Nature Reviews Endocrinology: Stem Cell Therapy for IDDM

This scholarly article (linked to the title of this post) shows how ex vivo stem cells can be of great use in replacing the depleted stem cells (the ones that are being killed by autoimmune reactions). What does ex vivo mean? Ex vivo is a Latin term that means "outside of the body." In other words, stem cells that are ex vivo grow and reproduce outside of a human body in a laboratory by endocrinologists. These cells are the main ones that will be used for replacement. Research is being conducted as to whether these stem cells can come from the umbilical cords of women postpartum. Postpartum means "immediately or soon after childbirth." As shown in the post on "Further Stem Cell Research," umbilical cords are regarded as medical waste, so they are useful sources of somatic stem cells.

Click on the article link to read a quick review on stem cell treatment. Here is a bit of background on it, as well as some vocabulary aids. The segment, "The ex vivo generation...and the pancreas," basically states that stem cells that are ex vivo are fully prepared for transplantation. Pluripotent cells are stem cells that make up any of the three germ layers, which are cell tissue layers. The three main layers are the endoderm (interior lining of cells), mesoderm (middle layer, mostly muscle), and ectoderm (outermost layer usually with pores for diffusion). Progenitor cells are body cells that, just like stem cells, differentiate into a specific type of cell. The next line, "The most effective protocols...insulin-secreting cells;" translates to the fact that the tests that have been run show that ex vivo cells function just like normal beta cells. The article also states the information on umbilical cords as useful resources for stem cells. (The images to the left are ex vivo stem cells).

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