Stem Cells from Testicles, Stem Cells from Microvessels

Scientists from Germany and the UK have modified adult stem cells grown from the testicles of humans into cells which appear to be almost identical to embryonic stem cells.

The new stem cells, known as human adult germline stem cells (GSCs), were grown by researchers in Germany and the U.K. by adding special growth factors to spermatogonial cells extracted from testes. Spermatogonial cells are stem cells in the adult testis that normally generate only one type of differentiated cell (sperm). But with the right growth factors, these spermatogonial cells can change to become pluripotent. They begin to produce proteins normally made by embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and acquire the ability to differentiate into many different cell types. _

This is an intriguing finding which will require confirmation and elaboration. If a man's testicles can produce stem cells easily modified to form germline stem cells (GSCs)--virtual ESCs--then most men with testicles would be able to grow his own replacement cells. The search is also on for a similar cell in women.

More recent good stem cell news: multipotent stem cells have been found on the walls of capillaries and microvessels.

The scientists, led by Bruno Péault, PhD, deputy director of the Stem Cell Research Center at Children's Hospital, identified cells known as pericytes that are multipotent, meaning they have broad developmental potential. Pericytes are found on the walls of small blood vessels such as capillaries and microvessels throughout the body and have the potential to be extracted and grown into many types of tissues, according to the study. _ScienceDaily

Those bits of stem cell news combined with improved methods of inducing pluripotent stem cells from adult cells, all paint a rosy picture of the future of stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine.

Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University reported a new method, described today in the journal Science, that uses a tiny ring structure called a plasmid to deliver genes into mouse cells and turn them into stem cells. The technique eliminates the need to use viruses, which can trigger cancer, to transform cells. _Bloomberg

The plasmid method of inducing pluripotent stem cells, when perfected for human cells, may well provide a safe way of generating pluripotent cells for those both with and without viable testicles.

The biotech revolution is just beginning. Combined with nanotech and advanced information science, the world of the very small is destined to grow very large.