RESEARCH: Stem Cells Show Versatility, Power

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http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2002/620/1

20 June 2002

Stem Cells Show Versatility, Power

Stem cells got a publicity boost on 20 June at a Minneapolis, Minnesota,

press conference. One researcher reported on a new type of adult cell that

appears to be as versatile as embryonic stem (ES) cells. Another reported

progress in using embryonic stem cells to treat an animal model of

Parkinson's disease.

In the spotlight. McKay (left) and Verfaillie (right)

present new advances in stem cell research today.

CREDIT: RONALD MCKAY/RICHARD ANDERSON, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Verfaillie, a blood stem cell researcher at the University of

Minnesota, Minneapolis, described what could turn out to be a " universal "

stem cell that isn't derived from embryos. Verfaillie calls them multipotent

adult progenitor cells (MAPCs). Her team harvested these cells from the bone

marrow. The researchers found that MAPCs from rats, mice, and humans can be

induced in test tubes to resemble cells in many types of bodily tissues, she

said. Furthermore, if the cells are injected into early embryos, they later

appear in " every organ " in the body--suggesting that they might be

compatible with a body's every need.

Also featured was research spearheaded by mouse ES cell researcher

McKay of the National Institute for Neurological Diseases and Stroke in

Bethesda, land. His team cultivated dopamine-producing cells from mouse

ES cells and injected them into rats with a version of Parkinson's disease.

The treatment alleviated the animals' symptoms. Both reports appear in the

21 June issue of Nature online.

The evidence was there that dopamine-producing ES cells should treat

Parkinson's disease in rats, but now " he's put it all together, " says Ted

Dawson of the Parkinson's Disease Center at s Hopkins University in

Baltimore, land, of McKay’s research. Reaction to Verfaillie’s work was

enthusiastic as well. She has shown that " the cells are stable and can

contribute to a very broad spectrum of mature cell populations, " says blood

researcher Dick of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

--CONSTANCE HOLDEN

Related sites

Full Text of Papers in Nature (freely available)

Verfaillie's Research

McKay's Research Page