Purest yet liver-like cells generated by induced pluripotent stem cells
I remember learning about stem cell research back in high school and at the time it was a fairly new and highly controversial topic I recall us having a debate on whether stem cell research should be done or not. Recently we talked about stem cells in class, which lead me to do more research on the subject and while scanning articles I came across one from biologynews.com about the treatment of patients with liver disease with induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS cells).
IPS cells are a type of pluripotent cell that can be generated directly from adult cells. They are derived from skin or blood cells that have been reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state. Using these types of cells would allow treatment of patients with disease-causing mutations in their livers to be transplanted with unmutated liver cells derived from their own stem cells. This article talked about the use of a new technology called chemoprotemic cell surface capture (CSC), that allowed mapping of proteins on the surface of liver cells that were most highly produced during the final stages of differentiation of stem cells to liver cells. After identifying theses cells through CSC, the most abundant protein was targeted by an antibody labeled with fluorescent marker and used to sort mature liver cells from the rest.
The procedure was highly successful, when they were done they had a population of highly pure, homogeneous, and mature liver-like cells. Labeled cells shared more similar traits of mature hepatocytes than unlabeled cells. Pluripotent stem cells that had not differentiated were excluded from the group of labeled cells, because when transplanting cells into someone with liver disease these pluripotent cells form tumors called teratocarcinomas. Though the IPS cells are not yet ready to be used in clinics, the technology for sorting homogeneous liver cells can be used now to successfully and accurately model and study disease in the cell culture dish. Which is helpful in identifying and treating disease.
It's incredible to think that research that is being done with stem cells right now, will probably one day very soon be used wide scale to treat liver disease. This will impact how diseases are treated world wide, and not just liver diseases but heart disease and many other conditions; will all be greatly impacted.
more information can be found http://www.biologynews.net/IPS
I found this article quite interesting, since pure homogeneuos, mature, liver-like cells were successfully produced. That shows that CSC is a crucial tool in the next step, which is trying to figure out how to move this treatment into more clinical matters. I also found it quite interesting that transplanting the cells into someone with liver disease forms teratocarcinomas. I am not sure exactly what those types of tumors do to someone with liver disease, but I am interested enough to find out!
ReplyDeleteTL
TL,
DeleteI was also curious about teratocarcinomas so I did some research. An article said this about them: the term teratocarcinoma should be used only for malignant tumors, which in this context are malignant by virtue of the continued presence of stem cells—the embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells. http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v25/n11/full/nbt1107-1212a.html. It is understandable why that group was excluded. Malignant tumors are life threatening.
Thanks,
RW
I have also noticed that stem cell research has been very controversial but discoveries like this that help improve medicine to me is just amazing, and if they are taking it from an adult who gives consent then i really don't see an issue. your paper was really informative and well written.
ReplyDeleteRuth Guerra
How much controversy surrounds this type of stem cell procedure? It seems to me that not too many people could get upset about this process.
ReplyDeleteKI
Stem cell research has been a topic of controversy because of mainly misunderstandings about it. There is a good side of stem cell research and it has nothing to do with fetal stem cells that are acquired from abortions. i think that the future of healthcare is in the direction of stem cell research. This is a mile stone that proves the great that can come from researching our own cells.
ReplyDeleteMC
This article is fascinating! It would be a huge breakthrough to successfully reprogram a cell to behave like a stem cell and regenerate liver cells. SRH
ReplyDeleteWhat are your opinions on generation of stem cells? Is it in fact ethical? Could we find another way to produce these very necessary cells to ‘fix’ our bodies? –JA
ReplyDelete