Study enhances use of stem cells for organ regeneration

Aug 24 2010

Cindy Morrissey, President and CEO of Emerging Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (Pink Sheets: EHSI), called the results of a recent study on Friday an 'encouraging step' towards the use of stem cells to regenerate human organs.

“These scientists have shown that triggers from surrounding tissue can reprogram stem cells to become tissues they do no not normally generate. It's an encouraging step that may open the door for additional research on stem-cell therapies”

The research, published in the journal Nature, shows that it is possible to convert one stem cell type to another, without the need for genetic modification.

"This is really a key discovery in the race to make stem-cell tissue regeneration therapy a reality," Morrissey said. "These scientists have shown that triggers from surrounding tissue can reprogram stem cells to become tissues they do no not normally generate. It's an encouraging step that may open the door for additional research on stem-cell therapies," she said.

Using rat models, researchers completed the study by growing stem cells from the thymus in a laboratory using conditions for growing hair follicle skin stem cells. According to the study, when these cells were transplanted into developing skin, they were able to maintain skin and hair for more than a year. The experimental follicles outperformed naturally-produced hair follicle stem cells, which are only able to heal and repair skin for three weeks.

Once they were transplanted, the genetic markers of the stem cells changed to be more similar to those of hair follicle stem cells. Previously, it was believed that germ layer boundaries could not be crossed. This new research indicates that the regeneration of other organs may be possible, as well.

That's good news for EHSI, which is in the midst of a Due Diligence period with Regenevita, an international company working on a unique, sustainable cellular banking model that could facilitate the widespread use of regenerative cell therapy. Regenevita plans to collect and store stem cell-rich umbilical cord blood and to replicate those cells into the larger quantities necessary for stem cell treatment. The replication and storage process is designed to make stem cells more readily available and effective for research and treatment applications than current supplies allow.

Source : Emerging Healthcare Solutions