Posted by
Katie Favazza on Friday, June 08, 2007 12:52:53 PM
If you've stayed out of the stem cell debate because you're suspicious of the new technology and what that could mean for it's development as a useful medical advance, you're one smart cookie.
Researchers in the United States have discovered that bone marrow stem cells which move toward an area of the body with cancer often look just like cancer cells. It is not clear yet how the inside of the cell morphs.
Many scientists believe that the bone marrow stem cells do boost the growth and spread of cancer. But the University of Florida researchers say the stem cells may simply resemble the surrounding cancer cells, but not act like them.
The bone marrow stem cells "have the same kind of surface proteins" as cancer cells, noted study author Dr. Chris Cogle, an assistant professor of medicine at UF's College of Medicine Program in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.
But while the stem cells have the "same skin" as the surrounding cancer cells, the question is whether "they have the same guts," Cogle said.
"Our results indicate these cells act as developmental mimics; they come in and look like the surrounding neoplastic tissue, but they aren't actually the seed of cancer," Cogle said in a prepared statement.
"At the worst, these cells could help support cancerous tissue by providing it with growth factors or proteins that help the cancer grow and survive. At the very least, these marrow cells are just being tricked into coming into the cancerous environment and then made to walk and talk like they don't usually do," the researcher said.
Like the doctor above said, it may be no big deal.
But it's not something on which I'm eager to place my bet.