelona) and David Turner (University of Liverpool) for sharing their resuspension protocol to prepare ESLIF media.