The cells are intended for use in the BresaGen Cell Therapy Programme which is conducted in the Department of Biochemistry at Adelaide University under the scientific direction of Professor Peter Rathjen.
Stem cells are embryonic cells, among the first to appear as a fertilised egg develops.
They also have the capacity to divide and proliferate indefinitely in culture. Scientists can use these two unique properties of stem cells to produce seemingly limitless supplies of most human cell types from stem cells, paving the way for the treatment of diseases by cell replacement. Parkinson's disease provides a model of how such treatment might occur. The disease is caused by dysfunctional nerve cells in a particular area of the brain. Using cell therapy, these faulty cells could be replaced with healthy, stem cell-derived nerve cells.