Scientists Discover More Innovation With Stem Cells

The field of adult stem cell research is growing by leaps and bounds! There is an enormous progress taking place as we speak. Firstly, scientists discovered a better way to create induced pluripotent stem cells that can produce any cell type, thus being fully able to do what embryonic stem cells can do…

In Science Magazine… 

“Given the right instructions in the lab, mature cells can turn back into embryoniclike ones that researchers covet, but the process is frustratingly slow and inefficient. By removing a molecular brake, scientists have now figured out how to reprogram cells with almost 100% efficiency.”

“In a process called cellular reprogramming, researchers increase the expression of four genes in skin, blood, or other mature cells to turn them into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which can become any of the body’s cell types.”

“Scientists value the method because it allows them to make patient-specific cells in the lab that they can use to study disease—and perhaps someday to treat patients. However, the reprogramming procedure is hit-and-miss. The most efficient methods reprogram only about 10% of mature cells into iPSCs.”

What if scientists could reprogram stems cells right in your body? This concept is not far fetched! A state never produced in a lab before was successful in mice!

Science Daily…

“One of the greatest achievements in recent biomedical research was in 2006 when Shinya Yamanaka managed to create embryonic stem cells (pluripotent stem cells, induced in vitro, or in vitro iPSCs) in a laboratory from adult cells, via a cocktail of just four genes. Yamanaka’s discovery, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2012, opened a new horizon in regenerative medicine.”

“CNIO researchers have taken another step forward, by achieving the same as Yamanaka, but this time within the same organism, in mice, without the need to pass through in vitro culture dishes. Generating these cells within an organism brings this technology even closer to regenerative medicine.

The first challenge for CNIO researchers was to reproduce the Yamanaka experiment in a living being. They chose a mouse as a model organism. Using genetic manipulation techniques, researchers created mice in which Yamanaka’s four genes could be activated at will. When these genes were activated, they observed that the adult cells were able to retreat in their evolutionary development to become embryonic stem cells in multiple tissues and organs.

“María Abad, the lead author of the article and a researcher in Serrano’s group, said: “This change of direction in development has never been observed in nature. We have demonstrated that we can also obtain embryonic stem cells in adult organisms and not only in the laboratory.”

The reprogrammed adult stem cells can also be removed from the body for further study. Unlike origin evolutionary research where scientists are trying to come up with a way to produce life from dead chemicals in a lab in order to take credit on the way nature has been designed, this article says no such thing, what was reprogrammed is not what happens in evolution. Even though evolution was given some props, this was an amazing year for real science that includes adult-stem cell research!

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Stem Cells: Adult and Pluripotent In The News

In my local newspaper whose writers highly endorse embryonic stem cell research, reported nothing on adult stem cell research but rather focused on a study about reprogrammed stems cells. Science Daily also reported on this…

“Adult cells that have been reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) do not completely let go of their past, perhaps limiting their ability to function as a less controversial alternative to embryonic stem cells for basic research and cell replacement therapies, according to researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston, John Hopkins University and their colleagues.”

IPS was first accomplished back in 2007, so scientists have a long way to go in understanding it’s implications and it’s usefulness in treatments. How much of a limitation does it have? Only time will tell. In the meantime, there is great news about the progress of adult stem cell research!

Can you imagine a hospital or on the battlefield getting huge amounts of blood to treat people without donors?  Scientists working for the Pentagon have develope artificial blood from hematopoietic stem cells which comes from umbilical cords! These blood cells are functionally indistinguishable from normal blood cells which could solve the  problem of blood shortages and being able to be transported to inaccessible areas. It will eventually be tested on humans in 2013.

How can fat in our bodies strengthen our bones? Fat contains useful stem cells and it’s already been tested in race horses…

“The method employs a gel-like material to encourage stem cells from fat to regenerate damaged bone. The stem cells have been shown to stimulate the growth of small blood vessels in developing bone, encouraging healing. The gel keeps the stem cells at the injury site; as the bone heals, the gel breaks down. Straight injection of stem cells has a limited effect,” Leach said. “If we can localize the cells at the treatment site, the treatments should be more effective.”

What about heart patients? Rather than having to extract bone marrow, doctors can use adult stem cells right in the heart tissue itself.  “Using heart-derived stem cells to treat heart attack and cardiomyopathy has some advantages over embryonic and induced pluripotent cells as they are potentially safer,” the article said.  “It’s also notable that of these three cell types, it’s only heart-derived cells that are in current human clinical trials for this sort of treatment.”

Nature became very concern when a ruling was delivered in favor of adult stem cell research funding from a group who believed their work was being shunned by the Obama Admistration shift in policy to embryonic stem cell research. Editors claim the public who funds the research has no say rather it’s “Peer review should be enough to decide which projects merit funding,” they say!

Jeff Harvey who spoke on behalf on taxpayers said…

“This is perhaps the real problem with scientists–we often think we are the only ones capable of judging our actions.  But consider what would happen if every group thought the same about their own group.  Teaching can only be judged by teachers, highway paving can only be judged by pavers, judges can only be judged by judges, presidents by other presidents, despots by other despots, and criminals by other criminals.  What a beautiful world THAT would be!!!”

From The Exciting To The Bizzare In Scientific Research

Adult stem cell research which is often times overlooked by liberals in favor of  embryonic stem cells has been one of the more exciting things to write about in the world of science.  Science Daily just recently reported that there has been an enormous jump in progress in producing better stem cells.

“The new technique, which uses three small drug-like chemicals, is 200 times more efficient and twice as fast as conventional methods for transforming adult human cells into stem cells (in this case called “induced pluripotent stem cells” or “iPS cells”).”

“Both in terms of speed and efficiency, we achieved major improvements over conventional conditions,” said Scripps Research Associate Professor Sheng Ding, Ph.D., who led the study. “This is the first example in human cells of how reprogramming speed can be accelerated. I believe that the field will quickly adopt this method, accelerating iPS cell research significantly.”

Ida, a fossil that I reported on in here before has been verified once again as not being a so-called; ‘missing link’ as hyped up by the media back in May 2009…In the BBC news outlet it states…

“The research is the first independent assessment of the claims made in a scientific paper and a television documentary earlier this year. Dr Erik Seiffert says that Ida belonged to a group more closely linked to lemurs than to monkeys, apes or us.”

Parallel Universes: Science Fiction or Theoretical Possibility?

Two scientists now claim that can actually calculate an estimate of other universes. I kid you not, this is not the twilight zone or sliders! What Hollywood has been using for years for entertainment purposes is now taken seriously by some scientists…Here is the story on how they arrived at such a strange conclusion reported by Physorg…

“To work these numbers out, Linde and Vanchurin looked back to the time shortly after the Big Bang, which they view as a quantum process that generated lots of quantum fluctuations. Then during the period of inflation, the universe grew rapidly and these quantum fluctuations were “frozen” into classical perturbations in distinct regions. Today, each of these regions could be a different universe, having its own distinct laws of low energy physics.”

Scientific research without the storytelling (evolution) has always been praised in here. There is nothing anti-biblical or anti-religion for research that enhances the quality of life whether in be in the field of electronics or biomimetics, biochemistry, biophysics, systems biology and genetics when it’s presuppose information and creationism!

Stem Cell Research Remains Controversial And Promising

Obama’s unbiblical executive order doesn’t  not specify the source of the embryos which means scientists are free to work on any embryos including  human embryos created solely for research purposes.

Even with the restrictions lifted, it remains a political battle ground on ethics so the distinction is not normally labeled properly by proponents of ES instead, they refer to it as just “stem cell” research. Science labels it like something out of the occult, “The Enlightenment Returns.”

On the flip side, adult stem cells continues it’s rampage in progress. Science Daily reports…

“Preliminary data presented on March 28 as a late-breaking abstract at the American College of Cardiology’s 58th annual scientific session from the largest CD34+ adult stem cell study for heart disease has shown the first evidence that delivering a potent form of autologous (from the patient) adult stem cells into the heart muscle of patients with severe angina may result in less pain and improved exercise tolerance.”

More treatments include, progress in adult stem cells concerning diabetics as reported in PhysOrg…

“Hess drew human bone marrow and simultaneously isolated three different types of stem cells that co-ordinate together to form new blood vessels. These are called pro-angiogenic stem cells. They were purified to remove any inflammatory or contaminated cells, and then injected into the circulation of mice which had one of their leg arteries ligated and removed.”

“The researchers showed how these stem cells have a natural ability to hone in on the area of ischemia to induce blood vessel repair and improve blood flow. Hess says this research is clinically-applicable because they studied the function of human stem cells in immune-deficient mice.”

“The preclinical data from Hess’ research was used by a biopharmaceutical company, Aldagen to receive FDA approval for a multi-center clinical trial now underway in Houston, Texas, involving 21 patients with end-stage peripheral artery disease.”

Many scientific organizations are liberal, they reject ethics and mislead the public by not making the distinctions with their labeling between adult stem cells and ES. Obama didn’t restore science. Bush allowed more ES research than Clinton did. This is all highly political with no morality with these organizations who should be demanding more money for adult stem cell research as well as praising the remarkable progress in this area.

News Bits About Both Types Of Stem Cell Research

Adult stem cell research continues it’s charge with positive results for this year’s scientific break throughs which we will get to in a moment. Since President Obama has been in office, there has been much focus on embryonic cell research.

The latest news bit about the FDA allowing the first embryonic cell experiment has some buzzing as this news anchor Andrew Nichols from the CBC points out…

“Barack Obama’s inauguration was an exciting milestone for scientists in stem cell research.  Last year Obama pledged to lift some key restrictions.  And today, a U.S. biotech company received approval to test a therapy using human embryonic stem cells in people!”

What is generally misleading about stem cell research is the fact that there are two different types of this particular research. One is of course embryonic research and the other is adult stem cell research. The Bush administration only banned federal funding of embryonic research due to ethical implications. But the new President wants to change it as stated in this report…

“President-Elect Obama intends to sweep the new administration clean of President Bush’s pro-life policies by executive order. The president-elect intends to reverse trademark Bush-era policies including the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell (ESC) research, and the ban on funding for overseas family-planning programs that offer or promote abortions.”

Former President Bush did not banned embryonic stem cell research all together which prohibit reseachers, just the public funding of it. The good news was, very little takers in the private sector were willing to pick up the lost of funds by the government. Some of that had to do with the results of the research which wasn’t baring much fruit.

But what has been producing much fruit is adult stem research and still is remarkably picking up steam. It has shown the best promise for treatment of diseases in stem cell research…Voted as the number one science break through of 2008, and it hasn’t lost anything in 2009.

Adult stem cells has shown great promise in treating aids as reported below…

Bone marrow contains stem cells that are capable of forming all types of blood cells including the white blood cells that form part of the immune system.

The scientists have found they can import three genes that protect cells against attack from HIV into these blood stem cells in the laboratory. By giving patients stem cells that carry these anti-HIV genes, the patients’ bodies are able to produce new white blood cells that are resistant to attack from HIV and so able to defend the body from other forms of infection.

The trial of the new stem cell therapy was carried out in patients with Aids-related lymphoma as the cancer is commonly treated with a bone-marrow transplant. Powerful drugs are used to strip the patient of their own bone marrow, which is then replaced with cells from a donor.” -UK Telegraph

Brazil has gotten involved with adult stem research in huge way and has been very successful so far that it has now joined an…

“…elite group of countries able to use adult stem cells identically to embryonic stem cells. The other four countries with this capability are Japan, the U.S., China and Germany. The pioneers were Japanese scientists at the University of Kyoto who successfully reprogrammed human adult stem cells in November of 2007.”

While there is excitement by the liberal media over the first embryonic cell experiment on humans, and while the UK researchers are complaining about funding in this area, more excitement in adult stem cell research…

“The UK Stem Cell Foundation and Scottish Enterprise, in partnership with the Chief Scientist Office, have been given the green light to begin trials this month using adult stem cells that could potentially restore vision to patients with corneal blindness. The planned clinical trial with around 20 patients represents a major step forward for stem cell therapies that often take years of animal testing to bring to human trials.”

It is certain a leap forward for research in adult stem cells which continues to show progress in many areas in the medical field ever since scientists were able to reprogram these cells back to their beginnings.

Adult Stems Cells Renew Themselves

Scientists conducted a study on mice which had limb muscle tissue damage. There are adult stems cells known as MusSC which under the membrane that surrounds muscle fibers. These stems cells repair tissue damage.

Scientists used MusSC to transplant into the mice. In order to be successful the transplant had to be accepted by the mice’s bodies. A rejection of the adult stems cells would make the study unsuccessful.

But the MusSC was not rejected, thus the damage was able to be repaired! Quite amazing!

“The regenerated tissue, setting off massive waves of muscle cell growth and repair, and subsequently showed that the MuSC and descendents rescued the second animal’s lost muscle healing function.”

“Scientists, Alessandra Sacco and Helen Blau, had genetically engineered the transplanted MusSC to express Pax7 and luciferase proteins. As a result, every transplanted cell glowed under ultraviolet light and was easy to trace.” Science Daily

Just being able to detect the presence of these cells was very remarkable. It’s a continuing list of great success stories of adult stem cell research. Sadly, the new administration coming into office wants more focus on ES.

“U.S. researchers are eagerly anticipating the moment that President-elect Barack Obama takes office and sweeps away the Bush Administration’s restrictions on federal funding for research with human embryonic stem (ES) cells.  Scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) are making no secret of their glee.  “I think everybody here is incredibly excited about the new Administration,” says Story Landis, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and chair of the NIH Stem Cell Task Force.”

Clearly these scientists have no ethical problems with their obsession with embryonic stem cells. One nurse told me, “well they are throwing out ES anyway, so why not used them?” Adult stems cells have shown and continue to show more progress in treatment.

As I pointed out in a previous post on this subject, embryonic stems cells are money makers for research. Now it appears in more ways than one!

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine which is known as the embryonic stem cell institute approved by voters was given a gift from the State. According to the California’s state stem-cell agency, the chairman’s request for a half-million dollar salary was granted.

With California having a deficit crisis, this news as you might imagine to sit too well. Overpaying people doesn’t always happen in the private sector, it also happens in government agencies.

But anyway, back to better news, the break though in the transplant that repaired tissue was remarkable, and I would encourage any Christian out there who is thinking going into the  medical field, you might want to consider adult stem cell research!

Protein Marker Idenifies Important Stem Cells

A breakthrough in finding rare adult stem cells that are able to regenerate when the liver tissue is injured. Very big news and promising news as far as cell-replacement therapy is concerned and also for those who suffer from liver disease.

“In the future, this marker will allow for the isolation and expansion of these stem cells, which could then be used to help patients whose livers can no longer repair their own tissue. About 17,000 Americans are currently on a waiting list for a liver transplant, according to the American Liver Foundation.”

This promising research is only scratching the surface, there are other areas in which scientists are not sure about. Mainly, molecular targets that are regulated by Fox l1 are not identified as of yet. It’s also unknown to scientist what actually activates the mechanism of fox l1 and the connection it has with the liver.

“For chronic injury, the liver uses a back-up system that stimulates stem cells to proliferate and eventually differentiate into new liver cells. Greenbaum and colleagues found that these dual-potential stem cells can be identified and potentially isolated from other liver cells because they uniquely express the protein Foxl1.

The team showed that in two mice models of liver injury, stem cells and their descendents were marked by the expression of FoxL1. The researchers propose to use this marker to isolate the Foxl1-bearing stem cells and transplant them back into damaged livers to restore function.” –Science Daily

God’s design of the human body is very complicated, very advanced and precise. I believe this new found discovery using the protein marker, has quite a ways to go yet. But once again, and I can help but to put emphasis on this, adult stem cell research shows more progress in treating people than the politically correct and liberal media hyped embryonic stem cell research.

Most of the embryonic stem cells are collected by destroying human life. This of course as a Christian I take issue with. However, there are other means to collect embryonic stem cells. It’s not like true Christians are totally against that type of stem cell research. But it sure exciting to see the breakthroughs with adult stem cells that might one day help treat people in the future and save human life in the process. Lord willing.