LIFE ISSUES NO. 2785

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

(Stem Cell Advances)

Dr. Willke, today could you give us a few very brief reports on some late advances in stem cell research?  All right, let’s look at a few.  This one was published in the journal, Blood, in November 2001.  It demonstrated that human adult bone marrow stem cells can be grown in culture for extended periods of time and still retain the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types.  Now, this shows that there won’t necessarily be a shortage of adult stem cells.

Here’s one from the University of Florida, also just a few months ago—a report from Dr. Dennis Steindler, professor of neuroscience at the University of Florida College of Medicine.  He says adult stem cells may not have the same initial potential as embryonic stem cells, “but once we figure out their molecular genetics, we should be able to coax them into becoming almost anything we want them to be.”  This man is one of the lead people in getting adult stem cells to differentiate; in effect, he’s turning old cells into young ones again.

Next one, a report from Germany, August 2001.  Doctors there successfully used a patient’s own adult stem cells from bone marrow to regenerate heart muscle damaged after a heart attack.  They reported that ten weeks after injecting his own bone marrow stem cells into the damaged heart muscle, the area of scar had been reduced, replaced by new cells, and heart function had increased by about 25%.

Here’s another one—this from Okayama University in Japan reported in October 2001.  These scientists used neural stem cells, injecting them directly into the brains of mice suffering from Parkinson’s disease.  The symptoms of the disease were reduced, and they reported that this increased the number of dopamine urgic neurons significantly.  Translation:  It grew new brain cells and therefore reduced the Parkinson’s symptoms.  Now, this was only on mice, but always we must be successful in animals before humans.

Here’s one on kidney tissues in the Journal of Pathology, September 2001.  Dr. R. Poulson and his team have shown another possibility for the use of adult stem cells to treat human disease.  They found that adult bone marrow stem cells can form kidney tissue.

And, finally, one from the Journal Neurology, July 2001.  Dr. Mancardi and his team have developed a combined therapy using a patient’s own stem cells for treatment for severe multiple sclerosis.  Under their watchful care, this treatment decreased tissue damage in the patients and, at least initially, has had the capacity to completely suppress further tissue damage.  This, of course, is still experimental, but multiple sclerosis is a scourge for which there really is no known successful treatment.

And so, a few of the new advances.  The field is moving very rapidly.  We’ll probably have another half a dozen for you in six more months.

[03/08/02]