Since the Class of 2006 entered UCLA, the field of stem cell
research has proliferated with discoveries and breakthroughs. Over
the past four years, UCLA scientists have been part of this
growth.
Focusing mainly on adult stem cells derived from various types
of body tissues, and animal embryonic stem cells taken from a
fertilized embryo, UCLA scientists have found new sources of adult
stem cells that have the ability to grow into tissues different
from their origin.
Using animal embryonic stem cells, UCLA scientists have
developed mechanisms for controlling and regulating stem cell
differentiation.
These are only two of the innovations in the broad field of stem
cell research, which has applications in a myriad of fields,
including cardiology, neuroscience, and HIV/AIDS and cancer
research.
There are two types of stem cells ““ adult and embryonic.
Many researchers are more interested in human embryonic stem cells
because they can develop into virtually all types of human cells.
However, scientists have had difficulty obtaining federal and state
funding for this type of research because the use of embryonic stem
cells requires the destruction of a human embryo, which some
critics say is immoral.
In November 2004, Californians voted in favor of Proposition 71,
which established funding for human embryonic stem cells. Lawsuits
questioning the ethics of the research slowed down the process of
obtaining the funds.
“The money has not trickled down yet to initiate research
in embryonic stem cells,” said Christina Palmer, assistant
professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral science and member of the
UCLA Center for Society and Genetics, which holds symposiums on
stem cell research. Due to the funding issue, UCLA scientists have
turned to adult stem cells and animal embryonic stem cells as an
alternative.
In 2003, UCLA researchers and scientists discovered cells from
the artery wall with the ability to grow into different
tissues.
“We found that (these types of cells) can differentiate
into not only muscle cells but also bone and cartilage cells. They
also have the ability to support blood cells,” said Dr. Yin
Tintut from the Division of Cardiology at the David Geffen School
of Medicine at UCLA.
UCLA scientists have also investigated the properties of animal
embryonic and adult stem cells to learn more about how to control
cell growth.
“We used embryonic stem cells from mice in our studies and
developed a method to control how fast and how many stem cells
differentiate,” said Dr. Guoping Fan, a professor in the
Department of Human Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine
at UCLA.
Genetic manipulation is another way to control growth by
introducing a gene into a stem cell at an early stage, Fan said.
His current research focuses on using these techniques in order to
understand epigenetic mechanisms that regulate neural stem cell
differentiation and adult neural function.
UCLA Professor Dr. Harley Kornblum uses rodent stem cells to
learn more about the brain. “We injected brain stem cells
into the rat brain after inducing lesions that mimic some of the
features of Huntington’s disease,” he said.
“The experiments have allowed us to see that the effects
of treatment with stem cells are very complicated; they do not only
replace neurons or brain cells, but also provide support to other
cells within the host brain,” he said. However, putting in
stem cells does not necessarily restore the complex circuitry of
the brain.
“We need to have a greater understanding of the molecular
mechanisms of brain development so we could know exactly what is
happening when something goes wrong,” he added.
As UCLA scientists look to the future, they see great
opportunity in all fields. “One of UCLA’s great
attributes is attracting some of the brightest researchers from all
over the world,” said Dr. Michael Teitell, UCLA associate
professor of pathology and laboratory medicine.
“For example, we have just hired several new stem cell
researchers, including one from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and another from Johns Hopkins (University). This is an
incredibly rich environment, full of potential,” he said.