Pigs offer new stem cell source

[Nic Marais <marais.nic@xxxxxxxxx>]

On the BBC site this morning.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8078996.stm

Nic "Oink!" 57/15 "Oink!"


*Chinese scientists have given cells from adult pigs the ability to turn
into any tissue in the body, just like embryonic stem cells.*

They hope the breakthrough could aid research into human disease, and the
breeding of animals for organ transplants for humans.

It may also enable the development of pigs that are resistant to diseases
such as swine flu.

The study appears online in the Journal of Molecular Cell Biology.

Lead researcher Dr Lei Xiao, of the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and
Cell Biology, said many other attempts had been made to transform adult
cells from animals such as pigs into "pluripotent" stem cells, but they had
failed.

He said: "Therefore, it is entirely new, very important and has a number of
applications for both human and animal health."

Dr Xiao's team reprogrammed cells taken from a pig's ear and bone marrow,
using a cocktail of chemicals introduced into the cells via a virus.

Tests showed that the reprogrammed cells were capable of becoming any of the
cell types that make up the three layers in a developing embryo.

*Ideal source*

Dr Xiao said pigs were a potentially ideal source of organs for transplant,
as their organs were similar in function and size to those found in humans.

He said reprogrammed stem cells could potentially be used to make a pig
organ compatible to the human immune system, minimising the risk of
rejection.

The cells could also be used to mimic human disease in pigs, allowing
scientists to test new therapies without requiring human volunteers.

In addition to medical applications, Dr Xiao said his discovery could be
used to improve animal farming, by making the animals healthier, and
regulating the way they grow.

However, he warned it could take several years before some of the potential
medical applications of his research could be used in the clinic.

Professor Chris Mason, an expert in regenerative medicine at University
College London, said: "This breakthrough to produce pig stem cells
potentially reinvigorates the quest to grow humanised pig organs such as
pancreases for diabetics and kidneys for chronic renal failure.

"The clinical use of humanised porcine tissues and organs (xenografts) has
moved a long way forward in recent months with successful small-scale
clinical trials.

"Whilst the xenograft approach may not necessarily be the long-term
solution, it may represent a major step change in the treatment of organ
failure, which potentially could deliver real benefit to millions of
patients within a decade."

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