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Stem Cells

Episodes

Posted on May 31st 2024 (12 months)

Dr. Rhonda Patrick discusses resistant starch, red light therapy risks, stem cells, and the link between benzodiazepines and dementia in her latest Q&A session.

Posted on September 7th 2023 (over 1 year)

Dr. Rhonda Patrick explores growth hormone secretagogues, spermidine's longevity role, methylene blue, whey protein, and solutions for scar tissue in a Q&A.

Posted on May 21st 2022 (almost 3 years)

In this clip, Drs. Levine and Patrick discuss new advances in cellular aging research that show it's possible to reverse aging and generate new stem cells from already differentiated cells.

Topic Pages

  • Breast milk and breastfeeding

    Breast milk is a complex, dynamic fluid containing nutritional and non-nutritional components that support infant development. Breastfeeding benefits both infants and mothers.

  • Hallmarks of aging

    The hallmarks of aging are observable biological patterns of dysfunction that accrue in a biological organism over time.

News & Publications

  • Donating blood is an act of generosity that saves lives, yet few donors think about how it affects their own health. Each donation triggers a surge in blood cell production, a process that could subtly shape the long-term health of blood-forming stem cells. A recent study found that frequent blood donation promotes the expansion of specific blood stem cell mutations that support healthy red blood cell production.

    Researchers analyzed blood samples from 217 older men who had donated more than 100 times and compared them to 212 men who had donated fewer than 10 times. They looked for clonal hematopoiesis, a condition where blood stem cells acquire genetic changes that allow specific cell populations to expand. They also used gene-editing techniques to study how particular mutations behaved when exposed to erythropoietin, a hormone that increases after blood loss.

    They found that the overall rate of clonal hematopoiesis was similar between frequent and infrequent donors. However, mutations in the DNMT3A gene showed distinct patterns in frequent donors. Some of these mutations responded to erythropoietin by expanding, while others, known to be associated with leukemia, were more likely to grow in response to interferon-gamma, a protein involved in the immune response. Further analysis revealed that the erythropoietin-responsive mutations tended to push blood stem cells toward making more red blood cells rather than leading to abnormal or harmful changes.

    These findings suggest that repeated blood donation encourages the expansion of specific blood stem cell mutations, but the effects support normal blood cell production rather than increase disease risk. Blood donation also lowers levels of iron—a key nutrient that, in excess, harms the brain. Learn more in this episode featuring Dr. Gordon Lithgow.

  • Stem cell-based therapies show promise as treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s. However, transplanting stem cells into the brain carries considerable risks. A recent study found that a nasal spray that delivered neural stem cell extracellular vesicles—tiny particles that carry proteins and genetic material—reduced inflammation and improved brain function in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, offering a safer, less risky approach.

    Researchers used neural stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles created from induced pluripotent stem cells. They administered the vesicles via nasal spray to three-month-old Alzheimer’s model mice. Then, they tracked the vesicles' interaction with brain cells, focusing on microglia and astrocytes, and analyzed gene activity, brain pathology, and behavioral changes.

    They found that the vesicles reduced inflammatory activity in brain cells, decreased levels of amyloid-beta plaques and phosphorylated tau (hallmarks of Alzheimer’s), and improved memory and mood in the mice. These effects persisted for at least two months after treatment without impairing the brain’s immune processes and protein clearance.

    These findings suggest that a nasal spray containing stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles offers a promising new therapy for Alzheimer’s disease, targeting inflammation and preserving brain function while avoiding the risks of direct stem cell transplantation. Other research demonstrates the effectiveness of stem cell therapies for eye diseases. Learn more in this clip featuring Dr. David Sinclair.