Some Promising Stem Cell Research
Stem cell research is moving along at a fantastic pace these days, with non-controversial sources being discovered at a seemingly increasing rate.
An important development came to our attention on BrightSurf.com’s news site. Dr. Noboru Sato, an assistant professor of biochemistry at UC Riverside, has created a way to grow human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), cells that can produce any type of adult cells in humans, without the use of animal-derived material.
Currently, the majority of researchers use animal-based materials for cell cultures, risking the transmission of viruses and pathogens to the growing hESCs. Sato has figured out how to use poly-D-lysine, a chemically synthesized extracellular matrix that the hESCs attach to, instead of the animal-derived Matrigel-coated culture plates typically in use now.
Not only is the poly-D-lysine cleaner, it is easier to work with and has a high rate of pluripotency, a term meaning that it helps hESCs with the ability to divide into specialized cells.
This study will appear online in the Aug. 20 issue of the Public Library of Science (PLoS) ONE.
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August 21st, 2008 at 6:12 am
I wouldn’t say human embryonic cells come from “non-controversial sources,” but it’s good to hear advancements are being made in the successful growth of these cells. Hopefully researchers will have more opportunities to continue this research in the future.
August 21st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
The controversy depends on the source, of course, and most of it tends to stem from embryo sources. With adult stem cells, there is a great deal less affront from the pro-life arena, something that will help keep research moving forward!