‘Years’ before retooled stem cells are used in humans

Replacing damaged tissues with reprogrammed stem cells is still “years away”, according to the Irish Stem Cell Foundation.

Scientists in the US have found a way of using skin to generate human embryonic stem cells, clearing the way for disease research.

The goal has always been to produce stem cells that are perfectly matched to the DNA donor and to use them to produce replacement tissues that will not be rejected.

Dr Stephen Sullivan, the chief scientific officer of the Irish Stem Cell Foundation, said that while the technique would be used to better understand how diseases responded to drugs, it would be some time yet before the stem cells could be put into patients.

“You have to understand how to control the cells really well, because, if you inject cells into a patient and you don’t know how to control them, you can get cancers and a myriad of other problems that would be far worse than the condition that the patient is suffering from,” he said.

In the study, reported in the journal Cell, scientists fused a reprogrammed skin cell with an egg, generating large numbers of human embryonic stem cells.

Up to now, the method, cell nuclear transfer, worked in animal studies but not in humans. Scientists from Oregon Health and Science University used caffeine to make the method work using human cells.

Dr Sullivan said the discovery would allow the production of “tailored” embryonic stem cells.

“You now have this human form of stem cell which can tell scientists more about disease and allow scientists to develop better drugs.

“In the long term, it may be possible to introduce stem cells and the cells they form into patients.”

Dr Sullivan said that stem cells were currently used to treat nine blood-related conditions. He said the breakthrough would allow scientists to understand the origins of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and multiple sclerosis.

James Reilly, the health minister, said he was considering legislative proposals in this complex area.

“We need an independent scientific adviser; we need a national bio-ethics structure. These are the basics when it comes to scientific stem cell research,” said Dr Sullivan.

www.stemcell.ie