Stem cell research is heating up as a promising area of medical research, bringing with it the demand for faster and more effective ways to isolate these cells and make them available to laboratories. To help meet this demand, biomedical engineers have developed a patented magnetic cell sorting system that can more effectively zero in on vital cell populations, such as stem cells in bone marrow and cancer cells loose in the bloodstream. Whitaker Investigator Jeffrey Chalmers, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering at Ohio State University, and colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation have developed and patented the system. This particular patent covers a method and device for better measuring how well we magnetically label cells and how magnetic they are.
Stem cells can develop into many different types of other cells, such as bone, muscle and skin.
Until recently, totipotent stem cells were only found in embryos, but new research suggests they may be available from some adult tissues as well. Embryonic stem cells are the subject of ongoing federal policy debates because of ethical questions surrounding their use. Stem cells from blood or bone marrow, however, fall outside of this debate. Sorting stem cells and other rare cell types is a challenge because they are often difficult to distinguish from neighboring cells. Stem cells account for only a tiny fraction of cells found in bone marrow or other tissues.