In a major stride forward in the area of stem cell
production, the Irish Independent reports that a new facility, attached to
University College Galway, has been licensed for the production of adult stem
cells.
It is good to see that this initiative is based on the culture
of adult stem cells for the production of therapies bearing in mind that the
use of adult stem cells is
perfectly ethical, as compared to the unethical and controversial research using
embryonic stem cells that involves destruction of existing human embryos.
The Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland (CCMI) was granted
the license to operate by the Irish Medicines Board, and will now proceed with stem
cell research at the university.
This is the first facility to be licensed in Ireland for the
purpose of manufacturing adult stem cells.
According to the Independent report
The groundbreaking facility will enable some patients with
arthritis and diabetes to access clinical trials of stem cell therapies.
The Irish Medicines Board has granted the license to the new
Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland at NUIG.
The centre aims to culture adult stem cells to tackle
conditions like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes and other conditions.
The centre is one of less than half a dozen across Europe in
academic centres.
Stem cells are human cells that can develop into many types
of tissue, and they serve as the body’s repair mechanism.
The Galway facility will take small samples of bone marrow
from adult donors and these will then be cultured to make billions of stem cells.
The cells will then be injected back into the donor.
The first trial in Ireland will investigate how they help
diabetes patients who are suffering reduced blood flow to lower limbs.
