There is life after death. Well, this may literally hold true as recent studies reveal the possibility of transplanting organs and stem cells from dead bodies. According to medical experts, stem cells can still be extracted from the bone marrows of a cadaver five days after the death. Who would have thought that at death, someone can potentially save the living?
A living donor may not be able to provide sufficient supply of stem cells needed. This is where scientists saw the promise of using cadavers. Most cells inside the body die within a couple days after demise. However, since MSCs or Mesenchymal stem cells can thrive in a low-oxygen environment. Gianluca D'Ippolito along with his associates at the University of Miami, pondered whether these MSCs might survive longer than other class of stem cells.
"While only limited amounts of bone marrow can be taken from a living donor, a cadaver represents a plentiful source of cells," says D'Ippolito. "From one donor, you could take the whole spine, for example. You are going to end up with billions of cells."
To test their idea, the scientists kept finger bones of 2 dead bodies for 5 full days. Thereafter, the team extracted MSCs from the bone marrow of each bone. They waited for five more weeks and to their delightful surprise, they were able to transform the stem cells into cartilage and fat cells. These promising results led them to further continue with their experiments. D'Ippolito and his group are now trying their prowess to convert the stem cells to nerve and intestinal cells.
At the moment, there have been reports that mentioned of corneal stem cells from eyes of fresh cadavers that have treated blindness and other eye conditions. Chris Mason of University College London sees an obstacle in using MSCs from dead bodies. "The work is novel and intriguing... but it would be better to use a living donor," he says. "You can always go back and get more stem cells from a living donor if you need them, but if you use a cadaver, you'll eventually run out."
Although there are apprehensions on the health of DNA of the cells because they came from the dead and have been exposed to cooler temperatures, this is still considered a breakthrough in the massive studies being conducted around stem cell therapy globally.
You may now be asking, can stem cells from cadavers be used as anti- aging agent? If it can cure sickness and regenerate the way it was previously mentioned, then this is very possible. To know more about stem cell treatments click here.
A living donor may not be able to provide sufficient supply of stem cells needed. This is where scientists saw the promise of using cadavers. Most cells inside the body die within a couple days after demise. However, since MSCs or Mesenchymal stem cells can thrive in a low-oxygen environment. Gianluca D'Ippolito along with his associates at the University of Miami, pondered whether these MSCs might survive longer than other class of stem cells.
"While only limited amounts of bone marrow can be taken from a living donor, a cadaver represents a plentiful source of cells," says D'Ippolito. "From one donor, you could take the whole spine, for example. You are going to end up with billions of cells."
To test their idea, the scientists kept finger bones of 2 dead bodies for 5 full days. Thereafter, the team extracted MSCs from the bone marrow of each bone. They waited for five more weeks and to their delightful surprise, they were able to transform the stem cells into cartilage and fat cells. These promising results led them to further continue with their experiments. D'Ippolito and his group are now trying their prowess to convert the stem cells to nerve and intestinal cells.
At the moment, there have been reports that mentioned of corneal stem cells from eyes of fresh cadavers that have treated blindness and other eye conditions. Chris Mason of University College London sees an obstacle in using MSCs from dead bodies. "The work is novel and intriguing... but it would be better to use a living donor," he says. "You can always go back and get more stem cells from a living donor if you need them, but if you use a cadaver, you'll eventually run out."
Although there are apprehensions on the health of DNA of the cells because they came from the dead and have been exposed to cooler temperatures, this is still considered a breakthrough in the massive studies being conducted around stem cell therapy globally.
You may now be asking, can stem cells from cadavers be used as anti- aging agent? If it can cure sickness and regenerate the way it was previously mentioned, then this is very possible. To know more about stem cell treatments click here.
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