GUWAHATI: Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences (SSUHS), Assam organized a virtual lecture on 'Stem Cell – The novel therapy on the horizon'. The in-charge of Stem Cell Facility with AIIMS- New Delhi, Professor (Dr.) SujataMohanty, was the speaker on the occasion.
SSUHS Vice Chancellor Professor (Dr.) DipikaDeka highlighted the role played by Umbilical Stem Cell, amiotic fluid and Mesenchymal Stem Cells and their potential in medical research, stated a release. "Embryonic Stem Cells research has ethical issues. But it has been found that placenta, which is discarded after delivery, is a very rich source of Hematopoietic Stem Cells," Professor (Dr.) SujataMohanty said.
Referring to planarian, crayfish, and embryos as examples of regeneration in nature are, she dwelt upon the 'inverse relationship between the complexity of the organism and regeneration'. Houseflies and lizards can regenerate their limbs unlike humans, who might have had to undergo amputation, she added.
Inspired by mythology, she cited examples of Prometheus, who didn't die though a vulture preyed at his liver each day after being chained to a hilltop as punishment by Jupiter for stealing fire from the Gods for the human race, and Kaurava brothers, who were nothing more than clones of one single stem cell, as the earliest cases of stem cells.
"The journey of a human being, right from an egg to an adult, depends on the Embryonic and Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Stem cells help to replenish the cells as the body ages and the cells are lost, and also to reconstruct the body parts. The skin, intestine and liver are the powerhouse/ storehouse of Stem Cells; bone marrow and skeletal muscles fare next; while the heart, the brain and the cartilages between the bone joints stand at the lowest point," she stated.