What are embryonic stem cells used for?

There are many uses for embryonic stem cells in scientific research, including:

• Helping us to further understand how we grow and develop inside the womb, including how birth defects can occur.
• Allowing us to see how cells themselves develop, both normally and abnormally, therefore improving medical diagnoses and treatments.
• They may eventually enable us to create tissue and organs to replace those that have been severely damaged thanks to diseases like liver cirrhosis. If this was achieved, it would also mean that they could be used in treatment of conditions relating to the heart, spine and brain.
• Embryonic stem cells can be used to help test the potency of drugs and medications, as well as help scientists to look for new ones.
• They may also be able to help us understand how cells become defective, thus causing diseases and illnesses to occur in the first place.

What are the ethics around using embryonic stem cells?

Understandably there is concern over the ethics of using stem cells taken from embryos, particularly now that scientists are able to create them for the specific purpose of research; whereas previously, leftover embryos from in-vitro fertilisation efforts were donated. The argument is that it is morally wrong to create a life for the sole purpose of experimenting on it and the moral rights of the embryo to exist, as found in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, have been used to back this up.On the other side of the debate, it is clear to see the many advantages of embryonic stem cell research and many lives will be saved thanks to such work. It is also important to note that embryos that have been created for research purposes will never be implanted in a womb, meaning that a life cannot be created.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are unspecialised cells, which means they are not specific to any type of tissue that allows it to perform specialised functions. For example, heart muscle cells work to pump blood through the body, red blood cells carry oxygen through the bloodstream, and nerve cells send electrochemical signals to other cells which enable the body to perform functions such as speaking or walking. What stem cells can do is to give rise to specialised cells. They can replicate themselves many times over, and for long periods of time, something specialised cells cannot do. As long as the cells continue to replicate unspecialised, this process is called proliferation. There are two different types of cells scientists are currently using to conduct research: embryonic stem cells,, which are derived from embryos, and adult stem cells, which are found among differentiated cells in organs and tissue.

Differentiation

Scientists are only just beginning to understand the conditions that cause unspecialised cells to mature into specialised cells, known as differentiation. This process is controlled by genes, which are spread along strands of DNA. Every gene has its own code of instructions on how it is supposed to function.At this point in time, scientists still have more questions than answers. The two main issues they are investigating are:

1. Why can embryonic cells proliferate for at least a year without differentiating, while adult cells can’t?
2. What causes stem cell proliferation and renewal?

These are the most critical issues facing scientists, because, once these questions are answered, they can begin to control the culture of stem cells and formulate them in order to perform a specific task.One of the most important discoveries scientists have made recently is the potential of stem cells to treat Parkinson’s Disease. A particular cell type, called a DA neuron, is required to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s, and laboratories are now able to create methods to cause embryonic stem cells to differentiate into cells with all the capabilities of this DA neuron. This type of scientific research gives great hope for the treatment of Parkinson’s and many other diseases in the future.

The Basics

It is easy to become overwhelmed by the science, but the basic rationale behind stem cell treatment is that stem cells are the building blocks of every organ and tissue in the body. They represent the foundation upon which the body develops, turning into specialised cells for specialist functions. With current technology, these cells can be coaxed into turning into cells which are necessary in a particular instance. For example, a person might be suffering from a liver disease and need fresh liver cells, so their treatment would involve culturing compatible stem cells in the hope that they could be inserted and turn into specialist liver cells.

But what are Laminins?

However, cells needs the correct environment in which to prosper. Every part of the body contains both cells and extracelluar space. The spaces closest to the cells are called the basal lamina, part of the extracelluar matrix. Laminins are a particular type of protein found here which surround most cells, influencing how their neighbour cells will transform and migrate in the body. This means they play a key role in maintaining and growing the structure of each organ or tissue. Though they occur naturally in our bodies, scientists are harnessing their power through stem cell research so that laminins can be applied as a clinical treatment, filling in gaps to rebuild damage caused by disease or mutation.

Clinical applications

Applied to what, you ask? Basically anything! BioLamina are a specialist organisation who stock a variety of laminin products which can help scaffold the growth of many different stem cell cultures. Pluripotent stem cells – or in laymen terms, those which can develop into a variety of different cell types – can be induced using the laminin protein variant, laminin-521. For more specific jobs, other laminins are important; research has found that laminin-511 is crucial for molecular processes in kidneys, so adding a synthesised version may help reconstruct deficits in this organ.

High quality products

BioLamina promise only the best. The purity of the laminin in their products is greater than 95%, and their website provides excellent instructions about best practice regarding the storage and use of laminin proteins. For instance, they recommend keeping equipment and laminin solutions at low temperatures to prolong their usable life, and work with them sparingly to prevent wastage as products cannot be re-used due to unavoidable contamination.So, if you are intrigued by laminin research and want to start experiments of your own, we urge you to check out Laminin at Biolamina. Browse their customer testimonials using their user-friendly site, as well as all the scientific information you could possibly need. Soon, cell therapy will be a reality for many patients: you could help make that happen.

Embryonic stem cells

These cells are derived from a 5-day old embryo that is in the early stage of development. Embryos usually get created in an IVF clinic where a few eggs are placed in a test tube before one is implanted into the female patient. Once the implantation in the uterus begins, the outer cell mass forms as part of the placenta within six days. This is better referred to as trophoblast where the inner cell mass becomes part of the human structure.

Adult stem cells

Adult stem cells or otherwise known as somatic cells exist throughout your body after the embryonic phase is completed. These cells are found in brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skin, liver, and skeletal muscles. They can remain idle in the body until a disease or tissue injury activates them. Adult stem cells tend to self-renew unlimitedly, enabling them to regenerate through the entire organ.

Research

Researchers have been testing stem cells for many years now. As every cell in the body is derived from embryonic cells, they have the ability to serve any function. The stem cells that are taken from embryos can easily be induced to form any cell type, thus making it possible to repair damaged tissues anywhere in the body as well as cardiovascular diseases and brain abnormalities. Other diseases that can be treated include sickle cell anemia, blood cancer, and immune deficiencies.