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Scientists made Human Blood Cells from Human Skin Cells
The Canadian scientists revealed that they managed to develop human blood cells from human skin cells in the journal Nature on November 7, 2010. The research that was conducted at the McMaster University by Mick Bhatia who is scientific director of the McMaster’s Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and his team has demonstrated that it is possible to create human blood cells from human skin cells directly.
So far, scientists believed that conversion of human skin cells into human blood cells requires a middle stage or development of stem cells that are pluripotent and have the ability to make any cell types including blood cells. However, Dr. Bhatia and his team have clearly shown that the development of pluripotent stem cells is not necessary and that human blood cells can be obtained directly from the human skin cells. Even more, Dr. Bhatia has even said that the process they used can be further improved. He also stated that they will also try to develop other cell types from skin cells directly.
The exciting discovery of Dr. Bhatia and his team was repeated more times over two years. They used skin cells acquired from both young and old people and demonstrated that the process of direct conversion of human skin cells into human blood cells works in all age groups. The first clinical trials will possibly start already in 2012.
If the clinical trials will confirm both safety and efficiency of direct conversion of human skin cells into human blood cells it could theoretically mean the end of blood transfusions needed for surgery and treatment of a large number of medical conditions such as anemia and cancer because the required blood will be made from the patient’s own skin cells.
Subscribe to the comments for this postStem Cells Transplantation leads to Muscle Enhancement
Mice that received transplantation of stem cells in their limb muscles have been shown to withstand the loss of both muscle mass and function due to the aging process. The research on mice that has been conducted at the University of Colorado at Boulder shows promising results for future treatments of chronic and progressing diseases involving the muscles in humans.
The research team led by Prof. Bradley Olwin has discovered that young mice with injured muscles that received stem cells from other young mice recovered from the injury within few days. In addition, the muscle that was treated increased in mass and surprisingly, maintained itself even when the mice got older. This means that the stem cells that are transplanted behave differently and stop the aging process in the muscle by preserving it mass and strength. Despite dramatic increase in both mass and size the researchers have not noticed any tumor growths which is very encouraging though they also did not transplant stem cells from young mice into old mice.
The findings of Olwin’s team is very exciting but the professor said that results of their study are only the beginning of potential use of stem cells in humans to help prevent loss of muscle strength and mass which is a normal part of the aging process and which accompanies certain chronic medical conditions.
The researchers also make an experiment in which they transplanted stem cells into healthy muscles but did not discovered any significant benefits concerning strength and mass of the muscle. Olwin and his team believe that the environment in which the stem cells are transplanted to plays a major role in their response. They also believe that the environment sends the cells the signals of an injury.
Olwin announced that they will make the same experiment with human or large animal stem cells which will be transplanted into mice to see if the results will be the same as in their mice-to-mice stem cell transplantation.
Skin Cells Converted into Blood Cells
The researchers at the McMaster University led by Mick Bhatia have managed to convert skin cells into blood cells without the pluripotent phase. This means that the blood that is needed for surgery and treatments of virtually any medical condition requiring blood transfusion including anemia and cancer could be created from the patients’ own skin. The discovery has also encouraged the team to try create other cell types from skin cells.
According to hematologist at the McMaster University John Kelton the Dr. Bhatia’s discovery could significantly improve the prognosis for cancer patients, especially those who need transplantation of bone marrow. Kelton said that the achievement of Dr. Bhatia and his team could eliminate the need for transplantation of bone marrow and save many lives when a donor match cannot been find.
Cynthia Dunbar from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the US National Institutes of Health said that she is very excited about the success of Dr. Bhatia and his team. She stated that direct conversion of skin cells into blood cells is a major step forward in production of multipotent blood cells and their use in regenerative medicine and research of blood diseases and disorders.
Dr. Bhatia team’s repeated the process a number of times over two years. The researchers used skin cells obtained from both young and old people. Their method of direct conversion of skin cells into blood cells was successful in all age groups. However, Dr. Bhatia stated that he believes that they can even improve their method. He also said that they will try to develop other types of cells without pluripotent phase. The Canadian researchers estimate that the first clinical trials which will show safety and efficacy of their method could start already in 2012.
Effects of Nutrient Availability on Stem Cells
A better understanding of stem cell behavior under normal conditions as well as under stress is crucial for understanding their response to metabolic stress and wound healing as well as their role and use in regenerative medicine. A study that was conducted by the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (published in Current Biology on November 4, 2010) has shown that stem cells have the ability to sense changes in nutrient availability. When sensing a nutrient deficiency, they respond by reducing the total stem cell number. However, when the nutrient availability returns to normal they tend to multiply quickly.
The researchers led by Leanne Jones, Ph. D., assistant professor in the Laboratory of Genetics have noticed the above mentioned response of stem cells on nutrient availability by studying the fruit flies. When they feed them with a poor diet the number of stem cells in starved flies started to decline. However, when they gave the fruit flies a nutritious diet the stem cells recovered very quickly to the normal state and number. The researchers also discovered that stem cells in starved flies divided at a slower pace than normally. In addition, a certain amount of active stem cells has managed to retain themselves despite prolonged period of starvation.
The study concerning response of stem cells to nutrient availability suggests that they most likely try to protect germline stem cells that pass genetic information to next stem cell generations. The researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies also think that stem cells may respond similarly to other types of metabolic alternations. This may also help understand the link between overfeeding/malnutrition and some metabolic diseases including cancers which are caused by abnormalities in cell division. The study also arises a question whether dietary changes could be an integral part of treatment.
Benefits of Vibration for Bone Strength
The findings of the study that was conducted by researchers at the Medical College of Georgia Schools of Graduate Studies and Medicine suggest that a daily vibration session may help prevent loss of bone density which is the leading cause of disability and death among the older adults. The researchers led by Dr. Karl H. Wenger have discovered that a daily vibrating session of 30 minutes in an 18-month old mice which corresponds to 55 to 65 years in humans seems to inhibit the expected bone density loss. They also found that vibration results in higher bone density near the hip joint as well as femur (thigh bone).
The vibration technique to improve bone strength was proposed already in the 19th century but the findings of Dr. Wegner and his colleagues provide more scientific evidence for the 19th century technique. Scientist believe that vibrating similar to a vibrating cell phone on a larger scale could stimulate the cells to work better. Vibration is also believed to act on stem cells that are responsible for healing processes by slowing their proliferation. This may seem counterproductive but on the other hand, a larger number of stem cells may differentiate in bone cells instead of producing generic cells. In order to determine whether their findings also apply to trauma they are evaluating the effects of vibrating on lower limb fractures. Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that a subtle vibrating two weeks after injury helps relieve pain rather than worsening it.
Studies involving postmenopausal women with bone density loss have shown results similar to those in Wegner’s mice. One human study has not shown any increase of bone density in women receiving daily vibration sessions, however, they did not show further bone density loss either.
Several human studies have also shown that vibration helps improve muscle strength and promotes weight loss.
Human-Animal Hybrid Stem Cell Controversy
Over the past few years the medical research industry has been locked in constant debate over the creations of “chimeras”, or human-animal hybrids, being created for the purpose of medical research and scientific developments. Proponents of utilizing genetic hybrids of both humans and animals feel that this is an effective way to study many aspects of human physiology and develop alternative cellular sources for stem cell research and treatment, while many opponents feel that it is a direct violation of nature and poses many risks that cannot be foreseen and should not be tampered with.
A chimera, named so because of the ancient Greek mythological creature, is a genetic hybrid in some way blending both human and animal parts to create a new creature. In many ways this has been going on for years with humans receiving heart valve transplants from pigs or cows, enabling them to repair faulty valves of their own that may have been damaged over time. The recent controversy, however, comes not from a surgical combining of two separate organisms but by combining human DNA at a cellular level with animal DNA in order to create a hybrid mixture of the two forms.
Already as of 2003 Chinese scientists in Shanghai have successfully blended human cells with rabbit eggs that were destroyed before birth to study developmental processes. In the US as well many reports of blending human brain cells with mice to generate hybrids with anywhere from 1% to nearly all of their brain is composed of human brain cells have also been created in the hopes of studying brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
In regards to stem cell research the successful blending of human cells with animal embryos could potentially create cellular lines that would allow individuals to receive stem cell treatments for various illnesses without endangering human lives – even being able to harvest valuable embryonic stem cells without threatening a developing fetus. Controversy over this, however, lies in establishing a definitive outline of just when a cellular organism is considered “human”, what rights chimeras may have (if any) and what legal and ethical grounds can be considered appropriate for handling such research both now and in the future.
Currently research into developing and utilizing chimeras is outlawed in many countries including Canada with legislation expected in many other regions as well, however at this time ongoing research conducted in a number of locations is proving promising for many hoping to utilize human-animal hybrids for stem cell lines and other treatments in the coming years.
Stem Cells Limb Repair
Extensive limb damage to the point where amputation was the only solution has long been a problem for many medical professionals throughout the world, with crushed limbs in particular posing the greatest risk due to the fact that the bone can easily be damaged well beyond its own natural ability to repair itself.
Such was the case in England up until recently, where a new technique creating a “stem cell glue” has enabled a patient with a crushed leg to not only save his leg from amputation but be well on the way to making a full recovery, with a 100% return in leg functionality expected a mere 18 months after the initial treatment commenced.
The “glue” comes as a combination of a medical paste known as Cartifill and stem cells harvested from bone marrow extracted from the patient’s own hip. By combining the two substances and then applying it to the bone fragments within the damaged leg (having a total of 5 breaks and one compound fracture near the ankle after a boulder fell on the leg in a rock climbing accident) the fragments were then readjusted within the leg and held in place for 6 months with an external metal clamp in order to allow them to take hold. 6 months after the paste was applied and the cage removed the patient was able to support his entire body weight on the damaged leg, and is expected to be able to run on it one year after treatment once the bone has finished mending itself.
The paste Cartifill was originally designed by South Korean professor Seok Jung Kim and was intended at first to be a part of a cartilage replacement procedure wherein adult stem cells are mixed with the paste and then used to induce regeneration of damaged cartilage, particularly in knees. Thus far the paste has shown a number of successes in treating these cases as well, with roughly 80% of all patients undergoing Certifill stem cell treatment for knee repair reporting successful recoveries.
Further studies are currently being conducted in the UK with Professor Kim working to support other uses of the Cartifill solution assist with limb damage, potentially even assisting with the re-attaching of severed limbs by providing much needed support in reconnecting damaged muscle, bone and nerve tissue that may be damaged during the severing process. Current treatments utilizing this stem cell method are also relatively inexpensive, costing a few hundred Pounds at most, making it a highly affordable medical solution for many injured individuals.
Stem Cells Brain Cancer
Brain tumors have been a difficult ailment to cure for many years due to their tedious position within bodies and the high possibility of damage to be done to the surrounding tissue that could easily result in further damage or even death during the treatment process. Further, targeting the specific causes of the cancer for treatment have proven particularly difficult due to the limited ability to effectively analyze the specific causes of the tumors in the past.
Recent studies, however, have shown some progress in the way that doctors have been able to identify and subsequently develop treatments to hopefully treat and even cure many tumor developments. Through the process of tracking specific stem cells and their growth patterns it has been determined that brain tumors are actually the result of malfunctioning stem cells located near blood vessels within the brain to utilize the body’s resources to multiply exponentially and damage surrounding cells – a process that previously hadn’t been considered as a possibility due to the fact that doctors believed tumors to consist of one particular cell line rather than a collection of different cells.
This targeting of specific stem cells has allowed doctors to develop treatments to hone in on the blood stem cells carrying the cancer in order to kill tumor development at its source. Current treatment phases have even begun moving out of laboratory testing and have begun to be done on human beings, with children suffering from brain cancer as a primary focus group due to their inherent higher cellular regenerative abilities.
Should this process prove successful it could potentially mean a number of different treatments could also be looked at for other cancerous developments as well. Blood and bone marrow cancers, for instance, could have specific malfunctioning stem cells emanating in the blood targeted both chemically by medicines and through other treatment methods to effectively eliminate trouble spots before they can masticate to surrounding tissue and thus inflict damage that most conventional cancer treatments will be unable to target.
Should any damage be done to the brain as well from developing cancers before they are treated other uses of stem cells from healthy parts of the body (such as unaffected bone marrow) are also being explored for use as regenerative sources for brain tissue, thus potentially allowing a restoration of damaged locations that was previously considered impossible even up to just a few years prior to now.
Stem Cells Skin Cancer
While skin cancer has typically not been a major focus for stem cell research in terms of treatment methods and technology it is, nevertheless, a major focus for searching out stem cells in terms of their relationship to cancer and the development of tumors. Cancer is, in itself, an uncontrolled development of cellular growth that can cause various malfunctions throughout a body while stem cells by their very nature are the driving force behind cellular growth and tissue development.
Research has been particularly focused on skin cancer stem cells in the past primarily due to the fact that not only is skin cancer a highly prevalent development among many people it is also relatively easy to study (requiring little invasive action for the removal of cancerous spots for laboratory study). Despite its ready availability for study. however, successfully pinpointing specific cancerous skin cells for study and development of treatment methods has proven difficult.
The primary reason for skin cancer stem cells being elusive is due to the fact that tumors, created by the uncontrolled cellular reproduction cycle initiated by malfunctioning stem cells, tend to contain a large number of different cell groups as cancerous growth can create a cellular “chain reaction” effect in which a large number of cellular lines are negatively impacted. This results in many biopsy studies of cancerous tumors to yield little to no viable record in most cases due to the difficulty in actually isolating specific cancerous stem cell lines.
Thankfully advancements have been made last month by Oxford researches dedicated to the research and development of stem cell technology related to skin cancer, its causes and treatment thereof. Thus far they have been able to successfully identify a number of cellular lines traced back to initial stem cells by isolating the cellular lines in the early stages of development and tracking them through their progress as they develop into cancerous tumors in order to pinpoint key elements in tumor development.
Their breakthroughs in stem cell tracking and selective identification mean a number of different approaches can be taken in the future in regards to both harmful and beneficial stem cell therapies. By being able to successfully identify cancerous stem cell developments in developing cancer regions researchers will now be able to better identify specific causes of cancer and identify as well as treat the primary problem site without needing to conduct invasive actions on surrounding tissue.
Stem Cell Therapy for Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive condition caused by the loss of brain nerve cells responsible for dopamine production which is crucial for coordination of movement. The causes of decline of dopamine production remains unknown but the scientists link the development of Parkinson’s disease to different factors, most often to environmental and genetic factors. In addition to the available treatments of Parkinson’s disease, the patients may also benefit from the stem cell therapy which is both affordable and safe at the Integra Medical Center just across the border in Mexico. Over 50 patients from Mexico, the United States and Canada have received the stem cell therapy at the Integra Medical Center.
Dr. Omar Gonzales, director and founder of the Integra Medical Center uses stem cells therapy for treatment of Parkinson’s disease and claims that the patients who received the stem cell therapy experienced drastic improvement. After the treatment, the patients are reported to experience improvement in balance and coordination for 80 percent, decrease of stiffness and rigidity for 70 percent, improved mental clarity for 50 percent and mood improvement for 80 percent, having less tremor for 60 percent and reduced dependency on other people for 90 percent. In addition, Dr. Gonzales says, his patients even experience reversal of the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease after the treatment. Stem cells used in Dr. Gonzales’ therapy are prepared and kept at the Center’s laboratory.
Dr. Gonzales’ explains that the results of his stem cell therapy have three levels: slowing down the disease’s progression, inhibiting the disease’s progression and reverse of the disease’s symptoms. The last level is reported to be achieved in over 80 percent of all patients. The outcome of the Dr. Gonzales’ therapy greatly depends on several factors in first place on the age of the patient, time of occurrence of the symptoms and level of progression of the disease at the start of the treatment.