Nov 17 2007
Cambridge Research & Instrumentation, Inc. (CRi) announced today that their Oosight(TM) Imaging System has been used by Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov to successfully transfer nuclear genetic material from somatic cells from a 10-year-old male macaque to enucleated eggs to generate cloned macaque embryos.
In a soon to be published Nature paper, Dr. Mitalipov of the Oregon National Primate Research Center and the Oregon Stem Cell Center, reports that use of Oosight's polarized light imaging technology allowed him to visualize and extract nuclear material from somatic cells and then transfer that material to enucleated eggs without perturbing the viability of the recipient cells.
Further, he was able to extract viable stem cells from the embryos and stimulate them to develop into mature heart and nerve cell clones. This is the first report with convincing evidence that nuclear reprogramming is feasible in primates. The ultimate goal is to develop clones of patient-specific stem cells that can be use to treat life-limiting conditions such as Diabetes, Parkinson's, Huntington's and cystic fibrosis.
"Enucleation with Oosight improves primate somatic cell nuclear transfer development to blastocyst," says Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov. The current results would not have been possible using the traditional method of Hoechst-UV enucleation.
The Oosight is a real-time, non-invasive imaging system that utilizes proprietary polarized light imaging methods. It dramatically improves somatic cell nuclear transfer efficiency through imaging and identification of structures (nuclear material) that are otherwise invisible with traditional contrast enhancement.
"We're extremely excited to play a role in this exciting research advance by providing the enabling imaging technology used by Dr. Mitalipov," says Cathy Boutin, Marketing Manager of Polarized Light Imaging Systems at CRi. "This system was designed and developed to provide real-time, non-invasive imaging of live cells that maintains viability, the key to success."
"As a company, CRi is focused on developing advanced imaging solutions that are enabling our customers to breakthrough roadblocks in the development of new therapies, including the promise of translational, personalized and regenerative medicine," states George Abe, CRi's President and CEO. "Our whole team is driven to support the work of scientists and medical professionals such as Dr. Mitalipov."