A new method of obtaining stem cells is found
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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At Copenhagen University, scientists in numerous experiments were able to use stem cells, which were obtained from the layer of connective tissue of man. This process makes it possible to successfully use stem cells during plastic surgery or to repair any damaged organs.
As the head of the research said, the results obtained are of great importance, since they allow creating implants that will replace artificial ones that have many drawbacks (for example, implant rejection is quite often observed). This is especially important when restoring a woman's breast after removing cancer tumors. Implant, created and own fat, will make the breast more attractive and natural, in addition, this kind of operation will have much less side effects.
In the course of the research, the scientists perfected one of the most common methods that are used to restore the breast - transplanting their own fat. The disadvantage of this type of surgery was the dying out in a few weeks of most of the transplanted cells.
The experimenters decided to increase the "vitality" of cells by introducing adult stem cells. A special property of stem cells (which are in the fat layer in a special layer of connective tissues) is that they are able to turn into vessels or other parts of fatty tissues, and this contributes to the survival of the transplanted cells. This technique was tested on twenty volunteers, who were transplanted part of their own fat from the abdomen to the upper part of the arm. And during the experiment, volunteers were divided into two groups, in which one group was implanted with implants containing human own human stem cells. Estimates of the effectiveness of therapy were conducted a few months after the start of the experiment.
As the scientists themselves said, the experiment was extremely successful, about 90% of the transplanted with the stem cells in the hands of the experimental volunteers remained viable. While in the second group, cell survival was only about 19%. This result was observed after four months after the start of the experiment. Scientists suggest that this discovery will allow for operations to restore the female breast, and the efficiency after such an operation will be an order of magnitude higher than those currently conducted.
To conduct experiments on the treatment of people with the help of stem cells that have a non-embryonic origin gave permission to the authorities of Japan. Such experiments will be conducted for the first time in the world (permission received in July this year).
Two Japanese research institutes submitted for the approval of the Minister of Health projects in which it was proposed to use non-embryonic stem cells for the treatment of diseases of the retina, as a result of which complete blindness develops. Such stem cells (in the scientific world they are called induced pluripotent) are obtained from the patient's skin cells.
Before scientists could invent such a technology for obtaining stem cells, stem cells of human embryos were used, which caused moral and moral disputes.
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