HONG KONG (PRWEB) June 13, 2019
A stem cell transplant is a treatment in which stem cells are injected into the body. After injection, these stem cells direct themselves to the point of injury in the body and begin to heal the damage. This form of treatment can be used to:
Regenerate damaged neurons from stroke, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, or similar neurological problems.
Treat people suffering from diabetes through stem cells that create insulin-producing cells.
Repair damaged tissue or organ that has been injured or diseased.
However, stem cell therapy is still in the early stages of research, and more promising potentials for treatment have yet to be developed.
Furthermore, stem cells can be used to study the effects of diseases and drugs. This would be a huge advantage to the medical and general community without ever even transplanting a single stem cell. As of now, stem cells in theory have a seemingly limitless potential to help us in identifying and treating disease.
What cell therapies are available right now?
Trials for stem cells have been in process for several years now, however, the results of these trials will not be shown until there has been enough time to confirm their safety and efficacy. Therefore, it will still be at least a few years before we begin to have trials standing behind stem cells.
Right now, the largest available stem cell therapy is bone marrow stem cell transplants. These stem cells are often used for patients with leukemia and other forms of blood cancer. Not only are these blood-forming stem cells used to treat cancer, but they also help in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and in assisting people in tolerating transplant organs.
As mentioned before, some other therapies that are related to adult stem cells are still undergoing clinical trials. Until the completion of those trials, it will not be clear which of the stem cell types is most efficient for curing different diseases.
The FDA has already approved the commencement of human trials for stem cell therapy. However, some steps are still needed before the FDA will approve stem cells for general use of therapy.
Conclusion
Stem cell treatments are developing rapidly, though they have not yet had enough time to provide the number of studies necessary to be officially approved for treatment. As of now, the most common and effective form of stem cell therapy is for blood related cancers, but other forms of treatment are on the rise and will continue to become more prominent. Through each passing clinical trial, stem cells continuously prove themselves to be a revolutionary form of treatment that will continue to impact the medical community for years to come.
In order to provide a stem cell transplant, the first thing to do is to transform an embryonic cell into a significant adult cell type. Afterward, the tissues that were damaged by the disease or injury are replaced by those mature cells. This form of treatment is used to:
- Substitute damaged neurons from stroke, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease or any other neurological problems.
- Treat people suffering from diabetes and heart muscle cells that were damaged after a heart attack through the production of insulin.
- Substitute any tissue or organ that was injured or diseased
But much more can be done by embryonic stem cell-based therapy.
With the study of how stem cells develop into heart muscles, it is possible to provide certain clues that could make the heart muscle repair itself after a heart attack.
The study of the disease, to identify new drugs, or to screen drugs for toxic side effects could be achieved through the use of these cells. Any of these options would have a necessary impact on human health without the transplanting of a single cell.
Theory shows that there no limit to what type of disease that could be treated using stem cell. In as much as researchers might be able to study all types of cells through embryonic stem cell, they stand a good chance to succeed in the treatment of any disease.
What cell therapies are available right now?
The trials for embryonic stem cell-based therapy have already begun over a few years back. The results will not be shown until the trials show that the therapies are safe and effective; that could be in a few years.
Out of the ten cells therapies that have been approved worldwide as of January 2016, only the bone marrow transplantation stem cell-based therapy is widely used. The first stem cells to be identified and used in the clinic are the blood-forming stem cells. The use of this life-saving technique has helped lots of patients with blood cancers.
Not only is the blood-forming stem cell used to treat cancer, but it is also used in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and in assisting people in tolerating transplant organs.
Some other therapies that are related to adult stem cells are still undergoing clinical trials. Until the completion of those trials, it will not be clear which of the stem cell types is most efficient for curing different diseases.
The FDA has already approved the commencement of the human trials of embryonic stem cell-based therapies. However, some steps are still needed to be carried out before the FDA can approve the general use of the therapy.
Conclusion
From all indications given in this article, the blood-forming stem cell therapy is shown to be more effective in improving the overall health of patients who needs such treatment. Other therapies may also be effective, but are yet to be revealed, as they are still undergoing clinical trials. In summary, the stem cell therapies are very reliable in improving the health of patients no matter the disease.
References
http://stemcelltreatmentnow.com/treatments/stem-cell-treatment-cerebral-palsy/
https://stemcelltreatmentnow.com/files/studies/Umbilical-cord-blood-stem-cells-what-to-expect.pdf