Assessment of Regenerative Capacity in the Dolphin

Abstract

Described herein is the technical information pertaining to Year 2 of a multi-year effort to determine and characterize the use of adipose (fat)-derived stem cells in the treatment of epidermal (skin) wounds. Adipose tissue was successfully harvested from the nuchal fat pad of six Atlantic Bottlenose dolphins via liposuction; cells released during the digestion of the adipose tissue were analyzed for cytology, assayed for the total number of colony-forming cells, expanded in culture, differentiated into multiple cell lineages and analyzed for stem cell surface markers. Cultured cells were also cryogenically frozen for future cell therapy treatment of dolphin skin wounds. Gene array analysis on the cultured cells show that a number of human related stem cell genes are positive. Furthermore, CD markers for known stem cell surface markers have been shown to bind to epitopes present on the cultured cells, lending further proof that the isolated cells are stem cells. Injections of stem cells into the skin wounds of dolphins display a more rapid healing than carrier solution alone.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 10, 2011
Accession Number
ADA550347

Entities

People

  • Jeffrey M. Catania
  • Robert J. Harman

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Adipose Tissue
  • Blood
  • Cell Lineage
  • Cell Physiological Processes
  • Cells
  • Cultured Cells
  • Digestive System Processes
  • Lymphocytes
  • Medical Personnel
  • Peptide Growth Factors
  • Proteins
  • Stem Cells
  • Therapy
  • Thymocytes
  • Tissues
  • Wound Healing

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Immunology and Pathology
  • Marine Mammal Biology

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology