Orthopedic injury therapy in rodents may soon be headed to the clinic

An interdisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has developed a promising new cell therapy with potential to improve tissue healing after orthopedic injuries. The new cell therapy, recently described in the journal Stem Cells, accelerated the recovery of ruptured Achilles tendons in a rodent model, and may similarly aid other healing tissues, shortening the time until these structures regain functional strength.

Novel approach promises ready access to hard-to-study proteins

In a study published today (April 15, 2019) in the journal Nature Methods, a team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison associate professor of cell and regenerative biology and chemistry SCRMC member Ying Ge reports the development of a novel strategy capable of extracting and driving hard-to-reach proteins into water solution where they can be effectively studied using mass spectrometry, a powerful analytical technique. The new approach promises a trove of biological insights and, importantly, may help identify therapeutically relevant proteins and provide new disease diagnostic techniques.

Secondary insult reveals etiology of GATA2 enhancer mutation-associated blood disorder

The transcription factor GATA-2 is critical regulator of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) development and function, and mutations in the enhancer region of GATA2 are linked to blood disorders. In this episode, Emery Bresnick and colleagues develop and characterize a mouse model that harbors a human disease-associated GATA2 enhancer mutation. In this model, hematopoietic development and function were normal unless the animals were exposed to a secondary stress that necessitated blood cell regeneration. The results of this study provide important insight into GATA-2-dependent pathogenesis.