The ethical snag is that the best stem cells are harvested from human embryos, killing them.
Our hope was to have a healthy child, unaffected by Fanconi anemia, whose umbilical cord, after birth, might provide the best stem cells -- matched in terms of tissue proteins with Henry, and so able to give him the best chance for a healthy life.
What is the best stem cell mobilization procedure prior to ASCT?
"The best stem cell researchers in the country are in California, Wisconsin and New York," said David A. Carmel, a supporter of the research who helped create the Spitzer administration's proposal.
This is a scheme modelled after the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), which they initiated to attract the best stem-cell scientists and build the best stem-cell research programmes.
HSCs are the best-characterized stem cells in humans, functioning to ensure the lifelong production of all the diverse cell types of the hematopoietic system.
In spite of this evidence, the definition of the conditions for a successful treatment (the best source of stem cells, their optimal concentration, the best route of delivery, the degree of differentiation, etc)., as well as the mechanisms by which stem cells may exert their protective action are still largely unresolved.
The best known stem cell lines, those first derived by Dr. James Thomson of the University of Wisconsin in 1998, belong to the university's intellectual property arm, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.
Based on the above reported results showing a predominant localization at the base of normal crypts and overexpression in the precancerous lesions and tumours, we found that LGR-5 was the best putative stem cell marker among those analysed.
Currently, several large yet elusive questions remain to be addressed: (1) optimal delivery approach, (2) best progenitor stem cell type, (3) most effective dose, and (4) timing of administration.
Within the HF, the best characterized stem cell compartment lies in the bulge, the lower permanent part of the HF (Cotsarelis et al, 1989, 1990; Oshima et al, 2001; Rochat et al, 1994) (Fig 2).
