Spinal Cord Injury Essay

The goal of this paper is to compare the utility of adult, embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to treat Parkinson’s disease. As such several things will be assessed, dosage of stemcells, improvement in motor function, in combination with the presence of α-synuclein proteins and cell survival.

The creation of induced pluripotent stem cells by direct reprogramming has allowed for the circumvention of using embryonic stem cells while still leaving the cells with the ability to maintain pluripotency. Instead of ES cells which were originally derived from the epiblast of mouse embryos, IPS cells were generated from mouse embryonic fibroblasts. This eliminated both any ethical concerns for whether those cells were a living being or not and the need to destroy embryos at the blastocyst stage. An advantage of IPS cells is that they are derived from human somatic cells which makes them easy to acquire due to the possibility of using skin or blood cells. They can also be grown and differentiated individually for each person that the sample of somatic cells is taken from which eliminates the possibility of having any immune reaction and rejection to the differentiated cells during transplantation. These characteristics of IPS cells are important because they are what enables us to safely and accurately transform these affected cells from patients cells into neurons and confidently study them.

“Over 100 million Americans suffer from diseases that eventually may be treated more effectively or even cured with embryonic stem cell therapy.” (White).

Most spinal cord injuries are hard to treat due to the fragility of the vertebrae as a whole. Although; if left untreated, spinal cord injuries could affect motor and nerve control and function (Zhao et.al 2016). Stem injections are now commonly used as a type of rehabilitative medicine for injuries like those in the spine. This is because stem cells can take form of other specified cells it becomes exposed to. Once injected into the area of the injury, the cells are able to replicate and serve to renew the cells that have been lost or damaged. Three different studies done on rats were observed for the effects of outside variables, such as time and contents, on the efficiency of stem cell treatments. In one study, rats with the spinal cord

Did you know that since 1981, researchers have been removing embryonic stem cells from thousands of embryos to create cells that could potentially save people from diseases? How many patients do you think this has helped since then? Hundreds? Thousands? Wrong. In fact, not one “cure” has been found to help people with Parkinson’s, cancer, heart disease and so many more rare diseases that it is said to be able to help.

This day in age disease, infection, disorders and mysterious syndromes are more present now than ever. */***You forget to wash your hands after using the restroom? You just spread viruses like E.Coli and put someone 's life in danger*/***. But in a world full of diseases that are seemingly becoming harsher and more resistant to conventional treatments, answers to the latest ailments are popping up in the form of miniscule pieces biological tissue called stem cells. Stem cells are pluripotent cells that are present in all living organisms and have pi

Because of their ability to differentiate into specialized cells, embryonic stem cells can have the potential of treating a wide range of diseases. Some of these diseases include heart disease, Parkinson 's disease, and diabetes (Kelly 5). The regenerative properties of stem cells allow scientists to potentially restore damaged muscle, and perhaps even damaged nerve tissue. The discovery of embryonic stem cells is so important that it opened up a new field of medicine called regenerative medicine. Although embryonic stem cells are not the answer to all diseases known to man, other types of stem cells are being used to effectively treat

Currently, 285,000 US citizens suffer from spinal cord injury (SCI), and 99.6% of these individuals are paralyzed to some extent.1 SCI is the result of a mechanical insult to the spine that damages the spinal cord. This is followed by secondary SCI, which involves a series of biochemical events resulting in further neuronal and glial cell death.2 Astrocytes, the most abundant glial cell of the central nervous system (CNS), provide neurons with structural and neurotrophic support as well as protection from toxins. Following primary injury, damaged glia are unable to provide damaged neurons with the support necessary for axonal regeneration. Individuals that suffer from SCI are limited to two forms of treatment: 1) administration

Potential applications of therapies and treatment developed from embryonic stem cells include treatment or diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Adult stem cells have been used in trials to treat diseases with limited success and it is still being researched and developed for potential mainstream use if successful applications are discovered.

Researchers from Rush University Medical Center are studying a novel approach to treating these spinal cord injuries. The new therapy uses stem cells to treat the spinal cord within 14-30 days of the injury. The stems cells are derived from human embyronic stem cells. They contain progenitor cells that support nerve cells and can potentially restore nerve function. Progenitor cells are cells that, like stem cells, can differentiate to form certain kinds of

Until recently, scientists primarily worked with two kinds of stem cells from animals and humans: embryonic stem cells and non-embryonic "somatic" or "adult" stem cells (NIH, 2015). The detailed study of the biology of mouse stem cells led to the discovery of a method to derive stem cells from human embryos and grow the cells in the laboratory (NIH, 2015). These are the human embryonic stem cells. In 2006, another breakthrough was made by identifying conditions that would allow some specialized adult cells to be "reprogrammed" to acquire a stem cell-like state, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) (NIH, 2015).

Imagine the possibility of life threatening diseases and illnesses being cured by the use of preexisting human cells. Imagine being able to receive a transplant for a deadly disease made possible by cells from one’s own body. With continued stem cell research and funding, this is possible. Stem cell transplants take existing cells from the human body, remove them, specialize them to stop a certain disease, and then put them back in the body to effectively rid the body of that specific disease. Stem cells can be used to cure a multitude of diseases - from blindness, to blood disorders, to even the deadliest cancers. Continued research will bring the possibility of cures for these horrible diseases that kill millions yearly. Stem cell research

Imagine if you could save the life of a child with cancer, correct a man’s paralysis as a result of a stroke, or give a woman who suffers from infertility the gift of life. At the present time there is no cure for terminal diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, Type I diabetes, spinal cord or brain injuries. The possibility has presented itself by perfecting the use of adult stem cells. Throughout the evolving technologies and experiments, medical researchers have discovered the potential to dramatically change medical treatments, treat diseases, alleviate suffering, and heal physical and mental impairments. Researchers are optimistic that with the evolution of stem cell research they can change the face of healthcare by using technologies to manipulate adult ad embryonic stem cells for treatments of various illness and injuries.

On January 8th, 2016, Athersys, a clinical stage biotechnology company, extracted stem cells from adult bone marrow donors. "The stem cells caused less injury of the tissue and enhanced the healing process more quickly," says Athersys Vice President of Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Robert Mays. A recent study on lab animals proved that stem cells can benefit the patients who had suffered a spinal cord injury. “The animals were able to more freely walk around their cages and had a return of bladder function," says Athersys scientist, Dr. Sarah Busch. Furthermore, they also restore the nerve cells that have died as a consequence of the injury. They can also guard the cells at the injury site from further damage by discharging protective substances such as growth factors. Lastly, they can preclude the spread of the injury that can occur after injury. We can use this new innovation to reduce the amount of people who are sitting on a wheel chair as a result of this

However, due to a variety of ethical issues and technological challenges, ESC developments were halted in biomedical and clinical advances. This inhibition made way for new research which led to the discovery of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. The rationale behind this study is to evaluate iPSC, which are an alternative to ESC, and study the mechanisms through which they are reprogrammed. The overall goal in developing iPSC research is to be able to use these cells in place of ESC in hopes that they will perform the same functions such as development, regeneration of tissue organ affected by neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, aging, and other clinical therapeutic tactics. Another significant goal is to be able to utilize the patient’s somatic cell to reprogram into an iPSC so as to reduce the risk of immunological rejection. Another goal is