70 Page Stem Cell Research Information Guide/Manual

Here is a 70 Page Stem Cell Research Infromation Guide / Manual that is posted on this site and has been written by Robin A. Grant

Introduction

• Overview
• What are stem cells?
• Stem cell lineages
• Types and origins of stem cells
• Animal stem cells versus human stem cells

Stem cell research 202: vital concepts

• Autograft versus allograft versus xenograft
• Germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm
• Totipotent versus pluripotent versus multipotent
• Differentiation, transdifferentiation and plasticity
• Cell fusion
• Stem cell niches
• Teratoma and teratocarcinoma
• Standard stem cell genetic manipulation techniques
• Requirements of fully-qualified embryonic stem cells

Of mice and men: a history of stem cell research

• The beginnings: teratocarcinomas in mice
• Embryonic stem cells are isolated from animals
• Embryonic stem cells differentiating to somatic tissues
• Human embryonic stem cells are isolated
• Animal dependency is fully removed from the equation
• The golden age

Stem cell therapy: stepwise requirements and challenges

• Acquire supply of stem cells
• Manipulate stem cells if needed
• Eliminate the tumor potential of stem cells
• Purify the desired lineage
• Transplant cells into target area
• Prevent rejection of transplanted cells

Non-technical challenges of stem cell research

• Stem cell research ethics
• Cultural barriers
• Legal barriers
• Political barriers
• Patents
• Insurance and health care costs

Important disease applications of stem cell research

• Neurological
  • Spinal cord injury and neurotrauma
  • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
  • Stroke
• Cancer
  • Leukemia
• Skeletal
  • Replacement bony structures
  • Osteoporosis
• Autoimmune
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Multiple sclerosis
• Cardiovascular
  • Acute myocardial infarct
• Gastrointestinal
  • Diabetes
  • Liver disease
  • Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Integumental
  • Skin transplantation
• Other diseases

Other applications for stem cell research

• Embryology
• Stem cells as cellular physiology models
• Stem cells in toxicology and pharmacology
• Agricultural research
• Aging research

Recent advances and novel approaches

• Patient-derived feeder support mediums
• Preimplantation-stage stem cells to reduce allograft rejection
• Extrachromosomal expression for gene product replacement
• RNA interference for gene product removal
• Organogenesis
• Biodegradable scaffolds for three dimensional stem cell grafts
• Apoptosis modification to prevent tumorigenesis
• Unraveling the hematopoietic stem cell niche mechanism
• Imaging of stem cell grafts post-implantation
• Silicon chip nanotechnology for stem cell niches

Outlook

Appendix: Commonly used abbreviations

References

I hope everyone will find this stem cell research manual very useful.

Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Trials to Begin in Asia

Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Trials to Begin in Asia

The bio-pharmaceutical company Saneron Asia announced via press release that screenings will begin November 22 for trial subjects in tests using human umbilical stem cells to treat ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and stroke. The researched will be headquartered in Taiwan; the trials will take place in India and Taiwan. The trials are both designed to evaluate “the safety and efficacy” of the treatment.

The e-mail address for the contact person has been deleted from the press release but is available on the website: trials@saneron-asia.com. The studies will enroll only 50 people.

American Researcher Withdraws From World Stem Cell Hub

American Researcher Withdraws From World Stem Cell Hub

In the Blog Post on 10/20/05 “Korean Stem Cell Bank Part 2” I reported on the opening of the Korean World Stem Cell Hub and wrote that, “Also present were scientists from other countries, including Gerald Schatten, a cell biologist at the University of Pittsburgh, who will chair a foundation participating in the bank.” Now Schatten has withdrawn from the stem cell bank, citing ethical concerns about the source of the eggs Hwang Woo Suk used in his groundbreaking human cloning research.

The story has been reported several places. Schatten’s concern was that the eggs may have been obtained from a junior researcher in Hwang’s lab, which would violate ethical principle relating to egg donation from “underlings.” A Washington Post article (reprinted in the Houston Chronicle) says that Schatten had believed Hwang’s denial of the rumors, which had circulated for over a year, until last Friday. Schatten was quoted as saying, “My trust has been shaken. I am sick at heart. I am not going to be able to collaborate with Woo Suk.” The Post seems to have been the press-leader on this story, and may other sources quote it directly or indirectly.

A brief UPI account is available on Science Daily. The Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reports that Hwang’s team would release an official statement soon, and the Korea Times gives some background on the allegations:

Hwang’s team has officially used 427 eggs for the milestone result and rumors had swirled midway through 2004 that Hwang recruited eggs from a young scientist
in his lab for the research.

In particular, the British-based scientific journal Nature raised the suspicion through its feature article last year and Hwang has flatly denied it.

The procedure by which the eggs were obtained involves a hormone injections which could lead to infertility or potentially death. The International Herald Tribune reported today that the South Korean government will begin an official investigation. An AP story reprinted in several places, including the Seattle Post Intelligencer, reports on issues regarding whether the researcher who donated the eggs had been paid for them. It also includes some quotations from the Schatten’s prepared statement. (Schatten's statement is posted on this blog 11/14/05.)

This is obviously a significant issue in stem cell research, and one that raises numerous feminist and social issues regarding the source of eggs used in the SCNT procedure. Eggs must be donated, without pressure, rather than sold or purchased; paying for eggs runs perilously close to beginning to see women themselves as commodities, useful only as egg-making machines. Because humans have a history of exploiting each other, and because women have so often been valued only for their fertility, we can’t allow egg donation to be coupled with monetary gain.

The companion argument about whether or not the SCNT procedure commodities the embryo is too complex for me to get into here, especially as there are numerous assumptions on all sides that would need to be laid out and identified as assumptions. So right now I just want to acknowledge that it exists.

UPDATE: A Reuters article on 11/14/05 said that Hwang has not yet commented directly on Scchatten's decision but told a media conferene, "We are the only research team (in South Korea) with the Ministry of Health licence on human cell nuclear transfer under this guideline."