This lecture, by Dr. Nadia Rosenthal, discusses the
role of stem cells in the regeneration and repair of
tissues, and their possible medicinal application through
the harnessing of their regenerative properties.
Human tissues vary in their ability to heal and regenerate:
The nervous system has weak powers of regeneration
The skin is quick to make new cells for repair.
Mammalian muscle cells are intermediate in their
ability to regenerate. Human muscle can regenerate
in response to minor wounds and normal wear and tear,
but humans will not grow a new bicep, for example,
in response to amputation.
The heart is the most important muscle in the body
and yet has feeble regenerative capabilities.
Research into the wholesale production of new replacement
organs and limbs is in its infancy, but research into
enhancing normal levels of regeneration is progressing
rapidly.
Recent discoveries concerning the location and characteristics
of adult stem cells and the signals that wounded tissue
produces to activate stem cells have increased our understanding
of regeneration.
Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is an example
of an important stem cell communication molecule. If
the activity of the growth factor is experimentally
enhanced, muscle regeneration improves.
