Stem Cells
& Tomorrow's Human
Embryonic Stem Cells in Mice
From the University of Cambridge, Sir Martin Evans discovered embryonic stem cells in mice. Subsequent experiments showed that embryonic stem cells could be used to place genetic changes in mice. Sir Evans was able to have mice reproduce a new generation that had Lesch-Nynch syndrome. Evans’ work combined with that of scientists Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies later introduced “knock out mice”. These were mice that had specific genes turned off in order to model human diseases. Knock out mice are still used worldwide today in research for drug development and disease treatment for humans. (Citation 14,15)
3d Stem Cell Printing
Dr. Will Shu at the Heriot Watt University in Scotland developed a technique that enables the printing of “delicate embryonic stem cell cultures”. Dr. Shu has said that, “…the technique will allow us to create more accurate human tissue models which are essential to in vitro drug development and toxicity-testing. Since the majority of drug discovery is targeting human disease, it makes sense to use human tissues. In the longer term, we envisage the technology being further developed to create viable 3D organs for medical implantation from a patient’s own cells, eliminating the need for organ donation, immune suppression and the problem of transplant rejection.” (Citation18)
Treatment with Stem Cells
A study at the University of California-Irvine conducted by Aileen Anderson & Brian Cummings showed a potential breakthrough in the treatment of spinal cord injury. The Anderson-Cummings team injected mice that had hind–limb paralysis with human neural stem cells (adult stem cells from the brain). Three months after treatment, the mice were slowly gaining their ability to walk and they were recovering at a steady pace, unlike the experimental control. The neural stem cells specialized and went to areas of the spinal cord that were affected by the paralysis resulting in recovery. The refinement and application of this experiment can advance the treatment of spinal cord injury. This therapy was able to help mice that were in a stage of paralysis where drugs were unable to aid in recovery. (Citation 17)
Dr. Yamanaka awarded Nobel Prize
Dr. Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his research that showed that mature cells can be genetically reprogrammed to become pluriopotent. (Citation 10)
Bone Marrow Transplant
The first successful bone marrow transplant between non-identical siblings was performed by Dr. Robert A. Good at the University of Minnesota. It treated a boy who had Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Syndrome. (Citation 13)
McCullough & Till
Canadian scientists Ernest McCullough and James Till would give irradiated mice different doses of bone marrow cells. The higher the dosage of cells, the increased likelihood the mouse had of surviving. McCullough and Till observed that some mice had new growth in their spleen after receiving the bone marrow transplant. These growths were cloned cells that were that were differentiating into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Their subsequent experiments showed that the bone marrow transplants are successful because the Hemopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow divide and specialize into the three types of blood cells, replenishing destroyed bone marrow cells.
(Citation 11, 12)
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50 Years of Progress: 1963-2013
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Human Embryonic Stem Cells
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, James Thomson extracted the first human embryonic stem cell line. Thomson found that after five months of division the cells were still able to specialize. (Citation 16)
ABOVE: Mice are now used with certain genes deactivated to further research on diseases that affect humans, thank to the joint work of Martin Evans, Mario R. Capecchi and Oliver Smithies. (Image Citation 13)
ABOVE: Embryonic stem cells from mice. (Image Citation 14)
ABOVE: Human embryonic stem cells (Image Citation 15)
LEFT: 3d stem cell printing at Heriot Watt. (Citation 32)