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Scientists Create New Stem Cell Line
07/26/2007
News
Scientists from the United States and Moscow say they have created embryonic stem cells by stimulating unfertilized eggs, providing hope that one day these cell lines could be used in the treatment of women with diseases such as diabetes or spinal cord injury.
The new research looks into stimulating a woman’s unfertilized egg to begin embryonic development, a method believed not to continue long enough to produce a baby but long enough to produce stem cells that are genetically matched to the egg donor.
Scientists even suggest that this method could possibly be beneficial to those other than the egg donors if done in combination with anti-rejection therapy.
“It’s a new type of embryonic stem cell line from a different kind of embryo,” said George Daley, a scientist at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. “We just don’t know whether these cells will be as good as embryonic stem cells from naturally fertilized eggs.” (Discovery Channel News, 28 June 2007)
The study yielded six lines of embryonic stem cells, one which had chromosome abnormalities. Eggs used for stimulation were obtained from five women who were harvesting eggs for test-tube fertilization and agreed to donate for the study.
The work, reported by scientists from Lifeline Cell Technology of Walkersville, Md., and from Moscow, was published online by the journal Cloning and Stem Cells.
