May 6, 2008

Testicle: Rich Source of Stem Cells


Dr. Shahin Rafli from Weil Cornell Medical College, New York, claimed that someday, men's testicle organ can be use as the source of the Stem Cells. The amount is abundant and easy to get, to help this person against his disease or to regenerate the damaged organs.

The researcher has been succeeded to isolate this kind of cells on mice, and developed it to become heart cells, brain cells, and vascular tissue. This mice Stem Cells didn't need addition or gene manipulation to make them form into multipotent cells, and then produce many kind of this cells. Meanwhile the mature cells reprogramming in connecting tissue with another technique can produce multipotent stem cells, but can also increase the risk of malignancy.

SPC (Spermatogonial progenitor stem cells) in the testicle specialized to form the sperm precursor. These cells are very eficient and can keep a man fertile with the increasing age.

The researchers hope is to apply the same methode in producing this SPCs in these mice to a man on the future. It is said that this same method can be work on the female ovary, that also consists of productive cells, but this theory still need more experiment.

Source: Nature 2007,449:346-350;

3 comments:

Yudhi Gejali, dr. said...

Not only from sperm..
But from the more mature cell, like epidermis epithelial..can be reversed..programmed to back as stem cell

Wonderful technology...
Praise God..

Daniel Witanto said...

Absolutely, here we may hope that many disease can be healed, and the experiment forward can bring many goodnesses for human being

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comment on Koran Saya.

Hopefully the theory about testicle organ can be used to heal many disease in the future. But theory is good because everything is started from a theory, right ?