New technology provides an insight into genesis of blood cells
POSTED February 13, 2009 - 21:43 | POSTED BY Nisha Bhatia
Last edited by Shikha Patial on February 13, 2009 - 22:42
Munich, February 13: With new imaging technology, German scientists have found that a single cell multiplies into several blood cells to form various tissues and organs.
The findings of the study were published in the journal Nature.
It is a significant finding that can lend a new perspective to the understanding of stem cells. The finding can impart an all together new direction to the future research work related to stem cells.
Following this discovery, scientists believe that one day they will be able to create blood in the laboratory. Blood produced in the laboratory could be used for blood transfusions, Timm Schroeder of the Institute of Stem Cell research in Munich, remarked.
Stem cells are basic type of cells found in humans. These cells have the ability to renew themselves through various processes of cell division and multiplication.
Specialized cell types emerge from stem cells only. Both, tissues and the blood are produced by stem cell activity. Stem cells mature to generate new cell types, which make up organs, blood and tissues.
In a telephone interview, Schroeder said, "What we are looking at is where blood really comes from during development….Blood cells are born during the embryo development and we wanted to know from what type of cells they came from."
According to the findings, the new imaging technology enabled the scientist to find out how hundreds of thousands of cells take birth and grow within humans in real time over a week’s time period.
Researchers observed the endothelial cells that form the internal lining of the blood vessels. They noticed that endothelial tissues were able to manufacture blood cells.
Endothelial tissues are specialized type of epithelium tissues. Endothelial cells form the lining of the entire circulatory system, from the heart to the smallest capillary.
"It is important to know the exact cell type that produces blood. This is the prerequisite to tweak the system to produce blood cells from embryonic stem cells in a lab," Schroeder said.
Experts believe that the stem cells have the potential to be used in regenerative medicine also. Regenerative medicine is a new upcoming field wherein, scientists anticipate that tissues for tissues transplant and organ transplant could be grown artificially in laboratory by using stem cells of the patient himself.
