Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells are the type of stem cells which are found throughout the body and perform the everyday renewal of existing cells. Adult stem cells are more properly known as somatic stem cells, as they are present as soon as a baby is born, when most people would not think of the body as adult.
Re-programming Stem Cells
Normally adult skin stem cells only create skin and hair cells. Take a look at our diagram to illustrate normal stem cell activity. The challenge facing stem cell scientists is to find out how these stem cells work naturally in the body, how they may be made to work better, and, potentially, how they may be re-programmed to work in new ways.
Scientists in Durham, for example, have been working on dermal stem cells (which naturally regenerate skin and hair). They have found ways of transplanting these from one person to another. They are also working on altering the make-up of these dermal stem cells so that they can create other types of cells, such as blood and neuronal (brain and nerve) cells. Take a look at our diagram to illustrate how re-programmed stem cells may work.
Using this Research
We also have a particular interest in seeing whether these stem cells could perhaps be re-programmed to become heart cells. Working with cardiac surgeons, we hope to find ways of using the results of this work to treat patients suffering from severe heart problems.
Scientists in Newcastle are looking at ways of growing stem cells that naturally occur in a particular region of the eye called the limbus to regenerate the cornea (the clear front of the eye) of people whose eyes have been damaged by chemicals or certain eye diseases.
It is possible to see a wide range of applications of the science that we are progressing. If the work in Durham on dermal stem cells is able to generate skin tissue which could be used in patients, for example, then it could be of enormous benefit to people suffering from serious burns or wounds. This sort of work – growing new tissues for use in people – is known as tissue engineering.
