Mar 4, 2010
Stem cell treatment offers potential cure for age-related illness
Stem cell treatment offers the greatest potential of a cure for many age-related illnesses. Right now, doctors are struggling to find practical applications of technology that has been proven in laboratory settings, said S.Natarajan, Chairman and Managing Director, Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital.
Pointing out that stem cells, which are present in large numbers in the foetal cell, can give rise to 250 types of specialised cells in the body, Dr.Natarajan said “It is therapeutic cell which can be used to replace tissues/organs and to repair damaged or defective cells.”
He was speaking here on Tuesday at the inauguration of a four-day awareness programme on ‘Stem cell’ organised at Science City, Periyar Science and Technology Campus. Postgraduate students from various streams like biochemistry, microbiology and molecular biology took part in the event.
Foetal stem cells can be transplanted to repair or rejuvenate tissue in a recipient without rejection within the first 12 weeks and they can also be used for cloning using techniques such as somatic cell nucleus transfer, he said.
Source: The Hindu.
