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stem cell research
- 1. Stem cell research Dr.Veerendra Kumar C.M. MD.,DNB. Associate Professor VIMS,Bellary
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Editor's Notes
- In order to be used clinically, human embryonic stem cells must be differentiated prior to use in patients. Undifferentiated stem cells could produce tumors and multiply unchecked within a patient, causing more problems than providing appropriate therapy. It is uncertain if conditions can be defined such that all embryonic stem cells differentiate into the correct cell type prior to therapeutic use. Complications caused by undifferentiated cells might not be discovered until years after the first clinical trials are begun. This differentiation problem is acknowledged on the International Society for Stem Cell Research website: "Scientists are still working on developing proper conditions to differentiate embryonic stem cells into specialized cells. As embryonic stem cells grow very fast, scientists must be very careful in fully differentiating them into specialized cells. Otherwise, any remaining embryonic stem cells can grow uncontrolled and form tumors." 1 Recently, three established stem cell lines were shown to exhibit abnormalities in chromosome number and structure. 2 , 3 Obviously, stem cell lines must be checked periodically to make sure the cells do not become abnormal during continued culture. The use of abnormal cells in treatment of patients could result in indeterminate complications. References " Frequently Asked Questions ." International Society for Stem Cell Research. Draper, J.S., et al., "Recurrent gain of chromosomes 17q and 12 in cultured human embryonic stem cells," Nature Biotechnology December 7, 2003, advance online publication. C. Cowan et al. 2004. Derivation of Embryonic Stem-Cell Lines from Human Blastocysts. New England Journal of Medicine 350: 1353-1356.
- Undifferentiated stem cells could produce tumors and multiply unchecked within a patient, causing more problems than providing appropriate therapy. According to a recent article ion the New England Journal of Medicine : "There are still many hurdles to clear before embryonic stem cells can be used therapeutically. For example, because undifferentiated embryonic stem cells can form tumors after transplantation in histocompatible animals, it is important to determine an appropriate state of differentiation before transplantation. Differentiation protocols for many cell types have yet to be established. Targeting the differentiated cells to the appropriate organ and the appropriate part of the organ is also a challenge.” Harvard scientists reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that five out of the 19 mice injected with embryonic stem cells developed tumors and died." 2 Stem cell lines will suffer the same tissue rejection problems as adult transplants. Once differentiated, these cells will express the HLA tissue antigens programmed by their parental DNA. These antigens must match those of the recipient or else tissue rejection will occur. An admission of the problem of immune rejection can be found from The Scientist : "[W]ithin the [embryonic stem cell] research community, realism has overtaken early euphoria as scientists realize the difficulty of harnessing ESCs safely and effectively for clinical applications. After earlier papers in 2000 and 2001 identified some possibilities, research continued to highlight the tasks that lie ahead in steering cell differentiation and avoiding side effects, such as immune rejection and tumorigenesis.” 1 References E. Phimister and J. Drazen. 2004. Two Fillips for Human Embryonic Stem Cells.” New England Journal of Medicine 350: 1351-1352. Bjorklund, L. M., R. Sanchez-Pernaute, et al. 2002 "Embryonic stem cells develop into functional dopaminergic neurons after transplantation in a Parkinson rat model." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99: 2344-2349. Hunter, Philip. 2003. Differentiating Hope from Embryonic Stem Cells. The Scientist 17: 31 .