Russel Madere wrote: > If adult stem cells work, are embrionic cells necessary? > > http://www.thestar.com/article/253699
Cool article. <snip> > Over the course of their research, the team found that skin-derived > stem cells share characteristics with embryonic neural stem cells, > which generate the nervous system. They also showed skin-derived stem > cells can produce Schwann cells, a cell type that creates a good > growth environment to repair injured central nervous system axons â > the long nerve cell fibres that conduct electrical impulses between > nerves â and that these Schwann cells put down myelin along the > injured spinal cord. Like the insulation around an electrical cord, > myelin wraps around nerves, creating a sheath that helps quickly > conduct nerve impulses. Without knowing more specifics than what is listed here, I'd say the answer to your question is a qualified "yes". In this case a specific type of stem cells are being derived from skin and used to help generate another specific type of cell. Adult stems cells don't (thus far) seem to have same sort of power that embryonic stem cells do. Embryonic stem cells are what they call plenipotentiary, that is they can become possible type of cell. Their fates have not yet been determined. Other types of stem cells seem to not have that level of flexibility. Some of their fate has been determined. They can become some types of cells (skin-derived stem cells for instance seem to be able to become Schwann cells) but not necessarily other types of cells (perhaps, say, red blood cells). That said though, research into stem cells is still in its earliest stages. I won't say embryonic because that's a terrible pun. We might very well be able to eventually turn back the cellular clock and turn adult stem cells into plenipotentiary stem cells. Or we may catalogue enough different types and learn what else they can turn into that we won't need embryonic ones in the future. At this time, I do not believe that to be the case. Judah ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Download the latest ColdFusion 8 utilities including Report Builder, plug-ins for Eclipse and Dreamweaver updates. http;//www.adobe.com/cfusion/entitlement/index.cfm?e=labs%5adobecf8%5Fbeta Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:242031 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
