A new study has uncovered a region of DNA that can boost the growth of stem cells and lead to safe cell therapies.

The study found that one in five cell-lines mutated a particular region of chromosome 20. From the three genes in the region, it's likely the advantage is from BCL2L1, which is known to stop controlled cell death, or apoptosis. The same mutation is also found in some cancer cells.

Researchers said that targeting this region of chromosome 20 they can develop better tests to tell more quickly if the cells are going bad in culture.

Scientists could use these tests to improve current techniques used to grow stem cells.

The research conducted by the International Stem Cell Initiative involved 38 laboratories across the globe studying 125 ethnically diverse cell lines in parallel experiments.

According to Dr. Andrew Laslett from the CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, study co-author, the experiment found changes that arise from how cells are grown.

These embryonic stem cells, which have the ability to become any other cell in the body, need to be grown in nutritious culture to produce enough cells for therapy. Since many of these stem cells die during initial transfer to a new culture, this leads to natural selection and adaptation.

Now entering early-stage human trials, stem cell therapy turns stem cells into other cell types, like healthy nerve cells, to treat spinal cord injury, blindness and other ailments.

According to the researchers, cells with a growth advantage expand faster but this is not always desirable as this can come at the price of genetic mutation.
"It's the small fraction of cells that become abnormal that can be dangerous in a clinical situation," says Laslett. "If they find growth situations that suit them, they could grow into cancers."

Associate Professor Paul Thomas at the University of Adelaide, who was not part of the study, says the research is impressive in its scale, adding that this kind of study will not be possible without international collaboration.