Glossary

Terms are arranged in alphabetical order

2008: 2008 was the year Barack Obama won the presidential elections. Some of his campaign slogans during his election were "change" and "yes we can".

Alive...and in perfect hibernation: A quote from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) when Han Solo was frozen in carbonite: Darth Vader "Well, Calrissian? Did he survive?" Lando Calrissian "Yes, he's alive...and in perfect hibernation." http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000031/quotes
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Antibody: Any of a large number of proteins of high molecular weight that are produced normally by specialized B cells after stimulation by an antigen. They act specifically against the antigen in an immune response, that are produced abnormally by some cancer cells, and that typically consist of four subunits. These include two heavy chains and two light chains called immunoglobulin.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antibody 
 
Biological safety cabinet: A laminar flow safety cabinet designed to provide three basic types of protection; Personnel protection from harmful agents inside the cabinet,product protection to avoid contamination of the work, experiment, or process and environmental protection from contaminants contained within the cabinet. http://www.bakerco.com/introduction-biological-safety-cabinets
Watch a video about Sterile Tissue Culture Techniques
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Contact inhibition: Biological process that prevents further division of proliferating cells. (Illustrated Dictionary of Podiatry and Foot Science by Jean Mooney. 2009. Elsevier Limited 24 Feb. 2015)

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Cryopreservation: The process of cooling and storing cells, tissues, or organs at very low temperatures to maintain their viability. For example, the technology of cooling and storing cells at a temperature below the freezing point ('196' C) permits high rates of survivability of the cells upon thawing. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7252

Differentiated cell: A cell that has undergone the process of becoming progressively more specialized; developmental process through which cells mature.

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Embryoid bodies: Spheroid colonies seen in culture produced by the growth of embryonic stem cells in suspension. Embryoid bodies are of mixed cell types, and the distribution and timing of the appearance of specific cell types corresponds to that observed within the embryo. http://www.isscr.org/visitor-types/public/stem-cell-glossary#embryoid

Epitope: The surface portion of an antigen capable of eliciting an immune response and of combining with the antibody produced to counter that response. http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/epitope

Feeder cell:Inactivated (non-dividing by radiation or chemically) mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) provide structural support and release of growth factors for optimal growth of stem cells.

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Fibroblasts: Skin fibroblasts are a critical cell type of the skin; they produce and organize the extracellular matrix of the skin and communicate with each other and other cell types. Skin fibroblasts play a crucial role in regulating skin physiology (Sorrell, J.M., and Caplan, A.I. (2004)). Fibroblast heterogeneity: more than skin deep. Journal of cell science 117, 667-675). The fibroblasts have characteristic morphological features of elongated, spindle-like cell bodies, round to oval cell nuclei, and the fibroblasts grow aligned and in bundles when confluent (Vangipuram, M., Ting, D., Kim, S., Diaz, R., and Schule, B. (2013). Skin punch biopsy explant culture for derivation of primary human fibroblasts. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE, e3779).

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The Force: is a metaphysical, spiritual, binding, omnipotent and ubiquitous power that holds enormous importance for both the Jedi and Sith monastic orders. "Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together. " Obi-Wan Kenobi. http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/The_Force
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Italian Western film directed by Sergio Leone, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach in the title roles respectively.The screenplay was written by Age & Scarpelli, Luciano Vincenzoni and Leone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good,_the_Bad_and_the_Ugly

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Han Solo is a character in the Star Wars movies. Han Solo is portrayed by George Lucas as "a loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good". He and his co-pilot, Chewbacca, become involved in the Rebel Alliance which opposes the Galactic Empire. During the course of the Star Wars story, he becomes a chief figure in the Alliance and succeeding galactic governments. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_Solo
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Immunostaining: the staining of a specific substance by using an antibody against it which is complexed with a staining medium (as horseradish peroxidase) http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/immunostaining 

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells: Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos that develop from eggs that have been fertilized and then donated for research purposes with informed consent of the donors.("Definition of Differentiation". MedicineNet. MedicineNet, 28 Aug. 2013.

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells: Embryonic stem cell-like cells that were reprogrammed from adult differentiated cells, e.g. skin, blood. The iPS cells have the potential to differentiate into any cell type of the human body. ("What Are Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells? [Stem Cell Information]. National Institute of Health)

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Karyotype: To arrange and classify the chromosome complement of an organism based on the number, size, shape, and other characteristics of the chromosomes. http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Karyotype

Keratinocytes: Keratinocytes are specialized cells that  are predominantly found in the outermost layer of the skin, called epidermis. The primary function of keratinocytes is the formation of a barrier against environmental damage (McGrath JA, Eady RAJ, Pope FM. (2004). "Anatomy and Organization of Human Skin". In Burns T, Breathnach S, Cox N, Griffiths C. Rook's Textbook of Dermatology (7th ed.). Blackwell Publishing. doi:10.1002/9780470750520.ch3. ISBN 978-0-632-06429-8).
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Liquid nitrogen: Liquefied form of nitrogen at an extremely low temperature. Nitrogen boils at −195.79 C (77 K; −320 F) and can cause rapid freezing on contact with tissue. It is used in cryotherapy for treating potentially malignant skin lesions or for the cryopreservation of biological samples such as cells or tissues. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_nitrogen

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Neubauer chamber: The counting chamber or also called hemocytometer is a device used to count cells. It consists of a thick glass microscope slide with a rectangular indentation that creates a chamber. This chamber is engraved with a laser-etched grid of perpendicular lines. http://insilico.ehu.es/counting_chamber/neubauer_improved.php

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Nuclear or cellular reprogramming: Technology to turn adult differentiated cells into stem cell-like cells using a factors that modulate the expression in the cell nucleus.

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Orangina: Orangina is a carbonated citrus beverage made from orange, lemon, mandarin, and grapefruit juices and containing orange pulp. The concept of Orangina originated at a trade fair in France and was first marketed in Algeria by the French Algerian Léon Beton. It is a popular beverage in Europe and to a much lesser extent in North America. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orangina
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Philz Coffee: A local California coffee house whose mission is "to better people's day. http://www.philzcoffee.com/

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Pluripotent: Not fixed as to developmental potentialities; capable of differentiating into one of many cell types http://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/pluripotent

Rejuvenation: The process of making young again; illustrated in “Fountain of Youth” by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553)
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Skin Biopsy: A procedure in which a sample of skin tissue is removed, processed, and examined ("Skin Biopsy.". WebMD.). A skin biopsy can be performed to diagnose unusual skin growth, such as a mole. It is a typically done under local anesthesia with a small pen-like instrument.
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Split (aka Passaging, Subculture): A procedure that enables for further propagation of cell line through the removal of the medium and transfer of cells from a previous culture into fresh growth medium. "Guidelines for Maintaining Cultured Cells". Life Technologies
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Starbucks: Coffee chain whose motto is "Our mission to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time." http://www.starbucks.com/

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Substantia Nigra: An area in the midbrain which normally includes cells which contain melanin, a byproduct of dopamine synthesis. Parkinson’s disease occurs due to the lack of a dopamine transmitter, causing the degeneration of melanin-containing cells in the Nigra. In deeply affected parkinsonian brains, the band of melanin is absent from the Substantia Nigra. http://www.neuroanatomy.wisc.edu/virtualbrain/BrainStem/20Substantia.html

Trypsin: An enzyme found in the digestive system that hydrolyses proteins. For cell culture, trypsin is used to detach adherent cells from the culture dish during cell harvesting. "Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%)", Stem Cell Technologies.
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