HKU Bulletin August 2010 (Vol. 11 No. 3)

6 The University of Hong Kong Bulletin 7 August 2010 Stem cell research has a futuristic aura to it, a promise of the incurable being cured and bad health being relegated to the past. It excites scientists and the public, and at HKU academics are galvanising their expertise to tap into this rapidly evolving field. The University’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine recently established the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium (SCRMC) on the back of a new donation and several years’ experience with stem cells. The Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Dentistry are also applying their own expertise to investigate stem cells and their applications. “The stem cell field is going to change how medicine is being practiced,” says Ronald Li, who was appointed Professor of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and Director of SCRMC earlier this year and has a strong track record in stem cell research in the US. “I’m optimistic that in the lifetime of the current generation, we will see therapies for some diseases that are currently incurable. We’re making rapid progress, but no single institution can do it alone, not even one single country. There is room for every university to develop its own niche.” HKU has started carving out its corner in such areas as cardiac regeneration, colorectal cancer stem cell research, and other areas, some examples of which are on these pages. The University has also developed support systems for stem cell research by providing training programmes for researchers and investing in tailored research facilities, from the laboratory to the clinical setting. “The time is now to have this consortium,” Professor Li says. “I really think there is a lot that we can potentially discover. We have expertise, we just have to find a way to inject a stem cell component into many of our existing directions.” What are stem cells? That injection is admittedly a tricky one. Stem cells are a collective term and there are billions of them. Indeed, scientists are just beginning to better understand the definition of ‘stemness’. Only two types, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), isolated from embryos that are a few days old, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), derived from adult somatic (i.e. the body) cells by a process called “reprogramming”, have the potential to develop into any cell type. Scientists want to manipulate that potential to develop cell lines that can repair or replace damaged body parts and fight disease. However, there are many hurdles to overcome. For one, it is not easy to find the suitable stem cell types among the many billion others. Some of these cells also have more potency to develop a certain way than others, and extensive tests and experiments are needed to induce, or differentiate, them into a desired new type of cell. Their growth also needs to be controlled because otherwise they may form tumours. And numerous tests and studies are needed to see if they behave the same way in a test tube as they do in animals and eventually humans. HKU scientists are tackling many of these problems. And while their studies on mice or larger animals are starting to offer hopeful results, Professor Li supports a cautious approach, of taking time to do extra tests on animals. He cites the example of an overseas study where stem cells were transplanted into cardiac patients. Professor Ronald Li 23 pairs of chromosomes of the pluripotent human stem cell colony shown after culturing for ~3 years. The sex chromosomes (XY) show that the cell line has a male origin. THE BRAVE NEW AND OLD world of stem cells The University is stepping up its profile in a field that promises to revolutionize medical care. Cover Story