AdultStemCell.com

Suzanne Kay asked:


We hear a lot these days about stem cell research, but many of us are unaware of what exactly stem cells are and what can be done with them. There are several types of stem cells including adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells reside throughout the human body within tissue, blood and organs; they are plentiful and readily available. Adult stem cells refers to the stage or maturity of the stem cell. They are also found in the tissues of the umbilical cord (after live birth), spinal cord, fat, bone marrow, dental pulp, nasal cavity, brain, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, cornea, digestive system, retina, liver, and pancreas.

Peripheral stem cell transplantation is the process of removing the stem cells from one person and donating them to a recipient- in my case it was my brother. In most cases donors are siblings since tissue type is most identical to the patient’s own. After it had been determined that I was a perfect match for my brother, I had a physical and endless blood work. I passed my tests and then it was on to phase one.

This involved six days of receiving neupogen shots which stimulate the release of stem cells from the bone marrow into my blood so they can be harvested for my brother. It’s important during this period to drink plenty of water. I had decided to go to the hospital each day for the shots, but some people opt to inject themselves at home. The shots sting a bit and after the first several days, mild bone aches began- mostly in my hip and sternum. It was nothing that an occasional tylenol couldn’t remedy.

On the fifth day, I reported to the hospital first thing in the morning and was prepped for the apheresis or the harvesting of my stem cells. I was connected to a centrifuge machine: one line brought the blood out from one arm into the machine where the blood was separated and the stem cells were collected into a bag. My blood, minus the stem cells, then returned to me in another arm. During the procedure, an anticoagulant was going through my system to prevent clotting and calcium was also given. Aside from the discomfort of being in bed and unable to move around for 6 or 7 hours, it was not painful or unpleasant.

Unfortunately, the first harvest did not capture enough stem cells for my brother- this is determined by patient weight, so I returned to the hospital the following morning to repeat the procedure. I had been worried about side effects from the Neupogen as well as the apheresis, but the only side effect was several days of fatigue.

My advice to anyone contemplating a peripheral stem cell procedure is to learn as much as you can in advance. Ask questions of the doctors and nurses who are caring for your loved one and who are working with you. The procedure is much less painful than bone marrow aspiration. Most of us are squeamish when it comes to the subject of blood, but the more you understand what is going on, the less nervous you will be.

Yvonne Perry asked:


Many ultra-religious people are opposed to blastocyst stem cell research because they think it destroys a human embryo. There are some scientific reasons why this cannot be true.

First of all, fertilization and conception are not synonymous and do not occur at the same time. Fertilization of an egg may occur in the fallopian tube or in-vitro by scientific means. It takes only a few hours after the sperm and ovum unite to start the process of cell division. Conception occurs when a fertilized egg implants itself in the uterine lining and begins to draw nourishment. A pregnancy does not actually begin until the process of conception is complete. This process takes several days and can be confirmed by testing the levels of progesterone and hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) present in the mother’s blood. When conception in the uterus is complete, the fertilized egg can then develop into an embryo. Fertilization can be done in a lab. As long as the fertilized egg remains in the laboratory, it cannot become an embryo. It can continue to reproduce undifferentiated cells.

A three- to five-day-old in vitro blastocyst can be introduced to a woman’s womb, but conception is not automatically assured. Conception can only occur inside a woman’s body; preferably in the uterus and not in the fallopian tube. Thus, we correctly use the term “in-vitro fertilization” but not “in-vitro conception.”

Incorrect terminology is what has caused a lot of the controversy about stem cell research and there is a great need to correct the language used to refer to in-vitro stem cells. To call a fertilized egg an embryo is not accurate. As we discussed, an embryo can only develop after conception and conception can only occur in the uterus. Since conception cannot occur in-vitro, there are no embryos in the lab; there are sperm, ova, zygotes and blastocysts on deposit. You would use the term “zygote” or “morula” to refer to a one-day old fertilized egg and “blastocyst” to refer to the mass of cells as they divide and reach the 100-cell stage.

The In vitro Process

The in vitro process is for the purpose of assisting couples who have difficulty with the normal processes of fertility. Let’s suppose a couple goes to a lab for fertility assistance. Both partners would “donate” sperm and ova. The lab successfully fertilizes three eggs for the couple. There are now three zygotes that begin developing into a blastocyst. One blastocyst is introduced into the uterus and the other two are frozen while the couple waits to see if conception will occur. If implantation is not successful and pregnancy is not accomplished, the couple may try again using another blastocyst they have deposited. Let’s say the couple conceives after one try and there are two blastocysts remaining in the lab. Now comes the question, “What would you like the lab to do with the leftover blastocysts?”

The couple presently has four choices:

1. Pay to have the cells preserved for another attempt at pregnancy a few years down the road (although the shelf life of a frozen blastocyst is not eternal)

2. Simply throw them away

3. Let them be used for research in privately-funded labs

4. Give them up for surrogate adoption. Ideally, all leftover blastocysts would be used for surrogate pregnancy, but the supply of available blastocysts is greater than the number of people wanting to adopt them.

If a couple does not want to continue paying for storage, the lab will likely put the cells in the trash. A better and more sensible use for these cells would be to donate them to research laboratories. Knowing this, it makes no sense why anyone would think it more morally upright to discard the cells than use them for research. Put aside religious and political opinions, and let the scientific facts guide you.

Scott Saunders asked:


Turn on the news, open a newspaper – in today’s age a person can’t do either without running into news relating to stem cell research and the controversy surrounding stem cell proliferation. Stem cells have been made out to be the panacea for regenerating and repairing of the human body. Stem cells are known for their ability to change into any other type of cell the body requires at the time. A liver cell? No problem. A bicep cell. Done.

It’s no wonder the research community would like to find out how to increase the body’s natural production of stem cells from the bone marrow where they are made. In a 2003 article from the Journal of the American Medical Association, a group of researchers from John Hopkins Medical Center released a study that donor stem cells had been found to have the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. Their next question was could these stem cells help to correct problems in the brain by changing themselves into the defective brain cells and to promote the growth of new neurons?

At the same time in a separate field of study– nutrition – Dr. McDaniel from the Fischer Institute had been trying to understand how many patients with neurological disorders began showing improved brain function after their diets were supplemented with glyconutrients and other micronutrients.

The next logical step after this observation was to determine if, in fact, the glyconutrients had anything to do with increasing the production of stem cells. If this could be proved true, as it seemed to be, it would mean that with a diet supplemented with glyconutrients, a person’s body would be capable of creating more stem cells. These stem cells with their inherent knowledge of where they are needed, would head to the brain to promote growth of new neurons to replace the damaged and defective neurons there. In time, this could mean increased and improved brain function in patients suffering from many neurological disorders.

Currently, the scientific community is conducting studies to prove this correlation. However, for those looking for answers now, take a look at the individual cases studies where numerous people have found that by adding glyconutrients to their diet they have been able to better their neurological brain function. One study, conducted by Dr. McDaniel, appears to support the theory that glyconutrients dramatically boost adult stem cell production.

To add to the need for further rigorously conducted studies on glyconutrients, several smaller studies have found that when glyconutrients are added to the diet, for unknown reasons, they tend to cause adult stem cell production to increase up to 300 times. Take for example that a normal pint of blood has 1 adult stem cell while a pint of blood from a person supplemented with glyconutrients has 300 stem cells. The implications of this are far reaching and much more study is warranted.

Debbie L. Anderson asked:


The potential needs for stem cells have made it a highly available focus in medical articles today. Stem cells are the precursors to all cell in the human body, and are primarily produced in the bone marrow in adults. During times of crisis, such as when a patient suffers from leukemia, the spleen and other organs that contain stem cells during infant development will take over production. This is the body’s way of preserve proper cell balances and replenishing itself as old cells die. For example, red blood cells in the circulation merely have a lifespan of approximately four months; during that time the hematopoietic stem cell in the bone marrow are continuously producing new rubriblasts, the precursor cells that will over time become mature erythrocytes.

Heart failure is a devastating blow to the human body system, and despite the best efforts of major hospitals and researchers often results in permanent organ damage and eventual death. Researchers are fighting to put a stop to the high mortality rate of congestive heart failure, and believe stem cells may be the way to do it.

There are many forms of stem cells; for the sake of following a line of investigation scientists they are currently focusing on the embryonic and adult varieties. Embryonic stem cells come from a blastocyst, a four to five day old human embryo. During gestation these pluripotent cells will displace and breed, forming the human body and internal organs of the fetus. Embryonic stem cell are highly valued for inquiries for some reasons; they are able to provide large numbers of replenishing cells and have no limitations on what form of cells they can become. The use of embryonic stem cells is highly polemical, however, due to the fact that collection often requires the destruction of the embryo.

Stems cells may also can be grown for the purpose of transplants.Ts to be had for an organ transplant are not as easily obtained as physicians would wish for, and there are often waiting lists years long for every available organ. Stem cells grow readily in a laboratory nature, and if unstimulated to differentiate will imitate pluripotent daughter cells. This results in a tissue that will in effect adapt to whatever environment it is placed in. Research scientists theorize that with the proper environment essentially grow heart tissue and transplant it to the patient who has suffered signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure, replacing the dead and damaged tissues with live, vital tissue. This procedure would allow the heart to function more easily and hopefully give the patient a better chance for survival.

There are respective methods that have been published in research journals regarding the application of stem cells in the remedy of signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure failure. Congestive heart failure results when cells in the heart are dysfunctional or destroyed and the heart is unable to properly pump blood all the way through the body. Several patients are able to be treated using mechanical aids or transfer, but this is not each time the case. Several years ago a assemblage of patients with no other to be had options for treatment agreed to be part of a test analyze regarding stem cells. Autologous stem cells were taken out from the marrow and injected into the failing heart tissue through the chest wall. Patients who acknowledged this treatment showed clear progress, presumptively as a outcome of stem cell action. The microscopic means by which this occurs is still unknown; however, research scientists anticipate that the stem cell is either growing new vessels or acting as a beacon to bring other cells in to repair the damaged tissue.

With current medicine the prognosis for sufferers of congestive heart failure is grim. At least fifty percent will die within five years of being diagnosed, and individuals who are not victims of this mortality rate will feel the effects of their heart failure for the rest of their lives. Stem cell research represents at least a chance for those patients to beat these odds. With anything that is good there is also evil but in my humble opinion after much research I feel that stem cell research should continue.

Don Margolis asked:


Women are constantly looking to “stay young” and one of the tools they have always had at their disposal was the facelift. The surgical procedure while relatively safe did have some risks such as possible facial scars, nerve damage or rarely some hematomas.

Now, thanks to some stem cell research, a doctor has come up with a revolutionary new procedure which eliminates these risks by avoiding surgery altogether and replacing it with a “Stem Cell Facelift.” Dr. Vincent Giampapa, has developed a technique in which he takes Adult Stem Cells from the patient’s lower abdominal area and then transplants the stem cells onto the patient’s face in a procedure similar to fat grafting.

The stem cells in the fat have growth factors which induce the skin on the face to repair and produce more new cells. The skin rejuvenates itself naturally using its own cells. This ‘natural’ facelift results in a better skin quality in the patient and thus they look younger.

The procedure is done in about one hour under a local anesthesia. No hospital is needed as the minimally invasive procedure can be done in an office setting.

Another benefit of this new procedure is it is cheaper than a normal facelift.

The lower cost, the better outcome, and safety aspects make this “Stem Cell Facelift,” a procedure sure to catch on very quickly.

This is just another example that show Adult Stem Cells are improving lives everywhere. Not only are they curing diseases such as Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Heart Disease and other conditions. Now, they are being used to repair broken bones, repair cartilage and in this case, act as a natural facelift.

Adult Stem Cells are not something that can be used 20 years in the future. Adult Stem Cells are helping people now.

John T Jones, Ph.D. asked:


This article discusses the following topics in question format on stem cells:

What are stem cells?

How are stem cells obtained?

What other potential stem cell sources are there?

Why are we and special groups interested in stem cells?

What are the goals of stem cell research?

How will stem cells affect our future?

If you are deeply interested in stem cells for the first time and want to go beyond this article, go to the National Institute site and read their very comprehensive list of frequently answered questions (FAQs). The URL is http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/faqs.asp.

If you are deeply interested in stem cell research, go to: http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/scireport/.

What are stem cells?

The question should be phrased in terms of embryonic stem cells because that is what we are talking about here.

A human embryo is obtained when a woman’s egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm. This occurs in the human body but it can also be done in a laboratory. The procedure is often used in cases of infertility.

I have three grandchildren formed in this way. Their mother donated eggs, their father donated sperm, and the technicians watched the fertilization take place under a microscope. The fertilized eggs were placed in the mother and she gave birth to triplets.

If embryos formed in this way are not placed in the mother they can be and are used for medical research. Often extra fertilized eggs are produced during this process. Scientist would like to harvest these extra eggs rather than discard them. They could then use them to obtain stem cells.

Stem cells are never obtained from fertilized eggs that reside in a woman’s body.

The embryos obtained after they are a few days old are in the form of a mass of cells called a blastocyst; the embryo of about 150 cells. The blastocyst consists of a sphere made up of an outer layer of cells (the trophectoderm), a fluid-filled cavity (the blastocoel), and a cluster of cells on the interior (the inner cell mass).

How are stem cells obtained?

Cell cultures are grown in the laboratory by transferring the inner cell mass of about 30 cells into a culture dish which has a nutrient broth. The cells quickly multiply and fill the dish. They are then transferred to other culture dishes and the process goes on for months.

Once the cells are obtained they can be frozen and shipped to other laboratories.

What other potential stem cell sources are there?

Adult stem cells are a potential source. They can be used to reproduce cell of their type. That is, while embryonic stem cells can differentiate into any type of cell, adult stem cells can only reproduce cells of their type. If they are muscle cells, they can be used to reproduce only muscle cells. However, recent work has indicated that some adult stem cells may be able to differentiate into other cell types.

Why are we and special groups interested in stem cells?

Because stem cells can differentiate, that is, can be used to reproduce other cell types, they have tremendous potential for solving many human health problems.

Some groups do not want scientist to take human embryos for research in any way whatsoever. Because of this, President Bush restricted stem cell research to existing stem cell sources. Other governments have stayed out of the research arena and stem cells are collected at the whims of the scientist.

Scientists argue that excess stem cells are produced in fertility clinics and that they should be used to benefit mankind.

So, what do you think?

What are the goals of stem cell research?

First, scientists want to understand differentiation. We all know that the human embryo creates all the cell types in the human body. Scientists want to know how and when genes turn on and off to create a particular cell type. Abnormal cell divisions cause birth defects and cancer. Scientists want to know what signals a change in the process of cell development. This could lead to cures for cancer and birth defects.

Stem cells could be used to test new drugs rather than human guinea pigs and animals. Damage to the stem cells would eliminate the drug before it could do damage in the market place, as so many drugs do now.

I would like to quote http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics6.asp directly at this point: Perhaps the most important potential application of human stem cells is the generation of cells and tissues that could be used for Cell-based therapies—treatment in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or depleted adult cell populations or tissues.

Today, donated organs and tissues are often used to replace ailing or destroyed tissue, but the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

How will stem cells affect our future?

Have you heard of the Fountain of Youth?