Quick Isolation of Stem Cells

Introduction

For the isolation of stem cells, an efficient method that is more than 10 times faster than the conventional techniques has been developed at Nagoya University. To develop this method, the researchers used a special antibody that binds only to stem cells and a polymer that becomes less water-soluble when heated. To isolate human stem cells, a test tube is first filled with a mixture of polyethylene glycol, which is relatively water-insoluble, and dextran, a water-soluble polysaccharide. These two liquids separate in the test tube into two layers, like oil and water.

Once the tube is prepared, a collection of human cells is added to the antibody-polymer complex. The tube is then stirred and warmed. The stem cells, which become bound to the antibody polymer complex molecules, accumulate in the polyethylene glycol layer, while all the other human cells accumulate in the dextran layer. When the tube is centrifuged, the stem cells bound to the antibody-polymer complexes congregate naturally at the interface between the two liquids, where they can be easily recovered.

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