Great news for heart patients, AntiCancer Inc. and Japanese scientists from Kitasato University near Tokyo announced they have made beating heart-muscle tissue sheets from hair-follicle-associated pluripotent (HAP) stem cells.

They were able to do so when HAP stem cells were directed to differentiate to cardiac muscle cells in large numbers in culture by the addition of the common drug isoproterenol. Three other active agents, along with isoproterenol, induced the cardiac muscle cells to form tissue sheets of beating heart-muscle cells. These results of their study are published in Cell Cycle.

This is huge news for those with heart trouble. “These results indicate that easily-accessible HAP stem cells can be used to form beating heart tissue and that heart patients can in the future use their own hair follicle stem cells for regenerating their diseased hearts,” said Charlene Cooper, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of AntiCancer Inc.

Cooper goes on to say that, “HAP stem cells may be the stem cells of choice for regenerative medicine since they are pluripotent; form numerous types of cells in addition to heart muscle cells, such as neurons; they do not form tumors; require no genetic manipulation; are easily available from each patient and therefore are not rejected immunologically; and have no ethical issues.” The HAP stem cells are currently being developed at AntiCancer’s wholly-owned subsidiary, A/C Stem LLC.

AntiCancer Inc., founded in 1984 and currently based in San Diego, has offices and laboratories in Seoul, Beijing, Nanjing and Tokyo, has developed the leading mouse models of cancer, including MetaMouse®, AngioMouse® and StromaMouse®. With its proprietary mouse models, AntiCancer is the foremost pre-clinical cancer contract research organization. The proprietary mouse models are also available via licensing. AntiCancer offers the world’s largest collection of fluorescent-protein-expressing cancer cell lines and transgenic fluorescent nude mice. AntiCancer is a pioneer in fluorescence-guided surgery of cancer using its patient-like mouse models.

AntiCancer is also developing biological drugs that target cancer-specific metabolic defects, including recombinant methioninase (rMETase). AntiCancer developed the Histoculture Drug Response Assay (HDRA) and patient-derived orthotopic xenografts (PDOX™) for individualized cancer treatment in AntiCancer’s wholly-owned subsidiary, PDOX LLC. AntiCancer is also developing tumor-targeting bacteria for the general cure of cancer. The company markets recombinant-enzyme-based diagnostics for cancer and cardiovascular disease in its wholly-owned A/C Diagnostics LLC subsidiary.