WE MAY have heard the words ?stem cell? while watching science- or health-oriented TV shows, read it on papers or perhaps, chanced upon it while surfing the Net.

And yet, its significance still eluded us, even regarding it as science fiction.

But there?s nothing mystical about stem cells. Present in fetuses and placenta as well as in a wide range of adult tissues, a stem cell is a cell whose function has not been decided, much like a modeling clay that is ready to take whatever shape.

In the case of stem cells, they could keep making more of themselves or could become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as heart muscle cells, red blood cells, brain and nerve cells.

Eliminates rejection

The use of stem cells for transplants, for example, minimizes if not eliminates the risk of rejection ? an occurrence too common in people needing tissues or organ transplants ? since the stem cells will be coming from the patients themselves.

Because of these abilities, scientists hope that they could in the near future ?program? these stem cells to repair or replace defective cells or those that have been injured or killed off by disease.

In fact, they are now looking into the possibility of using stem cells to treat illnesses such as Type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer?s disease, heart disease and liver disease.

Encouraged by these developments, the Parkinson?s Support Group of the Philippines Foundation will be holding a lay forum on October 11 from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at the 14th floor auditorium of Cathedral Heights Building Complex, South Tower, St. Luke?s Medical Center in Quezon City.

The PSPG founded by former Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez in 1999, aims to provide support to families and patients with Parkinson?s disease, Parkinsonism, tremor, dystonia (involuntary contractions of muscles) and other movement disorder.

Because Parkinson?s disease is mainly caused by the degeneration of dopamine-producing cells (responsible for controlling muscle movement) in certain parts of the brain, high hopes have been pinned on the prospects of using stem cells to eventually be able to replace diseased or dead cells with new, healthy ones.

Doctor Mark Pierre Dimamay, PhD, head of St. Luke?s Stem Cell Laboratory was invited to discuss these possibilities.

Open forum

The doctor hopes to dispel myths, shed light on stem cell therapy in an open form happening right after the talk.

It should be noted that St. Luke?s Stem Cell Laboratory is the first in the Philippines to apply stem cell technology for medical treatment.

A team of experts has successfully conducted a conjunctival stem cell transplantation, which involved the replacement of conjunctiva (thin outer coating that covers the whites of the eye) with a tissue grown in a laboratory dish.

With this first successful operation, St. Luke?s Stem Cell Laboratory is looking forward to engineering other tissue grafts including nerve or brain cells that could be used to replace damaged tissue as well as genetically engineered cells to correct genetic diseases.