LONDON, July 25, 2001 (LSN.ca) – In a new study showing the benefit of ethically derived adult stem cells, British scientists have, for the first time, shown that stem cells from an adult’s bone marrow are capable of turning into mature kidney cells. A team led by Professor Nicholas Wright of the UK’s Imperial Cancer Research Fund, demonstrated that theories suggesting that stem cells in the bone marrow only develop into specialized blood cells are incorrect. The study, conducted on mice, shows that bone marrow stem cells clearly have potential for turning into the tissues of other organs.
Dr. Wright, whose study will be published in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Pathology, noted the benefits of these adult stem cells over those of embryonic stem cells. “Doctors could use stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow to replenish kidney cells lost by injury. There would be much less complication with the kidneys rejecting the new cells because they would come from the patient’s own body,” he said.
See an abstract of the study from the Journal of Pathology: https://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/85006606/START
See the BBC coverage at: https://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1454000/1454060.stm