Flaws mark 2002 adult stem cell research

A 2002 research that claimed promising use of adult stem cells in place of embryonic stem cells, posted flawed results, a scientific panel revealed.

The research led by Dr. Catherine Verfaillie at the University of Minnesota found that a type of adult stem cell present in the bone marrow of mice could have as much potential to treat disease as those taken from embryos.

The study concluded that similar to embryonic stem cells, retrieved by destroying embryos at an early stage of development, adult stem cells also show regenerative properties and could be helpful in treating certain diseases and other conditions.

An atypical step of holding an inquiry into the 2002 study by the University of Minnesota arose when a writer for a British magazine, New Scientist, raised questions about some of the published data.

The findings of the three member panel convened by the university concluded that the process used to identify tissue derived from the adult stem cells was "significantly flawed, and that the interpretations based on these data, expressed in the manuscript, are potentially incorrect.”

“The flaws were mistakes, not falsifications,” the panel’s findings released by the university quoted.

However, Verfaillie, 49, currently heading the stem cell research at Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium, called the problem ‘an honest mistake’ that did not affect the study's conclusions about the potential of adult stem cells.

Stem cells are primal cells that retain the ability to renew themselves through cell division and can differentiate into a wide range of specialized cell types.

First identified in embryos, stem cells of the inner cell mass proceed to develop into all of the tissues and organs of the body.

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found throughout the body that divide to replenish dying cells and regenerate damaged tissues.