CellResearch Corporation in Singapore and its team of scientists, headed by Chief Scientist, Dr Phan Toan Thang, have recently made a revolutionary discovery: that the outer lining of the umbilical cord is a rich source of stem cells.
Stem cells are elementary cells with the potential to form a spectrum of human cells - the tiny building blocks that make up the human being. These cells can be converted (differentiated) into a myriad of cells, giving them incredible potential to heal by forming cells that replace those that fail through disease, accident or old age.
So far, the most versatile stem cells are found in embryos as it is their job to produce the hundreds of cell varieties that make up the human being. However the process of harvesting stem cells from embryos has been a subject of much controversy as its use intrinsically involves the destruction of the embryo. To avoid ethical objections, scientists and biotech companies have been exploring and developing other stem cell sources, leading to the discovery, among others, of stem cells in cord blood.
While cord blood stem cells are rich largely in hematopoietic cells that form blood cells, they lack sufficient mesenchymal and epithelial stem cells. The latter two forms of stem cells are responsible for creating virtually every cell in the body. Stem cells can also be found in marrow, muscle, skin, nervous tissue and fat, however, their extraction would require surgical intervention which is both uncomfortable and has potential risks.
CellResearch Corporation's breakthrough is identifying an alternative source of stem cells that is not only easily accessible, but also possesses both epithelial and mesenchymal stem cells. These stem cells that are found in the outer amniotic lining of the umbilical cord have been successfully differentiated by CellResearch Corporation into specific cells such as skin, bone, and fat. The potential to form other cell types from these cord-lining stem cells is phenomenal and best of all, they are acquired from the afterbirth which is plentiful and routinely discarded, thus sidestepping the whole ethical conundrum. CellResearch Corporation has applied for patent protection for its discovery.
Another advantage of cord-lining stem cells is its significantly higher yield compared to other sources. Laboratory results show that the cord lining produces potentially several hundred million stem cells per cord - a figure that is many hundred folds greater than most common stem cell sources.