Latest news with #stemcells
CNN
17 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
Could stem cells be used to create life without sperm or egg? Not yet, but here's why scientists are concerned
Scientists are exploring ways to mimic the origins of human life without two fundamental components: sperm and egg. They are coaxing clusters of stem cells – programmable cells that can transform into many different specialized cell types – to form laboratory-grown structures that resemble human embryos. These embryo models are far from perfect replicas. But as labs compete to grow the best likeness, the structures are becoming increasingly complex, looking and behaving in some way as embryos would. The structures could further the study of human development and the causes infertility. However, the dizzying pace of the research, which started little more than a decade ago, is posing ethical, legal and regulatory challenges for the field of developmental biology. 'We could have never anticipated the science would have just progressed like this. It's incredible, it's been transformative how quickly the field has moved, said Amander Clark, a professor of molecular cell and developmental biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the founding director of the UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education. 'However, as these models advance, it is crucial that they are studied in a framework that balances scientific progress with ethical, legal and social considerations.' Clark is co-chair of the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Embryo Models Working Group, which is now trying to update such a framework on a global scale. At issue is the question of how far researchers could go with these stem cells, given time and the right conditions. Could scientists eventually replicate an actual embryo that has a heartbeat and experiences pain, or one that could grow into a fully developed human model? As current research stands, no model mimics the development of a human embryo in its entirety — nor is any model suspected of having the potential to form a fetus, the next stage in human development equivalent to week 8 or day 56 in a human pregnancy. Creating embryo models has also been a hit-and-miss process for most research groups, with only a small percentage of stem cells going on to self-organize into embryo-like structures. However, the models do exhibit several internal features and cell types that an embryo needs to develop, such as the amnion, yolk sac and primitive streak, and that could, 'with future improvements, eventually progress toward later embryo structures including heart, brain, and other organ rudiments,' according to a June paper coauthored by Clark and published in the journal Stem Cell Reports. Similar models made with mouse cells have reached the point where the brain begins to develop and a heart forms. Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna tells Fareed about her path to becoming a leading scientist and explains how her discovery of CRISPR can help cure diseases and improve crops. Critically, the goal isn't to develop these models into viable fetuses, ultimately capable of human sentience, but to develop a useful research tool that unlocks the mysteries of how a human cell divides and reproduces to become a human body. The models also make way for experiments that can't be performed on donated embryos in a lab. However, it's possible as research advances that the distinction between a lab-grown model and a living human embryo could become blurred. And because the models lie at the intersection of historically controversial fields — stem cell biology and embryology — the work merits closer oversight than other forms of scientific research, Clark said. Clark and the ISSCR's Embryo Models Working Group in June recommended enhanced oversight of research involving the models. The society's guidelines, which first included guidance on embryo models in 2021, are being revised to incorporate the recommendations of the group and will be released in a few weeks. The current ISSCR guidelines make a distinction between 'integrated embryo models' that replicate the entire embryo, and 'non-integrated models' that replicate just one part of an embryo, requiring stricter oversight of the former. The updated guidelines will instead recommend that all research involving both types of embryo models should undergo 'appropriate ethical and scientific review.' The proposed update will also set out two red lines: The current guidance already prohibits the transfer of human embryo models into a human or animal uterus. The updated version will also advise scientists not use human embryo models to pursue ectogenesis: the development of an embryo outside the human body via the use of artificial wombs — essentially creating life from scratch. According to Clark, the stem cell-based embryo models she and other research teams work on should be considered distinct from research on actual human embryos, usually surplus IVF embryos donated to science. Such research is tightly regulated in many countries, and banned in others, including Germany, Austria and Italy. It makes sense, at least for now, to treat models and real embryos differently, said Emma Cave, a professor of healthcare law at Durham University in the UK who works on embryo models. She uses diamonds as an analogy: Natural diamonds and their commercially lab-grown equivalents are made from the same chemical components, but society assigns them different values. She cautioned there shouldn't be a rush to regulate embryo models too quickly in case it shuts down promising research. 'We are at an early stage in their development, where it could be that in 5, 10, 15, 20 years, that they could look very like a human embryo, or it might be they never get to that stage,' she said. As the scientific research unfolds, oversight of embryo models is taking different shapes in different jurisdictions. Australia has taken the strictest approach. It includes embryo models within the regulatory framework that governs the use of human embryos, requiring a special permit for research. The Netherlands in 2023 similarly proposed treating 'non-conventional embryos' the same as human embryos in the eyes of the law. The proposal is still under discussion, according to the Health Council of the Netherlands. Researchers in the United Kingdom released a voluntary code of conduct in 2024, and Japan has also issued new guidelines governing research in the field. In the United States, embryo models aren't covered by any specific legal framework, and research proposals are considered by individual institutions and funding bodies, Clark noted. The National Institutes of Health said in 2021 that it would consider applications for public funding of research into embryo models on a case-by-case basis and monitor developments to understand the capabilities of these models. Few other countries, however, appear poised to adopt specific legislation on embryo models, making the guidelines issued by the ISSCR a 'highly influential' reference for researchers around the world, according to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a London-based organization that advises on ethical issues in biomedicine. The council said in a November 2024 report that international guidelines were key to avoid 'research being carried out that does not meet high ethical and scientific standards; this in turn could impact on the national public perception of risk, leading to a more risk-averse approach that hinders responsible scientific development.' Clark said the ISSCR's updated voluntary guidelines would help scientific funding bodies around the world better evaluate applications and publishers of research understand whether work was performed in an ethically responsible way, particularly in places where the law or other guidelines don't take embryo models into account. The future challenge for regulators is to understand when and whether an embryo model would be functionally the same as a human embryo and therefore potentially afforded the same or similar protection as those surrounding human embryos, said Naomi Moris, group leader at The Francis Crick Institute's developmental models laboratory. The only definitive test would be to transfer the model into the uterus of a surrogate, a move that's forbidden by current bioethical standards. However, Moris is among a group of researchers that has proposed to two tipping points or 'Turing tests' — inspired by computer scientist Alan Turing's way of determining whether machines can think like humans — to evaluate when distinctions between a lab-gown model and a human embryo would disappear. 'These things are not embryos at the moment, they clearly don't have the same capacity as an embryo does. But how would we know ahead of time that we were approaching that?' Moris said. 'That was the logic behind it. What metrics would we use as a kind of proxy for the potential of an embryo model that might then suggest that it was at least approaching the same sorts of equivalency as an embryo.' The first test would measure whether the models can be consistently produced and faithfully develop over a given period as normal embryos would. The second test would assess when animal stem cell embryo models — particularly animals closest to humans such as monkeys — show the potential to form living and fertile animals when transferred into surrogate animal wombs, thus suggesting that the same outcome would in theory be possible for human embryo models. That hasn't happened yet, but Chinese researchers in 2023 created embryo models from the stem cells of macaque monkeys that when implanted in a surrogate monkey triggered signs of early pregnancy. Proponents of the technology say the models offer an equally, and possibly more, useful, ethical alternative to research on scarce and precious human embryos. The models have the potential to be produced at scale in a lab to screen drugs for embryo toxicology, a impactful application given that pregnant women have often been excluded from drug trials because of safety concerns. Yet, the potential for these models to be used in the creation of life has been cause for worry among bioethicists. 'There are commercial and other groups raising the possibility of building an embryo in vitro and combining different bioengineering approaches to bring such an entity to viability,' according to the June paper coauthored by Clark and other members of the ISSCR's embryo model working group. 'Currently the practice of bringing an SCBEM (stem cell-based embryo model) to viability is considered unsafe and unethical and should not be pursued,' the study noted. Cave said ectogenesis may sound like the realm of science fiction, but it isn't impossible. As embryo models continue to be developed, and separate research is advancing into artificial wombs, the two technologies could meet, Cave said. The challenge, she added, is recognizing the value of these research paths but at the same time preventing misuse. Jun Wu, an associate professor at the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Southwestern is one of a number of stem cell biologists involved in the field. He agreed that ectogenesis should be off the table but explained that researchers developing embryo models must engage in a delicate dance: To the unlock the mysteries of the human embryo, models have to resemble embryos closely enough to offer real insight but they must not resemble them so closely that they risk being viewed as viable. Magdalena Zernicka-Geotz, the Bren professor of biology and biological engineering at Caltech, said she welcomed the new guidelines. She announced in 2023 that her team had succeeded in a world first: growing embryo-like models to a stage resembling 14-day-old embryos. Later the same year, Jacob Hanna, a professor of stem cell biology and embryology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, said his team had gone a step further with a model derived from skin cells that showed all the cell types that are essential for an embryo's development — including the precursor of the placenta. Together the work represented a breakthrough for the models' potential use in research on pregnancy loss: At 14 days the human embryo has begun to attach to the lining of the uterus, a process known as implantation. Many miscarriages occur around this stage, Zernicka-Geotz said. Lab research on human embryos beyond 14 days, including those donated from IVF treatments, is prohibited in most jurisdictions. And while some scientists do study tissue obtained from abortions, such tissue is limited because few procedures take place between week 2 and week 4 of an embryo's development. The ability to grow an embryo model outside of a womb at this developmental stage paves the way for studies that are not possible in living human embryos. 'Far more pregnancies fail than succeed during the critical window just before, during and immediately after implantation. This is why we created in my lab the embryo-like structures from stem cells as a way to really understand this critical and so highly fragile stage of development,' Zernicka-Goetz said. Clark agreed that embryo models could potentially be used to address infertility problems: 'Implantation. It's the big black box. Once the embryo implants in the uterus, we understand very little about the development,' Clark added. 'And if we can't study it, we don't know what we're missing.'
CNN
17 hours ago
- Health
- CNN
Could stem cells be used to create life without sperm or egg? Not yet, but here's why scientists are concerned
Scientists are exploring ways to mimic the origins of human life without two fundamental components: sperm and egg. They are coaxing clusters of stem cells – programmable cells that can transform into many different specialized cell types – to form laboratory-grown structures that resemble human embryos. These embryo models are far from perfect replicas. But as labs compete to grow the best likeness, the structures are becoming increasingly complex, looking and behaving in some way as embryos would. The structures could further the study of human development and the causes infertility. However, the dizzying pace of the research, which started little more than a decade ago, is posing ethical, legal and regulatory challenges for the field of developmental biology. 'We could have never anticipated the science would have just progressed like this. It's incredible, it's been transformative how quickly the field has moved, said Amander Clark, a professor of molecular cell and developmental biology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the founding director of the UCLA Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education. 'However, as these models advance, it is crucial that they are studied in a framework that balances scientific progress with ethical, legal and social considerations.' Clark is co-chair of the International Society of Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Embryo Models Working Group, which is now trying to update such a framework on a global scale. At issue is the question of how far researchers could go with these stem cells, given time and the right conditions. Could scientists eventually replicate an actual embryo that has a heartbeat and experiences pain, or one that could grow into a fully developed human model? As current research stands, no model mimics the development of a human embryo in its entirety — nor is any model suspected of having the potential to form a fetus, the next stage in human development equivalent to week 8 or day 56 in a human pregnancy. Creating embryo models has also been a hit-and-miss process for most research groups, with only a small percentage of stem cells going on to self-organize into embryo-like structures. However, the models do exhibit several internal features and cell types that an embryo needs to develop, such as the amnion, yolk sac and primitive streak, and that could, 'with future improvements, eventually progress toward later embryo structures including heart, brain, and other organ rudiments,' according to a June paper coauthored by Clark and published in the journal Stem Cell Reports. Similar models made with mouse cells have reached the point where the brain begins to develop and a heart forms. Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna tells Fareed about her path to becoming a leading scientist and explains how her discovery of CRISPR can help cure diseases and improve crops. Critically, the goal isn't to develop these models into viable fetuses, ultimately capable of human sentience, but to develop a useful research tool that unlocks the mysteries of how a human cell divides and reproduces to become a human body. The models also make way for experiments that can't be performed on donated embryos in a lab. However, it's possible as research advances that the distinction between a lab-grown model and a living human embryo could become blurred. And because the models lie at the intersection of historically controversial fields — stem cell biology and embryology — the work merits closer oversight than other forms of scientific research, Clark said. Clark and the ISSCR's Embryo Models Working Group in June recommended enhanced oversight of research involving the models. The society's guidelines, which first included guidance on embryo models in 2021, are being revised to incorporate the recommendations of the group and will be released in a few weeks. The current ISSCR guidelines make a distinction between 'integrated embryo models' that replicate the entire embryo, and 'non-integrated models' that replicate just one part of an embryo, requiring stricter oversight of the former. The updated guidelines will instead recommend that all research involving both types of embryo models should undergo 'appropriate ethical and scientific review.' The proposed update will also set out two red lines: The current guidance already prohibits the transfer of human embryo models into a human or animal uterus. The updated version will also advise scientists not use human embryo models to pursue ectogenesis: the development of an embryo outside the human body via the use of artificial wombs — essentially creating life from scratch. According to Clark, the stem cell-based embryo models she and other research teams work on should be considered distinct from research on actual human embryos, usually surplus IVF embryos donated to science. Such research is tightly regulated in many countries, and banned in others, including Germany, Austria and Italy. It makes sense, at least for now, to treat models and real embryos differently, said Emma Cave, a professor of healthcare law at Durham University in the UK who works on embryo models. She uses diamonds as an analogy: Natural diamonds and their commercially lab-grown equivalents are made from the same chemical components, but society assigns them different values. She cautioned there shouldn't be a rush to regulate embryo models too quickly in case it shuts down promising research. 'We are at an early stage in their development, where it could be that in 5, 10, 15, 20 years, that they could look very like a human embryo, or it might be they never get to that stage,' she said. As the scientific research unfolds, oversight of embryo models is taking different shapes in different jurisdictions. Australia has taken the strictest approach. It includes embryo models within the regulatory framework that governs the use of human embryos, requiring a special permit for research. The Netherlands in 2023 similarly proposed treating 'non-conventional embryos' the same as human embryos in the eyes of the law. The proposal is still under discussion, according to the Health Council of the Netherlands. Researchers in the United Kingdom released a voluntary code of conduct in 2024, and Japan has also issued new guidelines governing research in the field. In the United States, embryo models aren't covered by any specific legal framework, and research proposals are considered by individual institutions and funding bodies, Clark noted. The National Institutes of Health said in 2021 that it would consider applications for public funding of research into embryo models on a case-by-case basis and monitor developments to understand the capabilities of these models. Few other countries, however, appear poised to adopt specific legislation on embryo models, making the guidelines issued by the ISSCR a 'highly influential' reference for researchers around the world, according to the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, a London-based organization that advises on ethical issues in biomedicine. The council said in a November 2024 report that international guidelines were key to avoid 'research being carried out that does not meet high ethical and scientific standards; this in turn could impact on the national public perception of risk, leading to a more risk-averse approach that hinders responsible scientific development.' Clark said the ISSCR's updated voluntary guidelines would help scientific funding bodies around the world better evaluate applications and publishers of research understand whether work was performed in an ethically responsible way, particularly in places where the law or other guidelines don't take embryo models into account. The future challenge for regulators is to understand when and whether an embryo model would be functionally the same as a human embryo and therefore potentially afforded the same or similar protection as those surrounding human embryos, said Naomi Moris, group leader at The Francis Crick Institute's developmental models laboratory. The only definitive test would be to transfer the model into the uterus of a surrogate, a move that's forbidden by current bioethical standards. However, Moris is among a group of researchers that has proposed to two tipping points or 'Turing tests' — inspired by computer scientist Alan Turing's way of determining whether machines can think like humans — to evaluate when distinctions between a lab-gown model and a human embryo would disappear. 'These things are not embryos at the moment, they clearly don't have the same capacity as an embryo does. But how would we know ahead of time that we were approaching that?' Moris said. 'That was the logic behind it. What metrics would we use as a kind of proxy for the potential of an embryo model that might then suggest that it was at least approaching the same sorts of equivalency as an embryo.' The first test would measure whether the models can be consistently produced and faithfully develop over a given period as normal embryos would. The second test would assess when animal stem cell embryo models — particularly animals closest to humans such as monkeys — show the potential to form living and fertile animals when transferred into surrogate animal wombs, thus suggesting that the same outcome would in theory be possible for human embryo models. That hasn't happened yet, but Chinese researchers in 2023 created embryo models from the stem cells of macaque monkeys that when implanted in a surrogate monkey triggered signs of early pregnancy. Proponents of the technology say the models offer an equally, and possibly more, useful, ethical alternative to research on scarce and precious human embryos. The models have the potential to be produced at scale in a lab to screen drugs for embryo toxicology, a impactful application given that pregnant women have often been excluded from drug trials because of safety concerns. Yet, the potential for these models to be used in the creation of life has been cause for worry among bioethicists. 'There are commercial and other groups raising the possibility of building an embryo in vitro and combining different bioengineering approaches to bring such an entity to viability,' according to the June paper coauthored by Clark and other members of the ISSCR's embryo model working group. 'Currently the practice of bringing an SCBEM (stem cell-based embryo model) to viability is considered unsafe and unethical and should not be pursued,' the study noted. Cave said ectogenesis may sound like the realm of science fiction, but it isn't impossible. As embryo models continue to be developed, and separate research is advancing into artificial wombs, the two technologies could meet, Cave said. The challenge, she added, is recognizing the value of these research paths but at the same time preventing misuse. Jun Wu, an associate professor at the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Texas Southwestern is one of a number of stem cell biologists involved in the field. He agreed that ectogenesis should be off the table but explained that researchers developing embryo models must engage in a delicate dance: To the unlock the mysteries of the human embryo, models have to resemble embryos closely enough to offer real insight but they must not resemble them so closely that they risk being viewed as viable. Magdalena Zernicka-Geotz, the Bren professor of biology and biological engineering at Caltech, said she welcomed the new guidelines. She announced in 2023 that her team had succeeded in a world first: growing embryo-like models to a stage resembling 14-day-old embryos. Later the same year, Jacob Hanna, a professor of stem cell biology and embryology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, said his team had gone a step further with a model derived from skin cells that showed all the cell types that are essential for an embryo's development — including the precursor of the placenta. Together the work represented a breakthrough for the models' potential use in research on pregnancy loss: At 14 days the human embryo has begun to attach to the lining of the uterus, a process known as implantation. Many miscarriages occur around this stage, Zernicka-Geotz said. Lab research on human embryos beyond 14 days, including those donated from IVF treatments, is prohibited in most jurisdictions. And while some scientists do study tissue obtained from abortions, such tissue is limited because few procedures take place between week 2 and week 4 of an embryo's development. The ability to grow an embryo model outside of a womb at this developmental stage paves the way for studies that are not possible in living human embryos. 'Far more pregnancies fail than succeed during the critical window just before, during and immediately after implantation. This is why we created in my lab the embryo-like structures from stem cells as a way to really understand this critical and so highly fragile stage of development,' Zernicka-Goetz said. Clark agreed that embryo models could potentially be used to address infertility problems: 'Implantation. It's the big black box. Once the embryo implants in the uterus, we understand very little about the development,' Clark added. 'And if we can't study it, we don't know what we're missing.'
Sustainability Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Sustainability Times
Scientists Say 'We're Part Virus' as Ancient DNA Discovery Sheds Shocking Light on What Makes Us Truly Human
IN A NUTSHELL 🧬 Researchers from McGill University and Kyoto University have discovered ancient viral DNA in the human genome that may regulate gene activity. in the human genome that may regulate gene activity. 🔍 The study highlights a newly identified subgroup, MER11_G4 , that is particularly active in human stem cells and found only in humans and chimpanzees. , that is particularly active in human stem cells and found only in humans and chimpanzees. 🛠️ Modern computational techniques have enabled scientists to revisit and refine outdated genome annotations , revealing new evolutionary insights. , revealing new evolutionary insights. 💡 These findings suggest that viral DNA elements could play crucial roles in gene expression and potentially influence human health and disease. In the intricate tapestry of human DNA, there exist ancient viral sequences once thought to be mere remnants of past infections. However, recent research from McGill University and Kyoto University suggests these viral strands might be more than just genetic clutter. These sequences could be instrumental in regulating genes, offering new insights into what makes us human. By tracing the evolutionary history of these viral codes, scientists are unveiling their potential roles in gene regulation, especially in human stem cells. This groundbreaking discovery challenges long-standing assumptions and opens up new avenues for genetic research. Viruses That Engineered Us In an eye-opening study, researchers found that roughly eight percent of our genome comprises viral DNA, remnants from ancient viral infections. Historically dismissed as genetic debris, these sequences are now believed to have been co-opted by evolution to perform critical biological functions. The study highlights a specific viral DNA family, MER11, and unveils a new subgroup known as MER11_G4. This subgroup is uniquely active in human stem cells and appears exclusively in humans and chimpanzees. As Professor Guillaume Bourque from McGill University points out, understanding which parts of our genome are viral in origin brings us closer to comprehending human uniqueness, health, and disease. The discovery of MER11_G4 is particularly intriguing due to its potential regulatory roles. Researchers suggest that this group contains a unique DNA motif, possibly linked to gene regulation. The initial human genome sequencing, conducted 25 years ago, noted viral DNA presence but lacked the tools to explore its significance. Today, with advanced computational techniques, scientists are revisiting these annotations, finding that many were outdated or incomplete. This new perspective is reshaping our understanding of the genome's viral components and their impact on human biology. 'They're Hiding Something Under the Ice': Scientists Clash After Bizarre Radio Signals Emerge from Deep Beneath Antarctica The Code Still Works The evolutionary perspective adopted by the researchers has allowed them to identify cryptic subfamilies of endogenous retroviruses within the MER11 group. Prior to this study, only three subtypes of MER11 were recognized. The identification of a fourth subtype, MER11_G4, highlights its regulatory potential. Notably active in human stem cells, MER11_G4 may influence developmental processes by modulating gene activity. This suggests that these viral elements are not just evolutionary leftovers but integral parts of the gene expression system. Understanding these viral elements could have significant implications for identifying genetic disorders and explaining why certain gene mutations become harmful. The findings, published in Science Advances, emphasize the need to reconsider the role of viral DNA in our genome. By exploring these evolutionary relics, researchers can gain insights into how they continue to influence human biology, potentially affecting cell development, stress responses, and even diseases like cancer. 'Humanity's Red Dawn Is Here': Scientists Claim Terraforming Mars Is Now Possible, Unveiling Astonishing Plans for This Bold New Frontier Revisiting Viral DNA Annotations The current annotation of viral DNA in the human genome is far from definitive. As scientists like Guillaume Bourque suggest, it is time to refine and revisit these annotations. The previous limitations in understanding viral DNA's significance stemmed from a lack of technological tools. However, with modern computational methods, researchers are now able to analyze these sequences in greater detail, revealing evolutionary patterns that were previously overlooked. This new approach does more than just compare sequences; it groups them based on their evolutionary trajectories. By doing so, researchers have uncovered patterns missed by traditional techniques, painting a more dynamic picture of viral DNA's role in gene regulation. The realization that these sequences could be crucial in controlling gene expression is reshaping our understanding of genetic regulation and its implications for human health and disease. 'This Isn't Science, It's an Arms Race': Furious Backlash Erupts Over Invictus Program's Hypersonic Mach 5 Spaceplane by 2031 The Implications for Human Health The potential regulatory roles of viral DNA elements like MER11_G4 could have profound implications for understanding human health. By tracing the origins of these sequences, researchers hope to uncover the genetic roots of certain disorders. This could lead to new diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies, particularly for diseases linked to gene regulation failures. The study's findings also raise intriguing questions about the role of viral DNA in evolutionary processes. Could these ancient sequences have contributed to human adaptability and resilience? As researchers continue to investigate these viral elements, they are likely to uncover new layers of complexity in the genome, further enriching our understanding of what makes us uniquely human. The research into ancient viral DNA and its regulatory roles is transforming our understanding of the human genome. These findings challenge long-held beliefs and highlight the intricate interplay between viral sequences and gene regulation. As we delve deeper into the mysteries of our DNA, one question remains: How will these insights shape the future of genetic research and medicine? This article is based on verified sources and supported by editorial technologies. Did you like it? 4.5/5 (29)
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Edmonton blood bank continues to pose contamination risks, Health Canada cautions
Social Sharing More than two years after Health Canada warned that blood specimens stored at a private clinic in Edmonton could pose serious health risks, officials say the business has failed to address any sanitation concerns. The Canadian Cord Blood bioRepository promises parents the chance to safeguard the stem cells contained in their baby's umbilical cord, as a form of safekeeping for future medical treatments. But the operation, in a northwest Edmonton industrial plaza, has been mired in safety issues. A public advisory, issued by Health Canada in November 2023, cautioned customers that the facility was unsafe. In a statement to CBC News, Health Canada said the warning still stands. The clinic remains prohibited by law from collecting, processing, testing, or storing new cord blood and from accepting new patients. The company has not responded to requests for comment. Financial frustration CBC News has heard from multiple clients of the clinic who say they are caught in financial limbo, forced to pay ongoing storage fees for stem cells that may be contaminated or dangerously degraded. Calgary couple Carly and Ben Seligman said they preserved their children's umbilical cord blood at the facility, but said they no longer trust the specimens are safe or viable. "It's quite frustrating from a financial perspective," Carly Seligman said. "And it's very disappointing too in terms of the medical doors we were hoping to open in the event they were ever needed." Stem cells from umbilical cord blood, collected at birth, can be used to treat a variety of medical issues, including blood and immune disorders, and are preserved through cryopreservation. The Seligmans continue to receive storage invoices for the cord blood of their two children, now aged 10 and 13, but have stopped paying. The facility charges around $900 in processing for each specimen, and roughly $120 per year after that in annual fees. "We just have to hope that there's not going to be any need in the future for these stem cells, for either of our children, because if there is a need, we feel like we've got to write them off," Ben Seligman said. "In many respects, that feels pretty awful." According to Health Canada, the issues date back to 2014 and have left every sample in the clinic at risk of contamination and the transmission of infectious diseases. In a statement to CBC News, Health Canada says the repository has failed to provide any evidence that the issues have been addressed. Clients should not use blood from the clinic unless it has been tested by a qualified third party, officials warned. Failed inspection Issues uncovered during the inspection in March 2023 include processing, testing, and storing cord blood in an unclean environment, with inadequate measures to monitor temperature and humidity. Health Canada also found issues related to a lack of qualified personnel, uncalibrated equipment, poor record-keeping and misleading advertising. Officials said the public warning was issued due to concerns that the clinic had failed to inform its customers of the failed inspection. When investigators first stepped in, cord blood from about 800 clients was stored on site. Health Canada officials said the clinic has confirmed that it is no longer accepting new customers. The agency said it has no plans for further enforcement unless additional complaints come to light. The Seligmans said they are concerned about a lack of transparency from the company and follow-up enforcement. Carly Seligman said Health Canada should conduct additional inspections and do more to inform the public of the ongoing risk. "We would feel better if we knew that other potentially-affected people were all fully aware of the situation so they could just make informed decisions." 'A cautionary tale' Timothy Caulfield, a health law expert at the University of Alberta, said the case demonstrates the need for stronger regulation of the industry. Caufield, who has researched private cord blood clinics across Canada, said the case illustrates some of the common problems within the industry — overhyped marketing and misrepresentation about products that seem scientifically promising. Private cord blood clinics often make overstated claims about the potential benefits of cord blood, preying on the medical fears of expectant parents, he said. "These entities are exploiting the excitement around stem cells to create a product that seems like it's essential. When the reality is, the science is far from there," he said. "The chance that you're actually going to need these samples is very, very small." Caufield called for more robust regulation and enforcement. He said Health Canada has limited resources to conduct proactive inspections but must do more to combat health misinformation and regulate private medical industries, Caufield said. "This story really has emerged as a cautionary tale about the nature of this industry," he said. "It really exploits parents at a very vulnerable time."
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Restore hair growth in just six WEEKS with the protein treatment that completely revives your strands: 'I'm so pleased'
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Losing hair can feel like… well, a losing battle. Strands clog the drain, fill up your hairbrush, and appear practically everywhere you turn. It's frustrating, but it doesn't have to be a permanent situation thanks to the Calecim Professional Advanced Hair System. This six-week program is powered by stem cells and formulated to give your follicles a boost to support healthy regrowth — and it's so effective that one user noted 'LOTS of hair is growing back.' Calecim Professional Advanced Hair System Transform your look with this nourishing system formulated with cytokines, exosomes, and growth factors to support a healthier environment for new hair growth. Over six weeks, the treatment reinvigorates your follicles, signaling them to regenerate hair while promoting collagen formation to leave your scalp healthier. Buy here Shop The system is designed to spur new growth no matter what the cause of your hair loss, as it delivers the signal to your cells to begin regeneration Thin strands can develop for so many reasons, from stress and hormones to illness and aging. No matter what the reason you're experiencing it, this system can help. It's formulated to spur new growth and leave your hair thicker and fuller over the course of six weeks. The stem cell formula essentially reactivates your follicles, signaling to them that it's time to begin regenerating new strands. The difference between this and other treatments is that it truly gets to the 'root' of the problem. At its heart is PTT-6®, a stem cell-derived ingredient consisting of 3,000 proteins. Among those are cytokines, exosomes, and growth factors, all carefully formulated to communicate to your cells. This function is the Calecim difference — and it's what sets the product apart from any other hair loss treatment on the market. PTT-6 is noteworthy because it naturally revitalizes the dormant or quickly weakening follicles. Used regularly, people with hair loss have seen a dramatic improvement in both the look and feel of their hair. In fact, participants in a six-week trial experienced an impressive 24 percent increase in follicle cell growth, along with a reduction of 30x in inflammation. That latter factor is crucial, as it's often considered a key reason hair loss occurs in the first place. Using Calecim also resulted in other turnarounds, including a 14 percent boost in individual scalp hairs and a 16 percent boost in the thickness of the hair shaft. And it accomplished all of this without causing any side effects. The cocktail of proteins, growth factors, and exosomes works efficiently yet gently, stimulating growth and providing a healed environment for new hairs to form. The growth factors can have a wider anti-aging effect on the scalp, too, making this an especially important part of your journey back to thicker, fuller hair. It's known to support collagen synthesis, which can leave the skin more resilient and firm. Using the system is easy and almost like adding a rejuvenating spa treatment to your at-home routine. Simply apply half an ampoule twice a week (totaling one ampoule weekly) using the included derma stamper. The stamper is vital to the process — think of it as microneedling for your scalp. It creates the tiniest openings to stimulate blood flow and support new collagen. After six weeks, you can maintain your results using Calecim once weekly. Using half an ampoule each time, a single box will last for about three months. Users are thrilled with their results. 'Very noticeable hair growth and new hair shoots,' raved one satisfied customer. 'I'm so pleased.' Another said, 'The corners of my hairline have filled in nicely, along with thickening hair growth at the top of my scalp.' 'It has completely restored my hair with the first box!' exclaimed a third. 'You can no longer see through to my scalp and my hair looks a lot more even overall.' Why wait to give your strands — and confidence — a boost? The Calecim Professional Advanced Hair System is the breakthrough that will leave you with fuller hair by fall!
