voices
Human Stem Cells:
RUSLAN SEMECHKIN, Ph.D., is
president and CEO of
Lifeline Skin Care,
a subsidiary of International
Stem Cell Corporation.
Semechkin joined
International Stem Cell as
Head of the Neurology
Division in December 2008 and was
appointed Vice President in June 2010.
An active member of the Society of
Cosmetic Chemists and the International
Society for Stem Cell Research, he has
lectured on innovations in stem cell
biology, including the use of stem cells
in neurology and skin regeneration.
For more information about stem
cells and Lifeline Skin Care, visit
lifelineskincare.com.
Breaking Down the
Complexity
Despite hearing the term “human stem cell” for years now as a medical
breakthrough, there are still a lot of controversy and confusion surrounding this scientific innovation. What are the different types of human stem
cells? How are stem cells changing the medical field today? What are its
implications to the skin-care world?
Pulse taps the medical expertise of Ruslan Semechkin, Ph.D.—president and CEO of Lifeline Skin Care, a subsidiary to International Stem Cell
Corporation— to break down the complex world of human stem cells.
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are a part of all living things: Plants, animals and humans. They have the
remarkable ability to develop into different cell types and continue to divide (scientifically
known as proliferation) almost indefinitely. These two properties are what make stem
cells so valuable in many fields, including tissue repair and skin rejuvenation.
Although there is still much debate in the scientific community as to the actual
process of aging, one theory is that as we age the pool of stem cells in our bodies gets
smaller, and correspondingly, our ability to heal ourselves or simply replace damaged
cells decreases. The assumption behind all cosmeceutical applications of stem cellderived ingredients is that this process can somehow be slowed down or reversed. This
has generated tremendous interest in the use of human stem cells in skin care.
However, one of the most important things to understand is that no product uses live
human stem cells as an ingredient; rather, the
stem cells are cultivated, processed and the
resulting extracts are used as raw material.
l Pluripotent: A type of human stem cell
derived from eggs or genetically reproAre all human stem cells made equal?
grammed adult cells with the ability to
Not all human stem cells are born equal. There
become almost any cell in the body.
are fundamentally two main classes of human
l Multipotent: A type of human stem cell
stem cells: 1) Pluripotent and 2) multipotent.
that can only form closely related cell types
Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to become
or different cell types within the same
almost any cell in the body and are derived from
“germ layer.”
oocytes (eggs) or from genetically reprogrammed
l Embryonic (ESC): Fertilized or eggadult cells. If the stem cells are derived from eggs,
derived stem cells.
the eggs can be fertilized, in which case, we use
l Parthenogenetic (PSC): Unfertilized or
non egg-derived stem cells.
the term embryonic stem cells (ESC). If the stem
cells are unfertilized, we call them partheno-
GLOSSARY
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22 PULSE
n
June 2012