Mouse Stem Cells (National Science Foundation)
Stem cells, or more specifically “induced pluripotent stem cells,” have done it again! An article in today’s Japan Times newspaper reported that University of Tokyo researchers have managed to coax this amazing transformer into yet another piece of the complex human puzzle. Kidney, pancreatic, cardiac and even nerve cells have already become old news in the rapidly-expanding field of stem cell research. The focus in Tokyo is now on blood cells, specifically platelets. Platelets are important components in the blood-clotting process and are primarily harvested from blood donations. It’s no longer a sci-fi fantasy to imagine a world where a hospital can continually stock ample supplies of fresh “O negative” (universal donor) blood without conducting a single blood drive. Why not even allow patients to “grow” their own blood before a scheduled operation? Some other potential benefits I see are: fewer deaths from blood loss, fewer infections and deaths from contaminated blood supplies, lower costs in acquiring and maintaining blood supplies, and possible treatments for a variety of blood diseases. If stem cell research leads to proven methodologies for non-invasive treatments of everything from brain cells to blood, then I foresee an incredible revolution in global health care, greatly increasing the overall quality of life. Keep your eyes open for more stem cell medical marvels.
Follow this link to the Japan Times article, “Platelets created from stem cells”: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20090204a8.html
Learn more about stem cells from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stem_cell
Tags: alternative medical treatment, non-invasive surgery, stem cell research
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