On YouTube’s early days, a viral video of a newborn baby’s first cry – and its mother’s astonished reaction – captured the internet’s collective attention.
With their striking black and white markings, giant pandas are renowned for their tranquil demeanor, playful antics, and irrepressible charm. The giant pandas, a native species of China, have captured the hearts of people globally, fostering international connections and bridging cultural divides through conservation efforts. For over six decades, the World Wildlife Fund has been at the forefront of panda conservation, partnering with local organizations since its inception in 1961.
Despite conservation efforts, these adorable bears remain perilously vulnerable.
As of now, a mere 2,000 pandas remain in the wild. In remote mountainous regions of southwestern China, the animals inhabit small, dispersed groups. While pandas primarily consume bamboo, their primary food source has faced significant decline due to human activities such as road construction, deforestation, and the encroachment of natural habitats for agricultural purposes over a prolonged period.
As panda populations dwindle, their chances of survival decline accordingly? According to a recent census, pandas have been found to inhabit 33 isolated populations across their primary habitats. Approximately 50% of those teams may encounter.
Time has worn down this tale to an outmoded extent, making it seem as antiquated as the era in which it unfolded. “The critically endangered species is severely imperilled due to diverse human activities disrupting its natural environment,” Conserving its natural environment is a crucial strategy for ensuring the long-term survival and prosperity of the species. Despite financial incentives, navigating the legislative process proves particularly challenging.
Have multiple revenue streams and an emergency fund in place.
In the final week of their groundbreaking research, Liu and his team proposed an innovative approach to conserve pandas by converting their skin cells into stem cells. Cells in this context, regardless of their type or function within the body, including reproductive cells used for breeding purposes.
Researchers hail the discovery as a significant milestone in big panda conservation efforts, says Dr. Thomas Hildebrandt, a specialist at the Free University of Berlin, who was not involved in the study.
Panda Academy
Pandas inhabit various provinces in China, where forests teeming with bamboo serve as their primary sustenance. The polar bears, distinguished by their iconic black and white pelts, stand out notably from both grizzly and black bears. Their forepaws are particularly agile. Like individuals relaxing on couches, they utilize a thumb-like apparatus to grasp and transport bamboo directly into their mouths, while maintaining their bodies remarkably still on the ground.
Despite their formidable teeth and powerful jaws, pandas are generally gentle giants with a laid-back demeanor. In natural habitats, mothers nurture their young for up to two years before releasing them into the wilderness under close observation.
By the 1980s, panda populations had drastically declined. The alarming decline of panda habitats: Deforestation, rampant poaching, and the scarcity of bamboo forests. Thanks to conservation efforts led by the World Wildlife Fund, their populations have recently begun to recover. As awareness of their dire circumstances spread, concerted efforts were made to aid them, resulting in a gradual increase in both captive populations and wild conservation.
However, their tiny inhabitants still pose a genetic enigma that warrants exploration. Inbreeding among teams can lead to genetic illnesses, a lack of genetic diversity, and ultimately, reduced resilience to infections.
Genetic Reprise
To combat these challenges, researchers could explore the creation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from pandas. The Nobel Prize-winning discovery has revolutionized the biomedical field over the past two decades, as researchers have successfully demonstrated the ability to reprogram skin cells into a stem cell-like state.
The technique has already demonstrated efficacy in both human and murine keratinocytes. Scientists employ the technique to induce induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to differentiate into miniature brain models, embryoid bodies, and primordial germ cells.
The technique has demonstrated highly promising results in preserving genetic diversity for several threatened species, according to the study’s authors. Among them are the critically endangered northern white rhinoceros, the Tasmanian devil, the Sumatran rhinoceros, and other imperiled species.
Despite sharing a common origin, the recipe for inducing induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) varies between species. Reprogramming genes that successfully function in both mouse and human cells does not always translate to other cell types or species.
The Smithsonian’s Pierre Comizzoli, uninvolved in the study, noted in an interview that “the recipe from the mouse isn’t inherently applicable to other species, even within mammals?”
Panda-monium
Several years ago, scientists successfully converted cells from the gentle cheek tissue of pandas into tiny spheres of a particular type of stem cell. Despite initial potential, these cells struggled to produce tissues with the necessary flexibility.
New research endeavoured to address this issue by reprogramming skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
The research team collected skin biopsies from two individuals, Xingrong (female) and Loubao (male). The process involved painlessly removing impurities from pores and dead skin cells, akin to a gentle daily skincare regimen.
Following cell collection, the team immersed them in a nutrient-rich solution to facilitate cellular growth and proliferation. Several additional genes were used to reprogram them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
The clones had been striking in their appearance. “We were absolutely thrilled,” Liu exclaimed.
The engineered panda stem cells were successfully integrated into the body’s natural physiological framework. While not a precise replica, engineered cells provide a foundation for understanding how panda cells form. The library of genetic modifications, in turn, may help preserve them.
The workforce further investigated the engineered stem cells’ propensity for growth on a specific marker. Stem cells give rise to three distinct germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Each of these layers has the potential to develop into various tissues and organs. Researchers successfully replicated the process in petri dishes using panda iPSCs, recreating cell and protein interactions reminiscent of early stages in gamete development.
The findings demonstrate how cellular reprogramming could facilitate conservation efforts by enabling the protection and in-depth study of threatened species. By incorporating panda iPSCs into our evolutionary repertoire, we are making a further stride in preserving these endearing animals. Through additional efforts, scientists could potentially create artificial sperm and eggs in a laboratory setting without jeopardizing the well-being of any pandas during the process. Can reprogrammed cells serve as a valuable proxy for scientists to validate the effectiveness of therapies aimed at enhancing panda fertility?
Despite initial understanding, these concepts tend to falter eventually.
According to Comizzoli, the primary goals in regenerative medicine involve addressing health issues in pandas and gaining a deeper understanding of embryonic development and fetal growth in these animals.
