You may know that a stem cell is powerful in part because of its potential to develop into various body cells. The process of stem cell differentiation is initiated by a protein, according to a study published in Cell Reports in February 2013. According to Medical News Today, the findings are being used by researchers to formulate treatments for patients with degenerative diseases.
Lead author Sally Lowell of the UK’s University of Edinburgh stated that the findings of the study provide a better sense of the process by which stem cells begin to differentiate into various body cells. By garnering stronger knowledge of the differentiation process and the parameters under which it takes place, researchers will be able to “improve the way in which we are able to control this process,” Lowell argues. Through control, stem cell therapy can become more refined, which is of special interest to those studying degenerative conditions – such as Parkinson’s disease, liver disease, and multiple sclerosis – in which differentiated stem cells either break down or are dysfunctional.
Stem cells that have gone through the differentiation and specialization process have the capacity to turn into any cell. A primary objective of regenerative medicine using stem cells is to learn how to replenish the cells that have died or become useless in the presence of a degenerative disease.
Unfortunately, at this point the differentiation process of stem cells is still somewhat unclear, which poses a significant challenge for developing stem cell therapy methods. Although little has been known about differentiation, this study was a significant step forward.
What this study specifically discovered
To build the science for the treatment of degenerative diseases, researchers analyzed embryonic stem cells in mice and found that the protein Tcf15 is instrumental in differentiation.
The scientists discovered the role of the key protein by focusing on the stem cells that did not differentiate. In those cells, the researchers observed that differentiation was blocked by the binding together of two sets of proteins. They tested each of those proteins to determine which ones would allow for differentiation, zeroing in on Tcf15 as the protein that triggers the process.
The findings of this study are not a solution by themselves, but they can be used to test medications and develop new treatments.
The power of regenerative medicine
The science on stem cells is truly astounding, and ethical concerns have prompted researchers to create treatments using cells from a patient’s own body. Stem cell injections are a safe and effective treatment for arthritis pain. Get relief today with a customized stem cell therapy plan from Weston Medical.
