Scientists take first steps to growing human organs in pigs

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/ap/scientists-take-first-steps-to-growing-human-organs-in-pigs/article_edb4e1bd-7055-54d9-bac2-6e4eb93c4f3e.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15454959

In this article, scientists took the next step forward in genetics. Malcolm Ritter wrote about how human cells have been placed inside the embryos of pigs. These types of animals with cells from different species are called chimeras. The injected human stem cells in the pigs are projected to be the first step towards growing livers, hearts, pancreases, and other human organs. The researchers believe this will ease the shortage of human donors for transplants. As the pigs grow the human organs will grow in place of their own. Once the organs are ready to be removed, the pigs will be euthanized. Even though such mixing has been done on rats and mice before, this type of  human-animal research has raised ethical concerns in the science world.

My older brother came to me with this article in the Atlantic City Press. This type of information sounds so futuristic and bizarre to me. I have heard of people using pig valves for heart repairs, but never would I think of using pigs to harvest human organs. This is an amazing revolution for doctors and transplant patients. This will most definitely be up for ethical discussions among certain individuals, but I believe this will save the lives of many.

Possibility for Same Sex Couples to have their own genetic children

A recent study performed at Cambridge University suggests same sex couples are a step closer to having offspring due to a stem cell research breakthrough. Research conducted has demonstrated it is possible to make human egg and sperm cells using skin. Not only does this study help gay and lesbian couples, but also men and women who are infertile.

Research was conducted using skin from five adults to create stem cells that make sperm and eggs in the body. In total, new cell lines were created from ten different donor sources.

The study suggests that same sex couples could have babies together in just two years, which is truly amazing. If the research follows through with this study and more developments are made, this will be a major breakthrough in science, helping tons of same sex couples and infertile men and women aspiring to be parents one day.


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Stem Cells Plus Antioxidants Repair Brain Damage

Researchers from Cardenal Herrera University found a new way of repairing brain damage in mice.  This type of treatment combines drug therapy with cellular treatment with positive results.  They used stem cells from bone marrow and combined it with lipoic acid (a potent antioxidant), which helped with neuroregeneration.  Lipoic acid by itself was used to help treat degenerative diseases (ex. multiple sclerosis, diabetic neuropathy).  It also increases the creation of blood vessels, thus increasing the cerebral immune response and the restoration of damaged tissues.  Stem cells from bone marrow helps improve functions of the brain. 

            The combined therapy of both drugs and cellular treatment, allow cells to reproduce.  They continue to reproduce even after the bone marrow has disappeared (around 16 days), meaning brain tissue was being regenerated due to the stem cell transplant.  It helps target damaged area to give it a foothold to build off of.  Brain damage in children is one of the leading causes of death/disability in third world countries, this kind of treatment could help lower the number of cases.

            The article shows how far we have come with stem cell research.  Combining with multiple techniques will constantly advance our medical techniques.  My uncle has MS (multiple sclerosis) and I would definitely like to see this become a common practice.  Although I believe it will still take some time to test the treatment on humans, I can see this being used by doctors and medical professionals in the near future.

Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141121082913.htm

Related Article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/277805.php  

Stem Cells and Their Ability to Stick Together

According to an article published on Science Daily, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Current Biology, found that the protein Oct4 was actually responsible for the stem cells' ability to stick together. The researchers found that when stem cells separate they tend to differentiate into mature cells of different parts of the body. However, if these stem cells stick together, with the help of Oct4, then they will not differentiate and will continue on as stem cells.

University of Edinburgh found that they may be able to maintain stem cells in their purest form until needed for medical use. This research, which was published in the journal
I think that this is an absolutely remarkable find. Stem cells are a very important part of medicine and gaining a better understanding of how to maintain them can lead to so many breakthroughs in the medical field. Doctors may finally be able to treat, or even cure, degenerative diseases which plague people everywhere and we can finally be able to give people their lives back.

Therapy Using Stem Cells, Bone Marrow Cells, Appears Safe for Patients With Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

An unresolved issue to whether mesenchymal stem cells have similar safety and possibly greater value than bone marrow mononuclear cells which would be an effective proregenerative treatment for ischemic cardiomyopathy.   65 patients were included in the study that had ischemic cardiomyopathy.  Each patient was injected with mesenchymal stem cells (n=19) with placebo (n = 11) and bone marrow mononuclear cells (n = 19) with placebo (n = 10) with 1 yr. follow up.  The primary measured outcome was treatment emergent 30 day serious adverse event rate that which is defined as composite of death, heart attack, stroke, hospitalization for worsening heart failure, perforation (rupture), tamponade (compression of the heart due to collection of blood or fluid), or sustained ventricular arrhythmias.  No patient had treatment emergent-serious adverse event at day 30.  Over 1 yr. the score improved with mesenchymal stem cells and with bone marrow cells but not with placebo, additionally the 6-minute walk distance increased with mesenchymal stem cells only.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131118102626.htm

http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/therapy-using-stem-cells-bone-marrow-cells-appears-safe-patients-ischemic-cardiomyopathy/

Engineered Cells Suppress HIV

In an article from Medical News Today, United States scientists in Los Angeles have found engineered human stem cells in mice acting against the HIV virus. This team had previously discovered that it was possible to create cells that find and kill the virus, but this was the first time that it was done in a living organism. Researchers now believe that human stem cells can help to push viruses down to very low levels among the population and will overall "engineer the human immune response to combat viral infections" (Medical News Today). Although this experiment has come a long way to reach such a great discovery, this will begin a very long journey to be able to use this in every day life with humans. Scott G. Kitchen who was the lead investigator of this study, plans to contain HIV and white blood cells (T cells) that target pathogens in the body until he finds a way to have the T cells successful destroy the HIV virus. Within the mice, it was found that "helper" T cells increased in the blood while HIV decreased.



If this study is proven to be successful and down the road becomes a treatment for anyone, millions of lives would be saved. Not only will this help the HIV virus to a minimum in the human population, but it will also help to open the door to solving many other diseases with unknown treatments, such as cancer.