Stem cells in 20 years from now
Stem cell research is one of the most exciting areas of medical advancement in the world today. Although surrounded by much controversy in certain areas such as the use of embryonic stem cells for which embryos must be destroyed, there are also adult stem cell experiments taking place and many people feel that what could ultimately result from using stem cells for medicine would more than justify any ethical qualms. A large number of scientists believe that within as small a timescale as 20 years we may well understand most of the uses of both embryonic and adult stem cells for treatment, so what exactly will this mean for us?
Stem cells are quite incredible from a medical point of view. There are two kinds of stem cell, the embryonic stem cell and the adult stem cell. They can be grown and transformed into several kinds of specialized cell such as muscle and nerve cells to help give the body’s regenerative abilities a boost during the healing process. Stem cell research is by no means new and has actually been used successfully for years to treat leukemia and related cancers via bone marrow transplants. They also have application in veterinary medicine to treat tendon injuries in horses. There are also already stories appearing about people who have had revolutionary treatments using stem cells, such as a 52 year old man in the UK who after being paralyzed from the chest down for 20 years after breaking his neck underwent stem cell treatment and has started to regain feeling and strength in his legs, back and stomach and may one day be able to walk again.
Stem cells could potentially be used to treat a wide range of conditions, some quite severe. There will likely be stem cell treatments for diabetes mellitus and heart disease, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Stem cell treatments could also help to repair the nerve damage of certain cases of paralysis, enabling people to walk again or to regain the use of a limb. These treatments could all be available one day as over the counter medicines available in a pharmacy, or at the least available on prescription from your family doctor.
The most exciting part of all this possibility is the fact that stem cell research and the benefits it brings is not some distant futuristic dream. While most people may still be unaware exactly how much stem cell research has advanced our medical science today, the fact that we are currently using this technology to “cure” paralysis speaks for itself. It is becomingly increasingly apparent that we may see full stem cell medial development in 10 years time rather than the full “20 years on from now”. While we still do not know exactly what the future will bring when it comes to stem cell medical development, it is certainly looking more than just a little bright with these recent developments. If more cases of paralysis can be treated effectively using this technology, it’s certainly providing a ray of hope that has been sorely needed for a very long time.
Subscribe to the comments for this postStem cells can enlarge breasts
A team of scientists from United Kingdom, led by Kefah Mokbel, found a way to use stem cells from the belly or tighs fat and use them to enlarge breasts. The technique is in its starting stages, but could be revolutionary, eventually. In May, the first ten women will undergo the procedure. Doctors predict that the method shall be comercialized within the next year, and everyone will be able to “buy” this for around 7,000 pounds.
“This is a huge advance in breast surgery,” said Mokbel. “Breasts treated with stem cells feel more natural because this tissue has the same softness as the rest of the breast.” Mokbel also said the treatment offered the potential of considerable improvement on implants: “Implants are a foreign body. They are associated with long-term complications and require replacement. They can also leak and cause scarring.”
The only flaw of this technique is that it can’t uplift the breasts, it can only enlarge them. “We are optimistic we can easily achieve an increase of one cup size. We cannot say yet if we can achieve more. That may depend on the stem cells we can harvest.”
Officials say that after performing a couple of dozen operations, they will be able to offer patients to “buy” the procedure and enlarge their breast.
What are stem cells exactly?
You have probably heard the term ’stem cells’ somewhere, or heard some stem cell news on TV, but never really understood what stem cells really are. Although it may sound complicated, it isn’t.
We know that a video is the best way to explain someone the basics of stem cells — and that’s what we’re going to do. The video below will show you what stem cells are all about. However, if the video is not enough for you, and you want to read more about stem cells, feel free to go here. The video was created by RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology.
YouTube Direktwhatarestemcellsexactly
How will stem cells change the world
Medical research is standing on the edge of scientific understanding with Stem Cell research at the forefront of our minds. Stem cell research is now also being brought to the forefront of media attention but it has long been under development and marks the dawn of a whole new deeper understanding of the functionality of the human body. Stem cell research will not just change medical science for the better but it will also change the world in epic proportions.
Stem cell research is a medical pursuit that endeavours to bring substantial health benefits to individuals and in particular has been noted in its possible use against cancer. With stem cell research underway many optimists are claiming the research will extend human longevity to 120 years or more as well as providing effective treatments for Cancer patients increasing the life expectancy and chances of a full recovery. Stem cell research is definitely out to the change the world on both an individual level and an international one with research set to benefits thousands of patients in the future.
Stem cell research is so special and unique because it is a regenerative technology. That means it will potentially reverse conditions such as arthritis, stroke and even Alzheimer’s. It has in fact already been shown to combat cancer cells causing them to “self-destruct” as well as restore mobility and rejuvenate tissue.
Stem cell research has opened the door to a large variety of possibilities and the question remains how exactly will stem cell research change the world and will it indeed be for the better? This question can never be answered fully until it is experienced however stem cell research does show implications that it will effect not just our health and medicine but also economic areas such as pensions. Stem cell research is being developed with the extending the human lifespan in mind which means the future of pensions is in question. Even today, thanks to improved medical science and techniques people are living longer and healthier lives and pensions are struggling to stay stable. Another problem is how the Stem Cell medicine will be handled, will the west dominate our man made Ambrosia or will sufficient funding be activated to provide much needed care to the third world population? Ultimately, the nation in control of this breakthrough medical science will have an overwhelming presence and this could have global implications.
However, these questions are theoretical and pale in comparison to the overwhelming benefits that stem cell research can provide given enough time and attention. The health benefits alone of stem cell medical research are enough to turn heads and scientists are optimistic that stem cells really will change the world for the better and provide positive results for a great variety of conditions and diseases that we are struggling to combat even with today’s current medical technology. Stem cell research could save thousands of lives, if not more, every single year and with these benefits in mind the research continues in full swing.
Stem cells treatment for stroke patients
Scientists at the University of Texas are launching a research that will help them understand the impact of possible stem cells treatment on acute stroke patients. The research will be done on ten patients who suffered a stroke, and their own stem cells will be used.
“This will be our first try to see if it’s safe using stem cells in acute stroke patients,” said Sean I. Savitz, M.D., one of the researchers. “This research is very promising, but we want to do it slowly and safely. We’re acting like that because we are injecting stem cells intravenously, and they can disperse to lots of different parts of the body and that’s why we’re looking at safety parameters.”
How does a stroke occur? When the blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blockage or a rupture in an artery, depriving brain tissue of oxygen. It is estimated that one stroke happens every 39 seconds in USA, and that’s why this research is of huge importance. Stem cells could definitely help in helping these patients.
Research on animals has already been performed, and it clearly showed that stem cells do help heal. They hope it will work on humans too.
The research was funded by The National Institutes of Health.
Stem cells reverse paralysis
A new research has shown that by transplanting stem cells, paralysis associated with spinal cord injuries can be reversed! All this was proven to be working on animals. What is it all about? The results have shown that the quantity of stem cells in the injured areas is way higher than in the same areas on healthy subjects. These findings hold enormous promise to creating new treatment procedures for spinal cord injuries.
Spinal cord injuries are the biggest cause of paralysis and the trauma itself destroys numerous cell types, including the neurons that carry messages between the brain and the rest of the body. At the moment, there are no working procedures that can reverse paralysis and that’s why this research is of huge importance.
“The human body contains the tools to repair damaged spinal cords. Our work clearly demonstrates that we need both adult and embryonic stem cells to understand our body and apply this knowledge in regenerative medicine,” said Miodrag Stojkovic, one of the researchers. “There are mechanisms in our body which need to be studied in more detail since they could be mobilized to cure spinal cord injuries.”
The details are published in the journal Stem Cells.
Stem cells, come and fix this
Normally, when someone has a certain disease or suffers an injury, the bone marrow produces adult stem cells in order to repair the damage. However, that’s not enough sometimes and a wish of all scientists in this field was to be able to “push” the bone marrow to produce more stem cells and to “control” where the stem cells go. British researchers have finally found a way how to achieve that.
Scientists from the Imperial College London reported that they have found a method which allows them to boost the body’s ability to repair itself and speed up repair. That’s done by using different new drug combinations to put the bone marrow into a state of “alert” and send specific kinds of stem cells into action.
The research was done on mice and it was very successful. Scientists made the bone marrow of healthy mice to release two types of adult stem cells - mesenchymal stem cells, which can turn into bone and cartilage and that can also suppress the immune system, and endothelial progenitor cells, which can make blood vessels and therefore have the potential to repair damage in the heart.
The research actually showed that it is possible to control what types of stem cells are released from the bone marrow, and it’s all done by using different drug therapies. Ultimately, the researchers hope that their new method could be used to repair and regenerate tissue, for example when a person has heart disease or a sports injury, by mobilising the necessary stem cells.
“The body repairs itself all the time. We know that the skin heals over when we cut ourselves and, similarly, inside the body there are stem cells patrolling around and carrying out repair where it’s needed. However, when the damage is severe, there are limits to what the body can do of its own accord. We hope that by releasing extra stem cells, as we were able to do in mice in our new study, we could potentially call up extra numbers of whichever stem cells the body needs, in order to boost its ability to mend itself and accelerate the repair process. Further down the line, our work could lead to new treatments to fight various diseases and injuries which work by mobilising a person’s own stem cells from within,” said Dr Sara Rankin, one of the researchers.
The research team now wants to investigate whether releasing repair stem cells into the blood really does accelerate the rate and degree of tissue regeneration in mice that have had a heart attack. Depending on the outcome of this work, they hope that the clinical trials on humans could begin in the next ten years.
The research was funded by the British Heart Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, INNOCHEM and CNPq.
Source: imperial.ac.uk
Obama will make the change
Barack Obama, the new president of the United States, has already promised that as soon as he gets in the White House, he will remove the restrictions on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. That’s something that many researchers, scientists and patients who suffer from incurable (genetic) diseases approve and look forward to. However, there are some who think the opposite — Worcester Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, who think that the restrictions should stay intact.
George W. Bush has introduced restrictions in this area by limiting federal funding to embryonic stem cell lines that were already created before August 2001. Of course, that was a subject of debate for a long time — but Barack Obama promised to change that by removing the restrictions. He said that he will make it possible for researchers to take embryos stored in fertility clinics (of course, the ones which the parents no longer want and the clinics would have to destroy).
Many scientists and researchers are very glad and are looking forward to this change. “The change would allow scientists that accept National Institutes of Health money to create or access other embryonic stem cells. With more lines available, it could accelerate research potential in lines that may actually have therapeutic value,” said Dr. Terence R. Flotte, provost and dean of the UMass Medical School in Worcester.
Robert Coughlin, head of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, said that this change will be most useful for patients whose only hope is stem cells treatment. “Look at the major role some of the embryonic stem cells are playing in early stage research right now. Any movement to lift the restrictions and add cell lines will be helpful.”
However, there are people who think differently.
Spokesman for the Worcester Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church, Raymond Delisle, reported that the church just doesn’t want these restrictions to be removed. “It’s not just a group of cells, they’re unique human beings in an embryonic state. People will say that these embryos would just be destroyed anyway. That’s the end justifying the means because some good might come of the research. But it’s an intrinsic wrong no matter how much good comes from the research.”
The church supports the use of adult stem cells, but is strongly against using embryonic stem cells because of the reasons mentioned above.
Obama will bring many changes, and this will be one of them. The debate between two sides will continue, but only time will tell who was right.
New stem cells treatment for stroke patients
Indian scientists are announcing great news lately. Their results are amazing in all fields of science — from nanotechnology to stem cells. The latest research was a mice experiment where they successfully used stem cells to treat brain damage caused by a stroke. This is of huge importance because human patients in the same situation suffer from permanent paralysis, disability and dependence on others.
“We discovered that the stem cells we developed, when injected in the damaged portion of the brain, really did trigger development of new brain cells without any life-threatening side effects,” said S. Prabhakar, head of the department of neurology at one of the largest Indian universities.
“This is the first time that interactions between the two kinds of cells (injected cells and host cells) worked out,” he said.
The process started by injecting human stem cells into adult mice after deliberately inducing a brain stroke in them. The stroke was caused by cutting the blood supply to the brain for fifteen minutes, and then restoring it. After a week, they injected the stem cells, and the responses improved significantly.
The study will be tested all across India — in 5 largest clinical centers. The trials are supposed to begin in mid-January.
How does a brain stroke occur? A blood vessel carrying oxygen and other nutrients to the brain gets blocked by a clot or bursts, and that causes the brain to starve. There are two types of strokes — in the first one, blood clots in vessels leading to blocking of the brain arteries, while the second type occurs when a blood vessel ruptures causing a bleeding also known as hemorrhagic stroke.
This research is of huge importance for India, simply because it is the third largest killer in India, right behind heart attack and cancer.
Bowel cancer treatment progress
One of the most common cancers in the United Kingdom is bowel cancer, and that’s why a team of Dutch and UK scientists were pleased to announce that they’ve made progress in exposing the deadly disease.
What scientists would like to know is why a normal, healthy bowel cell turns “bad” and becomes cancerous. Of course, first they have to find which healthy cells are the ones that turn “bad”. All cell types in the colon arise from stem cells - so-called “master cells” - which can form a variety of different tissue types. When a stem cell divides in two, one half becomes another stem cell, while the other “daughter” cell has begun the transformation into the cell needed to form another tissue type.
Now, scientists discovered that there is a gene called APC, which is a tumour suppressor gene, which actually decides how the cell is devided. While doing research on mice, they took out that gene, and within days cancer started to appear.
“We are very excited by these findings but we need to establish whether the stem cells will behave the same way in human cancers as they do in mice,” said Hans Clevers from Hubrich Institute. “So this work is a big leap forward in our understanding of the origins of the disease.