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THE DREAM OF IMPLANTING EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS INTO HUMANS WILL NOT COME TO PASS, THOUGH THE BILLIONS “RESEARCHERS ARE RIPPING OFF FROM TAXPAYERS WILL GO ON FOR YEARS. HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE LEGITIMATE USE FOR EMBRYONIC RESEARCH, AND THAT IS IN USING EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS TO TEACH US ABOUT DISEASES AND OTHER VITAL INFORMATION ABOUT HOW THE BODY WORKS.--DM
EXTRACTED FROM THE DECCAN HERALD, FEB 5, 2008.
http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Feb52008/snt2008020550496.asp
Stem cell therapy, though in a nascent stage, has been a promising area. Here in Bangalore, Manipal Hospital has been at the forefront in the field. A drug based on stem cells will be ready by next year end, the researchers assure. Jayalakshmi K reports.
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Predicting human birth defects in a developing foetus by studying embryonic stem cells on a Petri dish, as also testing drugs in a more quicker and cost-effective way, is now possible, thanks to work done by a group of scientists.
Researchers at the Manipal Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Stempeutics have come up with a way of designing safer drugs and understanding their effects on pregnancy and the development of the foetus.
Embryonic stem cells provide a reliable source for studying in a Petri dish, the formation of all the 220 different tissues of the human body. They produce early embryo-like entities, known as embryoid bodies (EBs). These make a population of cells representing all the germ layers (the ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm). The skin and the nervous system arise from the ectoderm, the mesoderm forms tissues like the cardiomyocytes, bone and blood, and the endoderm forms the liver, lungs, intestine, etc. of the developing embryo.
The early embryo growing in the mother's womb can cross-talk with the maternal environment, and responds to the factors around it. Common bacterial infections of the maternal genital tract, like bacterial vaginosis, can lead to poor pregnancy outcomes. The EBs closely mimic a growing embryo in a mother's womb. As ethical issues limit studies on the molecular in human embryos, the EBs are handy.
The team led by Dr Kaushik Deb (Group leader and Principal Scientist, Embryonic Stem Cell Program) has shown that the presence of very low amounts of bacterial lipopolysaccahrides (LPS), a toxin found in E-coli in the environment, can cause defects in the development of tissues like the bones in the growing foetus.
By testing drugs and toxins on these cells, drug discovery can skip valuable time spent on animal studies as well as cost. "The time for drug discovery can be cut from 14 to seven years on an average," says Dr Satish Totey, Chief Scientific Officer, Stempeutics Research. It would also be a good tool for IVF clinics, he adds.
The findings were recently published in the online version of the journal Regenerative Medicine.
MIRM is a constituent institute of Manipal University focusing on fundamental research and education. Work done here is taken across by Stempeutics which does the pilot studies and clinical trails. |
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