Fluorescently labelled mesenchymal stem cells growing on tropoelastin.

Stem cells are vital for therapeutic treatments to repair and build human tissue including skin and muscles. Researchers are constantly looking for ways to make stem cells work better, with worldwide demand for the cells far outstripping supply.

Now researchers have discovered a way to generate more stem cells cheaply and quickly, using tropoelastin – a protein that gives living tissues the ability to stretch and retract.

Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), co-authors Dr Giselle Yeo and Professor Anthony Weiss – from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Bosch Institute – said the study describes a new and cost-effective method of growing and recruiting mesenchymal stem cells rapidly and efficiently.

“Stem cells are increasingly being used as cell therapies for a range of diseases that cannot be reliably treated by conventional medicine including skeletal tissue injuries, heart attacks, degenerative diseases and organ failure,” Dr Yeo explained.

“Unfortunately, a lack of supply is hindering widespread use of such cell therapies.”