Stem Cell Pioneer, Professor Hwang Woo-suk once said, “Without marrying biotechnology (BT) with information technology (IT), it is difficult to put research results to practical use with BT alone.”
He intends to use remote controlled sub-miniature robots to identify treatment locations, check treatment success status and transmit the data in real-time and much more.
Professor Hwang’s research have been raising expectations with his ground-breaking research on stem cells and cloned pigs that they will greatly contribute to treatments for incurable diseases.
His modus-operandi for treating incurable disease using stem cells is as follows:
1. Genes of patients’ body cells will be modified and the cells will be cloned.
2. Stem cells will be derived from cloned body cells and will be developed into pancreas cells or immune cells.
3. Then those cells will be transplanted into patients’ bodies.
Research on cloned pigs by Dr. Woo-suk is aimed at producing organs that will be transplanted into patients’ bodies.
For both research fields, it is very critical to check for side-effects after stem cells or pig organs are transplanted into human bodies.
Professor Hwang explained, “With BT alone, we cannot predict which side-effects will be triggered by transplants of stem cells or pig organs, and when.
A subminiature robot will move through blood vessels to spots that need to be treated. There, the robot will check whether transplanted stem cells or pig organs would function properly and transmit the results of the check to the patient’s doctor in real time.
The doctor can remotely control the robot to administer drugs or incise.
Professor Hwang said with conviction, “By linking IT to BT, we will be able to treat incurable diseases such as hereditary diabetes and AIDS using stem cells in the near future.”
link [english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=020000&biid=2005092475918]
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Parents donate baby's umbilical cord to a public registry, blood from the cord is frozen and stored.
Stem Cell Therapy Improves Heart Function After Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)November 13th, 2005 Patients with damaged ventricular function following a myocardial infarction (medical term for heart attack) may be able to not only limit damage but also to regenerate heart function with an infusion of their own bone marrow-derived stem cells cells, according to research at J.W. Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany.
stem cell transplants safe for older leukemia patients December 10th, 2008 US researchers have found that older patients with leukemia, can successfully receive low-intensity stem cell transplants. After adjusting for a variety of risk factors, no difference in outcomes of peripheral blood, marrow, or cord blood transplants was seen between patients older than 65 and younger adults.
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Stem Cell Insurance Becomes RealityFebruary 24th, 2006 NTUC Income of Singapore has cut an exclusive deal with CordLife, a regional private cord blood bank, to help patients defray costs related to the stem cell transplants, which can treat about 75 diseases, including most forms of leukaemia. It is for the first time stem cell insurance is available anywhere in the world.
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