In various past studies performed by some scientists at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine(WFIRM) have shown that stem cells derived from human urine has robust potential in the field of regenerative medicine. Now in a recent study, they have focused on how the telomerase activity of urine-derived stem cells affects the regenerative capability of both stem cell and other cells. Telomerase-positive stemcells that are derived from human urine have a lot of benefits and it might be a better alternative for tissue repair.
Telomerase is an enzyme present in cells. It is responsible for maintaining the length of telomeres(end of Chromosomes) by adding DNA. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres loses DNA and becomes shorter. So the enzyme Telomerase in a way keeps the cell alive. Telomerase activity also appears to play a role in longevity.
In stem cell therapy, using one’s own stem cells is better compared to stem cells from other sources. There is no risk of rejection or immune response in this case. Generally, stem cells from bone marrow or fat tissues are used in stem cell therapy. But for that, a surgical procedure is required for extraction. In the future, if we start using stem cells from urine, it will be much better than collecting cells from bone marrow.
Their findings show that telomerase-positive human urine-derived stem cells can become a wide variety of other cell types and be used as an optimal source for stem cell therapy or tissue regeneration.
Here is a link to the study. Check it out.