Stem cells: incredible hopes for regenerative medicine

Treat differently. This is what regenerative medicine promises. The approach is not new. It is from the early 2000s. The discovery of stem cells in adipose tissue has opened up new perspectives that have made it possible to repair or replace cells, tissues or even organs. In 2012, Kobe University’s Shinya Yamanaka’s dream came true. The Japanese researcher’s work, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine, showed that by genetically modifying it, an adult cell can become pluripotent, i.e. capable of multiplying indefinitely, like an embryonic stem cell. This technology, known as IPS technology for induced pluripotent stem cells, has paved the way for significant progress.

Ten years later, many specialties are increasingly interested in the powers of this drug. In French laboratories, these multipotent stem cells have also mobilized teams. The Cell Culture and Therapy Laboratory of the Assistance Public – Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), now directed by Professor Florence Sabatier, quickly established itself among the most active centers.

Already in 2014, the man who is presented as the father of the use of fat transfer, Professor Guy Magalon, then head of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Conception Hospital in Marseille, was at the root of a major breakthrough. Treatment of scleroderma, a chronic disease most characterized by hardening of the skin. Unfortunately, the team’s placebo-controlled trial did not confirm the effectiveness of the procedure.