1. SECTIONS:
2. preface & acknowledgements
3. genetics at a glance
4. contacts, support & testing
5. testing & pregnancy
6. newborn screening
7. cancer in the family
8. cardiovascular conditions
9. chromosomal conditions
10. clotting & bleeding conditions
11. cystic fibrosis
12. diabetes
13. fragile X syndrome and other causes of developmental delay
14. haemoglobinopathies
15. hereditary haemochromatosis
16. neurofibromatosis
17. neurological conditions
18. psychiatric conditions
19. genetics in practice
20. emerging genetic technologies
21. glossary

Stem cells

 

1. Stem cells are those that are not differentiated to function in a specific manner in a particular part of the body.
2. They can multiply indefinitely, and as they do, can be directed to differentiate and thus specialise as certain cell types.
3. A potential use for stem cells is the generation of new pancreatic cells for the treatment of diabetes and nerve cells for Parkinson disease and paralysis.
4. Stem cells can be sourced from adult and embryonic tissue.

 

Adult stem cells (somatic stem cells)

1. An adult stem cell is an undifferentiated cell - found among the differentiated cells in a tissue or organ -
   that can renew itself and differentiate to yield the major specialised cell types of the tissue or organ.
2. The primary role of these stem cells in a living organism is to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found.
3. Certain kinds of adult stem cells seem to have the ability to differentiate into a number of different cell types, given the right conditions.
4. If this differentiation of adult stem cells can be controlled in the laboratory, these cells may become the basis of therapies for many serious common conditions. Although adult stem cells have been identified in many organs and tissues, there are often only a very small number of them in each tissue.
5. Adult stem cells are thought to reside in a specific area of each tissue where they may remain quiescent for many years until they are activated by disease or tissue injury.
6. The adult tissues reported to contain stem cells include:
7. Brain
8. Bone marrow
9. Peripheral blood
10. Blood vessels
11. Skeletal muscle
12. Skin
13. Liver.
14. Stem cells isolated from bone marrow have been used in transplants for 30 years and those isolated from the peripheral blood are being used increasingly for both autologous and allogeneic transplants.
15. Transplantation of skin cells for patients with severe burns has already been accomplished.

 

Embryonic stem cells

1. Embryonic stem cells isolated from the inner cell mass of human embryos, have the potential to develop into all, or nearly all, of the tissues in the body.
2. This is unlike adult stem cells whose multiplying and differentiating capabilities are limited.
3. Because of these traits, embryonic stem cells have great potential to be used in medicine to create cells that are needed for treatments that replace disease and damaged cells.
4. With consent from donors, embryonic stem cell lines are currently derived from excess IVF embryos that are about 1 week old and consist of a mass of about 100 cells.
5. When the desired number of cells is reached, the cells can be directed to form particular types of specialised cells such as heart, muscle, nerve, and blood cells. This creates the opportunity for discovery of new regenerative medicines and potential cell therapies.
6. However, embryonic stem cells are likely to be allogeneic and if so will require immunosuppression.
7. It is important to note that embryonic stem cells do not have the capacity to develop into a functional human embryo.
8. Embryonic stem cells are ‘immortal’ in the sense that they can multiply in the laboratory for years. However, the immortal nature of embryonic stem cells means that they are associated with tumour formation.
9. Whilst it is possible in the future that research on embryonic stem cells may no longer offer any advantages over non-embryonic stem cells, significant research is required before this can be demonstrated.
10. In December 2002, the Australian Government passed legislation to provide for a nationally consistent regulatory scheme for human embryo research. The framework is embodied in two pieces of Commonwealth legislation:
11. The Prohibition of Human Cloning Act 2002, which bans practices, including human cloning, deemed to be unacceptable. That act has recently been amended to permit ‘therapeutic cloning’ (somatic cell nuclear transfer) if a licence is obtained. ‘Reproductive cloning’, breeding duplicate people by implanting a cloned human embryo into a woman, remains a criminal offence punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment.
12. The Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002, which established a licensing system for the use of excess embryos from ART (assisted reproductive technology). Licenses to carry out work on embryos, including research, is administered by the Embryo Research Licensing Committee, a Principal Committee of the NHMRC.

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