With such benefits as producing cell types to replace worn-out cells and regenerating damaged tissue, stem cells and regenerative medicine is a rapidly emerging field focusing on improving human health. In Stem Cell Assays, an expert team of hands-on researchers contribute step-by-step laboratory protocols aimed at clearly organizing the avalanche of information coming from the stem cell biology field. Following the successful and practical Methods in Molecular Biology series format, each chapter provides concise methods utilizing the most recent developments in embryonic and adult stem cell isolation, characterization, customized differentiation and many more areas, a complete list of the necessary materials, and the valuable Notes section for tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Contents

Preface
Contributors
Guide to the companion CD


1 Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells in xeno-free conditions
Mohan C. Vemuri, Tim Schimmel, Pere Colls, Santiago Munne and Jacques
Cohen


2 Feeder Layer Free Culture System For Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Michal Amit


3 Digital Imaging of Stem Cells by Electron Microscopy
Henry Sathananthan and Stefania Nottola


4 A Controlled Cooling Protocol For Cryopreservation Of Human And
Non-Human Primate Embryonic Stem Cells
Carol B. Ware and Szczepan Baran


5 Cell Surface Markers In Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Raj R. Rao, Alison Venable Johnson and Steven L. Stice


6 Generation Of Monoclonal Antibody Library Against Human Embryonic
Stem Cells
Micha Drukker, Christina Muscat, Irving L. Weissman


7 Analytical Methods for Cancer Stem Cells - Review chapter
Vinagolu K. Rajasekhar


8 Micro RNA Profiling: An Easy and Rapid Method to Screen and
Characterize Stem Cell Populations
Uma Lakshmipathy, Bradley Love, Christopher Adams, Bhaskar
Thyagarajan, and
Jonathan D. Chesnut


9 Gene Transfer Via Nucleofection into Adult And Embryonic Stem Cells
Uma Lakshmipathy, Shannon Buckley and Catherine Verfaillie


10 RNAi-Knockdown Of Transcription Factor Pu.1 In The Differentiation
Of Mouse Embryonic
Stem Cells
Gang-Ming Zou, Meredith A. Thompson and Mervin C. Yoder


11 StemBase - A Resource for the Analysis of Stem Cell Gene Expression
Data - Review chapter
Christopher J. Porter, Gareth A. Palidwor, Reatha Sandie, Paul M.
Krzyzanowski, Enrique M. Muro, Carolina Perez-Iratxeta, Miguel A.
Andrade-Navarro


12 Isolation Of Stem Cells From Human Umbilical Cord Blood
Nishant P. Reddy, Mohan C. Vemuri and Reddanna Pallu


13 Ex Vivo Expansion Of Hematopoietic Stem Cells From Human Cord Blood
In Serum-Free Conditions
Chao-Ling Yao and Shiaw-Min Hwang


14 Hematopoietic Colony Forming Cell Assays
Carla Pereira, Emer Clarke and Jackie Damen


15 Assays For Alloreactive Responses By PCR
Patrick Stordeur


16 Immune Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Review chapter
Panagiota A. Sotiropoulou and Michael Papamichail


17 Clinical Grade Expansion of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Panagiota A. Sotiropoulou, Sonia A. Perez and Michael Papamichail


18 Adenoviral Transduction of Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Pablo Bosch and Steven L. Stice


19 Directed Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells to Dendritic
Cells
Maxim A. Vodyanik and Igor I. Slukvin


20 Insulin Producing Cells From Embryonic Stem Cells: Experimental
Considerations
Enrique Roche, Roberto Ensenat-Waser, Nestor Vicente-Sala, Alfredo
Santana,
Martin Zenke and Juan Antonio Rei



21 Efficient Generation of Dopamine Neurons from Human Embryonic Stem
(hES) Cells
Chang-Hwan Park and Sang-Hun Lee


22 Isolation Of Oligodendroglial Cells From Cultured Neural
Stem/Progenitors

Frank Zeigler and Stephen G. Hall


23 Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells towards the
Chondrogenic Lineage
Wei Seong Toh, Zheng Yang Boon Chin Heng and Tong Cao


24 Cartilage Tissue Engineering: Directed differentiation of embryonic
stem cells in Three-Dimensional Hydrogel Culture
Nathaniel S. Hwang, Shyni Varghese and Jennifer Elisseeff