TOKYO —
Researchers in Japan said Wednesday they have succeeded in growing human kidney
tissue from stem cells for the first time in a potential breakthrough for
millions with damaged organs who are dependent on dialysis.
Kidneys
have a complex structure that is not easily repaired once damaged, but the
latest findings put scientists on the road to helping a diseased or distressed
organ fix itself.
Kenji
Osafune of Kyoto University said his team had managed to take stem cells -- the
"blank slates" capable of being programmed to become any kind of cell
in the body -- and nudge them specifically in the direction of kidney tissue.
"It
was a very significant step," he told AFP.
Osafune
said they had succeeded in generating intermediate mesoderm tissue from the
stem cells, a middle point between the blank slate and the finished kidney
tissue.
"There
are about 200 types of cells in the human body, but this tissue grows into only
three types of cells," namely adrenal cells, reproductive gland cells and
kidney cells, he said, adding that as much as 90 percent of cultures in their
research developed into viable mesoderm tissue.
This
embryonic intermediary can be grown either in test tubes or in a living host
into specific kidney cells.
Osafune and
his team created part of a urinary tubule, a small tube in the kidney that is
used in the production of urine.
While the
research is not aimed at growing an entire working kidney, he said the method
his team had developed would help scientists learn more about intermediate
mesoderm development and may provide a source of cells for regenerative
therapy.
"I
would say that we have arrived at the preliminary step on the road to the
clinical level," he said.
Osafune's
research is published in online science journal Nature Communications.
Related Articles:
Japan team create liver from stem cells: report
Secret of ageing found: Japanese scientists pave way to everlasting life
Skin Cells May Offer New Hope For Alzheimer's
Japan team create liver from stem cells: report
Secret of ageing found: Japanese scientists pave way to everlasting life
Skin Cells May Offer New Hope For Alzheimer's
"Recalibration of Knowledge" – Jan 14, 2012 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: Channelling, God-Creator, Benevolent Design, New Energy, Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Reincarnation, Gaia, Old Energies (Africa,Terrorists, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela ... ), Weather, Rejuvenation, Akash, Nicolas Tesla / Einstein, Cold Fusion, Magnetics, Lemuria, Atomic Structure (Electrons, Particles, Polarity, Self Balancing, Magnetism), Entanglement, "Life is necessary for a Universe to exist and not the other way around", DNA, Humans (Baby getting ready, First Breath, Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Rejuvenation), Global Unity, ... etc.) - (Text Version)
No comments:
Post a Comment