Stem-Cell Therapies Inch Their Way Closer to the Clinic
Aug. 18, 2000 -- As the human embryo grows, the early cells start dividing and forming different kinds of cells like heart cells, bone cells, muscle cells, and so on. These early cells, called "stem cells," theoretically could be used to form a variety of cells which doctors could then use to repair diseased cells virtually anywhere in the body. A series of recent reports show that research into this area of medicine is moving at an incredible pace.
In May, researchers showed that brain stem cells could be used to form cells that could treat multiple sclerosis and a variety of serious nerve diseases. In June, they turned brain stem cells into heart, gut, and liver cells. This week, researchers turned human bone marrow stem cells into nerve cells.
Encouraged by this research, the British government is proposing to change the ban on human cloning to allow scientists to perform research on embryonic stem cells. Currently, these cells are derived from either very early embryos discarded at in vitro fertilization clinics or from tissue from aborted fetuses.
However, experts say treatments derived from embryonic stem cells are at a much earlier stage of the game, not to mention that such research also is extremely controversial.
Till then, studies on the much less disputed stem cells from adult humans have raised hopes of new treatments to regrow or replace diseased tissue. But when, if ever, will patients benefit from this research?
"Not for a while," says Mark Frankel, PhD, director of the prominent stem-cell panel at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
"These are all one-time studies. They're exciting, but they don't prove anything. Much more work needs to be done," he tells WebMD. But other researchers say that the first stem cell-derived therapies could show up in the clinic within five years.
The recent studies also show that adult stem cells present many more options than anyone had previously thought, says Ira Black, MD, professor of neuroscience and cell Biology at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J.