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Monday, March 03, 2003Adult and embryonic stem cells come with their own particular baggage. Patients' immune systems could reject any cell that isn't from their bodies. Also, embryo-derived cells are prone to mutate as they divide, forming tumors. "Controlling what they do is a challenge," says Muschler. "Embryonic stem cells are complicated because they can do so many things, and they don't come with brakes." Embryonic cells proliferate easily in lab culture. Adult cells are limited in their ability to renew themselves. Though they have been found in many tissues and organs, they are rare and difficult to isolate and purify. Unlike embryonic research, much work on adult stem cells centers on finding cells with the best "plasticity" - the ability to transform into different cell types - and attaining large enough quantities for therapy. "We're really at the beginning of this," says George Trapp, chairman of neurosciences at the Cleveland Clinic. "This isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. We're many, many years, if not decades, from getting therapies applicable to human disease." posted by Sydney on 3/03/2003 07:40:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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