Stem cell therapy is controversial, mostly for the application of foetal stem cells in a large proportion of research.
A new type of stem cell has been developed by researchers in Japan, called induced pluropotent stem (iPS) cells. These cells derive from somatic (body) cells, and therefore are a lot less morally questionable than foetal cells.
A recent study has investigated the usage of iPS cells in the treatment of ischemia 1 - the restriction of blood supply to a specific body part that can lead to tissue damage. Hind limb ischemia in mice was treated with iPS cells specifically treated to produce a protein called fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1). This protein plays an important role in the formation of blood vessels.
Transplantation of stem cells producing Flk-1 into the damaged limbs of mice accelerated the formation of new blood vessels, showing that this therapy could potentially rescue tissues that have suffered restricted blood flow. This could potentially be applied after events such as heart attacks.
1 Suzuki et al. Therapeutic angiogenesis by transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived Flk-1 positive cells. BMC Cell Biology 11:72 (2010)
A new type of stem cell has been developed by researchers in Japan, called induced pluropotent stem (iPS) cells. These cells derive from somatic (body) cells, and therefore are a lot less morally questionable than foetal cells.
A recent study has investigated the usage of iPS cells in the treatment of ischemia 1 - the restriction of blood supply to a specific body part that can lead to tissue damage. Hind limb ischemia in mice was treated with iPS cells specifically treated to produce a protein called fetal liver kinase-1 (Flk-1). This protein plays an important role in the formation of blood vessels.
Transplantation of stem cells producing Flk-1 into the damaged limbs of mice accelerated the formation of new blood vessels, showing that this therapy could potentially rescue tissues that have suffered restricted blood flow. This could potentially be applied after events such as heart attacks.
1 Suzuki et al. Therapeutic angiogenesis by transplantation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived Flk-1 positive cells. BMC Cell Biology 11:72 (2010)
No comments:
Post a Comment