Wonder cells from menstrual blood reproducible?

Stem cell research: miracle cells from menstrual blood reproducible?

Japanese, US, Dutch and Australian scientists are busy researching the production of new stem cells from menstrual blood for people suffering from conditions such as leukemia, infertility (in women), cervical cancer, circulatory disorders, heart attacks, heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. The cells from the menstrual blood are parts of the uterine lining. It is built up in no time as part of the female cycle of the organism with many new blood vessels. The qualities of the speed of construction and the resulting high number of blood vessels would like to use the researchers in the future. And yet another point makes the standard blood of a woman for use for treatment interesting: The cells represent neutral cells. They are not recognized by our immune system as foreign, as well as the umbilical cord blood.

The advantage over previous stem cell therapies from bone marrow would be the non-existent defense reaction and the rapid formation of new blood vessels. Australian gynecologist Caroline Gargett is a pioneer in this field. At the Monash Medical Center in Clayton, Australia, she has detected stem cells in the menstrual blood. Opposite the German science magazine „picture of science“ (bdw) she is still reserved. Further studies should first show what potential these cells really carry and how they can actually be used for us.

For there is currently no existing thoroughly tested therapy with these cells. Not only in naturopathy, the menstrual period is seen as a detoxification of the body. Caroline Gargett also points out that „an incredible amount of bacteria“ in the blood of the migraine: Therefore, cell cultures have to be treated in advance with high doses of atibiotics.

The American company Medistem from Arizona meanwhile plans according to statements of company researcher Thomas Ichim against over bdw, now the first clinical study on patients with circulatory disturbances. Background of the efforts are doing experiments on mice in 2008: They had been severed a femoral artery. After spraying cells harvested from menstrual blood, they were able to walk again as new blood vessels formed.

Further research
And there are other reasons that give hope for the future, as Dutch researchers from the University Medical Center Utrecht evaluated 18 clinical studies on the subject and described the results as „promising“. Medistem published an article in the journal Journal of Translational Medicine in 2009, whereby 4 subjects with multiple sclerosis tolerated the cells well and showed no immune reactions.

Meanwhile, according to Carolin Gargett, there are researchers in Japan and the US who worked on further research, so that one day, the power of these cells can be used for us In Germany, the issue seems to be overslept at the moment, unfortunately. (Thorsten Fischer, Naturopath Osteopathy, 20.1.2010)

Additional Information:

bdw Issue 2/2010 pp. 28-29