5 Immunogenicity is also a longstanding problem with embryonic stem cells and has even been noted as a problem for embryonic stem cells isolated from cloned embryos. 4 In animal models, embryonic stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes have shown evidence of causing arrhythmia. Differentiation into physiologically relevant cell types that can integrate into damaged tissues and function normally has been difficult to achieve for example, reports show difficulty achieving mature erythrocytes containing β-globin, 3 as well as mature neuronal and hepatic cells. Indeed, even the founder of the field of human embryonic stem cell research, Dr James Thomson, has said that “If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough.” 2īeyond the significant ethical tensions around embryonic stem cells, there are a number of pragmatic concerns and problems that make them ill-suited for clinical use. A significant proportion of Americans, because of religious or personal conviction, attach moral worth to nascent human life and reject its destruction. Certainly part of the controversy relates to their derivation, which involves the destruction of human embryos. In contrast, embryonic stem cells have received a great deal of attention despite their highly controversial nature and potential for clinical use. Yet, these most valuable of stem cells for the patient, despite evidence of success in the clinic, have been relatively unrecognized for their true value in medicine. 1 And because adult stem cells are noncontroversial, they are distinctly advantaged as acceptable to all patients. By the end of 2012, over 1 million people around the globe had already received adult stem cell transplants for hematopoietic conditions alone, and adult stem cell clinical use is increasing rapidly. Adult stem cells are the only stem cell type that has shown evidence of success when it comes to patients, and treating patients is supposedly the ultimate goal for stem cell research, certainly the justification for the huge sums of money poured into the field. Although in the past their regenerative/reparative capacity was ignored, misunderstood, or even maligned, a rapidly growing host of clinical applications are being developed, and the clinical utility of adult stem cells is increasingly validated in the literature.Īdult stem cells are the true gold standard in regenerative medicine. Customer Service and Ordering InformationĪdult stem cells are the successful standard for stem cells.Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology.Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA).Circ: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes.Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (ATVB).