MICRO-RNA REGULATION IN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS

Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio TX

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Linked publications & trials

Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. For this protocol, cynomolgus macaques will be hormonally stimulated with superovulatory drugs to produce oocytes that will be collected via laparotomy. These oocytes will be used for basic scientific investigations on fertilization and embryonic development after fertilization (ICSI) or somatic cell nuclear transfer to produce cloned embryos. Fertilization in the lab is accomplished using fresh sperm collected by rectal probe electro-ejaculation. Some early fertilized zygotes and/or cloned constructs will be fixed and imaged after staining with probes to detect cellular structures within the cell that are necessary to complete the fertilization or cloning process. Other embryos will be cultured and used for stem cell production. These cells are important and have the potential of treating a wide range of disorders such as Parkinson's diabetes, autism, heart disease, Alzheimer's etc.