Stem Cells Therapeutic Potential and Potential Pitfalls

BVetMed Year 1 Term 1 Embryology Directed Learning

Dr Imelda McGonnell and Dr Tej Dhoot
Todays DL concerns stem cells. Please discuss the questions with your group and see if you can think of answers to the following 10 questions. There are a couple of links on the blackboard to get you started. Please uses reputable internet sources (not just Wikipedia) and also consider going to the library to look at relevant text books.

1) What is an embryonic stem cell?

Totipotent cell found in an embryo.

2) What special properties do they have?

Have the potential to become any cell in the body; they are entirely undifferentiated and can be multiplied to produce many possible organisms.

3) How are they derived?

Derived? They are created through fertilisation of the oocyte and sperm cell, have the DNA for a whole organism but do not express any of it.

4) What is an adult (somatic) stem cell?

Stem cell found in an adult organism

5) 5) Give some example of adult stem cells.

In the bone marrow there are haemopoietic stem cells which have the capacity to form all the different types of blood cell. There are also bone marrow stromal or mesenchymal stem cells. These non-hematopoietic stem cells make up a small proportion of the stromal cell population in the bone marrow, and can generate bone, cartilage, fat, cells that support the formation of blood, and fibrous connective tissue.

6) How do adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells differ?

Embryonic stem cells are totipotent but somatic stem cells can only form a limited range of tissues.

7) Are there any examples in veterinary and human medicine of the use of stem cells for therapy?
Yes, there are. (see second tutorial task). In human medicine that have been used to treat Alzheimers disease, amongst other things. In vetty med, they have been used to treat tendon injuries.

8) What are the problems associated with the use of: a) ES cells
Sourcing is it ethical to use embryos in this way, in particular human ones? Prolife activists are concerned with the validation / usefulness that this would give to abortion. Could cause tumors.

b) Adult stem cells in therapy?

Cannot form all tissues, so a smaller range of possibilities. Have to come from the person in question. Involve surgery as they are not found on the surface of the body. Can also cause tumors.

9) What is the difference between therapeutic and reproductive cloning?

Theraputic a.k.a. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. No new organism is made. A nucleus is taken from a somatic cell in the adult you want to treat and placed into a denucleated embryonic stem cell. This cell is then stimulated to divide and you then harvest the embryonic stem cells from the ICM of the blastocyst formed. Reproductive same but the embryo is allowed to mature and a whole organism is formed.

10) What are human/animal chimeras and why have the UK government recently licensed their use in stem cell research
Chimera: a mix of cells from two species (not a hybrid, like a mule) but rather, for example, introducing human stem cells into a bovine embryo. Licensed so that they can be created but must be destroyed within 14 days. This is to avoid creation of some kind of half-human half-animal thing, while allowing the creation of useful humanoid stem cells.