About Authors:
Dhananjay S.Jadhav1,Vinod J Mokale1 ,Ajit P Patil1, Sujata S.Gaikwad2,
1.Division of Pharmaceutical Technology,University Department of Chemical Technology,NMU,Jalgaon.Maharashtra.
2.Swami vivekand education societys college of pharmacy chembur, Mumbai,Maharashtra.
Abstract
Stem cells are cells found in most of the multi-cellular organisms. They have ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types.1 Once the healthy stem cells are infused into the patient's blood stream, the cells move from the blood vessels to the center of the bones where they begin making new blood cells. Starting from the beginning, cells are the basic unit of all life. They contain DNA , which is all of the cell’s genetic material. They also have the ability to undergo cell division and replication.The harvesting of stem cells from surplus embryos is prepared for in-vitro fertilization procedures in fertility clinics.“The cord in placental mammals that joins the embryo and the placenta together, where the placenta provides nutrients to the embryo via the umbilical cord while at the same time transporting the waste material from the baby.Stem cells are self- renewing cells.The supply of these cells is maintained by stem cells, which replicate many times and then differentiate into the specialized cells that are needed. In this way, cells are continuously replenished as they die. Stem cell application is a new field with lots of promises to offer. Stem cell research is a new field with unlimited scope. Stem cells hold the key to replacing cells lost in many diseases that are caused by loss of functioning cells. The unique capability of this cell to form various tissues under definite signals received from the body, makes this cell an of extensive research.
Reference Id: PHARMATUTOR-ART-1238
1.Introduction
The human body contains 220 different types of cells such as blood, brain, heart tissue, nerve cells, bones, etc. In 1998, researchers at the University of Wisconsin and the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore MD found a way of harvesting stem cells from embryos and maintaining their growth in the lab. Stem cells are a type of primitive cell.1Stem cells are cells found in most of the multi-cellular organisms. They have ability to renew themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a diverse range of specialized cell types.2 Scientists have found ways of coaxing these stem cells to develop into most types of human cells. Researchers were confident that they will lead to treatments to many diseases: bone loss, broken bones, brain damage due to oxygen starvation, severe burns, cancer (some forms), diabetes, Lou Gehrig's disease, heart disease, hepatitis, incomplete bladder control, Huntington's, leukemia, lupus, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, osteoarthritis, Parkinson's, spinal cord injuries, and stroke. The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research estimates stem cell research shows promise to develop cures or new treatments for 100 million Americans who currently suffer from a wide variety of diseases and disorders.1
The process of infusing healthy stem cells into person who have undergone high-dose chemotherapy for one of many forms of leukemia, immunodeficiency, lymphoma, anemia or metabolic disorders. Healthy stem cells are collected from bone marrow, peripheral blood and umbilical cord blood. Once the healthy stem cells are infused into the patient's blood stream, the cells move from the blood vessels to the center of the bones where they begin making new blood cells.3Starting from the beginning, cells are the basic unit of all life. They contain DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which is all of the cell’s genetic material. They also have the ability to undergo cell division and replication, which creates two daughter cells with identical DNA. There are somatic cells and germline cells. Somatic cells make up every part of your body from your eyes, to your skin, to your heart. Somatic cells are also the type of cells that cancer research uses and the types of cells that were used in Dolly, the sheep clone. Germline cells are sex cells that are used in sexual reproduction with females and males carrying different types. When a female germline cell (ova) and a male germline cell (spermatozoa) combine during sexual reproduction, they form a zygote. The zygote then goes through several divisions (showed below) to form into a ball of pluripotent cells called stem cells. 30
2. Ethical Problem
1. The harvesting of stem cells from surplus embryos is prepared for in-vitro fertilization procedures in fertility clinics. Hundreds of thousands of these are stored in clinics. The debate centers in whether they can ethically be killed in order to harvest their stem cells.
2. Another ethical problem is whether stem cells lines which had already been created in the past from embryos should be used in research today. Here, the embryos have already been killed. The only real matter to decide is whether federal funding should continue so that the resultant stem cells, which are already growing in laboratories, can be used.1
Research is opposed by many pro-lifers, mainly Roman Catholics and conservative Protestants. They feel that the embryos from which the stem cells are often extracted are human persons. Many believe that the embryos have a soul. Since the embryos are killed when the stem cells are removed, pro-lifers view the extraction procedure as murder and a type of Nazi-like medical experimentation on human beings.
3. Collection, Processing and Storage
* Cord Blood
Immediately after the delivery of a baby, the cord is clamped and cut .The caregiver then collects the umbilical cord blood by inserting a needle into the cord vein, and draining the blood into either a blood bag or a syringe. Cord Life uses only the blood bag method of collection, which minimizes contamination risks.
This procedure is painless and risk-free to both mother and baby. It takes about 3 minutes and does not alter the birthing process in any way. However, the final decision whether the cord blood collection should continue will always reside with your caregiver whose first priority is the safety of mother and baby.
* Umbilical Cord
“The cord in placental mammals that joins the embryo and the placenta together, where the placenta provides nutrients to the embryo via the umbilical cord while at the same time transporting the waste material from the baby.” 9 The youngest bone marrow cell from which other marrow cells are formed.10
Straight after your baby's cord blood is collected, your obstetrician will temporarily store your baby's umbilical cord into the dedicated container provided by us.
After your baby's cord blood and umbilical cord are collected by your doctor, it will be safely transported to Cord Life's ISO 9001:2008 certified state-of-the-art processing and storage facility in India. Our facility is fully owned by the company and is managed by a team of highly qualified and experienced biotechnologists.
Your baby's cord blood and umbilical cord will be processed and stored according to the stringent criteria set by Cord Life. We adhere to the highest standards of quality control and assurance to ensure the viability of your child's stem cells.
History of Stem Cell line preservation
The history of stem cell research is fairly new, only about 45 years old. The first time that scientists experienced and realized what was happening was in a laboratory in an experiment with rats. The found that paralyzed rats were eventually able to walk again after being treated with stem cells. This was definitely a surprise to them. Researchers now know that stem cell research is going to be the answer to many questions about how humans age and how we can stay healthy.4
The first successful Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell transplant was performed in France in 1988. A young boy suffering from Fanconi's anemia received a successful transplant from the Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells of his baby sister3. The proven length of time that cord blood stem cells have been successfully stored is 15 years with no reduction in viability. Other cells, such as sperm cells and white blood cells, have lasted much longer when properly stored, but current evidence of successful storage for 15 years is what presently exists.5
* 1878-The first attempts were made to fertilize mammalian eggs outside the body
* 1959-First animals made by in-vitro fertilization (IVF)
* 1960s-Teratocarcinomas determined to originate from embryonic germ cells in mice. Embryonal carcoinoma cells (EC) identified as a kind of stem cell.
* 1968-The first human egg is fertilized in vitro
* 1970s- EC cells injected into mouse blastocysts make chimeric mice. Cultured SC cells are explored as models of embryonic development in mice.
* 1978-the first IVF baby is born in England
* 1981-Mouse ES cells are derived from the inner cell mass of blastocysts. Mouse ES cells are grown in vitro. ES cells injected into mice form teratomas.
* 1984-88-Pluripotent, clonal cells called embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells are developed. When exposed to retinoic acid these cells differentiate into neuron-like cells and other cell types.
* 1989-A clonal line of human embryonal carcinoma cells is derived that yields tissues from all three primary germ layers. They have limited replicative and differentiative capacity.
* 1994-Human blastocysts are generated and the inner cell mass is maintained in culture. ES like cells form in the center and retain stem cell like morphology.
* 1995-96-Non-human primate ES cells are maintained in vitro from the inner cell mass of monkeys. These cells are pluripotent and differentiate normally into all three primary germ layers
*1998-ES cells from the inner cell mass of normal human blastocysts are cultured and maintained normally for many passages. EG cells are also derived and grown in vivo.
* 2000-Scientists derive human ES cells from the inner cell mass of blastocysts. They proliferate in vitro for a long time and form all three germ layers and teratomas when injected into immune deficient mice.
* 2001-As human ES cell lines are shared and new lines are derived, more research groups are focusing attention on the differentiation of cells in vitro. Many methods focus on making human tissues for transplantation. 6
Since the first cord blood stem cell transplant in 1988, over 2000 stem cell transplants have been performed worldwide4. The ability to store cord blood stem cells for the newborn and the family's potential need may be especially significant for those with a family history of leukemia or cancer, families planning to adopt a newborn, or for minority patients, who are underrepresented in the National Marrow Donor Program5. The long wait for a bone marrow donor search can mean the patient becomes more ill. If umbilical cord blood stem cells are available in the immediate family or the extended family, the waiting time can be eliminated and a transplant can take place immediately. 7
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4. Types of Stem Cells
4.1 On the basis of SOURCE:
There are three main types of stem cells which are all obtained differently, have diverse applications, and face various controversies.
4.1.1 Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells:
Thesecan be obtained from the early developing stages of an embryo as shown in the figure with a blastocyst. Stem cells obtained from this newly developed bundle of cells have the full potential to differentiate into absolutely, positively anything in the human body. Many scientists believe that embryonic stem cell research could lead to therapies that have the potential to cure at least 120 million Americans. They believe that these cells have the potential to cure thousands of disorders and biomedical problems such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, spinal cord injury, and organ replacements. These are the types of stem cells that are under constant controversy because they are taken from a five to six day old embryo. President Bush has legalized approximately 60 genetically diverse stem cell lines that can legally be used in research laboratories in the United States. The constant struggle between science, the government, and religion is at the pinnacle of this controversy.
The work that laid the foundation for ES cell discovery was the study of teratocarcinomas, complex tumors containing a mix of specialized cell types as well as a population of unspecialized cells. These unspecialized cells are called embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells. The latter were shown to be pluripotent and could give rise to various cell types both in vitro and in vivo. It was therefore natural to consider using these cells for therapeutic purposes. However, EC cells never seemed ideal for this purpose because they had an abnormal number of chromosomes and originated from tumors. Careful study of the induction of teratocarcinomas in experimental animals, as well as an understanding of the biology of EC cells and early embryos, led scientists to the discovery of ES cells in the early 1980s. The demonstration that ES cells contained the normal number of chromosomes and were truly pluripotential has influenced many scientific disciplines.11, 12
4.1.2. Adult Stem Cells
Thesecan be obtained from full-grown adults, but not all of their cells are stem cells because the majority of them have already differentiated. Therefore stem cells have to be found in special parts of the body where they have been saved and undifferentiated, like in bone marrow or early stages of tissue development. These cells are not fully pluripotent and (so far) have only been able to differentiate into a limited number of tissues. However they have been used for various applications such as cloning, trying to cure diabetes, and artificial blood. A major controversy in adult stem cell research has been cloning and the effects of cloning. The biggest question that is pending is how far people will go with cloning as fears rise such as in the book Brave New World and the movie The Island. Cloning is limited to animal use only and it is strictly and absolutely unlawful to apply to human use for now.11, 12
4.1.3 Fetal/ umbilical cord Stem Cells
Thesecan be obtained from the umbilical cord of a new born baby. Millions of multipotent (not as much potential as pluripotent, but more potential than differentiated cells) stem cells lie in the umbilical cord and the blood in it. These stem cells can be saved in a stem cell bank and later used for bone marrow, anemia, and cancer treatments. There is not much wide-spread controversy in these types of stem cells because the umbilical cord is usually thrown away after child birth. Therefore this stem cell bank idea utilizes trash and turns it into a potential life saver. 11, 12
4.2 On the basis of POTENCY:
4.2.1 Totipotent cells.
In mammals, totipotent cells have the potential to become any type in the adult body; any cell of the extraembryonic membranes (e.g., placenta). The only totipotent cells are the fertilized egg and the first 4 or so cells produced by its cleavage (as shown by the ability of mammals to produce identical twins, triplets, etc.). 11,13,14,13
4.2.2 Pluripotent cell.
These are true stem cells, with the potential to make any differentiated cell in the body (but probably not those of the placenta which is derived from the trophoblast).
Three types of pluripotent stem cells have been found
a. Embryonic Stem (ES) Cells: These can be isolated from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst — the stage of embryonic development when implantation occurs. For humans, excess embryos produced during in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures are used. Harvesting ES cells from human blastocysts is controversial because it destroys the embryo, which could have been implanted to produce another baby (but often was simply going to be discarded).
b. Embryonic Germ (EG) Cells: These can be isolated from the precursor to the gonads in aborted fetuses.
c. Embryonic Carcinoma (EC) Cells:These can be isolated from teratocarcinomas, a tumor that occasionally occurs in a gonad of a fetus. Unlike the other two, they are usually aneuploid.
All three of these types of pluripotent stem cells can only be isolated from embryonic or fetal tissue; can be grown in culture, but only with special methods to prevent them from differentiating.
In mice and rats, embryonic stem cells can also contribute to the formation of a healthy chimeric adult when injected into a blastocyst which is then implanted in a surrogate mother; enter the germline of these animals; that is, contribute to their pool of gametes; develop into teratomas when injected into immundeficient (SCID) mice. These tumors produce a wide variety of cell types representing all three germ layers (ect
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