Origins

The Story of Adult Stem Cells
by Christian Drapeau, MSc.

EMBRYONIC stem cells (ESC) have been in the news since 1998 when stem cells obtained from a human embryo were first successfully grown in vitro. And as ESC were shown to have the ability of becoming virtually any cell type of the body, this achievment inspired many promises and raised much expectation. Could injection of ESC lead to improvements in various degenerative diseases? Would it be possible to grow organs in vitro for the purpose of transplant? Could we manipulate the genetic material of embryonic stem cells in order to repair faulty genes in an organ?
Adult stem cells... were also shown to have the ability of becoming virtually any cell type of the body.

But as ESC were fueling much hope, research with ESC became rapidly encumbered by serious ethical considerations. First, the source of human ESC has to be human embryos. The idea of growing human embryos with the intent of dismembering them after a week or so in order to grow ESC is obviously questionable. Second and more worrisome is the fact that culturing human ESC could open the door to human cloning in order to grow actual organs. But aside from these ethical issues, the main issue is that in spite of all the promises of ESC research, nearly 10 years of research have delivered little in terms of successful and safe ESC-based therapeutic approach.

But, while much of the world focused on developments in ESC research, another breakthrough discovery was being made by numerous scientific teams throughout the world. Adult stem cells (ASC), the stem cells present in the body after birth, were also shown to have the ability of becoming virtually any cell type of the body. ASC placed on brain, liver or muscle tissue will rapidly become brain, liver and muscle cells. At first, because ASC are difficult to grow in vitro, many believed that they had little potential, but a series of in vivo studies rapidly established that ASC have enormous potential in the body.

This discovery then spurred the concept that adult stem cells, having the ability of becoming any cell type of the body, might constitute the natural renewal sytem of the body. Studies using various novel scientific tools like Green Fluorescent Protein, which allows visual tracking of stem cells in the body, showed that when an organ is challenged it causes the release of compounds known to trigger stem cell release from the bone marrow. The organ then releases compounds known to attract stem cells, and the released stem cells travel to that organ. As they reach the organ in need, the stem cells migrate in the organ, proliferate and become cells of that organ, promoting tissue renewal.

This process takes place every day of our lives, and constitutes the natural innate renewal sytem of the body. As stem cells travel in the body, they participate in maintaining optimal health throughout the body.

Christian Drapeau MSc, is the Chief Science Officer of StemTech Health Sciences, Inc. and co-inventor and patent holder of StemEnhance, the world's first natural stem cell enhancer.