Since the time that stem cells
were discovered about fifty years ago, by Leroy Stevens, it has been a
hot topic for research among the medical fraternity as it opened out a
whole new scope and potential for treatment and effective cure in
various diseases and conditions. In the beginning, the focus was more on
embryonic stem cells
(cells derived from embryos) as they were pluripotent, which in simple
terms means that they are capable of regenerating into any type of cell
in the body, for e.g. muscle, bone, cartilage, skin etc. Later, research
on adult stem cells
generated a great deal of excitement as the scientists found adult stem
cells in many more tissues than they once thought possible.
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
It
was not long before highly potent embryonic stem cell research became
controversial for reasons of ethical and safety concerns and the
adult-derived stem cells were deemed less pliant and less able to
transform into the stem cells that science is looking for to find a
breakthrough in the treatments for disease.
A recent research study
has found the exception in the stem cells of oral mucosa, the membrane
that lines the inside of our mouths. They found that the cells did not
seem to age along with the rest of our bodies, which could prove to be
the breakthrough that science was hoping for. The study was conducted in
a lab in Tel Aviv University’s Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine
where Prof. Sandu Pitaru and his graduate students Keren
Marinka-Kalmany, Sandra Treves, Miri Yafee and Yossi Gafni managed to
successfully collect cells from oral mucosa and manipulate them into
stem cells.
Prof. Pitaru discovered that the oral stem cells were
as easy to manipulate as the embryonic stem cells, even though they were
taken from the adult tissues. His research has opened new doors and
possibilities to the stem cell research and potential therapies for
various neurodegenerative, heart and autoimmune diseases, as well as
diabetes.
According to Prof. Pitaru, dentists have been aware of some of the unique properties of the oral mucosa for a long time. "Wounds in the oral mucosa heal by regeneration, which means that the tissue reverts completely back to its original state,"
he says. “A wound that might take weeks to heal and leave a life-long
scar on the skin will be healed in a matter of days inside the mouth,
regardless of the patient's age. Except for the mouth, this type of
healing usually occurs only in very young organisms and lower
amphibians, such as the lizards that can regenerate their tails.”
In
the study, Prof. Pitaru tried to determine if the oral mucosa could be a
source for young, fetal-like stem cells with this unique healing
ability. He says, “Even when obtained from an older patient these
stem cells still have properties of young or primitive stem cells, which
have a high capacity to be transformed into different tissues.”
Prof. Pitaru and his team of researchers have already succeeded in
coaxing the oral mucosa stem cells into becoming other significant
cells, including bone, cartilage, muscle and even neurons.
According to Prof. Pitaru, “All
this is derived from a miniscule biopsy of tissue, measuring 1 by 2 by 3
millimeters. We are able to grow trillions of stem cells from this
small piece of tissue. The site of the biopsy is readily accessible, and
patients experience minimal discomfort and require almost no healing
time. This makes the mouth a convenient site for harvesting stem cells.”
This
research study has provided a safe and effective alternative to
implanting stem cells into various tissues in a person, as the threat of
rejection of the implanted cells is removed, as compared to patients
who are being treated with implanted embryonic stem cells in which case
they are required to take immunosuppresant therapy and moreover the
embryonic stem cells also have the potential to form tumors. However,
this study is still in the pre-clinical trial stage where the stem cells
are being implanted within small rodents and they are researching the
impact of the innovative cells as a treatment for chronic heart failure,
neurodegenerative diseases, inflammatory autoimmune diseases such as
Crohn's disease, and diabetes.
As the above mentioned diseases are
most likely to affect the elderly, the oral mucosa stem cells would
offer a more safe and effective alternative to both embryonic and
adult-derived stem cells. Prof. Pitaru says. "Stem cells taken from the tissue of elderly patients have growth limitations and reduced functional capacities."
“Stem
cells derived from the oral mucosa, however, avoid the pitfalls of
their predecessors. Because they stay young, they behave as fetal cells,
but there is no danger of rejection because they are taken directly
from the patient. And they show no signs of developing the aggressive
tumors that surround implantation of embryonic stem cells. With limited
risk and high therapeutic potential, these cells could step in to fill a
major medical need, Prof. Pitaru concludes.”
Original Feature Article Posted on Xomba
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