Development of Effective Clones of Stem Cells of Non-Embryonic Origin - Report Example

The Contemporary Approaches to the Development of Effective Clones of Stem Cells of Non-Embryonic Origin More and more people are considering adult stem cell therapy nowadays not only in the United States but also in the rest of the world. In fact, according to a UK report entitled “A Submission to The House of Lords Select Committee on Stem Cell Research,” adult stem cells have been used in the successful treatment of diseases like metastatic retinoblastoma, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis, corneal scarring, lupus, and some forms of cancers (Jones). Moreover, with over 2,000 new research articles or papers done on stem cell therapy, we begin to think that stem cell therapy does not only create an impact on the present society but also on the future of the pharmaceutical industry, and on the aspect of age and average life span of the person involved (Dixon).It is, however, clear that there is still a great need for further research in order to discover more about this very promising field of medical research. Adult stem cells are also known as non-embryonic stem cells because they are not derived from the human embryo but rather from organs of adult humans, from infants and children as well. Placentas, umbilical cords and parts of cadavers may be utilized as non-embryonic stem cells. Moreover, there is no reason to worry because obtaining adult stem cells from such sources – individuals or organs – does not entail any harm to any human being (“An Overview of Stem Cell Research,” 2013). Despite the controversies regarding the ethical implications of obtaining adult stem cells from living fetuses and newborn infants, according to the latest stem cell research, adult or non-embryonic stem cells have already resulted in multiple cases of actual clinical benefit. For example, non-embryonic stem cells from adults or from the umbilical cord have already been proven to be effective in the following diseases: autoimmune diseases, Parkinson’s disease, corneal damage, immunodeficiency, anemia, stroke, cancer, and blood and liver disease (An Overview of Stem Cell Research, 2013). One approach to producing adult stem cells is through injection of cells from the bone marrow of the same species regardless of gender. An experiment at Yale University in May 2001 had the researchers obtain a sample of stem cells from the bone marrow and male mice, and they injected these into female rats whose own bone marrow were destroyed by radioactive irradiation. The result of the experiment were not only positive but also significantly overwhelming because eleven months later, the male stem cells, which could be identified through the Y-chromosome, were found not only on the in the bone marrow of the female rats but also in the lung, blood, gut and skin tissues (Lillage). Another approach to producing adult stem cells is from the body of the patient himself. In Dusseldorf in 2001, there was a team of doctors at the Dusselforf University Clinic who treated a patient with cardiac infect with stem cells coming from his own body. The attempt is based on the theory that “The stem cells from the bone marrow would simply convert to heart muscle after injection into the infarct zone”. In the experiment, the results were favorable and that the functions of the heart definitely improved after a few weeks (Lillge). Another approach is to choose a specific lineage for the source of the adult stem cells. Although it is believed that adult stem cells are more likely to develop abnormalities from DNA mutations later on, these adult stem cells are capable of differentiation into specialized cell types. One familiar procedure when it comes to adult stem cells is to guide and grow these cells in the laboratory after they are obtained from the skin, brain, liver, bone marrow, blood vessels, liver or skeletal muscles. After which, they use these adult stem cells in order to replace the dysfunctional cells in the disease. Another use of adult stem cells is also in the development of insulin-producing cells in the case of diabetes (Murnaghan). Unlike embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have the potential ability to differentiate but restricted only to certain lineages, which is actually a phenomenon known as transdifferentiation. In this case, adult stem cell therapies require a source of stem cells of a specific lineage, and the harvesting and culturing of such adult stem cells must actually be precise (“Adult stem cell”). Adult stem cells are also obtained from the amniotic fluid, or the fluid which bathes the fetus inside the mother’s womb. The fetal cells are mesenchymal stem cells from which various other cells may arise. According to Children’s Hospital Boston, specifically from Dario Fauza, one of the affiliate members of the Stem Cell Program, there have been many research investigations involving the isolation of mesenchymal cells from the fetus and isolating them so that they would grow to new tissues which can replace damaged ones in babies with congenital defects, such as congenital diaphragmatic hernia (Guan). Another way of producing clones of non-embryonic stem cells is to use pluripotent stem cells. Functionally similar iPS cells, or induced pluripotent cells, actually have the potential to create any type of cell or tissue. The adult stem cells that are made in this way are actually potential genetic matches of the patient. Thus, there is no more incidence of tissue rejection, and that there is no more need for toxic therapies whose role is to suppress the immune system (Guan). Bone marrow transplant is another approach and it is actually the only current form of treatment that has been used since the late 1960s. However, the latest methods involve bone marrow stromal cells injected into the tissue of the damaged heart. Moreover, laboratory work states that the injected stem cells protects the newborn baby from chronic lung disease (Guan). Another approach to obtaining stem cells is the use of progenitor cells which are isolated from muscle and blood in order to build blood vessels, heart valves, as well as electrically conductive tissue for the heart (Guan). The problem with most types of stem cells is that they have a very limited ability to divide, thus making it dfficult for them to multiply in large quantities. The Stem Cell Program at Boston Children’s Hospital recently discovered a drug called PGE2 that is used to multiply large numbers of stem cells. As of the moment, this new drug is being tested in patients suffering from leukemia and lymphoma in order to see if it can help them rebuild their blood systems (Guan). Recently, another novel technique concerning adult stem cells is being studied. Dr. Hyde of the University of Notre Dame is conducting lab studies that involve the stimulation of the adult stem cells in the retina of the zebrafish in order to replace any damaged neurons and restore sight as a consequence. The zebrafish, among most vertebrates, possesses a central nervous system and retina that has a “robust generation response” (“ND Stem Cell Experts”). In fact, the damage itself to the specific region or class of retinal neurons is the one that induces the reentry of retinal Muller glial cells into the cycle as adult neuronal stem cells that are responsible for generating proliferating neuronal progenitor cells. These neuronal progenitor cells then migrate to the damaged area of the retinal region and there differentiate into the missing neurons. The regeneration that ensues is actually a highly specific process where only the missing neurons are regenerated and only in that particular damaged area. Humans also possess Muller glial cells but these cells do not regenerate new neurons when the human retina is damaged. However, as in Dr. Hyde’s research, by studying the internal mechanism of the retinal regeneration of the zebrafish, the team of researchers under Dr. Hyde are hoping that they could find ways to induce the Muller glia cells of humans to initiate a retinal regeneration response. If this mechanism is discovered in humans, it will definitely hold the promise to repair damage in a variety of human retinal diseases. Among the retinal diseases that are currently of serious pathological concern are retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma (“ND Stem Cell Experts”). Another stem cell expert of the University of Notre Dame, Prof. Ryan Roeder of the Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Department, is investigation bone tissue regeneration using growth factors and adult stem cells. Prof. Roeder is using novel scaffold biomaterials, which are porous biomaterials that are used to deliver and provide a suitable microenvironment for the regeneration of new tissue by stem cells. This microenvironment actually provides the cells with appropriate mechanical and chemical signals. Prof. Roeder’s research is actually receiving full support from the U.S. Army as a part of their effort to improve treatment for battlefield injuries (“ND Stem Cell Experts”). Still, another stem cell expert at Notre Dame University, Prof. Glen Niebur, is currently doing an experiment with adult multipotent stromal cells. These adult multipotent stromal cell (MSC’s), or mesenchymal stem cells, are responsible for constructing bone cartilage and fat in the human body. The problem is that the natural environment of these MSC’s are subject to physical stimuli that may cause stress to the cells and may therefore influence their growth, health and reproduction. Thus, Prof. Niebur and his team of researchers are actually looking into the specifics of the mechanical environment of these MSC’s in the bone marrow using standard engineering methodologies. Adequate knowledge of the chemical and mechanical environment of stem cells is one way to find a new understanding of how the stem cell environment is affected by daily activities (“ND Stem Cell Experts”). Ultimately, Prof. Niebur’s experiment has implications in the area of stem cell research in that through knowledge of the appropriate environment in which adult stem cells can survive, one can determine what these adult stem cells require for growth as well as the most important factors that facilitate their proliferation. Aside from the research experiments of the faculty of the University of Notre Dame, there have been other recent breakthroughs in adult stem cell research. One of these was the basis of the conclusion that “adult stem cells may eliminate the need for embryonic ones” (Mattes). Based on the results of experiments at Harvard Medical School, there was a total and permanent reversal of Type 1 diabetes in mice when the cells that are responsible for diabetes were deliberately killed. As the animal’s adult stem cells took over, they regenerated missing cells needed to produce the hormone insulin for the purpose of eliminating the disease, and the recovery was successful. The success of this particular research experiment somehow holds the promise for the cure of diseases like multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and perhaps 50 other types of ailments (Mattes). Another recent breakthrough concerning adult stem cell research is the case of the man whose adult stem cells were used to treat a rare, potentially fatal disease of the skin. In this case, the disease even prevented the man from eating. However, through adult stem cell therapy, the whole process of the progression of the skin disorder was totally and successfully reversed (Mattes). Other experiments concerning adult stem cell research also yielded positive results. One example was the one conducted at the Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago where doctors successfully treated Crohn’s disease by extracting adult stem cells from the blood of two patients with the disease. This resulted in the successful rebuilding of the patients’ faulty immune systems. Another breakthrough in adult stem cell research was the one performed by Dr. Edward Holland, a resident of the Northern Kentucky Eye Laser Center in Cincinnati, where he successfully used adult stem cell transplants in creating dramatic improvements in his patients’ eyesight. A third breakthrough is the work of researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where experiments on rats have proven the potential capacity of adult stem cells as a means to help stroke victims regain understanding, senses and most of all, physical movement. Studies from the same college as well as in the UK also proved that adult stem cells proved to be more effective compared to stem cells from aborted babies (Mattes). There have been more breakthroughs in adult stem cell therapy aside from the ones mentioned above. One was the discovery in the Stem Cell Research in Milan, Italy that certain cells obtained from the brains of rats in an experiment can be used in order to generate new muscle tissue (Mattes). In fact, this particular finding has significance not only in the role of brain cells in stem cell therapy but in the potential capacity of brain cells, as well as any other cell of the central and peripheral nervous system, to possibly regenerate. Moreover, another recent breakthrough which is closely related to the preceding discovery was the one found by researchers at Tampa, Florida. Researchers at the University of South Florida found out that adult stem cells obtained from the umbilical cord could repair damaged brain tissue subsequent to an occurrence of stroke (Mattes). This implies two things too: first, umbilical cord adult stem cells may indeed be used for stem cell therapy; and second, brain neurons may have the capacity to reproduce and regenerate. A third breakthrough in adult stem cell therapy, which is also connected with the nervous system, is that bone marrow cells may be converted into nerve cells of the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Based on the findings of scientists at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, namely Dr. Ira Black and his team, as much as 80% of bone marrow cells may be converted to nervous tissue in the case of a damaged brain and nerve (Mattes). This finding basically has the same implications as the two preceding breakthroughs previously mentioned. The last six months have also been fruitful in terms of successful research findings in adult stem cell therapy. Based on the results of a trial human experiment by Dr. Keith Sullivan of Duke University, adult stem cells were used to successfully treat a rare case or scleroderma, which is an autoimmune disease involving the body’s attack towards its own connective tissues that support the skin and the internal organs. The complications are kidney and lung failure, as well as the destruction of blood vessels, thickening of the skin and the stiffening of the joints (Prentice). Another successful breakthrough in adult stem cell therapy was the one performed at Duke University in North Carolina, where cord blood stem cells were used to successfully heal and repair damaged tissue of the brain of children with cerebral palsy. The progress was described as “remarkable” and one patient was documented to have become able to “walk, run and do sign language with her right hand” (Prentice). Another use of the cord blood adult stem cells was in the successful treatment of leukemia of a woman at the University Hospitals Ireland Cancer Center. Moreover, at Kansas State University, scientists have been investigating the role of nanoparticles in facilitating the role of adult stem cells in delivering cancer drugs directly to the breast cancer cells. Another research study on cancer revealed that adult stem cells may be used to treat prostate cancer, where the principle is based on the finding that so far, based on the only known experiment on stem cell therapy involving prostate cells, “A total of 14 prostates were generated from 97 single cell transplants” (Prentice). Furthermore, stem cell therapy as a means of cancer therapy was used to successfully treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma, with stem cells coming from the patient’s sister (Prentice). Aside from cancer, certain serious respiratory diseases have also been successfully treated using stem cell therapy. In the case of a 9-month-old child who battled against a severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome that caused pneumonia and syncytial viral infection, an umbilical cord-blood transplant was used to produce more white blood cells in his body. In fact, the production of 86% of which white blood cells was triggered by the implant of the adult stem cells (Prentice). Aside from the breakthroughs and new approaches mentioned above, adult stem cell therapy has also been used in heart tissue regeneration. Researchers from the American Heart Association, or AHA, in New Orleans found out that adult stem cells were used to revive heart muscle growth. Umbilical cord blood adult stem cells were also proven to grow cardiac muscle in the laboratory (Prentice). Adult stem cell therapy was also used to improve the condition of patients suffering from alcoholic liver cirrhosis. According to the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Dr. Nagy Habib successfully carried out a procedure on 9 patients with liver cirrhosis involving adult stem cells from their blood. This resulted in the recovery of 7 patients from the disease (Prentice). A similar study by Lagasse in 2000 actually demonstrated that progressive liver failure may be stopped by an injection of neural stem cells in order to form hepatocytes that will eventually restore liver function (Kim and Evans). Stem cell therapy is also now being investigated as to its role in dealing with problems of kidney damage. A particular Utah research team has theorized that once adult stem cells from the bone marrow are injected into the patient’s bloodstream, these adult stem cells would then release signals that will protect and prevent kidney tissue from further damage and failure. Moreover, the adult stem cells will ideally trigger the repair and rebuilding of kidney tissues (Prentice). Moreover, adult stem cells are now also being used in the reconstruction of the trachea, or windpipe. A 30-year-old woman at Barcelona’s Hospital Clinic was suffering from tuberculosis and was prescribed medicine to alleviate her condition. However, this did not keep her left lung from collapsing. After the surgical removal of her left lung, she decided on having some of her adult stem cells in order to restore her left lung and windpipe. The result was successful and was carefully documented by the University of Milan in Italy (Prentice). Another new approach to producing adult stem cells is through discarded teeth. According to Japanese scientists, the wisdom teeth are a significant source of adult stem cells and may prove to be essential in the treatment of many life-threatening diseases like diabetes and cancer. In fact, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan, or AIST, was able to identify a particular type of stem cell in wisdom teeth that would even grow outside the human body. Another new approach to producing adult stem cells is the one that they have found in Germany. Thomas Skutella, the senior author of a related German article in the journal Nature, and a resident professor of the Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine in Tuebingen, proved that adult stem cells can be grown from testes tissue (Prentice). Another recent breakthrough in stem cell therapy is the conclusion based on a particular experiment at Rockefeller University, where researchers successfully cloned 19 mice pups from adult skin stem cells. Among the 19, nine grew up into healthy adults. The report of the whole experiment is documented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (“Scientists clone mice from adult skin stem cells”). Cloning marking methods, or the methods used for obtaining adult stem cells, have also evolved. In the process of isolating adult stem cells for cloning and therapy, one should identify short-lived transient clones from long-lived stem cell clones. As animals age and as stem cell function declines with age, then one should use only relatively younger animals for experiment s or younger human subjects for human trials. One should also employ the proper use of heat shock and tamoxifen levels. Moreover, one should determine where exactly in the cell lineage the adult stem cells were induced (Fox et al.). Top of Form Bottom of Form Works Cited “An Overview of Stem Cell Research.” 2013. The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity. 18 Mar 2013. Dixon, Patrick. “Future of Stem Cell Research: Creating New Organs and Repairing New Ones.” 2004. Global Change. 21 Mar 2013. Fox, D. T., Morris, L. X., Nystul, T. & Spradling, A. C. “Lineage analysis of stem cells.” 2013. Stem Book. 18 Mar 2013. Guan, Xiao. “Adult Stem Cells 101.” 2013. Boston Children’s Hospital. 19 Mar 2013. Jones, David. “Cloning and Stem Cell Research: A Submission to The House of Lords Select Committee on Stem Cell Research.” 2000. The Linacre Center. 18 Mar 2013. Lillge, Wolfgang. “The Case for Adult Stem Cell Research.” 2002. 21st Century Science & Technology Magazine. 18 Mar 2013. Mattes, Bradley. “Embryonic Versus Adult Stem Cells? It’s Really No Contest.” 2009. Life Issues Institute. 18 Mar 2013. Murnaghan, Ian. “Adult vs. Embryonic Stem Cells.” 2013. Explore Stem Cells. 17 Mar 2013. “ND Stem Cell Experts.” 2013. University of Notre Dame. 13 June 2012. Prentice, David, William L. Suanders, Jan Ledochowski & Lukas Lucenic. “Personal Success Stories from Adult Stem Cell Research: Helping People with Real Diseases.” 2009. Wisconsin Right to Life. 18 Mar 2013. “Scientists clone mice from adult skin stem cells.” 2007. Rockefeller University. 18 Mar 2013. Read More