Blood can be collected from the umbilical cord of a newborn baby shortly after birth. This blood is rich in blood stem cells that can be used to generate red blood cells and cells of the immune system. Cord Blood stem cells can be used to treat a range of blood disorders and immune system conditions such as leukaemia, anaemia and autoimmune diseases. Once collected, cord blood can be stored in a cord blood bank and would be available for use by the donor and compatible siblings.
Alternatively, the cord blood may be donated to a general cord blood bank for use by other tissue matched individuals in need of a transplant. It is hoped that over time a store of cord blood stem cells from people of different tissue types may be established. Someone requiring a transplant would be treated with stem cells from the sample most closely matching their own tissue type, thus minimising complications associated with immune rejection.
Cord blood stem cells may also be useful for treatment of diseases other than blood disorders. Preliminary research reports suggest that cord blood stem cells may have a greater ability to differentiate into different cell types than was previously thought possible. Using animal model, several research groups have used human cord blood stem cells to treat heart attacks and repair injured blood vessels. However, this research is at a very early stage. Scientists are presently unsure whether the cord blood stem cells are transformed into heart muscle or blood vessels, or if they secrete growth factors, that trigger repair. If further studies and clinical trials prove successful, cord blood stem cells may provide a new treatment for cardiovascular disease with fewer side effects than current drug based and surgical treatments.
Ethical Issues
The use of cord blood stem cells in cell-based therapies for blood and immune diseases, and for other potential applications, would be welcomed by the majority of the community. Although cord blood stem cells are less versatile than Embryonic Stem cells, their use in research is less controversial as it does not involve the destruction of embryos. Their potential use for cell-based therapies is also attractive as it would be possible to use a patient’s own cord blood stem cells to generate tissue for transplantation, thus avoiding problems with immune rejection.
.Saviour Siblings
Controversy has arisen over the practice of genetically selecting embryos created during infertility treatment, for the purpose of using the donor baby’s cord blood to treat an ill sibling. In this procedure, genetic testing is performed to ensure that the embryo will provide cord blood devoid of the genetic defect afflicting the sibling, but which matches the sibling’s genetic make up. The donor baby in this case is sometimes referred to as a ’savior sibling’.
The first ’saviour sibling’ to be born in Australia was reported in March 2004. A Tasmanian couple used this technology to have a second child who was free of a genetic condition, Hyper IgM Syndrome. Cord blood from this child could be used to treat the affected sibling. As a result of this selection process carried out Sydney IVF Clinic, the woman started her pregnancy knowing that her baby was free of Hyper IgM Syndrome and would be a potential tissue donor for her existing son.
The creation of ’saviour siblings’ has evoked a quite heated debate in both the medical and general community. Some are vehemently opposed to this application, considering this the first step in ‘designer babies’. Others consider it highly unethical not to use this technology to help the sick sibling. The overarching issue to be considered is the well being of the ’savior sibling’, and to ask the question whether they will be disadvantaged by the procedure. These are questions to be considered by both the biomedical and general community when considering applications of any new technology.
PHILADELPHIA – Stem cell research is a topic that just won’t go a way and for good reason, depending on who your talk to.
Now, some local veterinarians are reportedly using stem cell therapy to treat arthritic dogs, and doing so is turning into a rather profitable business, according to the editor of the Philadelphia Business Journal, Bernie Dagenais.
The procedure involves veterinarians taking fat tissue from an animal — usually disabled dogs — and sending it to a California-based company called Vet-Stem. In a laboratory, the company extracts cells and sends them back in a syringe. That shot is then given to the animal in the area where it has arthritis.
The cutting-edge procedure typically costs $2,500 to $3,500, but the results are said to be dramatic, especially for dogs with arthritis, Dagenais said.
About 1,500 dogs in the country have received this, and a few local centers are doing them. They must be specially certified by Vet-Stem to do the procedure.
“These are the types of procedures that a lot of people will not normally do on a pet. But if you want to go the extra distance, this is a new option that is available and it’s making a big difference,” Dagenais said.
We know all about the controversy surrounding stem cell research and humans. Is the company or local vets doing this kind of therapy, receiving any flack for their actions?
“People get it confused, but this is very different because you’re extracting something from the adult animals themselves. This has nothing to do with the stem-cell controversy that we hear about. … It’s really not dealing with embryos,” Dagenais said.
As people find out about this option, he expects it to be used more often, and the bigger question is whether this will some day be happening for humans, as well.
When people think of the word ‘cloning’ they are often hit with frightening images of duplicate human beings being created in somewhat of a mad scientist style experiment. In fact, many members of the public were outraged when Dolly the sheep resulted from a cloning experiment in Scotland. Therapeutic cloning, however, is entirely different and does not involve the creation of a perfectly copied human being. It is reproductive cloning that results in a copy of a specific human being. In therapeutic cloning, no sperm fertilisation is involved nor is there implantation into the uterus to create a child.
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How is Therapeutic Cloning Performed?
Therapeutic cloning is another phrase for a procedure known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). In this procedure, a researcher extracts the nucleus from an egg. The nucleus holds the genetic material for a human or laboratory animal. Scientists then take a somatic cell, which is any body cell other than an egg or sperm, and also extract the nucleus from this cell. In practical human applications, the somatic cell would be taken from a patient who requires a stem cell transplant to treat a health condition or disease.
The nucleus that is extracted from the somatic cell in the patient is then inserted into the egg, which had its nucleus previously removed. In a very basic sense, it’s a procedure of substitution. The egg now contains the patient’s genetic material, or instructions. It is stimulated to divide and shortly thereafter forms a cluster of cells known as a blastocyst. This blastocyst has both an outer and inner layer of cells and it is the inner layer, called the inner cell mass that is rich in stem cells. The cells in the inner cell mass are isolated and then utilised to create embryonic stem cell lines, which are infused into the patient where they are ideally integrated into the tissues, imparting structure and function as needed.
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Benefits of Therapeutic Cloning
A major benefit of therapeutic cloning is that the cells removed are pluripotent.
Pluripotent cells can give rise to all cells in the body with the exception of the embryo. This means that pluripotent cells can potentially treat diseases in any body organ or tissue by replacing damaged and dysfunctional cells. Another distinct advantage to this type of therapy is that the risk of immunological rejection is alleviated because the patient’s own genetic material is used. If a cell line were created with cells from another individual, the patient’s body would be more likely to recognise the foreign proteins and then wage an attack on the transplanted cells. The ultimate consequence would be a rejected stem cell transplant. This is one of the major challenges of organ transplants, alongside the fact that there is a huge shortage of available organs for those who require the procedure. This means that therapeutic cloning has the potential to dramatically reduce the wait times for organ transplants as well as the immunological concerns associated with organ transplant therapy.
Therapeutic cloning is also important to enhancing our understanding of stem cells and how they and other cells develop. This understanding can hopefully lead to new treatments or cures for some of the common diseases affecting people today. In addition, the procedure would allow for scientists to create stem cell therapies that are patient specific and perfectly matched for the patient’s medical condition.
Problems with Therapeutic Cloning
One problem with therapeutic cloning is that many attempts are often required to create a viable egg. The stability of the egg with the infused somatic nucleus is poor and it can require hundreds of attempts before success is attained.
Therapeutic cloning does result in the destruction of an embryo after stem cells are extracted and this destruction has stirred controversy over the morality of the procedure. Some argue that the pros outweigh the cons with regards to treating disease whilst others have likened the destruction to an abortion. Still others state that this doesn’t change the fact the embryo could potentially be a human being and so destruction of the embryo is no different than destruction of a human life.
Because reproductive cloning does utilise SCNT as the primary step, there is also still fear that given our knowledge base to perform reproductive cloning, a scientist may attempt to move beyond therapeutic cloning to creation of a human being.
To this date, no human being has been successfully cloned but the possibility of this occurring is a frightening one not only for the general public and policy makers, but also for most of the ethical scientific field. The majority of scientists are adamantly opposed to reproductive cloning and instead, support therapeutic cloning for treating disease. With policies and careful monitoring in place to ensure that therapeutic cloning is used responsibly, we can all benefit from the potential of this procedure to eventually treat, or perhaps one day cure, many diseases.
The Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital allows for processing, culturing and storing stem cells for horses.The stem-cell lab is one of only four nationwide, and is available to clients and referring veterinarians.
“We are excited to be able to offer this new clinical service to our clients for their horses as a complement to our stem-cell research program,” veterinary medicine school dean Bennie Osburn said. “Stem cell science is leading us into a new era in human and veterinary medicine.”
Regenerative medicine involves creating living, functional tissues to repair or replace tissues or organs that have been damaged by injury, disease or birth defects. Stem cells can be collected and become specific cell types, such as muscle, blood and nerves.
“The stem cell, with its ability to recreate, repair or revitalize damaged organs or tissues, is rapidly changing all of medicine,” said Gregory Ferraro, a veterinary professor and director of UC Davis’ Center for Equine Health. “The application of stem cell science to treating horses is advancing so quickly that with three to five years, the treatments that are currently being provided for orthopedic repair in athletic horses will seem crude in hindsight.”
The UC Davis lab will collect stem cells from the horse’s own blood or bone marrow, and not embryonic stem cells — a controversial issue for human and veterinary medicine.
Horses have benefited from stem-cell therapy in recent years, especially from diseases such as colic and neuromuscular degeneration, burns and other injuries.
“The marvelous thing about stem-cell therapy is that it holds the promise of a cure,” said Sean Owens, a veterinary professor and director of the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory. “We can use pharmacological medicine to alleviate the pain associated with orthopedic injuries in horses, but only with biological medicine such as stem-cell therapy can we actually repair the damage that has already been done.”
The lab, located on the first floor of the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, will support the clinical area of the veterinary stem cell program. Private veterinarians can harvest stem cells from the lab for their patients and return the cells for processing or storage. Some of the horses undergoing stem-cell therapy treatment could be referred to the teaching hospital.
Stem cell processing and treatment costs will vary. The fee for processing and expansion of a bone marrow sample will be about $1,800. Stem cell injections for most patients will cost about $1,500.
Eddie Floyd, a pet store owner had a heart attack a couple of years ago. When he was brought to the hospital, he was asked if he wanted to participate in a stem cell research clinical trial using Adult Stem Cells to help heal his heart muscle. Eddie said yes and he is happy he did. The stem cell therapy healed his heart muscle completely so there is now no sign of damage or any complications from his heart attack.
Stem Cell Video of Heart Attack Victim
The video describes a clinical trial at Austin Heart Hospital and while it doesn’t mention the company, it is obviously Osiris and their “off the shelf” Adult Stem Cell product Prochymal. This stem cell video is the future of stem cell medicine. Adult Stem Cell treatment being used right away to treat a heart attack- not waiting for 2 years and a decrease in ejection fraction by 50%.
Below, see the excellent stem cell video which tells Eddie’s story. The video was created by The Texas Alliance for Life where they are supporting the creation of an Adult Stem Cell consortium that will “put patients first”.
Yes, this is a true story. An English priest has extracted his own adult stem cells for fighting his Multiple Sclerosis.
Here’s the story:
An English priest living in Baghdad, Iraq has had his own Adult Stem Cells used to treat his Multiple Sclerosis. Canon Andrew White, the vicar of St. George’s Church in Baghdad was the recipient of this stem cell therapy to treat MS.
No Ethical Issues to Use His Own Stem Cells for Multiple Sclerosis
Andrew has a medical background and had helped establish the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Baghdad in 2001. He was good friends with Dr. Majid, the director of the center who saw that Andrew was suffering from the effects of his Multiple Sclerosis and approached him about using his own Adult Stem Cells for treatment. Andrew had no objections or ethical issues about using his own stem cells and agreed to the stem cell therapy.
Process of Using Andrew’s Own Adult Stem Cells
Both his arms were cannulised
He was connected to the Blood Cell Separator
Blood was taken from one arm and the stem cells were removed and then the blood was returned through his other arm (took 2 hours)
Andrew’s own Adult Stem Cells were injected into his spinal cord via lumbar puncture
The University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has opened a