Adult Stem Cells Sucessfully Switch Phenotypes
Even more evidence of the inverse relationship between the number of successful trials implementing adult stem cells and the attention the trials receive.
In Australia, stem cells were taken from patients’ eyes, cultured and coated onto contact lenses. The lenses were then put on the eyes of patients who had corneal damage. The result? Improved vision from a relatively cheap and noninvasive procedure that did not require the destruction of human life!
Two of the patients had damage in only one eye so corneal stem cells were taken from their good eye and placed on their eye with the corneal damage.
Most interestingly, a third patient had corneal damage in both eyes so stem cells were taken from his or her conjunctiva. These cells with the conjunctiva phenotype (the physical makeup of the cell) successfully switched to the cornea phenotype and dutifully repaired the corneal tissue. Precisely what adult stem cells are purportedly unable to do.
I have seen a good number of positive ASCR results from bone marrow, skin cells and umbilical cord blood. It will be interesting to see what else comes of conjunctiva/cornea stem cells.
See also Adult bone marrow stem cells repairs damaged heart tissue
I’m saddened that you don’t mention adipose-derived stem cells which have been used to heal jawbone defects and seem to be more plastic than bone marrow derived stem cells.
The other fun bit of information you won’t hear in the media is that embryonic stem cells can be ethically isolated from amniotic fluid with no harm to the infant.
Cheer up Chris!
This is not an exhaustive list of every positive result… Just some recent developments I came across. You can read more in my older posts and keep checking back for new ones.
In the mean time keep the ol’ chin up!
“embryonic stem cells can be ethically isolated from amniotic fluid with no harm to the infant.”
Isn’t amniocentesis dangerous?
Personally, I’d rather we stay away from anything that might create further demand for ESCs — one days amniotic fluid might not provide enough.
I’m not trying to sound all gloom and doom. I firmly believe that in about 10 years we’ll wonder what the big commotion was about and question why anybody would want to use ESCs in the first place. I actually do research with the adipose-derived cells, so obviously I hate to see them left out. That and I think the notion of using cells from a rather undesired organ for therapies is incredibly cool.
As with any procedure, amniocentesis does carry a certain risk, but current techniques combine it with continuous ultrasound, drastically reducing the risk to the infant. Additionally there is a world of difference between reasonable risk to the infant, and outright murder.
The nice thing about the AFSCs is that they provide an ethical alternative for basic science research, not therapy development.
Chris E.
That is awesome that you are involved in ASCR. Please feel free to pass along any news related to adipose-derived cells and I’ll try to put it up here. Keep up the good work.