Great new folks from the BBC :
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New cell technologies have huge potential
By BBC News Online science editor Dr David Whitehouse
Scientists have coaxed so-called stem cells to change into
liver
cells and used them to repair the livers of mice.
This experiment adds to a growing body of evidence that
stem
cells might be used to transform many aspects of medicine
and
research.
Stem cells are sometimes described as master cells because
they
can develop into different kinds of tissue in the body.
Scientists hope to use them in rejection-free tissue
transplants as
well as to study the fundamentals of cell development.
Cell changes
In a report to the annual meeting of the Society for
Experimental
Biology, held in San Diego, California, scientists from
StemCells
California Inc, a subsidiary of CytoTherapeutics Inc,
announced
that they have managed to produce mature liver cells from
blood
stem cells in mice.
"There have been two parts to our study so far," explained
Dr Eric
Lagasse of StemCells Inc. "In the first set of
experiments, our
collaborators from the Oregon Health Sciences University
injected
a group of mice undergoing liver failure with bone marrow
cells."
The scientists found that the blood stem cells transformed
themselves into another kind of cell altogether - a
working liver
cell.
"They found that this led to the restoration of liver
functions, as
measured by liver enzyme levels," said Dr Lagasse. Four
out of the
nine mice who had had their livers damaged survived.
Liver disorders
In a second series of experiments, the scientists
demonstrated that
transplanting as few as 50 blood stem cells can produce
mature
working liver cells.
Dr Lagasse added: "To our knowledge, this is the first
time that
restoration of liver function has been demonstrated after
treatment
with blood stem cells."
Scientists say that this discovery could open the way to
use blood
stem cells to replace or repair diseased or damaged tissue
in a
patient with liver disorders."
If they can get the technique to work in humans, it could
provide a
ready source of stem cells for liver cell therapy.
It also creates the possibility that the problems of
tissue rejection
that plague transplant recipients can be overcome by using
the
same cells to give rise to both the blood system and the
liver
system.
In addition, it may also open the way to better
understanding the
properties of the blood stem cells and how they might be
manipulated to treat a variety of diseases.
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Cheers,
Joao Paulo - Salvador,BA,Brazil
