Scientists have developed a stem cell treatment for people with a rare premature ageing disease called hypopituitarism. Hypopituitarism occurs when a person’s pituitary gland fails to produce certain hormones or produces insufficient levels of those hormones.
The pituitary gland is a very small organ located at the base of the brain. Despite its small size, it plays a very important role, secreting hormones that are important for the body. The most important role of these hormones is to regulate growth and metabolism.
When a person has hypopituitarism, the deficiency in those hormones can disrupt a person’s growth, reproductive system, blood pressure, and cause premature ageing. Most people with this condition require medications for the rest of their lives, to replace the hormones that are missing and treat side effects.
The scientists used stem cells to create functioning pituitary cells in a laboratory, which were successfully transplanted into rats. The cells rebuilt the pituitary gland and allowed it to produce the correct hormone levels that the body needs. Given the success of the trial, researchers believe that a stem cell treatment for hypopituitarism is possible.
The animals had their pituitary glands surgically removed before receiving the stem cell treatment. The tissue created by the stem cell treatment engrafted in the bodies of the rats, and quickly began to produce hormones.
The pituitary gland is also responsible for producing adrenaline and a follicle-stimulating hormone which helps to control the menstrual cycle in women. Without sufficient levels of this hormone, women usually become infertile.
Lead researcher Dr. Zimmer explains the potential benefits of this new stem cell treatment, saying: “Cell replacement could offer a more permanent therapeutic option with pluripotent stem cell-derived hormone-producing cells that functionally integrate and respond to positive and negative feedback from the body. Achieving such a long-term goal may lead to a potential cure, not only a treatment, for those patients.”
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