Stem cell therapy

Adult stem cells are important for tissue homeostasis and regeneration due to their ability to self-renew and generate multiple types of differentiated daughters. Self-renewal is reflected by their capacity to undergo multiple/limitless divisions. Several signaling pathways are involved in self-renewal of stem cells, that is, Notch, Wnt, and Hedgehog pathways or Polycomb family proteins. Recent studies mainly focus on cancer stem cell (CSCs), induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs), neural stem cell and maintenance of embryonic stem cell pluripotency. Among them, CSCs have been believed to be responsible for tumor initiation, growth, and recurrence that have implications for cancer therapy.

MCE owns a unique collection of 1,915 compounds that can be used for stem cell regulatory and signaling pathway research.

With the progress of modern cancer therapy, the life of cancer patients has been extended. However, after initial treatment and recovery, the development of secondary tumors often leads to cancer recurrence. Cancer stem cells are a small number of cells that tumor growth and reproduction depend on.

Cancer stem cells have strong self-renewal ability, which is the direct cause of tumor occurrence. In addition, cancer stem cells also have the ability to differentiate into different cell types, playing a crucial role in tumor metastasis and development. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy induced DNA damage and apoptosis are common cancer treatments. However, cancer stem cells can effectively protect cancer cells from apoptosis by activating DNA repair ability. Cancer stem cells are regarded as the key "seed" of tumor occurrence, development, metastasis and recurrence. Since its first discovery in leukemia in 1994, cancer stem cells have been considered a promising therapeutic target for cancer treatment.

MCE supplies a unique collection of 2,296 compounds targeting key proteins in cancer stem cells. MCE Cancer Stem Cells Compound Library is a useful tool for cancer stem cells related research and anti-cancer drug development.

Hematopathy, also known as hematopoietic system diseases, are a class of diseases that hematopoietic system has abnormal changes. Common hematopathy include: aplastic anemia, myeloproliferative diseases, thalassemia, leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and hemophilia, etc. In recent years, treatments for hematopathy have been developed. In particular, the treatment of malignant hematopathy developed from chemotherapy, radiotherapy, bone marrow development to immunotherapy, induced differentiation therapy, cell therapy, gene therapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although these therapies have greatly improved the survival rate of patients, there are still problems such as low cure rate and easy recurrence in the treatment of hematopathy. Therefore, it is of great significance to actively search for new hematopathy therapeutic drugs.

MCE designs a unique collection of 2,930 anti-hematopathy small molecules, which is an effective tool for development and research of anti-hematopathy compounds.

Stem cells, which are found in all multi-cellular organisms, can divide and differentiate into diverse special cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells. To be useful in therapy, stem cells must be converted into desired cell types as necessary which is called induced differentiation or directed differentiation. Understanding and using signaling pathways for differentiation is an important method in successful regenerative medicine. Small molecules or growth factors induce the conversion of stem cells into appropriate progenitor cells, which will later give rise to the desired cell type. There is a variety of signal molecules and molecular families that may affect the establishment of germ layers in vivo, such as fibroblast growth factors (FGFs); the wnt family or superfamily of transforming growth factors β (TGFβ) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP). Unfortunately, for now, a high cost of recombinant factors is likely to limit their use on a larger scale in medicine. The more promising technique focuses on the use of small molecules. These small molecules can be used for either activating or deactivating specific signaling pathways. They enhance reprogramming efficiency by creating cells that are compatible with the desired type of tissue. It is a cheaper and non-immunogenic method.

MCE Differentiation Inducing Compound Library contains a unique collection of 1,554 compounds that act on signaling pathways for differentiation. These compounds are potential stimulators for induced differentiation. This library is a useful tool for researching directed differentiation and regenerative medicine.

Blood cancers, also called hematologic cancers, occur when abnormal blood cells start growing out of control, interrupting the function of normal blood cells, which fight off infection and produce new blood cells. Most blood cancers start in the bone marrow, which is where blood is produced. There are three main types of blood cancers: leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, which afflict millions of children and adults every year, and are often deadly.

Some common blood cancer treatments include stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy or a combination thereof. As we begin to understand the key signaling pathways and molecular drivers of malignant transformation in haematological disorders, new treatment strategies will continue to be developed.

MCE offers a unique collection of 2,897 compounds with identified and potential anti-blood cancer activity. These compounds target blood cancer’s major targets and signaling pathways. MCE anti-blood cancer compound library is a useful tool for anti-blood cancer drugs screening and other related research.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally and seriously threatens human health. A neoplasm and malignant tumor are other common names for cancer. Disruption of the normal regulation of cell-cycle progression and division lies at the heart of the events leading to cancer. Target therapy, which targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide and spread, plays an important role in cancer treatment. Recent studies mainly focus on targeting the key proteins for cancer surviving, cancer stem cells, the tumor microenvironment, tumor immunology, etc.

MCE designs a unique collection of 8,510 anti-cancer compounds that target kinases, cell cycle key components, tumorigenesis related signaling pathways, etc. MCE Anti-cancer compound library is a useful tool for anti-cancer drug screening.

Techniques for reprogramming somatic cells create new opportunities for drug screening, disease modeling, artificial organ development, and cell therapy. The development of reprogramming techniques has grown exponentially since Yamanaka reprogrammed somatic cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using four transcription factors, OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC in 2006. Despite the development of efficient reprogramming methods, most methods are inappropriate for clinical applications because they carry the risk of integrating exogenous genetic factors or use oncogenes. Alternative approaches, such as those based on miRNA, non-viral genes, non-integrative vectors, and small molecules, have been studied as possible solutions to the problems. Among these alternatives, small molecules are attractive options for clinical applications. Reprogramming using small molecules is inexpensive and easy to control in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. It offers a high level of cell permeability, ease of synthesis and standardization, and it is appropriate for mass-producing cells.

MCE Reprogramming Compound Library contains a unique collection of 2,254 compounds that act on reprogramming signaling pathways. These compounds are potential stimulators for reprogramming. This library is a useful tool for researching reprogramming and regenerative medicine.