UW-Madison work on stem cells, cardiac health to be presen...( ate student Jeffrey Mohr Howard Curler...)

ate student Jeffrey Mohr, Howard Curler Distinguished Professor Juan de Pablo and Associate Professor Sean Palecek have developed microwell arrays, or trays with microscopic wells, to grow undifferentiated hESC cultures with defined sizes and shapes. The insides of the wells are coated with a substance that absorbs protein, so the cell aggregates will grow inside the wells, while the area outside of the wells is coated with a substance to prevent cell attachment, so the cells will not spread outside the wells.

In the trio's experiments, the hESCs grown in the microwells not only remained undifferentiated, but they also retained their self-renewal and ability to become different cell types. The wells in the trays can be manufactured in different sizes and shapes, so that larger or smaller aggregates can be cultured.

"When you culture stem cells in these very small microwells, we can actually control the growth of these cells and the size and shape of the aggregates that result," says de Pablo. "This is extremely important for application of stem cells because the size of these colonies influences the differentiation and eventual fate of the cells."

Jeff Mohr will present these findings in a poster session from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13, in Hall D of the Moscone Center.

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Contact: David M. Lynn
dlynn@engr.wisc.edu
608-262-1086
University of Wisconsin-Madison
11-Sep-2006

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