• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Increasing Evidence That Scientists Are Able to Re-Programme Adult Stem Cells

Posted on: Monday, 6 February 2006, 06:00 CST

The Centre for Life answers the questions it is most frequently asked about stem cells:

What is a stem cell?

Stem cells are a special type of cell that has the ability to renew other cells in the body.

Where do they come from?

Stem cells are found everywhere in the body. For example, stem cells in the bone marrow renew bones and stem cells in the skin renew hair and skin itself.

Are there different types of stem cells?

Yes, there are three main types. Stem cells are found in adults in various types of tissue so they can renew themselves, in babies cord blood, and in embryos.

Adult steam cells are the type of cells found throughout the body that perform everyday renewal of existing cells. There is increasing evidence that scientists are able to re-programme adult stem cells so that instead of, for example, making skin, they make blood.

The umbilical cord is very rich in stem cells.

Embryonic steam cells are found in the earliest stages of human development, when a fertilised egg is still dividing and only has between 20 and 500 cells. They are pluripotent, which means they can go on to form virtually all types of tissue in the human body.

Do embryos have to be destroyed to make embryonic stem cells?

Embryonic stem cells are derived at an early stage of human development, called the blastocyst stage about five days after fertilisation. This is before the embryo would implant in the womb. The blastocysts that are used in this process are donated by couples who are undergoing fertility treatment and have volunteered to donate fertilised eggs that are not going to be placed back in the woman's body. They would be discarded if not used for research.

Which diseases will stem cells cure?

Potentially, any diseases which prevent the body naturally renewing itself or which have destroyed tissue are targets for stem cell-based therapies. The most likely targets at this stage ( and those we are concentrating on in the North-East ( seem to be diabetes, diseases of the blood and liver, degenerative diseases of the neuronal system, such as Parkinson's disease, and injuries or damage to the skin and eyes.

Have stem cells been used to treat any human diseases yet?

Yes, they've been used in bone marrow transplants for a long time now. They are used to treat diseases of the blood, such as leukaemia.

Source: The Journal - Newcastle-upon-Tyne

More News in this Category