A new study from the EXREGMED project shows that stem cell pre-treatment can fundamentally affect their properties

As part of the EXREGMED project, a new study focusing on the effects of so-called “cytokine licensing” in Wharton’s jelly stem cells has been published in the prestigious journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy (5-year Journal IF: 7.9).

A research team from the IEM CAS located in BIOCEV, led by Yuriy Petrenko, in collaboration with colleagues from the Institute of Physiology, the Institute of Biotechnology and the Institute of Physics of the CAS, studied how short-term exposure to the inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IFN-γ affects the behaviour of stem cells derived from umbilical cord tissue, known as Wharton’s jelly.

The results show that cells modified in this way can more effectively control inflammation, which may be beneficial, for example, in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammation. At the same time, however, their ability to differentiate into bone or adipose cells decreases, which significantly limits their use in regenerative medicine. The authors therefore recommend careful consideration of when and how to use this procedure, depending on the therapy goals.

The full results of the study are available in open-access mode on the Pubmed website (open in a new window).