Waltham, Mass.– A new study from Minerva Biotechnologies suggests a significant advance in stem cell therapy, potentially paving the way for safer and more efficient production of patient-derived regenerative treatments. The research, published in PLOS One, investigates how manipulating key signaling pathways in stem cells can yield homogeneous populations ideal for therapeutic use.
The study tackles a longstanding debate in stem cell biology: whether activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway promotes pluripotency—the ability of a cell to become any other type—or triggers differentiation. Minerva’s findings indicate the answer may depend on context. When the Wnt pathway was activated without other growth factors, the cells split into two populations: one retaining pluripotent characteristics, and the other beginning to differentiate.
But when cells were treated with Minerva’s proprietary recombinant protein NME7AB, researchers observed a more uniform population of naïve-like stem cells—those considered to be in their most flexible and primitive state. These NME7AB-induced cells demonstrated superior potential to differentiate into therapeutic cell types such as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
Unlike typical MSCs derived from donor bone marrow, which can age quickly or vary in quality, Minerva’s iPSC-derived MSCs showed greater stability and reproducibility. The company reports that each clone could differentiate into highly pure populations of cartilage, bone, or fat cells—applications critical to treating injuries or degenerative conditions.
“Our findings represent a major step forward in the scalable production of patient-specific therapeutic cells under GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) conditions,” said Dr. Cynthia Bamdad, CEO of Minerva Biotechnologies. “This approach could ultimately replace the use of donor-derived stem cells, which carry variability and potential safety risks.”
The work underscores the importance of stem cell state in therapeutic outcomes and offers a blueprint for advancing personalized regenerative medicine. The full study is available at the PLOS One journal site.
