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A new
type of molecule has been discovered and it can be used to dramatically
increase the production of umbilical cord stem cells, which are used to
treat blood-related diseases such as leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma.
 Scientists
at the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC) at the
Université de Montréal in Canada have discovered a new molecule that can be
used to multiply stem cells in umbilical cord blood.
Once
they’re cut from newborn children, umbilical cords are an excellent source
of blood that’s rich in hematopoietic stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells
are a special type of stem cell that give rise to all the other types of
blood cells, which are harvested and transplanted into patients to treat
number of blood-related diseases such as leukaemia, myeloma and lymphoma.
Umbilical
cord stem cells are particularly valuable because the babies haven’t built
up their immunity yet, which means their stem cells have a lower
probability of prompting an adverse reaction in a transplant recipient. But
the downside is that in most cases, the number of hematopoietic stem cells
that can be extracted from an umbilical cord is much too low to treat an adult
with, so right now, they can only be used for the treatment of children.
The team
at the Université de Montréal, led by hematologist Guy Sauvageau, report
that their discovery of a new molecule, named UM171, has the potential to
multiply the number of umbilical cord blood units for human transplants by
10, while also reducing complications related to transplants being rejected
by the recipients.
Publishing
their discovery in Science, they say they used the molecule UM171 together
with a new type of bioreactor to discover its multiplying affect on
umbilical cord stem cells. "This new molecule, combined with the new
bioreactor technology, will allow thousands of patients around the world
access to a safer stem cell transplant,” says Sauvageau in a press release.
"Considering that many patients currently cannot benefit from a stem
cell transplant for lack of matching donors, this discovery looks to be
highly promising for the treatment of various types of cancer."
The team
is set to begin its first clinical trials with umbilical cord stem cells
and molecule UM171 in facilities around Montreal, Quebec, and Vancouver in
Canada. They hope to see conclusive results by December 2015, and if
successful, will start rolling out the technology to hospitals around the
world. "The significance of this new discovery is such that over time,
conclusive clinical results could revolutionise the treatment of leukemia
and other blood-related illnesses,” they say.
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