1. Stem Cells : Therapeutic Perspectives
@ Pankaj Prasad
Department of Molecular & Human Genetics
BHU, Varanasi

2. “ The phenomenon of life itself negates the
boundaries that customarily divide our
disciplines and fields.”
Hans Jonas (1966)

3. Stem Cells??

4. Definition
“ A Stem cell is a clonal, self-renewing
entity that is multipotent and thus can
regenerate several differentiated cell types.”

7. Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs)

8. Embryonic stem cells

9. James A. Thomson
The Thomson Laboratory

10. Sources of embryonic stem cells
In – vitro Fertilization (IVF)
Nuclear transfer
The largest potential source of blastocysts for the stem cell research is from IVF clinics.
As all fertilized eggs are not implanted, it results in a large bank of “excess” blastocysts, stored in freezers around the globe.

11. Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT)

12. Adult stem cells

13. Sources of adult Stem Cells

18. Induced Pluripotent Stem
(iPS) cells

19. Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Institute for Frontier
Medical Sciences

21. Next generation iPS cells

22. Kevin C. Eggan
Harvard University Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Stowers Medical Institute

23. Epigenetic reprogramming
Konard Hochedlinger had shown that it is possible to create mouse iPS cells using an adenovirus in place of the retroviruses previously used.
Harvard University Department of
Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
Massachusetts General Hospital

24. Transdifferentiation
Refers to the conversion of one differentiated cell type to another and considered a subset of metaplasia.
Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

25. Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs)

26. leave patients prone to recurrence.
Cancer stem cells
Current cancer therapies may fail because cancer stem cells have not been eradicated.
leave patients prone to recurrence.
Pulling out a weed while leaving the roots.

27. Origin of cancer stem cells

28. Treatment

29. Stem cell niches
Scadden D.T. Nature 2006

30. Scadden D.T. Nature 2006

31. Slow cell cycling of stem cells
Quiescence stem cells
Quiescence
Slow cell cycling of stem cells
Unresponsive to many chemotherapeutics that typically target rapidly proliferative cells

32. Zebra fish : Model system for stem cell research
Harvard Magazine

34. Role in basic research

35. NIH, U.S.

36. Stem cell research centers

37. Stem cell research in India

41. Stem cells Banks

42. Major BMT centers in India
Bone Mar08
Bone Marrow Transplantation (2008

45. Law
Moral values
Ethics

46. Peer review

47. “Human reproductive cloning should not be practiced.
It is dangerous and likely to fail.”
Scientific and medical aspects of human
reproductive cloning. National Academic
Press, 2005.

48. Conclusion
Stem cell research is being pursued in the hope of achieving major medical breakthroughs.
Currently only a few diseases are treatable with stem cell therapies because scientists can regenerate only a few types of tissues.
Future fundings will provide more insights into the mechanisms regulating the stem cell pluripotency.

49. References

50. Thanking you