Print Create a hardcopy of this page Font Size: Default font size Larger font size

Posted: Friday, April 25, 2014 7:00 pm

Commentary: Stem cells: Good or evil? The Washington Post SantaFeNewMexican.com |

Controversies over stem-cell research are so last decade or so it seemed until last week.

For the last few years, the promising field of stem-cell research has focused on a technique that skirts various ethical concerns about the treatment of human embryos and the potential to clone whole human beings. But last week, U.S. and South Korean researchers announced that they went ahead with a different technique, successfully creating stem cells cloned from the normal skin cells of adults. Their work helps to open a new avenue in stem-cell research. But it also could be a step on the way to human reproductive cloning.

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

Or, use your linked account:

Unlimited access to SantaFeNewMexican.com and PasatiempoMagazine.comon your computer, smart phone and tablet.

Unlimted access to SantaFeNewMexican.com and PasatiempoMagazine.comon your computer, smart phone and tablet PLUS 7-Day home delivery of The New Mexican.

*Must reside within SFNM home delivery area. RATES DO NOT APPLY IN PLACITAS, RIBERA, ILFIELD OR VILLNUEVA. PLEASE CALL 800-873-3372 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

Read the original here:
Commentary: Stem cells: Good or evil?

Stem Cells with Dr Newman - Presented by Linda Miner
Visit http://www.youth-restored.com/ to learn more about Jeunesse Global and the amazing business opportunity. If you are ready to start earning EXTRA INCOME...

By: Linda Miner

View post:
Stem Cells with Dr Newman - Presented by Linda Miner - Video

Posted: Friday, April 25, 2014, 9:00 AM

FRIDAY, April 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Skin that was created from stem cells and grown in a lab could be used instead of animals to test drugs and cosmetics, and to develop new treatments for skin disorders, scientists report.

An international team of researchers said it's the first to create lab-grown epidermis -- the outermost layer of skin -- that has a functional barrier like real skin. The functional barrier prevents water from escaping the body and keeps germs and toxins out. Until now, no one had successfully grown epidermis with a functional barrier, which is needed for drug testing, the study authors said.

The research, led by scientists at King's College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center, is described in the current issue of the journal Stem Cell Reports.

The ability to create an unlimited amount of genetically identical skin samples "can be used to study a range of conditions where the skin's barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation, such as ichthyosis (dry, flaky skin) or atopic dermatitis (eczema)," Dr. Theodora Mauro, leader of the research team, said in a King's College London news release.

"We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery," she said.

Dr. Dusko Ilic, leader of the team at King's College London, said: "Our new method can be used to grow much greater quantities of lab-grown human epidermal equivalents, and thus could be scaled up for commercial testing of drugs and cosmetics."

"Human epidermal equivalents representing different types of skin could also be grown, depending on the source of the stem cells used, and could thus be tailored to study a range of skin conditions and sensitivities in different populations," he added.

More information

View post:
Stem Cells Yield Lab-Grown Skin, Researchers Say

April 25, 2014

Kings College London

An international team led by Kings College London and the San Francisco Veteran Affairs Medical Center (SFVAMC) has developed the first lab-grown epidermis the outermost skin layer with a functional permeability barrier akin to real skin. The new epidermis, grown from human pluripotent stem cells, offers a cost-effective alternative lab model for testing drugs and cosmetics, and could also help to develop new therapies for rare and common skin disorders.

The epidermis, the outermost layer of human skin, forms a protective interface between the body and its external environment, preventing water from escaping and microbes and toxins from entering. Tissue engineers have been unable to grow epidermis with the functional barrier needed for drug testing, and have been further limited in producing an in vitro (lab) model for large-scale drug screening by the number of cells that can be grown from a single skin biopsy sample.

The new study, published in the journal Stem Cell Reports, describes the use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to produce an unlimited supply of pure keratinocytes the predominant cell type in the outermost layer of skin that closely match keratinocytes generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and primary keratinocytes from skin biopsies. These keratinocytes were then used to manufacture 3D epidermal equivalents in a high-to-low humidity environment to build a functional permeability barrier, which is essential in protecting the body from losing moisture, and preventing the entry of chemicals, toxins and microbes.

A comparison of epidermal equivalents generated from iPSC, hESC and primary human keratinocytes (skin cells) from skin biopsies showed no significant difference in their structural or functional properties compared with the outermost layer of normal human skin.

Dr Theodora Mauro, leader of the SFVAMC team, says: The ability to obtain an unlimited number of genetically identical units can be used to study a range of conditions where the skins barrier is defective due to mutations in genes involved in skin barrier formation, such as ichthyosis (dry, flaky skin) or atopic dermatitis. We can use this model to study how the skin barrier develops normally, how the barrier is impaired in different diseases and how we can stimulate its repair and recovery.

Dr Dusko Ilic, leader of the team at Kings College London, says: Our new method can be used to grow much greater quantities of lab-grown human epidermal equivalents, and thus could be scaled up for commercial testing of drugs and cosmetics. Human epidermal equivalents representing different types of skin could also be grown, depending on the source of the stem cells used, and could thus be tailored to study a range of skin conditions and sensitivities in different populations.

Source: King's College London

Go here to see the original:
Skin Layer Grown From Human Stem Cells Could Replace Animals In Drug, Cosmetics Testing