It is hoped that they will help in their conservation and reproduction.
For the first time, Chinese scientists have grown stem cells from giant pandas in hopes it will provide resources for research into the species’ characteristics as well as treating diseases without harming any animals.
It also lays the groundwork for the cultivation of embryos in the laboratory, demonstrating the potential of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to serve the conservation of endangered species, the scientists said.
The study was conducted by specialists from the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, the Chinese Academies of Sciences and the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, and was published Friday in the journal Science Advances.
According to Liu Jing, the author, the scientists isolated primary fibroblast cells from samples taken from a female and a male at the Chengdu base. They then generated giant panda iPSCs (GPiPSCs) using a reprogramming method with non-integrated episomal vectors.
The analysis revealed that GPiPSCs have the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types, which represents a significant contribution to the pool of resources for basic research into the species and the clinical treatment of its diseases, the study said.
In the future, Liu said GPiPSCs could be used to grow functional cells and organs for disease healing, pathological and physiological research, and in the production of sperm and eggs for external fertilization.
GPiPSCs can also be used to create embryos in the lab. “We hope that one day these embryos can be used to give birth to giant panda babies through surrogacy. But there is still a long way to go, as this is the first time that iPSC technology has been applied to giant pandas,” Liu said.
China has made remarkable progress in protecting these animals and their habitats. Their number in the wild has increased from 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 today, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration announced in January.
However, there are no shortage of difficulties and challenges in their conservation. For example, females are only fertile for 2 or 3 days a year, which makes successful reproduction difficult.
According to the team, iPSC technology holds promise for conserving genetic resources and exploring the characteristics of endangered species.
