Understand more about the science of stem cells from Dr Jay
Stem Cells, Ethics, and the Future
Hey everyone!
So I just read through all the replies – wow! I’m glad for the positive feedback – if you have any medical questions related to stem cells, anatomy and physiology; or medicine in general I’d be more than willing to help. Just note that I'm limited to a few posts/week and won’t be able to get back to you for several days.
There’s a lot to read here, but you can also just skip ahead towards the end to know why this is relevant to CMTH’s ED, Aminostem, and StemSpine procedures.
Stem Cells:
Stem cells have been a growing interest in the field of medicine for quite some time now. Imagine, taking an essentially “blank” cell and programming it to repair the different systems in the body. This appears to be the Holy Grail of medicine, but why aren’t 100% of all our scientific efforts being placed in stem cell technology? The field of stem cell biology is actually rapidly blooming, but its initial stages of development was slowed because of the ethics involved in stem cell research (more specifically the source of these stem cells).
So what exactly makes a stem cell special?
1. They have the capacity to self-replicate.
2. They have the capacity to differentiate into progenitor cells which give rise to large numbers of mature, functionally replete cells necessary for carrying out specific tissue requirements (the process of amplification and differentiation)
3. Stem cells are also able to respond to external cues to meet the needs for more or less differentiated cells by exercising flexibility in the choice of the first two options, or to assume a state of quiescence or inactivity. (De Haan and Van Zant, 2002)
So these are essentially cells that can be reprogrammed to be more specialized cells in the body. The only problem is where we harvest stem cells.
Embryonic Stem Cells (ES):
Embryonic stem cells can generate into all the cell types in the body; thus, in theory, there are no restrictions on the organs that could be regenerated – this pretty much means limitless potential.
“…unused human blastocysts from fertility clinics could be used to derive new ES cell lines that are matched immunologically with potential transplant recipients. Alternatively, somatic cell nuclear transfer (“therapeutic cloning”) could be used to create ES cell lines that are genetically identical to those of the patient…” (Kasper, et al., 2015)
The problem is how these cells are harvested. As the name suggests, these are taken from embryos which raises fundamentally difficult questions about the definition of human life and if it’s ethical to use them. This is why, even though ES cells seem the most promising, they are not 100% validated by the scientific community due to the great diversity with respect to religious beliefs, concepts of individual rights, tolerance for uncertainty and risk, and boundaries for how scientific interventions should be used to alter the outcome of disease. Research into this type of stem cell is still going, but has slowed down significantly due to ethical constraints.
This brings us to our next type of stem cells.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS):
This are essentially mature, adult somatic cells that are converted (or “reprogrammed”) into pluripotent cells (cells capable of giving rise to different cell types). iPS cells share most of the same properties as ES cells, and they also bypass the ethical ramifications as well. So why aren’t these being used more? The problem is how they’re reprogrammed in the first place - viruses:
“Typically, viruses have been used to deliver these transcription factors, which presents a number of unique problems. The use of viral vectors to deliver reprogramming factors raises potential issues over the incorporation of viral DNA into the genome that could dampen iPS clinical applicability.” (Ebben et al., 2011)
Basically, the initial use of viruses to insert the transcription factors into somatic cells makes the resulting cells unsuitable for clinical use. The good news, however, is that a number of different strategies have been developed to circumvent this problem. In the end, the use of iPS cells in medicine is still being researched and still has some ways to go before it can be applied clinically.
Organ-Specific Multipotent Stem Cells (What CaverStem and StemSpine uses):
Multipotent stem cells are cells that have the capacity to self-renew by dividing and to develop into multiple specialized cell types present in a specific tissue or organ. The types of stem cells have the advantage of already being somewhat specialized so that the inducement of desired cell types may be easier. The disadvantage is that these cells are more limited in potentiality than ES or iPS cells and are difficult to obtain in large quantities from many organs.
The good news, however, is that bone marrow and blood are both relatively easy sources to harvest multipotent stem cells from. This is why substantial efforts have been devoted to developing techniques for using more easily obtainable stem cell populations, such as bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), cardiac mesenchymal cells, and adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), for use in regenerative strategies.
“Tissue culture evidence suggests that these stem cell populations may be able to generate differentiated cell types unrelated to their organ source (including myocytes, chondrocytes, tendon cells, osteoblasts, cardiomyocytes, adipocytes, hepatocytes, and neurons) in a process known as transdifferentiation.” (Kasper, et al., 2015)
CMTH, Inc., CaverStem and StemSpine:
Both CaverStem and StemSpine use bone marrow as their source of mesenchymal stem cells. StemSpine uses the same principles as CaverStem (both use mesenchymal stem cells) except that in StemSpine the stem cells are injected in to the spine to stimulate muscle and blood vessel regeneration. Here’s a summary of why this has tremendous value in terms of potential real-world application, and why research in this type of stem cell will continue to be strong:
1. Multipotent stem cells circumvents the ethical problems of embryonic stem cells, and is closer to clinical application compared to iPS cells
2. Mesenchymal stem cells are readily available in bone marrow.
3. Extraction of said stem cells can be done in the outpatient setting. Only local anesthesia is required.
4. No immunosuppressant drugs required (as for the case for organ transplants) as the stem cells are derived the patient.
CMTH, Inc. is pioneering a procedure in stem cell technology, a science that is still relatively young compared to the other fields in medicine.
I believe CaverStem alone will have a significant impact in ED and regenerative medicine, what more with StemSpine and Aminostem? What’s amazing is there are patents in place, meaning once stem cell therapy is more exposed, our position will be secured as other companies struggle to come up with their own research and methods in stem cell technology.
And think about this (this is all my own speculation, take it with a grain of salt): CaverStem and StemSpine (and maybe also Aminostem) will use the same kit to isolate the stem cells required for the procedure. As of now, CaverStem is targeted towards urologists (since they are concerned with ED). StemSpine will mostly target neurologists, and Aminostem will target internists and physicians of family medicine (both dealing with stroke). Since our scope will increase, the amount of doctors who may be interested will multiplied 2-3x (or more) depending on which field CMTH’s products are relevant to. Different practices will be ordering their own kits, or hospitals may order kits in bulk to use in their respective departments this technology applies to.
The potential here is outstanding. I still can’t believe this is under $1.
Happy 4th of July everyone!
This will be my last post for a while, I’ll see you all again when we’re at $0.10+!
____
Sources:
De Haan, G., & Van Zant, G. (2002). Stem cells from birth to death: The history and the future. Journal of the American Aging Association, 25(2), 79–86. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-002-0006-z [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3455756/pdf/11357_2002_Article_6.pdf]
Ebben, J. D., Zorniak, M., Clark, P. A., & Kuo, J. S. (2011). Introduction to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Advancing the Potential for Personalized Medicine. World Neurosurgery, 76(3-4), 270–275. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2010.12.055 [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278994/#R10]
Kasper, D. L., Fauci, A. S., Hauser, S. L., Longo, D. L. 1., Jameson, J. L., & Loscalzo, J. (2015). Harrison's principles of internal medicine (19th edition.). New York: McGraw Hill Education.
Stem Cells, Ethics, and the Future
Hey everyone!
So I just read through all the replies – wow! I’m glad for the positive feedback – if you have any medical questions related to stem cells, anatomy and physiology; or medicine in general I’d be more than willing to help. Just note that I'm limited to a few posts/week and won’t be able to get back to you for several days.
There’s a lot to read here, but you can also just skip ahead towards the end to know why this is relevant to CMTH’s ED, Aminostem, and StemSpine procedures.
Stem Cells:
Stem cells have been a growing interest in the field of medicine for quite some time now. Imagine, taking an essentially “blank” cell and programming it to repair the different systems in the body. This appears to be the Holy Grail of medicine, but why aren’t 100% of all our scientific efforts being placed in stem cell technology? The field of stem cell biology is actually rapidly blooming, but its initial stages of development was slowed because of the ethics involved in stem cell research (more specifically the source of these stem cells).
So what exactly makes a stem cell special?
1. They have the capacity to self-replicate.
2. They have the capacity to differentiate into progenitor cells which give rise to large numbers of mature, functionally replete cells necessary for carrying out specific tissue requirements (the process of amplification and differentiation)
3. Stem cells are also able to respond to external cues to meet the needs for more or less differentiated cells by exercising flexibility in the choice of the first two options, or to assume a state of quiescence or inactivity. (De Haan and Van Zant, 2002)
So these are essentially cells that can be reprogrammed to be more specialized cells in the body. The only problem is where we harvest stem cells.
Embryonic Stem Cells (ES):
Embryonic stem cells can generate into all the cell types in the body; thus, in theory, there are no restrictions on the organs that could be regenerated – this pretty much means limitless potential.
“…unused human blastocysts from fertility clinics could be used to derive new ES cell lines that are matched immunologically with potential transplant recipients. Alternatively, somatic cell nuclear transfer (“therapeutic cloning”) could be used to create ES cell lines that are genetically identical to those of the patient…” (Kasper, et al., 2015)
The problem is how these cells are harvested. As the name suggests, these are taken from embryos which raises fundamentally difficult questions about the definition of human life and if it’s ethical to use them. This is why, even though ES cells seem the most promising, they are not 100% validated by the scientific community due to the great diversity with respect to religious beliefs, concepts of individual rights, tolerance for uncertainty and risk, and boundaries for how scientific interventions should be used to alter the outcome of disease. Research into this type of stem cell is still going, but has slowed down significantly due to ethical constraints.
This brings us to our next type of stem cells.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPS):
This are essentially mature, adult somatic cells that are converted (or “reprogrammed”) into pluripotent cells (cells capable of giving rise to different cell types). iPS cells share most of the same properties as ES cells, and they also bypass the ethical ramifications as well. So why aren’t these being used more? The problem is how they’re reprogrammed in the first place - viruses:
“Typically, viruses have been used to deliver these transcription factors, which presents a number of unique problems. The use of viral vectors to deliver reprogramming factors raises potential issues over the incorporation of viral DNA into the genome that could dampen iPS clinical applicability.” (Ebben et al., 2011)
Basically, the initial use of viruses to insert the transcription factors into somatic cells makes the resulting cells unsuitable for clinical use. The good news, however, is that a number of different strategies have been developed to circumvent this problem. In the end, the use of iPS cells in medicine is still being researched and still has some ways to go before it can be applied clinically.
Organ-Specific Multipotent Stem Cells (What CaverStem and StemSpine uses):
Multipotent stem cells are cells that have the capacity to self-renew by dividing and to develop into multiple specialized cell types present in a specific tissue or organ. The types of stem cells have the advantage of already being somewhat specialized so that the inducement of desired cell types may be easier. The disadvantage is that these cells are more limited in potentiality than ES or iPS cells and are difficult to obtain in large quantities from many organs.
The good news, however, is that bone marrow and blood are both relatively easy sources to harvest multipotent stem cells from. This is why substantial efforts have been devoted to developing techniques for using more easily obtainable stem cell populations, such as bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), cardiac mesenchymal cells, and adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), for use in regenerative strategies.
“Tissue culture evidence suggests that these stem cell populations may be able to generate differentiated cell types unrelated to their organ source (including myocytes, chondrocytes, tendon cells, osteoblasts, cardiomyocytes, adipocytes, hepatocytes, and neurons) in a process known as transdifferentiation.” (Kasper, et al., 2015)
CMTH, Inc., CaverStem and StemSpine:
Both CaverStem and StemSpine use bone marrow as their source of mesenchymal stem cells. StemSpine uses the same principles as CaverStem (both use mesenchymal stem cells) except that in StemSpine the stem cells are injected in to the spine to stimulate muscle and blood vessel regeneration. Here’s a summary of why this has tremendous value in terms of potential real-world application, and why research in this type of stem cell will continue to be strong:
1. Multipotent stem cells circumvents the ethical problems of embryonic stem cells, and is closer to clinical application compared to iPS cells
2. Mesenchymal stem cells are readily available in bone marrow.
3. Extraction of said stem cells can be done in the outpatient setting. Only local anesthesia is required.
4. No immunosuppressant drugs required (as for the case for organ transplants) as the stem cells are derived the patient.
CMTH, Inc. is pioneering a procedure in stem cell technology, a science that is still relatively young compared to the other fields in medicine.
I believe CaverStem alone will have a significant impact in ED and regenerative medicine, what more with StemSpine and Aminostem? What’s amazing is there are patents in place, meaning once stem cell therapy is more exposed, our position will be secured as other companies struggle to come up with their own research and methods in stem cell technology.
And think about this (this is all my own speculation, take it with a grain of salt): CaverStem and StemSpine (and maybe also Aminostem) will use the same kit to isolate the stem cells required for the procedure. As of now, CaverStem is targeted towards urologists (since they are concerned with ED). StemSpine will mostly target neurologists, and Aminostem will target internists and physicians of family medicine (both dealing with stroke). Since our scope will increase, the amount of doctors who may be interested will multiplied 2-3x (or more) depending on which field CMTH’s products are relevant to. Different practices will be ordering their own kits, or hospitals may order kits in bulk to use in their respective departments this technology applies to.
The potential here is outstanding. I still can’t believe this is under $1.
Happy 4th of July everyone!
This will be my last post for a while, I’ll see you all again when we’re at $0.10+!
____
Sources:
De Haan, G., & Van Zant, G. (2002). Stem cells from birth to death: The history and the future. Journal of the American Aging Association, 25(2), 79–86. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-002-0006-z [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3455756/pdf/11357_2002_Article_6.pdf]
Ebben, J. D., Zorniak, M., Clark, P. A., & Kuo, J. S. (2011). Introduction to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Advancing the Potential for Personalized Medicine. World Neurosurgery, 76(3-4), 270–275. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2010.12.055 [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3278994/#R10]
Kasper, D. L., Fauci, A. S., Hauser, S. L., Longo, D. L. 1., Jameson, J. L., & Loscalzo, J. (2015). Harrison's principles of internal medicine (19th edition.). New York: McGraw Hill Education.
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Louis Pasteur -- chance favours only the prepared mind.
Lecture, University of Lille (7 December 1854)
Lecture, University of Lille (7 December 1854)
