Home » Science & Nature » Molecular Biology/Medicine » MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MEDICINE ADVANCES = ETERNAL YOUTH?

MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MEDICINE ADVANCES = ETERNAL YOUTH?

© Juan C. Mendible

Part III. Stem Cells

For a moment there in 1997 and during the first half of 1998 it seemed that, if the obstacles I mentioned in my previous article could be solved, human cloning could offer the possibility of an endless supply of human spare parts. However, in November of 1998 two separate American teams announced an extraordinary breakthrough. One was led by Dr. James Thomson from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the other by Dr. John Gearhart from John Hopkins University . Both teams managed, for the first time, to isolate and to grow indefinitely in the lab human embryonic stem cells (SC). They are the progenitor cells for all specialized cells and, in consequence, are capable of producing all the different organs of the body. Thus, they have the potential for extending your lifetime. Both teams were financed by Geron Corporation.

The implications of this discovery for medicine are staggering. As you can imagine, if they can control, that is, direct the SC to differentiate into the different kinds of cells that form all of the organs in the human body, the way would be open to grow in the lab everything from hearts to livers to brain tissue. If the stem cells can be coaxed to transform into the different cells of the organism, they could also be used in the lab to test all kind of drugs on any of those specialized cells.

No wonder they have been called "the mother of all cells." In 1999 the journal Science named SC the scientific breakthrough of the year. These cells have the genetic blueprints to give rise to any of the organs in the human body. With the appropriate biochemical stimulus they can become a new heart that could be use to replace one damaged by a heart attack. Also, they could be directed to transform into nerve cells that could be used to treat brain diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's. Or they could be used to restore the vision lost to age or accidents.

In other words, we are talking about a cell that could produce an endless supply of human organs to replace those damaged by age, disease or accidents. We are on the verge of being capable of repairing the human body in the same way we fix our cars. But - Why is it that when things seem to be looking up, there is always a but? - not surprisingly there are problems.

The copyright of the article MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MEDICINE ADVANCES = ETERNAL YOUTH? in Molecular Biology/Medicine is owned by . Permission to republish MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR MEDICINE ADVANCES = ETERNAL YOUTH? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.