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Victoria Bela

Chinese scientists have created a type of self-renewing stem cell from giant pandas for the first time, an important step for the conservation and preservation of the animals and possibly other endangered species.
The researchers from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health said their technique could overcome constraints on safeguarding the genetic diversity of pandas, and allow for more advanced research, including into their diseases.
There are an estimated 2,000 giant pandas in the wild, and like many other endangered species, they face threats to their survival through human activities such as logging and the creation of roads.
Although efforts to conserve the population through habitat protection and captive breeding have been effective, research has warned that some panda populations face an extinction risk of over 90 per cent, making it “imperative” to preserve panda genetic resources, according to the team.
The self-renewing cells, known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can regenerate into many different cell types.


Induced stem cells are made by taking body cells, for example from the skin and hair, and reprogramming them back into an embryonic-like state. This means they are able to act like early cells and become different types of tissues
The team’s cells were created by reprogramming a type of connective tissue cell known as fibroblasts.
Scientists had already been able to isolate and preserve some panda cell types, including bone marrow and some found in the umbilical cord, that can be differentiated into other varieties.
“Despite these efforts, the limited proliferative capacity and weak differentiation ability of these cells hinder their application in giant panda research,” the team wrote in a paper published in peer-reviewed journal Science Advances.
“Induced pluripotent stem cells offer a self-renewing, inexhaustible source of material from endangered species, capable of regenerating various cell types as needed.”
Zhang Shihao, co-first author of the paper, said one of the advantages of iPSCs was that they were easier to obtain, as they could be derived from skin or hair cells without harming the pandas.
“In addition, iPSCs have the potential for self-renewal and multidirectional differentiation, and can differentiate into various types of cells, including mesenchymal stem cells,” Zhang added. Mesenchymal stem cells can be differentiated into different types of cells such as bone, cartilage, muscles and fat.
The application of iPSC technology has shown promise in the conservation of genetic resources for other species such as the Sumatran rhinoceros and Tasmanian devil.
“[The cells] could serve as a crucial tool in preventing species extinction by differentiating into primordial germ cell-like cells, equivalent to primordial germ cells,” the researchers wrote.


Primordial germ cells are the origins of sperm and eggs, and are used in assisted reproductive technology to enhance the populations of endangered species.
Embryonic stem cells, which can develop in any direction, have been a gold standard for studying the function and characteristics of pluripotent stem cells.
However, procuring them from giant pandas is challenging as certain egg collection techniques in live pandas are prohibited, and dead pandas often do not have viable eggs. The team’s new method could allow for the in-lab collection of embryonic stem cells through iPSCs.
“This pivotal advancement represents a substantial stride toward our ultimate objective of using [giant panda iPSCs] for in vitro generation of gamete cells and embryos,” the researchers wrote.
The team will continue to try to make naive cells, which resemble pre-implantation cells, as they have heightened differentiation ability.


One of the challenges the team faced was the limited research into certain panda cell characteristics, which meant the researchers had to explore from scratch. Zhang said their achievement was made possible by the long-term accumulation of experiments.
Zhang said their current approach to applying this technology was “conservative”, but it may be used where necessary such as for small wild populations facing extinction.


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Science

There are thought to be just 2,000 giant pandas left in the wild. Photo: Xinhua 

Panda conservation seen in US-China efforts helping other species thrive, scientists say

Giant panda cub Katyusha (left) and her mother Ding Ding at the Moscow Zoo in Russia in August. Pandas have long symbolised animal conservation efforts. Photo: Xinhua

Golden snub-nosed monkeys such as the one seen here have benefited from panda conservation efforts. Photo: Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji hangs upside down from a tree in his enclosure at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington on November 7, 2023. Two new pandas are slated to arrive at the zoo this year. Photo: AFP

Wild panda populations depend on a bountiful supply of bamboo for their survival. Photo: Shutterstock

Smithsonian’s Melissa Songer (right) and Tsinghua University professor Liu Xuehua observe giant panda droppings at Foping Nature Reserve in Shaanxi province. Photo: Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

A newborn panda cub born at the Berlin Zoo in Germany on August 27. Photo: Zoo-Berlin via AP

A golden takin cub stays with its mother at the Jinan Zoo in Shandong province in 2016. The cub was the first of the endangered goat-antelope species native to China to be bred in a zoo. Photo: Xinhua

Panda Watch: Hong Kong cubs put on healthy weight at 5-week mark

“Little Sister” takes a small nap as she reaches five weeks old. Photo: Handout

“Little Brother” spends time with momma while his sister rests. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong’s giant panda twins to be taken out of incubators in 2 weeks, Ocean Park says

The twin giant panda cubs turned one month on Saturday. Photo: Ocean Park

Ying Ying the giant panda gave birth to twin cubs on August 15. Photo: Ocean Park

News

China

Researchers have created a type of self-renewing cell that could help future research and preserve vital genetic resources


Researchers have created a type of self-renewing cell that could help future research and preserve vital genetic resources.


Pandas

Stem cells

Conservation