Help of Stem cells for Liver injury
by: waynechad@gmail.com
Total views: 75
Word Count: 326
Allogeneic liver transplantation remains the only
effective treatment available to patients with liver failure. Because of a
serious shortage of liver donors, however, an alternative therapeutic approach
is urgently needed.
Transplantation of hepatocytes derived from adult or
fetal livers is not a candidate for the alternative treatment because the
source of such stem cells is limited to human liver at present. Recently,
extrahepatic sources of hepatocyte lineage cells have been explored for use in
cell therapy. Embryonic stem cells and Bone Marrow stem cells have been
reported to have the potential to differentiate into multilineage cells,
including hepatocytes, in in vitro and in vivo models. However, the clinical application
of embryonic stem cells obtained from human fertilized eggs harbors serious
problems in many countries. Also, the utilisation of human Bone Marrow cells as
the graft source is restricted by a shortage of healthy donors.
Our investigation demonstrates that Umbilical Cord Blood
is a potentially suitable source of cell transplantation for liver injury. Umbilical
Cord Blood will have relevance to the clinical application of cell
transplantation as a novel therapeutic option for liver failure, as well as
embryonic stem cells and adult-Bone Marrow-derived cells. Those Human umbilical
cord blood cells have many advantages as grafts for cell transplantation
because of the immaturity of newborn cells compared with adult cells. When we
can successfully cryopre serve freshly isolated Umbilical Cord Blood cells,
produce Umbilical Cord Blood -derived hepatic stem cells or hepatocytes on a
large scale, and utilise them as a source of cell transplantation for
decompensated liver diseases, we should be able to overcome the problems of
ethics and short supply in allogeneic liver transplantation.
It was recently reported that Umbilical Cord Blood -derived
stem cells had Bone Marrow -repopulating capacity. It is unclear whether Umbilical
Cord Blood -derived cells function as mature hepatocytes for the support of
liver injury though.
About the Author
Wayne Channon, Director of
Cells4Life Ltd, a Stem cells and cord blood storage expert that specialize in
umbilical cord blood collection.
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