Saulomo Posted February 24, 2011 Report Posted February 24, 2011 Due to the hayflick limit, after 40 to 60 divisions, the telomeres would be so short that they won't be able to divide anymore, and as far as I have understood, this is one of the main reasons why humans age, and ultimately, die. (Please correct me if I'm wrong about this.) If we were to use safely keep the embryonic stem cells from the umbilical cord, and invent some kind of surgery that would allow you to replace a lot of your cells with stem cells, which would create new, young cells aroung you with normal length of the telomeres, wouldn't this, in theory, extend human life? Quote
joekgamer Posted February 24, 2011 Report Posted February 24, 2011 No. They cells would have to be grown in a laboratory into the correct shape first. The cells wouldn't become regular cells without instructions from the brain that it wouldn't send. Also, stem cells do not come from the umbillical cord. Quote
Saulomo Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Posted February 24, 2011 There is stem cells in the blood from the umbilical cord. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_blood) The stem cells divide on "orders" from the brain? I always thought they divided according to their surroundings in order to replace old and damaged cells. Quote
joekgamer Posted February 24, 2011 Report Posted February 24, 2011 Nope. They have to recieve a chemical 'signal' in order to start forming. That is why we are able to effectivly 'clone' stem cells by growing them without the signals, preventing them from specializing. Embrionic stem cells come from embreos. The ones that come from the umbilical cord are called something else (I don't remeber what). Quote
Saulomo Posted February 24, 2011 Author Report Posted February 24, 2011 Thanks for elaborating that for me. Basically, in order to use stem cells to their full extent, we need to be able to simulate the "signals" that specializes them, before using them on humans in order to reverse the aging process? Sorry, my mistake on the embryonic stem cells and the "cord"-stem cells or whatever they're called. Quote
joekgamer Posted February 24, 2011 Report Posted February 24, 2011 In order to simulate those signals, you'd have to send signals to the new organ constantly, requiring implants and the like. It would be far more efficent to grow the organs in the lab. Quote
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