STEM CELLS

Stem Cells: what are they and how will they revolutionise the future?

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are self-renewing, undifferentiated cells that have the capability to divide and regenerate many more cells of the same type They are unspecialised cells which means they have many uses; they can differentiate into many specific types of cells to serve a particular function. Stem cells are found naturally in three categories.

Embryonic stem cells are totipotent cells found on the inside layer of an embryo that are not yet specialised They can produce all types of cells and have no limitations on what they can mature into. During a pregnancy, embryonic stem cells are important during the developmental stages; they create different vital tissues and organs allowing the embryo to grow.

Adult stem cells are slightly different to embryonic ones. They can be found in multiple places throughout an adult body, including in the bone marrow, skin or even the blood inside an umbilical cord Other organs such as the liver and the brain also store a few. However, unlike embryonic stem cells that are able to give rise to any new cell, adult stem cells are multipotent and limited to producing blood, skin, organ or muscle/nerve tissue cells This is due to them already being partially specialised which therefore limits their ability to fully differentiate. Adult stem cells are predominantly used to replace cells lost to damage and produce new cells for growth and repair The last type of stem cells are unique as they are not produced by animals- they are found in the root and shoot tips of plants These areas are constantly growing and so have a large supply of meristem cells Meristem cells are fully undifferentiated and can become any new cell required. Just one of these cells has the ability to produce a whole new plant.

The future of medicine and stem cells

In 2006, a turning point occurred around research into stem cells Scientists Yamanaka and Takahashi found it was possible to extract embryonic stem cells without endangering the foetus. This opened the door to a whole realm of possibilities within the medical field Stem cells have the potential to repair damaged organs and manage a wide range of diseases that previously had no treatment. This sort of care could mean a better quality of life for all those suffering from debilitating conditions Most of the minimal research into stem cells is focused around diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s with a small section also exploring strokes and paralysis.

Organ Donation

Stem cells have become more widely talked about within the medical world in more recent years, a lot of the discussion based around organ donation and transplants A third of all organs transplanted per year are lost due to the recipient rejecting the organ. The research into stem cells shows that they provide the ability to heal the damage caused during transplants therefore reducing the risk of a rejection Alongside this, tissue engineering using stem cells also has the ability to help doctors not just reduce the risk of rejection but eliminate the need for donation in the first place

Another large part of this field of research is exploring the possibility of creating new organs altogether extracorporeally. This would be a revolutionary discovery as it would solve all organ shortage problems- 17 organ donation candidates die per day due to no access to an organ. In addition to this, if the organ can be genetically built to match the recipient's body and genome, rejection risk would be completely eradicated

Unfortunately, results that can be obtained from this research will not be accessible for at least another 10 years as few studies meet the scientific criteria that allows them to be passed for common usage. The main study happening at the moment is based around replacing diseased/damaged hearts in mice A few select patients have been admitted into a human study, however so far the results are not very clear. At the moment, as much as research should be tailored to treating and solving problems within a medical scenario, a lot of research is going into demonstrating the safety and efficacy of stem cells instead. This is because, although stem cells creating new organs would be a revolutionary achievement, these sorts of treatments raise major ethical concerns

Blood Cancers and Disorders

Stem cell transplants are more widely recognised as bone marrow transplants. Bone marrow contains adult stem cells that are multipotent and differentiate to produce different types of blood cells including red and white blood cells These sorts of transplants can be life-saving to the recipient who might have a blood cancer or disorder, however the transplant rate is very low as it is extremely hard to find an appropriate match.

Cord Stem Cells

A blood bank organised by the NHS is attempting to increase access to stem cells through embryonic stem cells They are collecting leftover cells from umbilical cord and placenta blood which would otherwise be discarded and wasted This is called the “Cord Blood Bank” and the blood obtained is used to treat cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders. The cord cells can be used to treat; malignancies- blood cancer such as leukaemia, bone marrow failure- where bone marrow no longer produces the required cells, haemoglobinopathies- blood disorders such as sickle cell disease, immunodeficiencies- when the immune system does not function normally and metabolic disorders that affect the breakdown of waste in the body. If stem cells could provide a treatment for even one of these disorders, millions of lives would be improved.

The problem with using and culturing stem cells in medicine is that as they are being processed, the cells could pick up a virus or a harmful mutation. When these cells are then transferred to a patient, the consequences could be catastrophic As with many newer treatments, stem cells also seem to have the possibility to increase the risk of cancer developing. This is why the research and uses of stem cells must be so closely monitored.

The Ethics of Stem Cells

Stem cells have become a topic often discussed in ethical debates. While there are no moral objections to using adult stem cells or cord stem cells, the use of embryonic stem cells causes a lot of controversy Questions such as; is it right to use embryonic cells? is it right to create embryos just to destroy them? should an embryo have the same rights as a person? come to light These questions mainly come up in a religious context, the arguments being similar to those of the pro-life abortion campaigns. As an embryo has the potential to become a human if implanted into a uterus, does this constitute as murder?

Many people are entirely against the use of embryonic stem cells, however the benefits of their use must also be discussed in great length before they are written off. The sheer number of people that would have an improved quality of life through stem cell treatments would be monumental- this research truly has the potential to treat and even cure some of the most horrible diseases a person can face. A senator in the US (Orrin Hatch) states that he believes human life begins in the womb, not a Petri dish or refrigerator and therefore these embryos that are routinely discarded should be used to improve and save lives. This sort of approach to utilising embryonic stem cells could potentially reduce the ethical dissension.

There is also an argument around the social implications of stem cells. This sort of treatment and research is extremely expensive Although, technically, it would be a resource open for the wider public to use, realistically, only richer patients could afford it. This creates a social divide between more and less privileged societies within healthcare, contributing to a problem that is already very commonly encountered in everyday life

In conclusion, whilst the use of stem cells is still a relatively new and controversial concept, it has the potential to reshape the future of medicine and treatment changing healthcare for the better.