Stem cell tissue engineering has offered us a new and improved way to treat illnesses and diseases. Adult stem cells are proving themselves useful in tissue engineering.
Embryonic Stem Cells and Controversy
Stem cell tissue engineering has offered us a new and improved way to treat illnesses and diseases. Stem cells have a unique ability to transform themselves into nearly any type of human cell. The science of stem cell research has unfortunately faced quite a lot of controversy because of the way that the cells must be harvested. The controversy comes from the fact that these cells are often obtained through abortions and discarded IVF embryos.
There has been a halt on federally funded stem cell research in the United States. However, since this halt, scientists have new findings that will negate the use of stem cells from embryos. Scientists have now found that stem cells can be found in the fat tissues of adult humans.
Adult Stem Cells in Tissue Engineering
This breakthrough has a whole scientific community excited with numerous possibilities. The discovery was made at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering. The researchers from these facilities had taken stem cells from the fatty tissues found in adults and were able to transform them into smooth muscle cells, which are needed within the human body in many different areas.
Because these scientists were able to accomplish this task, they hope that they can do even more with these cells in the future. The researchers are sure that they can pick up with their stem cell research without controversy being linked with it.
Advantages of Adult Stem Cells
The stem cells that they had taken from the fatty human tissue behaved exactly as smooth muscle cells should. These stem cells are actually a better solution for illness than the stem cells from embryos. This is due to the fact that these cells are taken from the body that they are going to repair, so there is no chance for the body to reject the cells. Scientists have also been able to engineer smooth muscle cells from the cells found in the brain and bone marrow, but the stem cells they have found in human fatty tissues will be much more useful.
The scientists made sure that this finding was not just an isolated occurrence. They have tested stem cells from adult fat tissue multiple times now and continue to get the same results. Because these scientists were able to accomplish this task, they have hope that they can do even more with these cells in the future.
