Science & Technology

Nabiha Saklayen: Could you recover from illness … using your own stem cells? | TED

What if diseases could be treated with a patient’s own cells, precisely and on demand? Biotech entrepreneur Nabiha Saklayen explains how we could harness advances in biology, machine learning and lasers to create personalized stem cell banks — and develop medicine uniquely designed for each of our bodies. Visit to get our entire library of…

Published

on

What if diseases could be treated with a patient’s own cells, precisely and on demand? Biotech entrepreneur Nabiha Saklayen explains how we could harness advances in biology, machine learning and lasers to create personalized stem cell banks — and develop medicine uniquely designed for each of our bodies.

Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

Become a TED Member:
Follow TED on Twitter:
Like TED on Facebook:
Subscribe to our channel:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

78 Comments

  1. Mr Wonder

    November 26, 2021 at 4:12 pm

    Velma

  2. roberto valde

    November 26, 2021 at 4:13 pm

    🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔 its a good idea 💡 thank you

  3. Ezhumbarithi Thanasinghu

    November 26, 2021 at 4:14 pm

    is she an Indian…?

  4. Amar Singh Sidhu

    November 26, 2021 at 4:18 pm

    May the word mirage more accurate in place of miracle ” the human body a miracle”.

  5. BlondeDivaTV Channel

    November 26, 2021 at 4:19 pm

    I can’t believe they were removing each individual cell by hand instead of programming AI to sort the cells?! WTF type of approach is that?!

    • Jet StillBernin

      November 26, 2021 at 5:14 pm

      The Human approach. We only recently reached the Era of A.I.

  6. 📚Mehran Hashmi:motivational speaker📖

    November 26, 2021 at 4:25 pm

    * ✊ 4 *secrets to massive success*

    1) *know what you are doing*

    ✊💪2) *believe in what you are doing*

    3) *love what you are doing*

    4) *NEVER give up on what you are doing* 💪💪✊✊

  7. Brahma Astra

    November 26, 2021 at 4:28 pm

    this will remain a dream for ever………..why do u want to live like this for ever

    • Stephen S

      November 26, 2021 at 6:11 pm

      ?

  8. futurevision

    November 26, 2021 at 4:35 pm

    Henrietta Lacks!!!!

    • Celestino Kariuki

      November 26, 2021 at 4:41 pm

      They stole her cells though

  9. Atharva Krishna Kumar Singh

    November 26, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    Can’t wait for the future.Guess we are entering a new era of science specially medicine

  10. Rev Jim E. Stephenson

    November 26, 2021 at 5:10 pm

    Adult Stem Cells amen

  11. Zen Atman

    November 26, 2021 at 5:13 pm

    Yeah… Its called Shivambu Kalpa and has been practiced for 1000s of years. People always trying to make things sound more scieney and profound when the simple act of drinking your plasma ultrafiltrate is all that is required.

    • Stephen S

      November 26, 2021 at 6:11 pm

      yaaa no. drinking and rubbing urine on gums and skin is definitely to stupidest fucking thing I have ever heard. removing and redirecting stem cells is just as “scieney and profound” as it sounds.

    • Zen Atman

      November 26, 2021 at 10:27 pm

      @Stephen S people that type “yeah no” are some of the smartest well educated scholars anywhere. They totally have done their due diligence and research.! Have a great life wise one 👍

  12. Jet StillBernin

    November 26, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    The future is now, and we only have to get out of our own way to see it.

  13. Martin

    November 26, 2021 at 5:18 pm

    Thing is, the body already has this ability.

    • Stephen S

      November 26, 2021 at 6:03 pm

      not really. we cant make new nerve cells. did u not listen to her

  14. Telur Tenga

    November 26, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    This is Mia Khalifa looks like if she spend time only study

  15. Rick Tha Ruler

    November 26, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    My guess this is so far in the future, I will probably be dead before it comes out and is affordable to everyone 😩

  16. مطيرف Mutyrf

    November 26, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    Please Future .. Come on now!

  17. baby demons

    November 26, 2021 at 5:55 pm

    can’t wait to be deprived of this treatment because of it being unaffordable for the working class

  18. Machiel van Dijk

    November 26, 2021 at 6:29 pm

    Fascinating

  19. Mā Jęđ

    November 26, 2021 at 6:42 pm

    Swallow

  20. James Pitcher

    November 26, 2021 at 9:02 pm

    Some amazing ingenuity there in applying lazers and AI to the problem. But here are many more steps to go before these stem cells can be usefully put to service in treating things like parkinsons.

  21. Lkp Xml

    November 26, 2021 at 10:11 pm

    Mia Khalifa?

  22. Huncho Rolls

    November 27, 2021 at 12:16 am

    This is some irobot jurrasic park terminator robocop apple watch witchcraft waiting to take over the human race.

    like what ross geller said,

    DONT DO ITTT!!!!!!

  23. Lisa Love Ministry

    November 27, 2021 at 2:32 am

    Proverbs 23

  24. Melissa0774

    November 27, 2021 at 2:33 am

    There actually was a doctor who implanted stem cells into a woman’s brain to help with her Alzheimer’s. They were interviewed by Alan Alda on Scientific American Frontiers, like 20 years ago. It helped her a lot for a while, but I think ultimately it didn’t work. I think the doctor used cells from pigs but I’m not sure.

  25. Melissa0774

    November 27, 2021 at 2:34 am

    Why do I get the feeling that these therapies are going to become very common and effective, but only for rich people?

    • Needkey

      November 27, 2021 at 4:18 am

      Perhaps because you live in the U.S.? In countries with better healthcare (outside the US), cost doesn’t dictate who does and doesn’t get treatment.

    • Jh5578

      November 27, 2021 at 1:39 pm

      Become capitalism works by rich people and companies fronting the cash for projects like this. To begin with they are very expensive then overtime it follows a cost curve where it becomes readily available for the wider population. Cars and planes used to be only for rich people.

    • Jh5578

      November 27, 2021 at 1:39 pm

      Because capitalism works by rich people and companies fronting the cash for projects like this. To begin with they are very expensive then overtime it follows a cost curve where it becomes readily available for the wider population. Cars and planes used to be only for rich people.

    • ThinkkTwiice

      November 28, 2021 at 4:14 am

      Needkey and guess where all the inventions come from? The u.s. so while you’re complaining we’re inventing new technologies.

    • Jh5578

      November 28, 2021 at 9:13 am

      @ThinkkTwiice They don’t all come from the US and many of the technologies that do, have US investment with international scientists and engineers.

    • ken234ize

      November 28, 2021 at 4:27 pm

      its true, taking stem cell is costly, transform to different type of cell is costly, trial and error is costly

  26. Somali One

    November 27, 2021 at 3:41 am

    Don’t believe what Allah has not written

  27. 4TheRecord

    November 27, 2021 at 4:04 am

    All I see is a very expensive health care.

  28. Stephen Rose

    November 27, 2021 at 4:15 am

    It might sound like science fiction! And it is

  29. Santa

    November 27, 2021 at 4:16 am

    “Be honest who else is a few hours late” 😂

  30. Fabrizio.EXE07

    November 27, 2021 at 6:05 am

    Stem cells is so 2012, has it really done anything controversial for the public since?

    • Turned 0FF

      November 29, 2021 at 6:33 am

      It sounds like your the one’s who stuck in that time period.

  31. Dr. Ricco Lindner

    November 27, 2021 at 7:22 am

    Your selection method with Machine learning is really neat, but you will have issues with cell quality and storage costs if you want to keep them right after birth for decades. And it wont get much cheaper with more customers, since capacities for freezing and power costs wont dilute that much. But, yes, 50k USD seems feasible and it might be worth it! 😎

    • 3 Mimuse

      November 28, 2021 at 10:30 am

      I don’t trust a guy who uses cool emoji at the end of comment.

    • Turned 0FF

      November 29, 2021 at 6:28 am

      @3 Mimuse same here 🤦🏽‍♂️

  32. Gray Hills

    November 27, 2021 at 8:12 am

    Nice video!! Very engaging from beginning to end. Nevertheless, businesses and investment are the easiest way to make money irrespective of which party makes it to the oval office…

    • Tom Cassidy

      November 29, 2021 at 3:15 pm

      I think you’re commenting on the wrong video mate. This is about stem cells.

  33. Born Justice Rule

    November 27, 2021 at 10:42 am

    That wig looks terrible.

  34. Jh5578

    November 27, 2021 at 12:38 pm

    Was this just an elaborate pitch for the origin story of the borrowers?

  35. B8_20_tuankiet

    November 27, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    Interesting …

  36. HaleyMaryArtzab

    November 28, 2021 at 1:47 am

    The future of this is exciting! I imagine when my generation reaches old age, so much more medical knowledge will be known and there could be cures for all diseases and cancers. My dad was talking about the future of science,medicine and the anti aging process that could happen in the future and he said how it would suck if the baby boomers were the last generation that had to die.

  37. O Vercetti

    November 28, 2021 at 3:06 am

    Mia khalifa goes to school

  38. Mark feldman

    November 28, 2021 at 4:26 am

    Stem cell company Athersys based in Cleveland is using stem cells off the shelf and readily available for stroke treatment to cause miraculous regeneration of damaged brain tissue from ischemic stroke. It is a game changer as there is up to a 36 hour window for infusion after incidence of stroke as opposed to a 3 hour window for TPA. It eliminates inflammation caused by stroke and allowing perfusion in the area leading to healing. Finished phase 3 testing in Japan and results to be released in March. It is a miracle. The Holy Grail in stroke treatment plus very successful in treating ARDS secondary to Covid and pneumonia.

  39. BootsieA

    November 28, 2021 at 9:07 am

    Hypothetical speaking would you be able to do a hair follicle test using pubic hair or nose ? Just wondering it’s good to ask questions right?

  40. No one star

    November 28, 2021 at 9:46 am

    After contracting C19 in late 2019 (yes, 2019), I really wish I could say that I was completely healed. Nope.

    I could REALLY use some help, but… I don’t think ‘rich people science’ and rich people solutions are going to be trickling down to someone like myself anytime soon, lol.

    Cute concepts. I’m certain the rich will benefit (maybe even like ‘Theranos’ did).

  41. Hafsa Mohamad

    November 28, 2021 at 10:54 am

    I appreciate this amazing effort

  42. 楊小藍

    November 28, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    if it realized, i am wondering if put some chromosome into laser machine to adjust before my born then my life is changed, omg! i don’t need to stay in the god damn dark office YES!

  43. df julesful

    November 28, 2021 at 3:39 pm

    Amazing idea but too late for people who are already ill. Kinda depressing for the chronically ill

  44. Tuti Astuti

    November 29, 2021 at 12:19 am

    Wow.. it is really amazing. Imagine that a body of human can replicated. But I think some groups of conservative people still can’t relate with that. But let time decide

  45. Supadupa

    November 29, 2021 at 1:47 am

    I felt like I was watching a narrated sci-fi movie, my mind raced with imagination as to all the possibilities! I just hope with such great advancement in medicine comes with even greater responsibilities from those practicing it and to the population in general since abuse is often an overlooked beast, which can have major devastating consequences if overlooked. Nice one, thanks!

  46. eblman

    November 29, 2021 at 5:58 am

    This question is the future.

  47. eblman

    November 29, 2021 at 6:01 am

    It should be a crime to NOT cryogenically freeze your amniotic sac and save all of the stem cells you are born with.

  48. cherl golja

    November 29, 2021 at 7:34 am

    Why is she wearing a cheap wig ? This takes away from educational background ! Sorry it’s just does !

  49. Jodie Tenrilenka

    November 29, 2021 at 12:54 pm

    Mia Khalifa?

    Oh sorry ….

  50. Mike Beson

    November 29, 2021 at 2:45 pm

    So cloning?

  51. Yuvaraj Velmurugan

    November 29, 2021 at 6:51 pm

    We Indians are using the processed and powdered umbilical cord packed in a tiny container(TALISMAN) which is tied to the neck or waist. When any one in the family is ill, uses it to recover from illness. Stem cell technology is been there from ancient times.

    Cities in india lost this knowledge a longtime ago. At present only in village it exists. Medical industry made Indian’s forget their science and research. Now the medical industry is setting up stem cell banks to store it and make huge money.

  52. drx07

    November 30, 2021 at 7:33 am

    Excellent research 👏

  53. acdnan Abdi

    November 30, 2021 at 10:54 am

    Sure. We can’t cure baldness but all of this will be possible.

  54. BG GAMINGR YT

    November 30, 2021 at 2:06 pm

    So Nice videos

  55. Instant Noodles

    December 1, 2021 at 12:41 am

    Thanks I could like really use some help like over here.

  56. M W

    December 2, 2021 at 2:36 pm

    Could i get rid of my psoraisis this way?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version