1959.4.5 Pro-survival Molecules
Work with ES cells is limited as they are very diffi cult to culture and usually die
when stem cells are stripped off their cell colony; these result in problems associated
with rapid expansion and genetic manipulation of human ES cells. Xu et al. ( 2010 )
identifi ed two molecules, Thiazovivin and Pyrintegrin, through high- throughput
chemical screening, which enhance ES cell survival more than 30-fold. Thiazovivin
and Pyrintegrin were seen to have a dramatic impact on cell attachment even within
just a few hours. However, they hardly effect cell proliferation, suggesting that the
survival-promoting effect may be mainly due to increased cell adhesion following
cell dissociation and the seeding processes. They found out that ES cells are sensitive
to single-cell dissociation as e-cadherin, a surface protein that mediates interactions
between cells, and the extracellular matrix is essential for ES cell survival, and
renewal is disrupted as cells are stripped from their colony (Xu et al. 2010 ).
9.5 Conclusion and Future Perspectives
Even though stem cell research is on the cutting edge of biological science today,
much is still to be known and experimented before stem cells therapy can be made
a reality. In a report ‘Stem Cells and the Future of Regenerative Medicine’ pub-
lished by Medicine and Council ( 2002 ), recommendations were made to help
advance stem cell research. Firstly, the need to expand our knowledge of the biology
of different types of stem cells was highlighted as there are signifi cant differences
between ES cells and adult stem cells and even within adult stem cells from differ-
ent tissues in the body. Further studies on both embryonic and adult human stem
cells must be pursued to progress the scientifi c and therapeutic potential of ES cells
in regenerative medicine (Medicine and Council 2002 ).
Secondly, advances towards developing medical therapies are diffi cult without
public funding for basic ES stem cell research. There is lack of high-quality, publicly
funded research which is at the heart of any medical breakthrough. Publicly funded
research carried out in accordance with established standards of open scientifi c
exchange, peer review and public oversight provides the most promising future of
stem cell use in regenerative medical therapies. If restrictions and guidelines to con-
duct controversial research involving embryonic stem cells are developed, human
ES cell research will be scientifi cally validated and scrutinised for compliance with
federally authorised ethical guidelines (Medicine and Council 2002 ).
Another future direction would be to study either combinations of adjuvants and
autologous or allogeneic ES cell sources. With the help of pharmacology, bioengi-
neering or gene therapy, the therapeutic utility of ES cells for expansion and func-
tion can be enhanced. For clinical use a system of standardised protocols for
combining stem cells and adjuvant therapy could also be developed based on the
specifi c needs of individual patients. IPS cells can solve problems of limited donor
supply and ethical concerns raised with the use of ES cells. However, ensuring the
safety and effi ciency of inducing pluripotency in cells from aged and diseased
9 Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Associated Clinical Concerns