What are the potential uses of stem cells?

A procedure has been developed to isolate stem cells from human patients in the operating room. Large quantities of stem cells from fat can be derived from the cosmetic procedure known as liposuction. These stem cells are stored at very low temperatures and become viable when they are warmed up. Stem cells retrieved from liposuction procedures have been used to repair tissues. For example, they have been used in stem cell transplantation after surgery for breast cancer. In other cases, they have been used to help heal skull fractures. Mesenchymal cells from fat as well as bone marrow have been used to help the healing of connective tissues such as muscles and tendons in athletic injuries as well.

Future directions

Millions of people have type 1 diabetes, whereby β (beta) cells in the pancreas do not make the hormone insulin. These people must take insulin as a medication, made from recombinant DNA technology (see Key Concept 18.5). However, the timing and regulation of the amount of insulin taken can be problematic, and symptoms often persist. Supplying a patient with functional β cells could potentially cure type I diabetes. Both embryonic and induced human pluripotent stem cells have been shown in lab experiments to make insulin. Moreover, they also regulate insulin release in response to environmental conditions and restore normal function when transplanted into the pancreas of diabetic mice. Clinical trials in diabetic humans are planned.

In the United States, the only clinical use of stem cells for humans that has been rigorously tested and approved by the government is hematopoietic (bone marrow) transplantation. Nevertheless, clinics offering stem cell treatments for many diseases are springing up in South America, Asia, and the United States (without government approval), treating growing numbers of patients each year. While claims of cures abound, more research is required to establish the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapy.