Stem Cell Regulation - PhD and honours Projects - Identification of osteoblast lineage cells by FACS in normal and cancerous states
Identification of osteoblast lineage cells by FACS in normal and cancerous states
Project Type
Honors
Summary
Osteoblasts are bone-forming cells. There is a well-recognised hierarchy of osteoblast-lineage cells, with the most immature cell being the mesenchymal stem cell and the most mature cell being the osteocyte. Studies of osteoblast lineage cells have been hampered by the lack of methods by which to purify cells at different stages of osteoblast differentiation.
Fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) has been used widely in the field of blood cell research and has markedly enhanced our understanding of the blood cell system. More recently, attempts have been made to isolate out different osteoblast lineage cells using FACS. Currently 3 different populations of osteoblast lineage cells can be isolated, but are likely still heterogeneous in nature.
The aims of this project are to further improve on existing FACS methods to isolate different osteoblast lineage cells. These methods will also be useful in further characterizing the nature of the osteoblastic cell that gives rise to the osteoblast cancer, osteosarcoma.
These studies will involve fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) and a range of different techniques used in bone biology, including in vitro cultures, analysis of bone parameters using microCT and histomorphometry, immunohistochemistry, molecular biology (quantitative real-time PCR), mouse model of osteosarcoma.
Supervisors Dr Emma Baker, A/Prof Louise Purton and Dr Carl Walkley