Researchers tapping the fountain of youth

There's nothing like an attention grabbing headline to get reader's attention. However, as with most attention grabbing headlines the facts that lie behind it possibly aren't so substantial.

This story relates to a Thai biotech firm 'Macro Food Tech Co.' that has been working on research that aims to rejuvenate old cells while improving immune functions by developing functional food that can be used to encourage stem cells in the human body.

The basic idea is to find a way in which to grow adult stem cells and this requires a new functional food to deal directly with stem cells. The company has used its brainchild polysaccharidepeptides (PSP) -created from different types of cereal grains that are now used to improve body functionality and health - in research to proliferate the stem cells.

The research covers the creation of supplements for patients to consume to generally stimulate the growth of stem cells in organs all over the body as well as the development of special nutrition to feed stem cells derived from blood and bone marrow in the laboratory.

In the development of supplements, scientists in the initial step tested the supplement themselves for about two weeks. Before the trial, their blood was tested to determine the number of stem cells to be compared with the number after the body has been fed with the new supplement. It was found that the number of stem cells in the scientists' blood increased by a factor of twelve.

On the face of it, this may sound like good news. However, by releasing all manner of stem cells into the bloodstream these researchers are putting themselves at risk. As anyone who has taken an interest in th fieldof stem cell research will know, certain types of stem cells are responsible for the growth of tumours and cancers. Releasing large numbers of these these into the bloodstream, with no control over where they circlulate is something that shouldn't be undertaken lightly.

Time will tell if this research is on the right track or not. Click here for the full story from Thailand's 'Nation' newspaper.