Recently, there have been some interesting innovations in the Life Science industry that promise a great deal of benefit to mankind.

STAP cells – a breakthrough in stem cell research

Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that have the ability to transform into any type of cell, depending on certain stimulus. The term “stem cells” was first used in 1908 by a Russian histologist named Alexander Maksimov. They are the building blocks of any biological organism; an embryo begins as a mass of stem cells that later differentiate into various specialized cells. It is this property that has interested a large number of researchers; the potential for developing a cure for many diseases and afflictions is enormous. The first instance of stem cell therapy was a bone marrow transplant between two siblings to treat a case of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).

The usual sources from which stem cells are harvested are from aborted fetuses, from umbilical cord blood, and from bone marrow. Understandably, this has caused concern among a host of parties, as there is potential for abuse of human rights. One concern is that the destitute and disadvantaged may be coerced into getting abortions so that stem cells may be harvested from the aborted fetus. Thus, researchers have been trying to find other sources of stem cells. There have been some efforts to harvest stem cells from adult humans e.g. from bone marrow, skin, intestinal lining, nasal mucosa lining, and gonads, but these efforts have been rather unsuccessful in that the quantity of cells recovered are not sufficient.

Recently, a Japanese researcher named Haruko Obokata discovered that when ordinary, fully differentiated cells are subjected to certain kinds of stress, they will convert into pluripotent cells, which are a form of stem cells. These “Stimulus-Triggered Acquisition of Pluripotency Cells” (STAP cells) are then able to differentiate into placental cells. Placental cells are much more potent than either embryonic stem cells or other pluripotent stem cells.

The implications of this discovery are enormous. Although the current discovery has only been demonstrated effectively on mouse cells, if researchers can successfully replicate these results using human tissue, this will mean an efficient, cheap and simple manner to create patient-specific stem cells. Skin grafts, organ transplants, corneal replacements, and some autoimmune disease treatments would be patient-specific, which means little to no rejection by immune systems, a drastically reduced waiting time for organs, and hopefully a significant reduction or complete end to transplant-related illegal activities like forced organ harvesting.

The future of cancer treatments – skin tumor vaccine and cell therapy

Cancer is a broad class of diseases that involve the uncontrolled division and growth of cells, leading to tumors. Cancer can affect almost any part of the body; to date, there are about 200 known forms of cancer. Even though it is a much studied disease, the causes of cancer are only partially understood. Although it is known that there are many things that can increase the risk of cancer e.g. tobacco usage, dietary factors, exposure to certain harmful chemicals, environmental factors, and genetics, the exact way in which these factors can cause cancer is still only partially understood.

Currently, the main methods of cancer treatment are radiotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy. Radiotherapy involves using ionizing radiation to kill malignant cells. The tumorous area is targeted with a beam of radiation; this causes DNA damage that leads to cell death. Radiotherapy is useful if the cancer is localized to one area of the body. Surgery can be for performing a biopsy, which is a procedure where a small sample of the tumor is removed for laboratory analysis, or it can be for removing a tumor. Although surgery can be successful in treating some kinds of cancer, if there is a chance the malignant cells have or could spread to other parts of the body, or if the tumor is located in a part of the body that cannot be accessed easily, surgery ceases to be a treatment option. Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with cytotoxic drugs i.e. drugs that are toxic to certain kinds of cells. Traditional chemotherapeutic agents act by killing cells that divide rapidly, one of the main properties of most cancer cells. The problem with this is that other fast-dividing cells may also be killed e.g. bone marrow, hair follicles and digestive tract.

Researchers are always looking to better the forms of treatment for cancer. Two such examples are a skin tumor vaccine, and cell therapy. In a study conducted a the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg, researchers discovered that certain kinds of skin cancers that were caused by a viral infection by papillomaviruses could be significantly reduced if a vaccination was used. When tested on mice, they found that vaccination completely prevented the appearance of benign and malignant skin tumors. This holds a great potential to be developed into a vaccine for humans, especially those who have had organ transplants.  Transplant recipients need to take immunosuppressive drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent rejection of the transplanted organ. Among the side effects of these drugs, widespread abnormal skin growths have large impact on the patients’ quality of life. These can also progress to skin cancer, for which transplant patients have a 250-fold elevated risk.

Cell therapy involves infusing cancer patients with dosages of their own cells that have been modified to specifically target cancer cells. Researchers from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center conducted a large study involving the use of cell therapy and found that there was an 88% success rate. This result is very encouraging; since the modified cells are specific to each patient, there is little to no chance of an adverse immune system reaction. The potential to develop this method into one of the main treatments for cancer is thus immense.

The machine inside the man inside the machine

Although the usage of man-made parts have been used in transplants for some time now, the replacement of human organs and body parts with synthetic variants is still the stuff of Hollywood. There are many who dream of having bionic eyes and ears like the Six Million Dollar Man, a host of repairer nanotbots that will instantly heal any and all damage sustained, or a metallic skeleton and retractable claws like that of a certain mutant anti-hero, but these are very far off, if not completely the stuff of fiction.

Interestingly however, a group of researchers have shown that nanoelectric devices with nanowires are capable of interfacing with living cells. Currently they are being used for data collection e.g. continuous monitoring of heart-rates. However, the potential of this sort of technology is immense; programmable nanoelectric devices could be made to deliver targeted doses of medication, act as an immune system booster, or repair damaged tissues. Right now however, there are several problems to be overcome; one obstacle to the practical, long-term use of these devices is that they typically fall apart within weeks or days when implanted. Thus, there is some way more to go before this technology will be viable for practical usage.

Another group of researchers, this time from the Duke University, have developed a polymer-based scaffolding material that also incorporates gene therapy techniques. This scaffolding is degradable, and together with the gene therapy, forms an ideal base for stem cells to regenerate lost cartilage in the body. Traditional methods involved introducing growth factor proteins, which signal the stem cells to differentiate into cartilage. The problem with this however, is the difficulty in delivering growth factors to the stem cells once they are implanted in the body. It is hoped that this new method will overcome such difficulties, and also move from its current usage of regenerating cartilage, to other tissues such as tendons, ligaments and bones.

If regeneration of tissues is not feasible, then there’s always artificial muscle. Scientists at the University of Texas discovered that by twisting high strength polymer fishing line and sewing thread, they could create powerful artificial muscles that can lift a hundred times more weight and generate a hundred times higher mechanical power than the same length and weight of human muscle. The muscles are powered by temperature changes, which can be produced electrically, by the absorption of light or by the chemical reaction of fuels. By varying the thickness of the strands of the fishing line and thread, artificial muscles can be made to be big enough for exoskeletons or small enough to mimic facial muscles. Also, they could power miniature “laboratories on a chip,” as well as devices for communicating the sense of touch from sensors on a remote robotic hand to a human hand. The research team is currently working on several variants of the artificial muscle, and hopes to see widely available variants on the market sometime in the near future.