Share:

1-617-564-1795

Login

Home

Medical Procedures

Stem Cell

News

Study: Testicular cells of adult men could be new source of stem cells

Using the testicular cells of adult men, researchers have grown muscle, nerve and other kinds of tissue.

By Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Scientists have converted cells from human testes into stem cells that grew into muscle, nerve cells and other kinds of tissue, according to a study published Wednesday in the online edition of Nature.

The stem cells offer another potential alternative to embryonic stem cells for researchers who aim to treat diseases such as diabetes and Parkinson's by replacing damaged or malfunctioning cells with custom-grown replacements.

Scientists have also derived flexible adult stem cells from skin, amniotic fluid and menstrual blood.

The new cells were created from sperm-making cells obtained from testicular biopsies of 22 men.

They are theoretically superior to traditional embryonic stem cells because they can be obtained directly from male patients and used to grow replacement tissue that their bodies won't reject, Sabine Conrad of the University of Tuebingen in Germany and her colleagues wrote.

The cells also have an ethical advantage in that they do not require the destruction of human embryos.

Experiments in mice suggested that reproductive cells -- also known as germ cells -- were good candidates for making stem cells because they naturally express low levels of the "pluripotency" genes that make embryonic stem cells so versatile, said Renee A. Reijo Pera, director of the Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Education at Stanford University, who was not involved in the study.

The German researchers obtained biopsy samples from men between the ages of 17 and 81. They extracted the individual testicular cells and grew them in laboratory dishes. After about three weeks, some of the cells formed colonies resembling embryonic stem cells, the team reported.

The so-called germline stem cells grew nearly as fast as embryonic stem cells and produced many of the specialized protein markers associated with embryonic stem cells.

Cells from eight of the patients were injected into mice, where they grew into jumbles of tissue that included cartilage, muscle, nerve cells and other building blocks of glands and internal organs, according to the study.

For your FREE personalized quote for Stem Cell Therapy, register here

Affordable stem cell treatment overseas

More at: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-sci-stemcell9-2008oct09,0,6497469.story

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Click here to register and get quote

Trusted Source for Medical Tourism and Dental Tourism

Share:

Healthbase is the trusted source for global medical choices, connecting patients to leading healthcare facilities overseas. Healthbase's state-of-the-art, easy to use, information rich web-based system helps you research and arrange your medical care including necessary travel and accommodation, all at one place. We arrange first class services for patients at major internationally accredited hospitals in Singapore, Thailand, India, Mexico, Panama, Turkey, Costa Rica, Hungary and expanding to Argentina, Brazil and Malaysia. The cost of surgical care at our ever growing network of affiliated institutions is typically a fraction of the cost of care in the U.S. with equal or superior outcomes.
Healthbase's Dental Tourism provides a wide range of dental procedures through its partner dental offices and hospitals network in Mexico, Panama, Thailand, Singapore and India.
Over two hundred medical, dental and cosmetic procedures are available in various categories: Orthopedic procedures such as hip replacement, Birmingham hip resurfacing, artificial knee replacement, knee surgery, cosmetic procedures such as breast augmentation, face lift, rhinoplasty (nose surgery), liposuction, dental procedures such as bridges, implants, crowns, and procedures in categories such as cardiac, vascular, spinal, obesity, eye, LASIK, urology, general surgery, plastic surgery, laparoscopic surgery, weight-loss surgery, wellness and much more. The savings are up to 80% from typical USA prices.

Medical Tourism is the act of traveling abroad to receive medical, dental and cosmetic care. Medical Tourism is also called as Medical Travel, Health Tourism, Health Travel and Medical Value Travel. Significantly lower costs for best practice care is usually the primary motivation although some medical tourists go abroad for immediate availability of procedures and unavailable treatments. Patients frequently take advantage of the opportunity to vacation and tour inexpensively in the country they are visiting.
Note: All medical procedure information presented here has been obtained from publicly available medical resources and is here for reference purposes only. Healthbase does not claim to be a medical professional and does not provide any advice on any issues relating to medical treatment.

Main Menu

Related links: