UWA Student Makes Remarkable Stem Cell Discovery in Breast Milk

posted on Nov 10 by Guest Author in the Disability News, Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Paralysis Cures, Spinal Cord Injury category

Proponents of stem cell research argue that it offers hope for a cure for potentially fatal and debilitating conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury-related paralysis and multiple sclerosis. Opponents are dead set against using embryonic stem cells for research even if it could lead to a cure. A University of Western Australia (UWA) student researcher recently made a breakthrough that may appease both sides of the stem-cell debate. Dr. Foteini Hassiotou, a PhD student and member of the UWA Hartmann Human Lactation Research Group, has discovered an “ethical” way to get stem cells from breast milk.

Her research follows a similar 2008 discovery in which UWA scientists found embryonic-like stem cells in breast milk. Dr. Hassiotou discovered that breast milk stem cells could be manipulated to become bone, cartilage, fat, brain, liver, and even pancreas cells, depending on the medium in which they are grown. This would provide an alternative to using embryonic stem cells for research. These findings are also significant because the stem cells can be obtained from breast milk in a non-invasive manner and are more readily accessible than embryonic stem cells.

“The need currently is to find stem cells which we can access ethically, non-invasively, and which have the potential to become everything,” said Dr. Hassiotou. “The breakthrough here is that breast milk seems to offer such an opportunity. It’s plentiful and you can get fresh breast milk and isolate [the cells] and use them for treatment of various diseases such as Parkinson’s and diabetes etc.”

Dr. Hassiotou recently won the AusBiotech-GlaxoSmithKline National Student Excellence Award for her work. She will present her findings at an upcoming international conference and plans to conduct animal transplants during the next few months to test her hypothesis.

AusBiotech chairwoman Dr. Deborah Rathjen feels Hassiotou’s work could potentially fast-track cures for fatal diseases. “The whole area of stem cell therapy is a really developing field, and Foteini’s work helps get over one of the limiting factors in the study of stem cells…and that’s having access to a source of stem cells that is non-invasive and seen as being ethical,” she said.

“Stem cell therapy is a therapy of the future. It holds a lot of promise and to be able to have these kinds of cells in bigger numbers and to get them ethically and [to know that] they behave in ways that allow you to differentiate them into cells that at some point we may want to put back into people is an important thing,” said Dr. Rathjen.

Dr. Rathjen believes Dr. Hassiotou’s discoveries further emphasize the benefits of breast milk for infants. However, the function of stem cells after ingestion remains unclear. “One of the things we don’t yet fully understand is…what role do these stem cells play once they’ve been ingested; what do they help with?” she said. “It’s a very exciting field.”

Dr. Hassiotou feels that the national award will boost her work profile and increase awareness of breast milk’s nutritional and potentially life-saving benefits. “It’s a great thing for this research, because people are starting to realize what a breakthrough it is and how important it can be for many years to come to treat people with diseases, to understand how cancer happens and potentially discover a treatment for it,” she said. “[The award also will promote] why breast milk is also good for the baby in addition to its nutrition.”

Source:
http://www.smh.com.au/wa-news/uwa-discovers-ethical-embryoniclike-stem-cells-in-breast-milk-20111017-1lt97.html
http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201110174047/awards-and-prizes/breastmilk-natural-stem-cell-therapy

Image sources:
smh.com.au
drmomma.org
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