Contact Information:

Research Professor
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine,
National University of Singapore,
Kent Ridge, Singapore 119074

Phone: 65-67759171
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ten years ago this November, a paper was published that led to an explosion in the field of stem cell research. In November 1998, Dr. James Thomson’s laboratory reported the first derivation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines from human blastocysts (Science 1998;282:1145–1147).

To celebrate this landmark discovery, and to look forward to the future of stem cell research, Stem Cells has begun an interview series titled “Celebrating 10 Years of hESC Cell Lines”. STEM CELLS is presenting interviews reflecting on the lives and achievements of some of the premiere scientists in the field of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine. The series continues here with “An Interview with Ariff Bongso”.

Read the Introductory Editorial to this series from Dr. Miodrag Stojkovic, Co-Editor of Stem Cells, in the November issue of STEM CELLS.

Read our interview with Dr. Bongso in the February issue of STEM CELLS.

Read additional excerpts from our interview with Dr. Bongso, available only on the Stem Cells Portal.


Join our Discussion Forum:

In his recent interview, Dr. Bongso said “ I strongly believe that hESC research will be impeded in countries where such research is not accommodated and the use of embryos is not allowed for creation of more hESC lines. I believe that the quickest way of taking hESC research to the clinic is by the development of several repositories of hESC lines where panels of such cell lines can be tissue matched to patients to eliminate the issue of immunorejection. There are millions of surplus embryos frozen in tanks all over the world, and if these are to be discarded they will be useful material to meet the objective of tissue matching if informed patient consent and institutional review board approval can be sought. It is time that several repositories of hESC lines of various ethnic backgrounds be developed with a global coordinated effort between countries in which hESC research is not controversial.”

Would this benefit your research? How should this be set up?


Lab Feature

Prof Ariff Bongso and his team are well known both nationally and internationally for their research in In Vitro Fertilization and Human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) Biology. They were the first to isolate stem cells from human preimplantation embryos in 1994 [(Human Reproduction (1994): 9: 2110-2117]. In 2002, they developed the first xeno-free hESC cell line derived and grown on human feeders and with human-based culture ingredients that would be useful for clinical application, because all the current NIH registered hESC lines are grown on animal feeders and with animal-based culture ingredients [Nature Biotechnology (2002): 20: 933-936; Stem Cells (2003): 21: 546-556]. They later went on to develop a xeno-free cryopreservation method to store hESCs (Stem Cells (2004): 22: 779-789). They have also published extensively on the transcriptome profiling of hESCs using serial analysis of genome expression (SAGE).

Prof Bongso and his group, in collaboration with colleagues at Monash University, Australia, also derived 6 hESC lines currently registered with NIH. Prof Bongso and team mate Dr Fong Chui Yee are founder scientists of ES Cell International Ltd, Singapore. In collaboration with the same colleagues at Monash University, Australia, they showed the differentiation of hESCs to neuronal cells in vitro [Nature Biotechnology (2000): 18: 399-404].

In the field of In Vitro Fertilization, Prof Bongso and his team have also scored several world firsts. They developed the human coculture system in 1990 that enabled the growth of human embryos to 6 days in vitro [Human Reproduction (1989: 4: 706-713] and they produced the first blastocyst transfer baby in 1991 using this system [Fertility and Sterility (1992: 58: 569-574]. They then later produced the first zona-free blastocyst transfer baby where the coat (zona pellucida) of the 5 day old blastocyst was enzymatically removed before transfer, so as to encourage implantation [Human Reproduction (1998): 13: 2926-2932].

Dr. Bongso’s lab currently focuses on five areas of human embryonic stem cell biology:

1. Novel approaches to eliminating tumorigenesis from hESCs/iPSCs
2. Germ cell differentiation from hESCs
3. Evaluation of nanofibrous substrates for expansion and differentiation of hESCs
4. hESCs and embryoid bodies as a toxicity assay for drugs/teratogens and studies on early human development and cancer
5. Comparative evaluation of Wharton’s jelly stem cells and hESCs for regenerative medicine

Stem Cell Research Singapore homepage

Prof. Ariff Bongso – Group Leader

• Research Interests
• Profile
• Projects
• Patents
• National University of Singapore homepage
• Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine homepage
• Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology homepage
• Embryonic Stem Cells Research Team

RECENT REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS

1. Reubinoff, BE, MF Pera, CY Fong, AO Trounson and A Bongso, Embryonic stem cell lines from human blastocysts: somatic differentiation in vitro. Nature Biotechnology, 18, 4 (2000): 399-404.
2. Saritha, KR and A Bongso, Comparative evaluation of fresh and washed human sperm cryopreserved in vapour and liquid phases of liquid nitrogen. Journal of Andrology, 22 (2001): 857-862.
3. Fong, CY, A Bongso, H Sathananthan, KC Ho and SC Ng, Ultrastructural observations of enzymatically treated human blastocysts: zona-free blastocyst transfer and rescue of blastocysts with hatching difficulties. Hum Reprod, 16 (2001): 540-546.
4. Bandularatne, E and A Bongso, Evaluation of human sperm function after repeated freezing and thawing. Journal ofAndrology, 23, 2 (2002): 242-249.
5. Richards, M, CY Fong, WK Chan, PC Wong and A Bongso, Human feeders support prolonged undifferentiated growth of human inner cell masses and embryonic stem cells. Nature Biotechnology, 20, 9 (2002): 933-936.
6. Rangappa, S, VG Reddy, EH Lee, A Bongso and EKW Sim, Non-haemopoietic stem cells differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells in the internal milieu of the myocardium. J of Heart and Lung Transpl, 21, 1 (2002): 162-163.
7. Ranggapa, S, F Chen, EH Lee, A Bongso and EKW Sim, Transformation of adult mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the fatty tissue into cardiomyocytes. Annals of Thoracic Surgery, 75 (2003): 775-779.
8. Richards, M, S Tan, CY Fong, A Biswas, WK Chan and A Bongso, Comparative evaluation of various human feeders for prolonged undifferentiated growth of human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells (2003): 21: 546-556.
9. Richards M, CY Fong, S Tan, WK Chan, A Bongso, An efficient and safe xeno-free cryopreservation method for the storage of human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells, 22 (2004): 779-789.
10. Richards, M, SP Tan, JH Tan, WK Chan, A Bongso. The transcriptome profile of human embryonic stem cells as defined by SAGE. Stem Cells, 22, (2004): 51-64.
11. Bongso A and S. Tan, Human blastocyst culture and derivation of embryonic stem cell lines. Stem Cell Reviews, 1: (2005): 1-12.
12. Kueh J, M Richards, SW Ng, WK Chan, A. Bongso, The search for factors in human feeders that support the derivation and propagation of human embryonic stem cells: preliminary studies using transcriptome filing by SAGE. Fertil and Steril 85 (2006): 1843-1846.
13. Richards M, WK Chan, A. Bongso, Reverse SAGE characterization of orphan SAGE tags from human embryonic stem cells identifies the presence of novel transcripts and antisense transcription of key pluripotency genes. Stem Cells, 24: (2006): 1162-1173.
14. Fong CY, M Richards, A. Bongso, Unsuccessful derivation of human embryonic stem cell lines from pairs of human blastomeres. Reprod BioMed Online, 13: (2006): 295-300
15. Vij S, Yang LZ, Wong PM, Chak L, Wang Y, Chan WK, Bongso A (2008) The human embryonic stem cells transcriptome: How much do we know? The Open Biotechnology Journal, 2: 56-62.
16. Bongso A, Fong CY, Gauthaman K (2008) Taking stem cells to the clinic: Major challenges. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 105: 1352-1360.
17. Richards M, Fong CY, Bongso A (2008) Comparative evaluation of different in vitro systems that stimulate germ cell differentiation in human embryonic stem cells. Fertility and Sterility (In Press: doi:10.1015/j.fertnstert.2008.10.030)
18. Gauthaman K, Manasi N, Bongso A (2009) Statins suppress the growth of abnormal human embryonic stem cells and cancer cells but not normal human embryonic stem cells: their novel role in regenerative medicine. British J of Pharmacology (In Press).
19. Fong CY, Peh SL, Gauthaman, Bongso A (2009) Separation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) from hepatocytes in a mixed cell population using magnetic-affinity cell separation (MACS) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) Stem Cells Revs and Reports (In Press: doi.10.1007/s12015-009-9054-4)
20. 20.Gauthaman K, Venugopal J, Fong CY, Peh G, Ramakrishna S, Bongso A (2009) Nanofibrous substrates support colony formation and maintain stemness of human embryonic stem cells. J Cellular and Mol Med. (In Press)
21. 21.Gauthaman K, Fong CY, Bongso A (2009) Statins, stem cells and cancer. J Cellular Biochem. (In Press).

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