Human Testicles Yield Stem Cells
- added October 13, 2008
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- cassandrajl
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Scientists have derived potentially therapeutic stem cells from adult, human testicles—a development that may eventually make new medical treatments possible while avoiding moral dilemmas.
Stem cell generation for individual therapies could address a wide range of ailments, including Parkinson's disease, leukemia, and spinal cord injuries.
So far, the most versatile human stem cells have come from embryos—fertilized eggs—that critics say should not be used in scientific research because they are potential humans.
A major breakthrough was made in 2006, when several research teams harvested stem cells from the testicles of adult mice.
Duplicating the feat in humans had proved elusive prior to research published online this week in Nature.
Japanese researchers announced in August that they had isolated stem cells in adult, human teeth, but the team's work was not peer reviewed.
"As you might imagine, this is a pretty significant step forward," said Chad Cowan of Harvard University's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology.
Cowan is unaffiliated with the research.
"It's very exciting that we may now have a non-ethically troubling source of pluripotent cells for humans—or at least males," he said.
The cells, which can be harvested from living men, may also remove some immunological obstacles.
"The exciting thing about this source of stem cells is that they are the patient's own and can be used to develop individual cell-based therapies that will not provoke any kind of immune reaction," Skutella said.
"That is one of the big drawbacks of embryonic stem cells: Quite aside from the grave ethical considerations, they remain a foreign body and will always create immunological problems."
Scientists hope that a similar cell source can be found in women.
Stem cell generation for individual therapies could address a wide range of ailments, including Parkinson's disease, leukemia, and spinal cord injuries.
So far, the most versatile human stem cells have come from embryos—fertilized eggs—that critics say should not be used in scientific research because they are potential humans.
A major breakthrough was made in 2006, when several research teams harvested stem cells from the testicles of adult mice.
Duplicating the feat in humans had proved elusive prior to research published online this week in Nature.
Japanese researchers announced in August that they had isolated stem cells in adult, human teeth, but the team's work was not peer reviewed.
"As you might imagine, this is a pretty significant step forward," said Chad Cowan of Harvard University's Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology.
Cowan is unaffiliated with the research.
"It's very exciting that we may now have a non-ethically troubling source of pluripotent cells for humans—or at least males," he said.
The cells, which can be harvested from living men, may also remove some immunological obstacles.
"The exciting thing about this source of stem cells is that they are the patient's own and can be used to develop individual cell-based therapies that will not provoke any kind of immune reaction," Skutella said.
"That is one of the big drawbacks of embryonic stem cells: Quite aside from the grave ethical considerations, they remain a foreign body and will always create immunological problems."
Scientists hope that a similar cell source can be found in women.
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- cassandrajl
- 1 month ago
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