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A Jackpot
of Stem Cells!
It's too soon to tell whether or not stem
cells will provide immediate help to victims of
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
and/or Fibromyalgia,
but
news out of Toronto shows promise that a
non-controversial sources of stem cells may
prove more valuable than once thought.
University of Toronto researchers using
umbilical cords donated from full-term
pregnancies have discovered what they are
calling a "jackpot of stem cells." These cells
are found in what is known as Wharton's Jelly, a
mass of jelly found inside the umbilical cord.
This jelly surrounds the three umbilical cord
blood vessels that connect the child before it's
born to its mother.
The researchers' findings, published in the
February 2005
Stem Cells® Journal, reports that
stem cells from umbilical cord blood have proven
to be as versatile as stem cells derived from
embryos. J.E. Davies, of the
University of Toronto's Institute of
Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering,
says that stem cells show promise of providing
sources of treatment for diseases like leukemia
and lymphoma which normally require bone marrow
transplants, or for re-growing bone or
connective tissues.
Dr. Peter Hollands, a stem cell biologist
from Cambridge University and the Scientific
Director of (the Canadian cord blood bank)
Cells for Life, says that by "collecting
umbilical cord blood from most births and
storing the samples in a public bank, there
would then be a suitable match for almost
everyone." These stored stem cells could provide
help, if needed, for the original "owner" or a
suitable match.
Additional information on umbilical cord stem
cells:
Cells for Life
Toronto Star article on University of
Toronto umbilical cord stem cell research
An Unconventional Stem Cell source:
Harvesting Stem Cells from Fat Removed by
Liposuction
StemSource Inc. reports 100 times more adult
stems cells can be extracted from this "fat"
than from bone marrow.
Other information:
Embryonic Stem Cells Research at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison
LifeSite
A Pro-Life site with reports on adult stem cell
research
Copyright © 2005 Pamela Rice Hahn
All Rights Reserved |
