Embryonic Stem Cells

[nath88nael]

What method is used to isolate (and culture) stems cells removed from a blastocyst?

 

would that method be different if you were tasked with isolating stem cells from an apple seed?

 

Thank you in advance for discussion :]

[Xittenn]

Blastocysts are not composed of a lot of cells, the outer layer or 'Trophoblast' may be made up of ~24 cells, and the 'Inner Cell Mass' (ICM) is essentially comprised of ~50 hESCs. The ICM is often removed through a immunosurgical procedure, where the blastocyst cells are preserved under a protease solution derived from the extracellular fluids of Streptomyces. A biochemist or 'the surgeon' would complete the procedure under microscope. The precise methods used are determined by the 'GMP' requirements of the end product.

 

Blomberg, Pontus, M. Sirac Dilber, Outi Hovatta, Heli Skottman, and Christian Unger. "Good manufacturing practice and clinical-grade human embryonic stem cell lines." Hum. Mol. Genet. (2008) 17 (R1): R48-R53. Oxford Journals.