Along with all the great work on Stem Cell research, including this exciting news McMaster claims stem-cell breakthrough, is an increasing skill at explaining this fascinating research challenge.

Stem Cell, and all their variant residences, are hard for the layman to understand, perhaps, in part, because not everything is known about them. But just as research is progressing, so is the skill at explaining them. Take this from the above article for example — it almost makes sense …

It is hoped, for example, that such stem cells might one day be used to grow new nerve cells in the damaged spinal cords of paraplegics, or to introduce insulin-producing cells into a diabetic pancreas.

Currently, however, researchers in regenerative medicine have been attempting to prompt this tissue transformation by targeting the stem cells themselves with various chemicals or technologies, Bhatia says.

Now, he says, scientists can turn their attention to the nurturing cells surrounding the embryonic stem cells, which appear to have a direct control over their ability to change into different things.

Bhatia say scientists have long thought that stem cells were coaxed to transform into other types of tissues by the environment or “niche” they found themselves in. Cardiac stem cells, for example develop heart tissue because that’s what they’re surrounded by.

It makes sense, then, that as the original cells present soon after conception, embryonic stem cells would need to create their own niche, Bhatia says.

“With this paper-we’re saying that controlling the stem cell happens not only in the stem cell itself, but also with (this newly discovered) niche,” he says.

This niche, Bhatia says, is made up of cells generated by the embryonic stem cells. These surrounding cells in turn feed and direct the parent stem cell via the production of special protein “growth factors”.

And some of the growth factors created by the niche cells direct the embryonic stem cell to do nothing but make copies of itself, Bhatia says.

To coax the stem cell to make other types of tissues, you have to stop this self-replication process, Bhatia says.

“The one thing we have to do first is we’ve got to draw their attention from making copies of themselves,” he says.

“Once we’ve done that, then we can draw their attention to making (different kinds) of cells.”

By blocking the growth factor proteins provided by the niche cells, the stem cells can proceed to create desired replacement tissues in the lab, Bhatia says.