23 February 2006
In a major step towards understanding prostate disease, Melbourne scientists have grown a human prostate from embryonic stem cells.
A study published in the March edition of Nature Methods describes how human embryonic stem cells were developed into human prostate tissue equivalent to that found in a young man, in just 12 weeks.
The study was co-authored by Dr Renea Taylor from Monash University's Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, PhD researcher Ms Prue Cowin from the Monash Institute of Medical Research and other Australian and US researchers.
Dr Taylor said the discovery would allow scientists to monitor the progression of the prostate from a normal to a diseased state.
"We need to study healthy prostate tissue from 15-25 year old men to track this process," she said. "Understandably, there is a lack of access to samples from men in this age group, so to have found a way we can have an ongoing supply of prostate tissue is a significant milestone.
"As nearly every man will experience a problem with their prostate, we're very excited about the impact our research will have."
Although prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, the impact of benign prostate disease (BPH) is equally significant - up to 90 percent of men will have BPH by the time they're 80. BPH is not usually life-threatening, but has a dramatic impact on quality of life.
Ms Cowin said the discovery would allow scientists to observe first-hand the factors that play a role in the development of prostate disease.
"The tissue we've grown behaves as a normal human prostate, so it's the perfect model for testing the different hormones and environmental factors we believe play a role in the onset of prostate disease," she said.
"We grew the prostate tissue by 'telling' the embryonic stem cells how to become a human prostate gland. We then implanted the cells into mice, where they developed into a human prostate, secreting hormones and PSA; the substance in the blood used to diagnose prostate disease,'' mS Cowin said.
Professor Gail Risbridger, Director of MIMR's Centre for Urological Research and leader of the research project, said the discovery would have a significant impact on prostate cancer and BPH research.
Director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Professor Alan Trounson said stem cells and cancer were an important new area of medical research and the production of prostate tissue from embryonic stem cells provided a new tool for examining the origins of cancer and role of primitive stem cells.
Research collaborators in the study were the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories; Monash Institute of Medical Research; University of California, San Francisco; the Australian Stem Cell Centre and TissuPath Laboratories, Melbourne. | 
