Disease tackled before birth

Stem cells have great potential for treating disease

Genetic disorders causing irreversible damage before birth could be treated in the womb from as early as ten weeks of gestation, say researchers.

The key is the use of a type of immature cell found in the blood of the developing foetus called a mesenchymal stem cell.

The big advantage of these stem cells is that they are circulating in the blood of the foetus

Professor Nicholas Fisk

Stem cells are the master cells of the body, with the ability to develop into many of the body's tissues.

For this reason scientists across the world are tapping into their potential as the basic tool of gene therapy.

They are using modified stem cells to replace all sorts of tissues damaged by disease.

However, stem cells from an adult, although useful, do not offer as much potential as stem cells from a developing foetus.

These are thought to have the ability to develop into an even wider range of human tissues.

But embryonic stem cells cannot be used to treat humans because there are fears that they would stimulate the production of tumours.

Early stages

However, a team from Imperial College, London, is developing a way to use these cells to treat genetic conditions in unborn children in the first phase of gestation.

Not only have the scientists been able to collect these cells from the blood of the foetus, they have also shown in the laboratory that they can be genetically modified with a high level of success.

The scientists inserted a gene for a foreign protein that makes cells glow in the dark. In 99% of cases, the cells duly took on the characteristic.

The results suggest that the use of mesenchymal stem cells may offer the most effective way to treat genetic deficiencies in future.

'Big advantage'

Lead researcher Professor Nicholas Fisk told BBC News Online: "The big advantage of these stem cells is that they are circulating in the blood of the foetus.

"So it may be possible to take them out, stick in a normal gene to replace the gene that is not working, and put them back at an early enough stage of development that they can be taken up by the foetus without fear of rejection."

Genetic diseases that begin before birth can lead to permanent damage to the muscles, bones and nervous system of foetuses before they are even born.

The research is published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.