Drugs unlock the body's own stem cell cabinet

Drugs unlock the body's own stem cell cabinet
15:56 08 January 2009 by Andy Coghlan New Scientist

Drugs to stimulate production of a patient's own stem cells could lead to simple new treatments to accelerate repair of broken bones and ligaments, or damaged cardiac tissue following heart attacks (Image:Andrew Leonard/SPL)
The scope(opportunity) for patients to be treated with their own stem cells has been boosted(ampliado) by discovery of drug regimes that liberate specific types of stem cells from the bone marrow.
The discovery could lead to simple new treatments to accelerate repair of broken bones and ligaments, or damaged cardiac tissue following heart attacks.
Instead of injecting patients with stem cells from donors, embryos or stem cell banks, doctors could simply inject the drugs and the patients would produce the cells themselves. This would avoid complications of tissue rejection and sidestep ethical objections to using stem cells originating from embryos.
"It's promoting self-healing," says Sara Rankin of Imperial College London, and a member of the team that discovered the stem-cell liberating effects. "We're simply boosting what's going on naturally."
It has been previously possible to promote the release of stem cells that develop into blood cells. Now, for the first time, stem cells have been liberated that regenerate other tissues, such as bone and blood vessels, widening options for treatment.