7 replies to this topic

[olaf.larsson]

A text which is very interesting and of fundamental importance...

Park Y, Gerson SL.
DNA REPAIR DEFECTS IN STEM CELL FUNCTION AND AGING *
Annu Rev Med. 2005 Feb 18;56:495-508.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....t_uids=15660524

I hope you can read it.

Edited by wolfram, 05 March 2005 - 05:55 AM.

[olaf.larsson]

Its very interesting to read that stem cells have been found to be able to maintain genome integrity 400 times better than normal differentiated cells. If stem cell mutations are central for aging it should be possible to fill people up with new stem cells from frozen stem cell banks. It could be possible to to some extent treat premature aging symptoms by genetic engeneering of the patients stem cells. The thing I wonder is: If you take the most undiferentiated stem cells and inject in the bloodstreem, will they then infiltrate all diffrent tissues, differentiate and contribute to the stem cell populations there? One thing i thought about is that it would be some kind of strange if you used some other persons stem cells even if this person is totaly HLA compatible. I guess that after 100 years of filling up with an other persons stemcells you would partially have become this person. I dont know much about stem cells yet but I hope to learn more.

Edited by wolfram, 05 March 2005 - 07:23 AM.

[John Schloendorn]

Wolfram, you would not take the most undifferentiated (ES) cells because they tend to give rise to nasty tumors called teratomas. The best bet for infiltrating other tissues are currently hematopoietic stem cells. Aside, they can also be used to engineer immune tolerance against - well, anything.
But in addition I would advocate reseeding the stem cells in every suitable organ much in the same way as in the hematopoietic system by organ-specific precursors to achieve the most efficient therapy. As for the hematopoietic system, I found this a good place to start:

Edited by Bates, 23 July 2005 - 06:47 PM.

[John Schloendorn]

I can't see how you could become another person by using someone else's stem cells. I would define my personality from the information encoded in my central nervous system, such as neuronal wiring, no matter what genes are in my cells. Some people here advocate replacing our bodies with machines altogether, so what would become of their persons then? Any therapy worth taking should not strongly affect neuronal wiring, of course.

[olaf.larsson]

I can't see how you could become another person by using someone else's stem cells.

No I dont mean that you will get another personality unless you use the stemcells to replace nerv-cells. Does this "engeneered immunotolerance" you are talking about has as consequence that all autoimmune diseases will be cured? By the way how do you do those nice little download squares?

[Dey]

Hi,

I just want to add, that mesenchymal stem cells are a much better source (in the moment) to be injected in the blood stream, as there are less troubles with immuno-tolerance. Has been done many times and only few cases are known where these cells have lead to an unwanted growth (in mice, they found unwanted growth in the lung after injection mesenchymal stem cells). Mesenchymal stem cells are also able to invade tissue, even the brain.
It seems that stem cells, at least in vivo, protect there DNA by dividing asymmetrically and thereby avoiding transcription induced mutations (Read Sherley JD, )


Greetings,

Mondey