Latest news reveals about the development of new prostates in mice using single stem cell. This new development was done by the researchers from Genentech, Inc., in South San Francisco, Calif.

A stem cell is generally characterized by the presence of various proteins or cell markers on its outer surface. Previously researchers had discovered three markers associated with stem cells in the prostate; but recent study showed a new additional marker dubbed CD117 in the cell. This marker allowed the researchers to isolate individual stem cells from the glands in adult mice.

To confirm that these cells were, in fact, stem cells, the scientists transferred them into the kidneys of adult mice. Where within eight weeks, the researchers observed a prostate tissue architecture which in addition secrets prostate-specific chemicals.

This new development is a breakthrough in the field of regenerative medicine. But the work doesn’t end here, the involvement of new marker needs more study. And so researchers by comparing the markers on these stem cells with those on the surfaces of cancer cells want to determine if this new marker contribute to prostate malignancies in any way or not, says Leisa Johnson, a molecular biologist at Genentech, Inc., in South San Francisco, Calif., and co-author of the study appearing in Nature.

“If the CD117 cell population does lead to tumor initiation or cancer reoccurrence, this cell marker could become a therapeutic target,” she says.

Source: http://www.sciam.com/