Medistem Laboratories, a newly established stem cell company, has discovereda new type of stem cell found in menstrual blood. They claim that these cells replicatefaster and can convert into nine tissue types in the human body. This gives anopportunity to bank the cells and multiply them so that they can be suppliedfor future therapies and treatments. 

Medistem Laboratories, with a branch in San Diego recently announced theappointment of Thomas Ichim as the company’s new CEO. He was quoted as sayingthat they believe these cells offer a unique way of avoiding the controversy,both ethical and medical, surrounding embryonic cells today. People don’t likethe idea of working with human embryonic stem cells as an embryo has to be killedto harvest this stem cell.  This isnot necessary while using endometrial regenerative cells.

The scientists at Medistem Labs discovered the uniqueness of these stemcells from the fact that the lining of the uterus expands every month. Thisshows that these stems have a tendency to replicate faster than other stemcells like the ones found in blood in the spinal cord. They tested thisphenomenon by making the cells replicate 68 times and found that they stillretained the normal chromosomes. On the other hand stem cells derived from bonemarrow cannot be replicated more than 20 times before some abnormalitiesdevelop.

Thereare skeptics questioning the abilities of endometrial regenerative cellsarguing that unless it is demonstrated what these stems can become and howuseful they really are they are not valuable.