London - The dream of creating ethically sound stem cells on a large scale to combat diseases from Alzheimer’s to cancer is closer to being realised.
Scientists say they have found a way to produce stem cells that overcome the issues relating to the death of the embryos.
And the method for cultivating large quantities of cells involves no animal products or human cells that could introduce contaminants, the Swedish researchers say in the journal Nature Communications.
Stem cells – “master cells” capable of turning into other cell types – are widely seen as a repair kit for the body. Embryonic stem cells, plucked from embryos in the first days of life, are the most versatile and so offer the most promise.
Their use is controversial because they have to be extracted in such large numbers that the embryo dies. But researchers from Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute say they have found a way of safely removing a single, precious stem cell.
The method is already used in IVF and so it is known that the remainder of the embryo can still become a baby. Researcher Karl Tryggvason said: “We know the embryo can survive the removal of a single cell. This makes a huge ethical difference.”
Just as importantly, the Swedes have also worked out how to make the lone cell grow and multiply, using a lab-made version of a protein that is found in the embryo.
British experts said the breakthrough would be welcomed but cautioned that the removal of even a single cell from a fledgling embryo is not without risk. - Daily Mail