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Scientists Discover “Pure” Human Blood Stem-Cell
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61 years after the original discovery of the stem cell science, medical researchers at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network (UHN) have “have isolated a human blood stem cell in its purest form – as a single stem cell capable of regenerating the entire blood system.”
The significance of this breakthrough is one that will potentially allow medical researchers to reproduce and use stem cells at their fullest potential, thus enabling them to better treat and weaken the development of several diseases and especially cancers.
The original study of stem cells began in Toronto at the Ontario Cancer Institute in 1961 by Dr. James Till and Dr. Ernest McCulloch. Today, scientist and medical researchers continue to further advance the science, “developing better and more effective treatments for heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and spinal cord injury.”
According to Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator Dr. John Dick, researchers now have “increasingly detailed road map of the human blood development system.” Dr. Dick, who is also a stem cell research pioneer, has made several developments in the field leading to discoveries in human leukemia and colon cancer. One of his many accomplishments includes replicating the leukemia disease process through genetically engineering mice.
Several concerns still remain when it comes to harvesting stem cells, such as a continual cell division that may lead patients to develop tumors and other cancers. However, much like bone marrow transplants for leukemia, there are some forms of successful stem cell therapies and treatments available. Breakthrough discoveries like these bring hope for further developments in this field to treat and potentially cure other diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and various cancers.
For more information on this breakthrough update go to:
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/333/6039/218
Written by staff writer, Esther Sully
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