Stem Cells

Stem cells are the unspecialised cells of the body that have the capacity to self-renew through mitosis and differentiate into a diverse range of cell types.

Three - Totipotent, pluripotent and multipotent.

Can give rise to all types of cells that make up the human body and also all of the cell types that make up the membranes that surround the foetus (including the placenta).

The master of human cells. Each cell can develop into a human.

Can give rise to all types of cells that make up the human body (over 200) but not the cells types that make up the embryonic membranes.

Cells that have already differentiated but can still form a limited number of other tissues.

From the first few divisions of the fertilised egg only - early embryo (1-3 days)

Cells from a blastocyst (embryo of 5-14 days)

Found in foetal tissue, blood of the umbilical cord (cord blood) and adult tissue.

Their stage of development.

i.e. Stem cells of a 1-3 day old embryo are totipotent, whereas the stems cells of a blastocyst are pluripotent and the stem cells of a foetus and adult are multipotent.

• Embryonic: Pluripotent
• Adult: Multipotent

• Embryonic: Able to differentiate into all cell types except for those that make up the embryonic membranes
• Adult: Thought to be limited to differentiating into the different cell types of their tissue of origin

• Embryonic: Can be grown relatively easily in cell culture
• Adult: Rare in mature cells, harder to isolate and harvest and methods of expanding their quantity in cell culture have not yet been established

**Adult: Currently believed to be less likely of initiating rejection after transplantation as one’s own cells can be expanded, differentiated and then reintroduced into the body

A growth factor medicine is taken a few days beforehand

This forces stems cells from the bone marrow into general circulation (mobilisation)

A catheter is placed in each arm and blood is withdrawn

Stems cells are removed and the blood is returned in a process called apheresis

The cells are transferred to a culture dish containing a nutrient solution.

Over a few days the cells divide, spread over the surface of the culture medium, and begin to fill the dish.

At this stage they are removed and placed in several fresh culture dishes.

This subculturing can be repeated many times over a number of months to ensure the cells have the capacity of long-term growth and self-renewal.

A stem cell line is developed and within six months, the 30 cells from the original inner cell mass can developed into cultures containing millions of embryonic stem cells.

The cultures cells can be frozen and made available for research in other laboratories.

Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 permits research on surplus embryos from IVF programs. Researchers must be licensed and there are thorough regulations to ensure ethical standards are observed. Written permission is required of the female (and her partner, where appropriate) for whom the embryo was created.

Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002 put a comprehensive ban on human cloning, including for therapeutic purposes. The only legal purpose for human embryo creation in Australia at the time was to achieve pregnancy in a woman.

Both these acts were reviewed in 2005 – it recommended that the present regulatory frameworks be maintained and cloning for therapeutic purposes be allowed under strict ethical regulations.

In December of 2006, The Australian Parliament passed a bill that allows the cloning of human embryos for therapeutic purposes.

• Studies of human embryonic stem cells will yield information of the events that occur during human development

• Despite that scientists know that the turning on and off of genes is essential, a goal of this research is to identify the way in which an unspecialised cell begins to differentiate to form tissues and organs

• Some of the most serious diseases, such as cancer and birth defects, arise from abnormal cell division and differentiation. A more complete understanding of the genetic and molecular processes may yield further information as to the cause and potential therapies/cures of such diseases.

• Currently, the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis etc.

• Tissues developed from a person’s own stem cells would not provoke an immune response when transplanted into the person’s body.

• The most promising lines of research involve the use of human embryos. Whilst the stem cells can be cultured in a lab and differentiated into any other cell type, research on human embryos raises many
• ethical questions.

Therapies that may result from embryonic stem cell research have the potential of treating currently incurable diseases and alleviating much human suffering. However, at the same time, we are destroying human embryos. Thus, in embryonic stem cell research we have a conflict in values.

Each of us must make up our own mind as to which moral principle is of greater importance: prevention of suffering or respect for the value of human life.