by Maria Vitale Gallagher
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
December 8, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Some exciting new developments
in adult stem cell research are being reported at leading medical conferences.
The developments raise new questions about the wisdom of rival embryonic
stem cell research, which has had negligible impact on the world of
scientific research and is ethically problematic. Embryonic stem cell
research involves the killing of human embryos while adult stem cell
research does not.
The
latest adult stem cell research promises hope for patients suffering
from everything from multiple sclerosis to strokes to cancer.
For instance, researchers in Italy say adult stem cells might be able
to reverse damage caused by multiple sclerosis. While human applications
might not be possible for some time, initial trials using mice have
been encouraging.
Some 400,000 Americans afflicted by MS might benefit from the therapy.
The stem cells were derived from adult nerve
tissue. The half-dozen mice injected with neural stem cells had "almost
complete recovery" from the disease in the Italian experiment.
However, the researchers cautioned, "We have great hopes, but we
do not yet know the possible side effects."
Another breakthrough may come through stem cells derived from baby teeth.
Hematologist Dr. Stan Gronthos told the New Zealand Herald, "Parents
will want to store the stem cells found in the pulp inside these juvenile
teeth in liquid nitrogen. That way, they could be used to grow new teeth
and perhaps even cure neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease."
Gronthos forecasts that baby teeth stem cells will be effective in growing
replacement brain tissue to overcome stroke damage as well. Gronthos
presented his research findings at an Australian Stem Cell Scientific
Conference in October.
According to the Herald, a number of delegates to the Sydney conference
believe the adult stem cells from the baby teeth will be more versatile
than embryonic material.
Meanwhile, in Minnesota, researchers see great promise in umbilical
cord blood. They say stem cells taken from such blood could cure patients
with cancers of the blood and bone marrow.
"The results of our studies are a triumph in a treatment that has
been largely viewed as only possible in children and adolescents,"
Dr. John Wagner, a University of Minnesota professor, told the news
media.
Juliet Barker, an assistant professor of medicine, added, "These
remarkable results represent a significant advance in the practice of
adult cord blood transplantation. These approaches allow us to offer
potentially life-saving transplant therapy to many patients who have
previously been denied such treatment."
