- #1
Rongeet Banerjee
- 45
- 6
How exactly do Stem Cells help in Drug trials ?Or do they really
How do Stem Cells help in Drug trials?
Click For Summary
Discussion Overview
The discussion revolves around the role of stem cells in drug trials, exploring their potential benefits and applications in drug testing. Participants inquire about how stem cells may contribute to the drug development process, particularly in terms of toxicity screening and species specificity.
Discussion Character
- Exploratory
- Technical explanation
- Debate/contested
Main Points Raised
- Some participants question the effectiveness and utility of stem cells in drug trials, expressing uncertainty about their actual benefits.
- One participant suggests that stem cells could be used in vitro for drug testing, emphasizing the importance of species specificity and the need for proper receptors in the stem cells used.
- Another participant highlights the potential of pluripotent stem cells to improve drug development by allowing for earlier toxicity screening, which could reduce costs and time associated with drug trials.
- There is mention of the possibility of creating specific tissues from stem cells to test drug toxicity, particularly focusing on common side effects related to the liver, kidney, and heart.
- Some participants share resources and links to further information on the topic, indicating a desire for more comprehensive understanding.
Areas of Agreement / Disagreement
Participants express a range of views on the utility of stem cells in drug trials, with no clear consensus on their effectiveness or appropriateness for all types of drug testing. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the overall impact of stem cells in this context.
Contextual Notes
Participants reference specific conditions under which stem cells may or may not be suitable for drug testing, indicating that the discussion is dependent on various assumptions about stem cell capabilities and the nature of drug interactions.
- #2
- 19,378
- 15,614
What research have you done on this? What have you found out?Rongeet Banerjee said:
- #3
Rongeet Banerjee
- 45
- 6
Actually I am an Undergraduate Medical student in my 1st yr.I found the following page in my Embryology Textbook . But
couldn't understand the last line.
- #4
- 19,378
- 15,614
So you decided to post it sideways to make it easy for us to read?Rongeet Banerjee said:
- #5
berkeman
Admin
- 69,411
- 24,808
Rongeet Banerjee said:
Fixed it up some...phinds said:
- #6
BillTre
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 2,752
- 12,020
Guessing that stem cells are used in vitro for testing of drugs.
The stem cells would have the testing species specificity of the species from which they were derived.
So, mouse stem cells; good for testing drugs that might be used on mice.
The cells would have to have the proper receptors (or whatever is appropriate for testing).
Alternatively, the stem cells might be used to situations where they could be dependably differentiated into particular non-stem cells, which would have the right receptors or physiology for the drug test.
There could well be cases where stem cells would not be appropriate for testing particular drugs, for example not having the physiology typical of some body part.
The stem cells would have the testing species specificity of the species from which they were derived.
So, mouse stem cells; good for testing drugs that might be used on mice.
The cells would have to have the proper receptors (or whatever is appropriate for testing).
Alternatively, the stem cells might be used to situations where they could be dependably differentiated into particular non-stem cells, which would have the right receptors or physiology for the drug test.
There could well be cases where stem cells would not be appropriate for testing particular drugs, for example not having the physiology typical of some body part.
- #7
TeethWhitener
Science Advisor
Gold Member
- 2,630
- 2,244
- #8
DaveE
Science Advisor
Gold Member
2025 Award
- 4,508
- 4,194
Here's something you can try some day:
I typed into the google search bar "How do Stem Cells help in Drug trials?"
Then I got lots of links to good answers.
For example, The first page of the first link had this:
"How can pluripotent stem cells speed drug development?
Stem cells are expected to dramatically improve the ability of drug companies to screen new drugs for side effects much earlier in the development process— significantly lowering costs and shortening the time it takes to develop a new drug. Right now, all drugs go through extensive animal trials before they are ever given to people. This can take years and cost millions of dollars. And even if the drugs appear perfectly safe in animals—there is no guarantee that the same will be true for humans
The ideal solution to the problem of drug side effects would be to test the drugs on human cells before the drugs enter human clinical trials. The most common drug side effects are on the liver, kidney and heart. For that reason, those are the tissues people are trying to create from pluripotent stem cells to use for screening drug toxicity.
With toxicity screening, drug companies would have banks of stem cells from a wide variety of genetic backgrounds. They could then test how heart, liver, or kidney cells created from those stem cells react to a drug—thus weeding out those drug candidates that lead to toxicity in human cells.
This work also could reveal groups of people with similar genetic backgrounds that collectively do or don’t respond well to a given drug. This type of personalized medicine would allow drug companies to develop drugs that are safe and effective in targeted groups of people."
(https://www.cirm.ca.gov/patients/ac...ng, drug companies,to toxicity in human cells.)
I typed into the google search bar "How do Stem Cells help in Drug trials?"
Then I got lots of links to good answers.
For example, The first page of the first link had this:
"How can pluripotent stem cells speed drug development?
Stem cells are expected to dramatically improve the ability of drug companies to screen new drugs for side effects much earlier in the development process— significantly lowering costs and shortening the time it takes to develop a new drug. Right now, all drugs go through extensive animal trials before they are ever given to people. This can take years and cost millions of dollars. And even if the drugs appear perfectly safe in animals—there is no guarantee that the same will be true for humans
The ideal solution to the problem of drug side effects would be to test the drugs on human cells before the drugs enter human clinical trials. The most common drug side effects are on the liver, kidney and heart. For that reason, those are the tissues people are trying to create from pluripotent stem cells to use for screening drug toxicity.
With toxicity screening, drug companies would have banks of stem cells from a wide variety of genetic backgrounds. They could then test how heart, liver, or kidney cells created from those stem cells react to a drug—thus weeding out those drug candidates that lead to toxicity in human cells.
This work also could reveal groups of people with similar genetic backgrounds that collectively do or don’t respond well to a given drug. This type of personalized medicine would allow drug companies to develop drugs that are safe and effective in targeted groups of people."
(https://www.cirm.ca.gov/patients/ac...ng, drug companies,to toxicity in human cells.)
- #9
Rongeet Banerjee
- 45
- 6
Sorryphinds said:
- #10
Rongeet Banerjee
- 45
- 6
Thank You Sirberkeman said:
Similar threads
- · Replies 4 ·
- · Replies 1 ·
- · Replies 4 ·
- · Replies 2 ·
- · Replies 6 ·
- · Replies 4 ·
- · Replies 1 ·
Medical
Hydrogen water, any good?
- · Replies 13 ·
- · Replies 74 ·