Information on Stem Cell Therapy
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September 24,2004
The similarity between senile lung that develops, to some degree, in all aging
animals and emphysema has been noted and supports this concept. Tissue
destruction, for example due to cigarette smoke, is likely to be more disruptive
in individuals with inadequate repair.
This proposal will determine if pluripotent stem cells can populate the lung and
contribute to lung repair. Specifically, the ability of cells derived from old
and young animals to repopulate lungs will be assessed using green fluorescent
protein (GFP) transgenic mice to provide "marked" stem cells. The ability of
these donor cells to repopulate various lung cell compartments will be
quantified. The donor cells will be fractionated and characterized using defined
cell surface markers. Cells derived from recipient lungs will be assessed for
function related to repair in vitro.
Finally, the ability of cell transplantation decrease the susceptibility of old
animals to develop emphysema will be assessed. The ability of stem cell
transplantation to facilitate functional and structural repair of the lung in
aged and emphysematous animals will be assessed.
These studies will establish a role for stem cells in modulating lung repair and
provide evidence that use of such cells could play a role in the therapy of
destructive lung disorders such as emphysema.
Institution: UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER, OMAHA, NE
Project Start: 01-AUG-2003
Project End: 30-JUN-2007
http://tinyurl.com/4ksck
July 24,2004
Here's the abstract for a very recently published (July 2004) review of this
promising area of medicine....
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"Fueled by the promise of regenerative medicine, currently there is
unprecedented interest in stem cells. Furthermore, there have been
revolutionary, but somewhat controversial, advances in our understanding of stem
cell biology. Stem cells likely play key roles in the repair of diverse
lung injuries. However, due to very low rates of cellular proliferation in vivo
in the normal steady state, cellular and architectural complexity of the
respiratory tract, and the lack of an intensive research effort, lung stem cells
remain poorly
understood compared to those in other major organ systems. In the present
review, we concisely explore the conceptual framework of stem cell biology and
recent advances pertinent to the lungs. We illustrate lung diseases in which
manipulation of stem cells may be physiologically significant and highlight the
challenges
facing stem cell-related therapy in the lung. See
http://respiratory-research.com/content/5/1/6
Multitude of
information about Stem Cell Research 3/15
Information from Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Information on Stem Cell Therapy from Howard Hughes
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Last Update 10/04/2004
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