Stem Cells from Young Mice Heal Stomach Ulcers in Old Mice

When it comes to the question of whether young stem cells and a young tissue environment are necessary for the success of stem cell therapies, there is evidence to support all of the possible answers. It is a confusing picture at the moment, and it is very possible that the answer varies by cell type. Since the best option for therapy is to use the patient's own cells, it would be good to find that cell therapies can work effectively and produce meaningful benefits even when both cells and patient are old. In some studies researchers have seen little difference in short term outcomes between young and old individuals, which is the more surprising of the possible results: the intuitive expectation is that age-related damage and the signaling changes that suppress stem cell activity in response to that damage will make all forms of cell therapy less effective in old individuals. In the research linked here, the results are more in line with expectations, in that young stem cells work to promote regeneration where old stem cells do not. This sort of experimentation will in time lead to a list of things that must be changed and corrected in stem cells, probably differing by tissue type, in order to make them more effective when transplanted into older individuals: During aging, changes in the stomach result in gastric tissue that is less capable of repairing injury correctly. These changes include decreased gastric acid secretion, cell motility, and proliferation. In add...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs