Stem Cell Research

One of the most spoken of topic in the past four decades, are the advancements in genetic engineering. Stem cells were discovered in the mid-1800s and the subject of experimentation in the early 1900s, it’s only been in recent decades that they’ve truly caught the imagination of medical researchers and the public. Today, our understanding of these cells is expanding dramatically, and research has proliferated, as their potential is becoming clearer and clearer. Research into stem cells grew out of findings by Ernest A. McCulloch and James E. Till at the University of Toronto in the 1960s. “And the remarkable thing about the discovery itself is that we’re just starting to realize the potential of stem cells for medicine. In the 1960s, scientists recognized that Drs. Till and McCulloch’s discovery was important, but I don’t think anyone could have imagined that more than 45 years down the road their work would still be laying the basis for new ideas, new strategies, even new research institutes built around the concept of stem cells.” says Dr. Bob Phillips, Deputy Director of OICR and a former colleague of Till and McCulloch’s at the Ontario Cancer Institute.”[4]

Research on stem cells is advancing knowledge about how an organism develops from a single cell and how healthy cells replace damaged cells in adult organisms. This promising area of science is also leading scientists to investigate the possibility of cell-based therapies to treat disease, which is often referred to as regenerative or reparative medicine. There is genuine scientific excitement over the concept of using the body's own cellular building blocks to regenerate damaged or ageing organs. Stem cells are one of the most fascinating areas of biology today. But like ...

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... cells are further along in the developmental process.

Adult stem cells originate from mature adults. These can also be referred to as multipotent stem cells, as the number of cell types which they can differentiate into are limited. Adult stem cells serve as a fresh source of cells in living organisms. They replace cells that need to be replaced on a regular basis in a living organism, such as blood (which has a 120 day lifespan) and other connective tissues. It is generally believed that adult stem cell therapies will complement but not replace embryonic stem cell therapies. One advantage of adult stem cells is that they offer the opportunity to utilize small samples of adult tissues of a patient's own cells for expansion and subsequent implantation. This avoids the ethical issues of embryonic stem cells, as well as the issues that accompany allogeneic donations.