Scientists create stem cells without embryos (10/11/2008)
Researchers from the Wolfson CARD Laboratory at King's are working in collaboration with the University of Tübingen, Germany on a study, published in Nature this week, to show that pluripotent human stem cells can be generated without requiring human embryos
The generation of human embryonic-like stem cells from biopsies of the adult male testes may however provide simple and non-controversial access, not currently available to individual cell-based therapy, without the ethical and immunological problems associated with using human embryonic stem cells.
Dr Stephen Minger, Head of the Stem Cell Biology Laboratory who led the research at King's comments on the finding: 'The work by the group from Tubingen is really outstanding. They have managed to generate cells that mimic embryonic stem cells in every way that we examined.'
The research project, which involved scientists from King's used 22 different samples taken either from biopsies or from medical castrations. From these, they extracted a type of cell called the 'sperm precursor cell' - a type of adult stem cell with a fixed role - to become a sperm cell. These were then manipulated chemically in the laboratory into a state more similar to cells found in the embryo, which can go on to produce all the cell types in the body.
The researchers found that cellular and molecular characterization of these cells revealed many similarities to human embryonic stem cells, and the germline stem cells produced teratomas after transplantation into immunodeficient mice.
The human adult germline stem cells differentiated into various types of somatic cells of all three germ layers when grown under conditions used to induce the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells.
Dr Minger explains: 'Although the cells seem to have many if not all the properties of embryonic stem cells there is still a considerable amount of work that need to be done particularly in terms of differentiating these cells and testing them in animal models of disease.'
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by the King's College London
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