Qatar University Biomedical Research Centre (QU-BRC) organised a seminar on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine to discuss the basics of stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells technology, and the principles of genome editing techniques.
The seminar was presented by Dr Hany El-Sayed Marei, professor and project manager at QU-BRC, who provided a summary of his latest research relevant to the therapeutic potential of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).
“There are two types of stem cells in the human body, the embryonic stem cells, and adult stem cells,” Dr Marei said. The embryonic stem cells, he explained, are derived from the inner cell mass of 5-6 day-old human embryo, whose cells are very active and have the ability to renew themselves, and produce the different types of cells that form the human body.
The adult stem cells, located in different organs of the human body, are responsible for the renewal of damaged cells or tissue at the time of need.
“The research team at the QU-BRC has succeeded in isolating the neural stem cells from the olfactory bulb of human during brain surgery; grow Neurel Stem Cell (NSC) in lab by culturing them in specific media; genetically engineer the NSC to secrete nerve growth factor; and develop animal (rat) model for AD, PD, and SCI.”
He said following transplantation of NSC into the brain of the animal models, the NSC had succeeded to survive, proliferate, and specialised to renew different cell types forming the brain.
He said the outcome of stem cells research at QU-BRC has provided strong evidence at the pre-clinical level for the possible use of NSC for cell-based therapy for AD, PD, and SCI.  
“A critical issue is technological advancement that has permitted remarkable increase in both human life expectancy and the percentage of the adult population surviving into old age.”
The current research at QU-BRC about NSC is expected to provide new biological products of high commercial value in the fields of neurobiology and biomedical research, Dr Marei added.