Amazing Stem Cell & It`s Pharmaceutical Aspects

AMAZING STEM CELL & IT`S PHARMACEUTICAL ASPECTS

- MUHAMMED MAHBUBUR RAHMAN

Flashback-1: December10,2007; STOCKHOME-"The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2007"-"for

their discoveries of principles for introducing specific gene modifications in mice by the use of
embryonic stem cells"-Mario R. Capecchi (USA), Sir Martin J. Evans(U.K.), Oliver Smithies(USA).
Flashback-2: March9, 2009; WASHINGTON.D.C.- President Barack Obama signed the executive order
on the divisive stem cell issue according to his theme manifesto’ CHANGE-we need’. “It's a matter of
competitive advantage globally as well’’, the president argued.

Above the two significant happenings are
enough to draw the attention about amazing
influence of Stem cell research. Research on
stem cells is a promising area of science leading
scientists to investigate the possibility of cell-
based therapies to treat disease, which is often
referred to as medicine. Researchers believe
that stem cells hold a lot of promise for medical
therapies such as growing replacement cells or
whole replacement organs, as well as
"patching" organs that don't work properly --
like helping a diabetic person's pancreas
produce insulin.
Stem cells are "blank" cells that are capable
of developing into many different types of cells
found in the adult human body. They are also
capable of dividing and renewing themselves
for long periods. Researchers are focusing on
two types of human stem cells: Embryonic stem
cells and Adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells
come from human embryos created in a
laboratory, usually through in-vitro fertilization.
Adult stem cells are taken from adult tissue, or
newborn babies' umbilical cords.
Stem cells are cells found in most, if not all,
multi-cellular organisms. They are characterized
by the ability to renew mitotic cell division and
differentiating into a diverse range of
specialized cell types.
. stem cells typically generate the cell
Fig. Mechanism of differentiating of stem cells to
specialized cells.
Scientists are trying to understand two
fundamental properties of stem cells that relate
to their long-term self-renewal:
1. Why can embryonic stem cells
proliferate for a year or more in the
laboratory without differentiating, but
most adult stem cells cannot; and
2. What are the factors in living
organisms that normally regulate stem
cell proliferation and self-renewal?
Unique properties of Stem cells:
The following properties have made stem
cells unique- to the scientists:

Stem cells are unspecialized: One of the
fundamental properties of a stem cell
is that it does not have any tissue-
specific structures that allow it to
perform specialized functions,
However, unspecialized stem cells can
give rise to specialized cells, including
heart muscle cells, blood cells, or nerve
cells.

Stem cells are capable of dividing and
renewing themselves for long periods.
Unlike muscle cells, blood cells, or
nerve cells—which do not normally
replicate themselves—stem cells may
replicate many times.

Stem cells can give rise to specialized
cells. When unspecialized stem cells
give rise to specialized cells, the
process is called differentiation. Adult
types of the tissue in which they
reside. A blood-forming adult stem cell
in the bone marrow, for example,
normally gives rise to the many types
of blood cells such as red blood cells,
white blood cells and platelets,
neurons.

Plasticity. Stem cells are having a
Phenomenon known as plasticity.
Examples of such plasticity include
blood cells becoming neurons, liver
cells that can be made to produce
insulin and hematopoietic stem cells
that can develop into heart muscle.
Therefore, exploring the possibility of
using adult stem cells for cell-based

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 Amazing Stem Cell & It`s Pharmaceutical Aspects

therapies has become a very active Osteoarthritis Rheumatoid arthritis, Eye

area of investigation by researchers. diseases, Hair loss.
Embryonic stem cells may someday be used
Drug discovery and stem cell: to produce cells or tissues to grow entire hearts,
Stem-cell technology is also making inroads in livers, kidneys or other organs, thus solving the
drug discovery. This technology offers great problem of a shortage of organ donations. The
potential for understanding disease development of stem cells for therapeutic
mechanisms and identifying targets, and for purposes, including cell therapy and
effective toxicology screening. Researchers see regenerative medicine, is emerging as a major
strong potential for drug discovery via human field of pharmaceutical research.
stem cell work, which, for example, could
involve engineering cells to have specific Cord Blood Stem Cell in action!
disease characteristics and then testing drugs Cord blood, which is also called "placental
on those cells. "There is a lot of promise for blood," is the blood that remains in the
stem cell drug discovery," said John McNeish a umbilical cord and placenta following birth and
senior director of Pfizer Global Research and after the cord is cut. Cord blood stem cells have
Development. been "triggered" to differentiate into neural
Research already is being conducted on cells, which could lead to treatments for
human stem cells and, in some areas, on diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
embryonic stem cells. European scientists this Today, there are numerous life threatening
summer announced the creation of pure nerve diseases that are treatable with cord blood
stem cells from human embryonic stem cells, stem cells and a family's access to a stored cord
with the hope expressed that such new cells blood specimen will reduce the time between
could help scientists find treatments for diagnosis and treatment significantly.
diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. In
Scotland, University of Edinburgh professor
Austin Smith told the BBC that, "We're already
talking with the bio-technology and bio-
pharmaceutical companies about taking these
cells into screening systems for new drugs.
Hopefully that will come to pass within two to
three years." Large pharmaceuticals are
increasingly turning to stem cells to identify
targets for drug development and for toxicology
testing. Also, they are looking to partner with Fig. Cord Blood Stem cells used in therapeutic
smaller biotech firms to develop commercially purposes.
viable regenerative medicine products.
Such a drug is Prochymal (Mesenchymal
stem cell), can be used to combat heart attacks,
diabetes and nuclear terrorism. Mesenchymal
stem cells (MSCs) do three things: They down
regulate inflammation, they work to regenerate
the damaged connective tissue, and they
prevent scarring or fibrosis. What happens is an
adult ends up with a much exaggerated
inflammatory response, a weak regenerative
response, and a lot of scarring. We can reverse Fig. Fat derived Stem cells used in therapeutic
that trend by administering MSC. purposes.
Additional research has demonstrated that
Therapeutic Uses of Stem Cell
leukemia patients treated with sibling cord
Although stem cell research is in early
blood stem cells resulted in far fewer cases of
stages, scientists say stem cells may someday
both chronic and acute graft versus host disease
treat or cure a variety of ailments, including:
as compared with bone marrow from a sibling
Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Heart
with the same tissue type. Cord blood is now
disease, Type 1 diabetes, Blood cancers, Blood
considered the therapy of choice for treating
disorders, Spinal cord injuries, Stroke, Burns,
children with leukemia. Promising studies are
occurring for Heart disease and Type 1 Diabetes

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 Amazing Stem Cell & It`s Pharmaceutical Aspects

at the University of Florida and recent clinical
trials for Brain injury at Duke University have
shown some extraordinary results. Further,
cord blood stem cell therapy, developed at the
University of Minnesota, has cured a boy's fatal
disease epidermolysis bullosa. A bone marrow
transplant delivers healthy bone marrow stem
cells into the patient. It replaces bone marrow
that is either not working properly or has been
destroyed (ablated) by chemotherapy or
radiation.
Role as a Pharmacist:
As the stem cells are the emerging future
in therapeutic arena- Pharmacists have to
know, research, deal with and apply the stem
cell as a drug. As the text books cannot provide
all about it, so internet can be a rich source to
MUHAMMED MAHABUBUR RAHMAN, 2ND BATCH, B.PHARM (HONS), BGC TRUST UNIVERTSITY BANGLADESH.
keep updated with current happenings about
Stem cell. Besides many other net pages, the
following links can provide valuable
information’s:-
 http://stemcells.nih.gov/ExternalLinkD
ictionary/www.news.wisc.edu/packag
es/stemcells.htm
 http://www.eurekalert.org/
 http://scitechdaily.com/ &
http://www.sciam.com/
 http://today.reuters.com/news/newss
earchresults.aspx?srch=stem%20cell&s
earchtype=a
 http://stemcells.nih.gov/ExternalLinkD
ictionary/www.stemcellresearchnews.
com/index.htm Search for "stem cells"
and so on.

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