Stem Cell Breakthrough Offers Hope for Saving Endangered Coral Reefs

Israel's Eilat coral reef. (Wikipedia) Wikipedia

The study’s implications extend beyond coral conservation, opening a door to further exploration of marine creatures as sources for stem cell therapy.

By Pesach Benson, TPS

As rising sea temperatures threaten coral reefs, Israeli researchers said on Thursday that stem cell transplants from healthy coral successfully repaired damaged coral.

Published in the peer-reviewed Cell Reports journal, the research by Ben-Gurion University’s Dr. Benjamin Rosenthal and PhD student Shani Talice introduces a novel approach inspired by bone marrow transplants.

Coral reefs — often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea” — are vital to marine biodiversity and built primarily by colonies of small marine animals called coral polyps.

These tiny creatures secrete calcium carbonate, which forms the hard, rock-like structures associated with reefs.

Over time, these structures grow and create vast, complex habitats that provide food, shelter, and breeding grounds for countless marine species.

“Coral reefs are crucial to marine biodiversity, but they are highly sensitive to temperature changes,” explained Dr. Rosenthal.

“Our goal was to adapt medical techniques to help corals recover from damage caused by climate change.”

Stem cell therapy has long been a cornerstone of medical innovation, offering hope for treating various diseases and injuries in humans.

These versatile cells, which remain undifferentiated, can transform into any tissue type, making them invaluable in medical treatments and organ regeneration.

The research team applied this principle to marine ecology. Using soft corals, specifically healthy sea lilies, they isolated stem cells and transplanted them into other sea lilies.

In the next step, the researchers transplanted the stem cells into coral. Because stem cells are cells in the initial stages of their development, they have not undergone a differentiation process to be associated with a certain type of tissue in the body.

This raised the possibility of transferring stem cells from sea lilies — which are related to starfish and sea urchins — to corals.

The transplanted cells integrated successfully into the host coral’s tissues, reproduced, and even differentiated into healthy cells — effectively mirroring the results of human bone marrow transplants, the study found.

“We discovered that transplanting a certain type of cell from the same family meets certain conditions that make it a potential candidate for therapeutic use,” Talice said.

“The cells transplanted into other adult animals integrated into the tissues of the animal in which they were transplanted and later managed to successfully differentiate into several types of healthy cells,” she explained.

“Furthermore, the same stem cells continued to reproduce in the animal in which they were transplanted even after several transplants.”

Talice added that even after multiple transplants, “these cells continued to reproduce and support the host’s recovery.”

The study’s implications extend beyond coral conservation, opening a door to further exploration of marine creatures as sources for stem cell therapy.

“We’re using tools developed for medicine to solve ecological problems. This research not only offers hope for coral reefs but also underscores the interconnectedness of life and the importance of preserving biodiversity,” said Rosenthal.

“By harnessing the power of stem cells, we’ve uncovered a promising tool to safeguard coral reefs,” he said “It’s just the beginning, but the potential is enormous.”