Pigs offer a new source of stem cells
A team of Chinese scientists get adult pig cells to behave as embryo stem cells
A team of Chinese scientists has made adult pigs cells virtue of becoming any body tissue just like embryo stem cells, according to the British BBC chain.Researchers consider that progress can help in the study of human diseases and in raising animals for organ transplants.It could even allow the development of pings resistant to diseases such as swine flu.The study is published in the online magazine Journal of Molecular Cell Biology.
The study director, Dr. Lei Xiao, of the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology of Shanghai, has indicated that other attempts had already been initiated to convert adult cells of animals into "full" stem cells, but that everyone had failed."Therefore it is completely new, very important and offers several applications for the health of humans and animals," he added.
Dr. Xiao's team has reprogrammed cells taken from the ear and the cord of a pig using a chemical cocktail introduced into the cells through a virus.The tests have shown that reprogrammed cells were able to transform into any of the types of cells that make up the three layers of a developing embryo.
The ideal source
Xiao adds that pigs are potentially an ideal source to supply organs for transplants, since their organs are similar in size and functions to those of human beings.He maintains that rescheduled stem cells could also be used so that an pig organ is compatible with the immune system, which would minimize the risk of rejection.
Cells can also be used for similar human diseases in creeds, which would allow scientists to try new therapies without needing human volunteers.Together with medical applications, Dr. Xiao considers that his discovery can be used to improve cattle raising, get healthier animals and control their growth.However, he has warned that he can spend years before potential medical applications can be used.
Professor Chris Masin, an expert in regenerative medicine of the University College London, has told the BBC that: "This advance to get pork stem cells revitalizes the search to create humanized pork organs such as pancreas for diabetics and kidneys for chronic kidney diseases".And he adds: "The clinical use of humanized pigs and tissues has advanced a lot in recent months with small -scale clinical exams."And it states that although this technique is not the long -term solution, "it could represent a great step to transform the treatment of organ ailments, which could potentially achieve authentic benefits for millions of patients in a decade."