{"id":9760,"date":"2024-03-07T09:09:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T09:09:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/?p=9760"},"modified":"2024-03-07T09:15:35","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T09:15:35","slug":"grow-yourself-a-backbone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/2024\/03\/07\/grow-yourself-a-backbone\/","title":{"rendered":"Grow yourself a backbone!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-white-background-color has-background\"><strong>Familiar with that phrase? Well, Scientists have given this saying a whole new meaning&#8230;<\/strong> A future where damaged spinal cords can be regenerated through the medical application of stem cells isn\u2019t as far away as it once seemed&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/novavidath.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/stem-cell-2048x1033.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So what is a stem cell?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Stem cells are cells produced by\u00a0the bone marrow that can differentiate into a specialised cell type, and are even capable of self renewal. They can be isolated from adult tissues or grown within a laboratory. The stem cells that are isolated from adult tissues are referred to as multipotent, meaning they can only change into a particular type of cell. We also get pluripotent stem cells, which are often derived from embryonic cells. However, these can cause quite the debate, with views on ethics differing. Therefore, the use of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPSCs) is often preferred. Like embryonic stem cells, IPSCs are also pluripotent, meaning they can divide indefinitely and differentiate into almost any cell type, but they don&#8217;t raise the same ethical concerns due to originating from adult tissue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Basics of Stem Cell Therapy - Clinical Trials, Research, Risks &amp; Treatment Options in 2024\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i7EN6l9wqDU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Restoring mobility and function to those with spinal cord injuries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Therapies involving stem cells hold great promise for treating a variety of medical conditions, particularly spinal cord injuries.&nbsp;Stem cells taken from a patient\u2019s skin or blood cells are used to create&nbsp;IPSCs.&nbsp;These are then coaxed into becoming progenitor cells, which are specialised to differentiate into spinal cord cells.&nbsp;Once these progenitor cells are transplanted back into the patient, they can regenerate part of the injured spinal cord, offering hope for recovery.&nbsp;<strong>Sounds great, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What could possibly go wrong?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Undifferentiated IPSCs pose a risk to patients, with a chance of forming tumours. This limits the therapy\u2019s safety and efficacy, questioning the future of stem cell treatment. Luckily, researchers have developed what\u2019s known as a microfluidic cell sorter, which you can imagine to be like a sieve. This device removes undifferentiated cells without harming fully-formed progenitor cells.\u00a0It can sort over 3 million cells per minute and can be scaled up by chaining multiple devices together, sorting more than 500 million cells per minute! Plus, the plastic chip that houses the sorter can be mass-produced at low cost, making widespread implementation feasible. <strong>Cheap and cheerful!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So how does it work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The microfluidic cell sorter operates based on the size difference between residual, undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells and progenitor cells.\u00a0Pluripotent stem cells tend to be larger because they have numerous active genes within their nuclei.\u00a0As cells pass through microfluidic channels at high speeds, centrifugal forces separate them based on their size.\u00a0By running the sorter multiple times at different speeds, researchers are able to remove these larger cells that are associated with a higher tumour risk. <strong>Problem solved!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The future&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the sorter doesn\u2019t eliminate 100% of undifferentiated cells, it significantly reduces the risk, massively enhancing the safety of stem cell treatments.\u00a0Further studies including large-scale experiments and animal models are underway to validate these findings. If successful, this sorter could improve efficacy and safety, paving the way for broader applications of this revolutionary technique. The development of this microfluidic cell sorter shows a significant advancement in the field of stem cell therapy.\u00a0It brings us closer to realising the full potential of stem cells and the use of other regenerative medicines for conditions like spinal cord injuries.\u00a0With research ongoing and technological innovations forever evolving, the future of improved healthcare looks promising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Looks like you will be able to grow a backbone after all&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-small-font-size\">Links:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/stemcellthailand.org\/induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-ips-ipscs-hipscs\/\">https:\/\/stemcellthailand.org\/induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-ips-ipscs-hipscs\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/stem-cell-transplant\/#:~:text=Stem%20cells%20are%20special%20cells,cells%20%E2%80%93%20which%20help%20fight%20infection\">https:\/\/www.nhs.uk\/conditions\/stem-cell-transplant\/#:~:text=Stem%20cells%20are%20special%20cells,cells%20%E2%80%93%20which%20help%20fight%20infection<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=i7EN6l9wqDU\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=i7EN6l9wqDU\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=i7EN6l9wqDU<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cells4life.com\/2024\/02\/the-tiny-device-set-to-improve-stem-cell-therapy\/\">https:\/\/cells4life.com\/2024\/02\/the-tiny-device-set-to-improve-stem-cell-therapy\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/novavidath.com\/services\/stem-cell\/?lang=en\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/novavidath.com\/services\/stem-cell\/?lang=en\">https:\/\/novavidath.com\/services\/stem-cell\/?lang=en<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/path.1187\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/path.1187<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Familiar with that phrase? Well, Scientists have given this saying a whole new meaning&#8230; A future where damaged spinal cords can be regenerated through the medical application of stem cells isn\u2019t as far away as it once seemed&#8230; So what is a stem cell? Stem cells are cells produced by\u00a0the bone marrow that can differentiate [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6133,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9760"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9774,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9760\/revisions\/9774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/uosm2031-2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}