Bioengineer sheds light on stem cell research

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Bioengineer sheds light on stem cell research

Doroski detailed how both adult stem cell and fetal stem cell research has led to several treatments, with 73 types documented including those for diabetes, heart disease, spinal issues, cirrhosis, lymphoma, Lupus, Crohn’s Disease and Parkinson’s disease. However, he said there are not any proven cures or treatments that are yet derived from ESC research, and that many labs are now exploring adult and fetal stem cell research because of the success that’s already been achieved.Stem cell research is a complex, volatile subject that has ramifications in the scientific community as well as the religious community.But in an attempt to clarify fact from fiction, a bioengineer and doctorate student has put together a presentation that documents the different kinds of stem cell research and what progress is being made on the scientific front that may someday unlock the cure

for many diseases.On Sunday afternoon at St. ’s Catholic Church in Rome, Doroski, a graduate student at Georgia Tech who is pursuing his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, spoke to more than 50 people in attendance about the advances being made in the field of stem cell research.Doroski said the term “stem cell research†is often thought to only mean embryonic stem cells, which are taken from fetuses after abortions. But he said advances in the field in recent years have included adult stem cells that can come from any healthy human of all ages and fetal stem cells, which are derived from the placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic fluid after a healthy birth.“There are actually a lot of promising alternatives to ESC research (embryonic stem cells) that just don’t get as much publicity,†Doroski said. “I just went to a conference recently and out of more than 200 groups that presented results on their

research, only one or two involved ESCs. The majority were from adult or fetal stem cells.“Within the scientific community, most of what’s being done does not involve ESCs. I know that in the laboratory in which I work, I have seen a lot of progress as a result of adult stem cell research.â€Doroski said that in addition to the ethical questions that surround how ESCs are obtained, there are actually questions about how effective they are in treatments as opposed to other stem cell types.He explained that the use of ESCs in tests and experiments have produced tumors and harmful immune responses within patients. He also said the pluripotency of ESCs — the ability of the cells to change and adapt — can also be a negative, with some researchers finding the inability to control ESC differentiation has prevented wide-scale applications of them in clinical trials.“But adult stem cells, which can be derived from

various tissues and cells in living humans, have a lower pluripotency, and that means they can only change into a limited number of cells so they can be specifically targeted,†he said. “There are also a number of advantages to adult stem cells — there are not any harmful immune responses, it’s easier to obtain cell sources, there is easier differentiation, there is more support from industry and private funding, and obtaining them does not destroy a human life.â€Doroski detailed how both adult stem cell and fetal stem cell research has led to several treatments, with 73 types documented including those for diabetes, heart disease, spinal issues, cirrhosis, lymphoma, Lupus, Crohn’s Disease and Parkinson’s disease. However, he said there are not any proven cures or treatments that are yet derived from ESC research, and that many labs are now exploring adult and fetal stem cell research because of the success that’s already been

achieved.“Many scientists now think that adult stem cells will actually be more useful in the long run,†Doroski said. “Nothing is guaranteed to work 100 percent in anything, but there is a lot of progress being made in that field.â€Doroski graduated from Penn State University with a degree in engineering science. He is pursuing his doctorate at Georgia Tech in biomedical engineering, and he currently works in an orthopedics lab, where some of his work has included using adult stem cells to regenerate tissue to be used in medical treatments.Doroski said many updates about the advances in various stem cell research projects are documented on the website www.stemcellresearchnews.com .Read more: http://romenews-tribune.com/view/full_story/7450090/article-Bioengineer-sheds-light-on-stem-cell-research

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