Adult Stem Cells

By: Ian Murnaghan BSc (hons), MSc - Updated: 21 Feb 2019| *Discuss

Although stem cells have defining characteristics, they do have different sources. Adult stem cells, also called somatic stem cells, possess the same basic characteristics of all stem cells. An adult stem cell is an unspecialised cell that is capable of:

Another goal is to develop insulin-producing cells for diabetes. With heart attacks causing enormous morbidity and mortality each year, it is also hoped that adult stem cells can repair damage to the heart.

The use of adult stem cells is more widely accepted, particularly by the public, because it does not require destruction of an embryo as with embryonic stem cells. Adult stem cells also don't have the same immunological challenges as embryonic stem cells because they are harvested from the patient. This means that a person's body is less likely to reject the stem cells because they are compatible with that person's unique physiological makeup.

Overall, adult stem cells don't pose the same ethical concerns and controversy in comparison with embryonic stem cells, but their practical challenges are numerous. As scientists continue to seek ways to effectively harvest adult stem cells, the public can await new treatments for some of the more serious and common diseases.

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Adult Stem Cells

Australia’s Mesoblast plans to evaluate its stem cell therapy in patients infected with COVID-19 – BioWorld Online

PERTH, Australia Australian stem cell therapy company Mesoblast Ltd. plans to evaluate its allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) candidate, remestemcel-L, in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) in the U.S., Australia, China and Europe.

The company is in active discussions with various governments, regulatory authorities, medical institutions and pharmaceutical companies to implement these activities.

What people are dying of is acute respiratory distress syndrome, which is the bodys immune response to the virus in the lungs, and the immune system goes haywire, and in its battle with the virus it overreacts and causes severe damage to the lungs, Mesoblast CEO Silviu Itescu told BioWorld.

Were going to be evaluating whether an injection of our cells intravenously can tone down the immune system just enough so it gets rid of the virus but doesnt destroy your lungs at the same time.

Recently published results from an investigator-initiated clinical study conducted in China reported that allogeneic MSCs cured or significantly improved functional outcomes in all seven treated patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

We have now looked at our own data in lung disease in adults where half the patients had the same kind of inflammation in the lungs as you get with coronavirus, and our cells significantly reduced the inflammation and significantly improved lung function, Itescu said, noting that he is awaiting emergency use authorization to treat patients under a clinical trial protocol.

In a post-hoc analyses of a 60-patient randomized controlled study in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), remestemcel-L infusions were well-tolerated, significantly reduced inflammatory biomarkers, and significantly improved pulmonary function in those patients with elevated inflammatory biomarkers.

Since the same inflammatory biomarkers are also elevated in COVID-19, those data suggest that remestemcel-L could be useful in the treatment of patients with ARDS due to COVID-19. The COPD study results have been submitted for presentation at an international conference, with full results to be submitted for publication shortly.

Mortality in COVID-19-infected patients with the inflammatory lung condition is reported to approach 50% and is associated with older age, co-morbidities such as diabetes, higher disease severity, and elevated markers of inflammation.

Current therapeutic interventions do not appear to be improving in-hospital survival, and remestemcel-L has potential for use in the treatment of ARDS, which is the principal cause of death in COVID-19 infection.

Itescu said he didnt know of any other stem cell companies that were doing this. He said that other companies could try the approach from a research perspective but that Mesoblast has all the patents locked down.

The companys intellectual property portfolio encompasses more than 1,000 patents or patent applications in all major markets and includes the use of MSCs obtained from any source for patients with ARDS, and for inflammatory lung disease due to coronavirus (COVID-19), influenza and other viruses.

Remestemcel-L is being studied in numerous clinical trials across several inflammatory conditions, including in elderly patients with lung disease and adults and children with steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease (aGVHD).

Mesoblasts stem cell therapy is currently being reviewed by the FDA for potential approval in the treatment of children with steroid-refractory aGVHD. The company submitted the final module of a rolling BLA in January.

Remestemcel-L is being developed for rare pediatric and adult inflammatory conditions. It is an investigational therapy comprising culture-expanded MSCs derived from the bone marrow of an unrelated donor and is administered in a series of intravenous infusions.

The stem cell therapy is believed to have immunomodulatory properties to counteract the inflammatory processes that are implicated in several diseases by down-regulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, increasing production of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and enabling recruitment of naturally occurring anti-inflammatory cells to involved tissues, according to Mesoblast.

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Australia's Mesoblast plans to evaluate its stem cell therapy in patients infected with COVID-19 - BioWorld Online

Astronauts growing new organs on International Space Station – The Independent

Astronauts are growing the beginnings of new organs on board the International Space Station.

The experiment is an attempt to grow human tissue by sending adult human stem cells into space, and allowing them to grow in space.

Eventually, it is hoped, the stem cells will develop into bone, cartilage and other organs. If that is successful, the discoveries could be used to try and grow organs for transplant, the scientists involved say.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

The experiment uses weightlessness as a tool, according to Cara Thiel, one of the two researchers from the University of Zurich who are conducting the research. The lack of gravity on board the International Space Station will be used to encourage the stem cells to grow into tissue in three dimensions, rather than the single-layerstructures that form on Earth.

It is being conducted by the astronauts on board the International Space Station using a mobile mini-laboratory that was sent on a SpaceX rocket last week. The experiment will last for a month, during which scientists will watch to see how the stem cells grow.

Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas flom fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telelscope in February 2010

Nasa/ESA/STScI

The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012

Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy

Nasa

Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth

Getty

An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust

Nasa

The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth

Getty

Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015

Nasa/APL/SwRI

A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun

Nasa

Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand

Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona

Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015

Nasa/Scott Kelly

Mystic Mountain, a pillar of gas and dust standing at three-light-years tall, bursting with jets of gas flom fledgling stars buried within, was captured by Nasa's Hubble Space Telelscope in February 2010

Nasa/ESA/STScI

The first ever selfie taken on an alien planet, captured by Nasa's Curiosity Rover in the early days of its mission to explore Mars in 2012

Nasa/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Death of a star: This image from Nasa's Chandra X-ray telescope shows the supernova of Tycho, a star in our Milky Way galaxy

Nasa

Arrokoth, the most distant object ever explored, pictured here on 1 January 2019 by a camera on Nasa's New Horizons spaceraft at a distance of 4.1 billion miles from Earth

Getty

An image of the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy seen in infrared light by the Herschel Space Observatory in January 2012. Regions of space such as this are where new stars are born from a mixture of elements and cosmic dust

Nasa

The first ever image of a black hole, captured by the Event Horizon telescope, as part of a global collaboration involving Nasa, and released on 10 April 2019. The image reveals the black hole at the centre of Messier 87, a massive galaxy in the nearby Virgo galaxy cluster. This black hole resides about 54 million light-years from Earth

Getty

Pluto, as pictured by Nasa's New Horizons spacecraft as it flew over the dwarf planet for the first time ever in July 2015

Nasa/APL/SwRI

A coronal mass ejection as seen by the Chandra Observatory in 2019. This is the first time that Chandra has detected this phenomenon from a star other than the Sun

Nasa

Dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks running downhill on the surface Mars were believed to be evidence of contemporary flowing water. It has since been suggested that they may instead be formed by flowing sand

Nasa/JPL/University of Arizona

Morning Aurora: Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly captured this photograph of the green lights of the aurora from the International Space Station in October 2015

Nasa/Scott Kelly

If it is successful, they hope to switch from a small laboratory to bigger production. From there, they could use the process to generate tissue for transplants by taking cells from patients, or generating organ-like materialthat could be used to test drugs, either ensuring that it works for a specific patients or reducing the number of animals used in experiments.

On Earth, tissue grows in monolayer cultures: generating flat, 2D tissue. But investigations both in space and Earth suggest that in microgravity, cells exhibit spatially unrestricted growth and assemble into complex 3D aggregates, saidOliver Ullrich, who is also leading the research.

Previous research has involved simulated ad real experiments, mostly using tumour cells, and placing real human stem cells into microgravity simulators. But for the next stage of the research there is no alternative to the ISS, he says, because 3D tissue formation of this kind requires several days or even weeks in microgravity.

After the month-long experiment, the scientists will get the samples back and expect to see successful formation oforganoids smaller, more simple versions of organs inside the test tubes. The test tubes were launched with stem cells and are expected to return to Earth with organ-like tissue structures inside, said Professor Ullrich.

Scientists are still not sure why the conditions of the International Space Station lead to the assembly of complex 3D tissue structures. Professor Ullrich and other scientists are still continuing to research how the gravitational force and the molecular machinery in the cell interact to create new and different kinds of tissue on Earth and in space.

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Astronauts growing new organs on International Space Station - The Independent

How to build a body from scratch, Altered Carbon-style – SYFY WIRE

The world of Netflix's Altered Carbon is one where consciousness is no longer tethered to the physical body. It can be, and regularly is, uploaded into "cortical stacks," which are implanted at the base of the neck. In the event of death, a persons consciousness can be reloaded into a new body, known as a "sleeve." For those less fortunate, like protagonist Takeshi Kovacs, that might mean receiving a body thats not your own. In one particularly existential example from the series first episode, it might even mean a young child being uploaded into the body of an adult.

For those with means, however, the mind can be placed into a swiftly made, identical clone, allowing them to return to their lives with little interruption. We've covered what it might take to create a digital copy of a persons mind before (spoiler: it wouldnt be easy), but Altered Carbon's techno-immortality requires a second piece: the swift creation of replacement bodies.

One of the major hurdles that has kept real-world cloning from being the game changer everyone suspected it might be after the birth of Dolly, the first successfully cloned mammal, is the relatively slow development of human bodies. If you wanted to clone a 50-year-old human and get them back to the same stage of development, it would take you 50 years. That's a little too slow to make use of in the same way science fiction does.

We don't have the means to artificially age a body at a rapid pace, but what if we were able to shortcut these limitations to put it plainly, what would it take to build an adult body from scratch?

BONES

If you want to build a person from scratch, you must first make the universe. Carl Sagan said something like that, I think. Just after that, though, youll need a skeleton. Without bones, youll be left with little more than a Cronenbergian nightmare, cool in its own way, but not what were shooting for.

Today, if you have trouble with your bones, your options are limited. The first option, and in most cases the best one, is to let the bone heal itself. Your body is pretty resilient and capable of repairing most day-to-day injuries, even the ones accompanied by a sickening crack. If the injury is really bad, things get a little more medieval. Surgeons might use a series of metal plates and screws to hold your bones in place and give them time for your bodys healing processes to do their work. But those solutions only work for relatively minor injuries where the bone tissue is at least moderately intact.

When it comes to bone replacements, things are a little tougher.

Again, we can return to metal. Like the Wolverine, you might have part of your skeleton replaced or covered over with metal. This might be sufficient in specific cases, but it all feels a little crude.

Ramille Shah, Ph.D., headed a team out of Northwestern's McCormick School of Engineering to create a new material capable of instigating rapid bone regeneration. The team used 3D printers (the invention that never stops giving) and a mixture of 90 percent hydroxyapatite, a natural element of human bones, and 10 percent medical polymer to build bone constructs.

The result is a bit of artificial bone modeled in whatever shape the patient needs. It is porous, allowing for blood vessels and other tissues to easily integrate. The elastibone (perhaps the worst superhero name, trademark pending) stimulates bone regeneration and degrades over time. The intent is for the artificial structure to dissipate, leaving actual bone in its place. A technology like this would go a long way to repairing complex bone defects in all manner of patients, but is particularly promising in pediatrics, where the patients are still growing.

But, in order to truly build a bone from scratch, well need something even better. Thats where Nina Tandon and EpiBone come in.

This technology would work by taking a sample of fatty tissue, something readily available if your plan is to build a copy of an existing person, and use it to extract stem cells. Those cells would then be applied to a 3D printed scaffold of a cows bone which has been scrubbed of all its living cells. Those undifferentiated stem cells would then be placed into a bioreactor (something which sounds made up but is very real) and coaxed into growing into a fully formed bone in just a few weeks. Given enough bioreactors, and enough cows (pour one out for our fallen bovine brethren) you could feasibly grow an entire skeleton in the time it takes for you to finally fold the laundry thats been sitting in the corner of your room.

Now that youve got a skeleton, youre going to need some

ORGANS

For a long time, there weren't many ways to get a new organ if you needed one. The most commonly used method (we hope) was to get your name on a list and wait for a donor. The unfortunate reality of organ donation is that there are more people who need organs than there are organs available. Even when an organ does become available, the odds are against you that theyll match your bodys preferences, and even if you get a match, theres always the threat of rejection.

Organ transplants are a veritable miracle procedure and, while we sometimes take them for granted, they are evidence of our living in truly wizardly times in medical science. But science is never content with the status quo and humanity is forever wondering if we can further laugh in the face of nature. The preferred solution would be to develop a way to craft bespoke organs, made from the recipients' own cells.

Growing cells in a petri dish is old hat. Weve been doing that for longer than many of us have been alive. The trouble is, you can take a heart cell and induce it to multiply in a dish, but all you end up with is a dish-shaped collection of heart cells. That might be good for studying cellular biology, not so good for pumping blood through a person.

A collection of cells does not an organ make. You need something more a scaffold. Each of your organs is a complex collection of various cell types clinging to a protein structure. You can think of that structure as the framing around which the rest of a house is built. Without it, you've got little more than some insulation and drywall tossed into a haphazard stack. You need that scaffold.

There are hopes that one day well be able to build them via (drum roll please) 3D printing, but were not there yet. The level of minute detail involved is beyond our current ability. So, we have to borrow from nature.

Scientists are able to take an existing organ and strip it of its surface cells by pumping detergent through it (good for removing pesky stains and unwanted biological material). Whats left is a ghostly protein structure ready for seeding.

All that's left is to take tissue samples from the recipient and seed them onto the structure, pop it into one of those handy bioreactors, and let the cells get to work. Eventually, youll end up with an organ made of the patients own tissues. Current tests are pretty impressive, but were still a ways off from having a functioning process. The number of different tissue types involved in complex organs is a barrier and the complexity of small structures like circulatory vessels is another. Still, the technology is promising and would not only allow us to build any and all organs in record time, it would solve the organ transplant shortage and save countless lives.

So, now youve got a rigid skeleton filled with juicy oozing organs. Your neighbors are starting to wonder about the smell coming from your garage and youre grateful this abominable creature is not yet sentient because it would very likely go running for the hills. At least it would if it had

MUSCLES

Look, we all know its been a while since youve been to the gym. You bought a membership for the new year and you went a few times. You really meant well but life happened and, somehow, it all got away from you. We get it. It happens to the best of us.

While you might not have the muscle mass you wish you had, you still have quite a lot. The average persons body is comprised of somewhere between 35 and 40 percent muscle, give or take. Thats a lot. Even after all of your efforts with bioreactors, youve only managed to make 60 percent of a person. Its nothing to be scoffed at, but you arent done yet.

In order to complete next steps, youre going to need more tissue samples and a few friends from Duke University.

Using human cells that were no longer stem cells but not yet muscle cells, Nenad Bursac and Lauran Madden, an associate professor of biomedical engineering and a postdoctoral researcher, respectively, were able to successfully create functioning muscle tissues in a lab.

They grew the tissue samples and, using a 3D scaffold and a nutritive gel, ended up with working muscle fibers. These bundles of muscle fibers included receptors capable of taking in external stimuli and contracted when acted on by electricity.

For their part, the intent is not to build novel muscular structures, but to test the efficacy of drugs to treat diseases. According to Bursac, drug tests in the laboratory matched results seen in living patients. Those patients with muscular ailments could provide a tissue sample, that sample could then be grown into fiber bundles and used to test various drug treatments, ex vivo, to find a workable treatment without all the trial and error usually required.

Thanks to Bursac and the team at Duke, youve now built almost all of Takeshi Kovacs. Hes twitching and moving around on the table. He might be screaming a little, thanks to those vat-grown lungs and hes still oozing a bit. Most of all, hes embarrassed by his nakedness. A lots changed in the intervening centuries, but not the need for

SKIN

Youve got your terrible Frankensteinian gift all put together, all thats left is the wrapping. Here, too, is an area were moderately familiar with. When a patient loses skin through injury, a graft can be taken from elsewhere and used to replace the damaged tissue. It gets the job done, some skin is better than no skin of course, but theres still room for improvement.

More recently, bioengineers have had some success in growing sheets of epithelial tissue for implantation but they lacked oil and sweat glands. Again, close, but not quite. Until

A study undertaken at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, led by Takashi Tsuji took cells from the gums of mice and used chemicals to revert them to a stem-cell-like state. The cells were used to grow complex skin tissues.

Once the tissues were ready, they were transplanted onto living mice and were found to develop normally. Not only did those tissues function as a protective barrier, the primary function of skin, but they also succeeded in developing hair follicles and sweat glands. Even more importantly, they successfully integrated with surrounding tissue systems like muscle groups and nerves.

There are, of course, other tissue types weve not covered, each of them important to the successful functioning of a body, but if these emerging technologies are any indication, were well on our way in those areas as well.

So, youve done it. Youve made a full-grown human from scratch in months rather than decades. All thats left is to upload a mind and youre well on your way to cyberpunk chicanery. Go forth, Kovacs, we're rooting for you. And dont mess up this body, please. It was really hard to make. Thanks.

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How to build a body from scratch, Altered Carbon-style - SYFY WIRE