The Treatment Of Stem Cell Therapy

Many of us have all heard the saying that a “lizard can lose its tail,” and bizarrely enough it will grow back. This was always considered impossible for humans, an idea belonging in the realm of science fiction, but now the regeneration of tissue is an extremely realistic possibility. Despite some opinions, this process does not happen naturally, or take place as cinematically as one might imagine. Over the past decade, there have been major advances in regenerative medicine, commonly known as stem cell research. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells within the body that have the capability to specialize into any tissue. They are most commonly found in cord blood, bone marrow, organ donations, placenta, and embryos . Stem cells are seen by some as a new miracle treatment, encouraging many countries to invest in their research.

The recovery period after large scale injuries could be shortened. The effects are analyzed in an article that states, “True healing could occur thanks to the cloning of their own cells to help the recovery process” (“Pros and Cons” 5). Basically, the process of cloning healthy cells could be used as an aid in replenishing damage of unhealthy cells. This process, if it were to be actualized, could help recovery progress in anything from pulled muscles to the paralysis of an entire limb. In theory, the same research can be applied in other areas. If this technology is paired with stem cell research, it could result in a method of repairing physical damage. An article that focused on advances in biotechnology stated that “Another use of cloned stem cells could be the growth of replacement tissues in the laboratory” (LaPensee 15). Necrosis, apoptosis, and lymphocyte diapedesis all cause tissue damage or death. These tissues could be replaced by cloned cells of healthy tissues. This shortens recovery periods and leads to healthier tissue growth.

Controversy surrounding research and therapeutic use of stem cells has been a contentious and socially polarizing matter for a few decades. Arguments lie largely between the scientific community and the general public, although intragroup disagreements also persist today. These disparate views for and against stem cells arise out of the bioethical implications of an inchoate innovation, the general public’s tenuous understanding of the underlying technology itself, and sociopolitical ideologies. Due to the somewhat aged debate, recent revelations and advancements have changed the principle arguments and should be addressed accordingly.

In a study done by Emadedin et al. in 2012, they injected MSC from each respective patients bone marrow, into six female volunteers with evidence of knee OA that was severe enough to require joint replacement surgery. The authors described a detailed, meticulous procedure in how they obtained the MSC from the patient’s bone marrow, and made it into the cells they needed for the procedure. They injected the patient’s affected knee joints with the stem cells and followed up with them in one year. At the one year mark, Emadedin et al. (2012) found that overall, the study was successful in decreasing pain and increasing the patients walking distance for the first 6 months. However, they discovered that 3 of the

Stem cells are being used more and more to help patients recover from severe injuries that in the past left them with sensory deficits and open to other medical problems. Stem Cell Moore helps patients who suffer from painful joint and back pain regain movement and enjoy a pain-free life. Doctors performing these procedures are a part of a network of over 400 physicians worldwide supply plasma

Because of stem cells regenerative qualities, many scientists hypothesize that eventually we can use stem cells on a large scale to assist us to regenerate damaged tissue within the body especially when transitioning organ donations, or prosthetics into an individual, ultimately making it a safer practice.

Stem cells are defined as the population of cells within an organism that retains its ability to divide and differentiate into various cell types. Since the early 1980s, scientists have researched the use of stem cells in the treatment of various human diseases such as cancer and diabetes. The research has sparked a controversial debate worldwide due to the nature of stem cell research and the source of pluripotent stem cells used in research. Stem cell research is a necessity, despite the source of pluripotent stem cells, because the research has led to breakthrough information involving the treatment diseases and injuries and the use of stem cells to replace damaged cells.

By taking on new functions, they become helpful in regenerative and reparative medicine, where injected cells develop into the same type of cell as that in the desired region. Although in theory stem cells seem like a promising treatment, questions arise about the ethics, effectiveness and consistency of the procedure. Ethics question whether it is right to derive the stem cells from Humans. This is because the most common stem cells are those found in adults, and those derived from an embryo. Others question whether it is guaranteed to work every time. If the cells are injected and left to take specialized form, how can it be known that it will become the type of cell desired. To put these questions to rest, many studies have been done using spinal injuries in rats. These studies tested the effect of the timing of the injection, as well as tracked the development of these cells from injection to specialization. All in all; the effects of stem cell injections are most efficient when the timing and type of the injections are chosen precisely.

Stem cell therapy is a relatively new option that is being used by athletes increasingly. The biggest advantage of this therapy is the low downtime. It takes months to heal if you undergo a traditional knee surgery but in case of stem cell therapy, the patient is advised to walk on the same day!

“Through the isolation and manipulation of cells, scientists are finding ways to identify young, regenerating ones that can be used to replace damaged of dead cells in diseased organs. This therapy is similar to the process of organ transplant, only the treatment consists of the transplantation of cells rather than organs. The cells that have shown by far the most promise of supplying diseased organs with healthy cells are called stem cells.” (Chapter Preface)

Over the decade, stem cell research has been ongoing around the world experimenting ways to control stem cells safely and effectively in the hope of curing as many diseases and help as many patients as possible. Stem cells are the foundation cell of our bodies. They are immature blood cells that have the remarkable potential and the ability to divide and form hundreds of copies and develop into various types of cell. Thus, it can be used to develop healthy tissues or organs to replace those that are damaged. In theory, there is no limit to the types of diseases that could be possibly treated with stem cell because it has the potential to develop into many different types of cell in the body. There are many people suffer in

1. How much time and money should be spent on a therapy that may only work after “years of intensive research”? Would this money be better spent on therapies that have a higher likelihood of success?

Regenexx is offering non-surgical treatment for orthopedic indications such as arthritis, bursitis, ligament tears and much more. According to their website, The Regenexx is the longest running stem cell therapy company in the United States. Company’s co-founder Dr. Christopher Centeno is a founding member of the International Cellular Medicine Society and one of the most experienced physicians of clinical use of adult stem cells in the world.

Bone Injuries are very frequent all over the world commonly in the United States. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, approximately six million people break their bones yearly. Out of this six million, 300,000 of these injuries heal over a long period of time or don’t heal at all. Due to emerging technology scientist and researchers on this field of expertise are now able to study these injuries and find a solution to this. Stem cells seem to be a favorable and effective way to treat bone injuries. Bone injuries are common among athletes of all sports. Finding a “cure” to this problem would serve as a way to get players back into shape in the least amount of time possible. We now discovered that stem cells can be manipulated and stimulated in our advantage. This stimulation would encourage the production of a cartilage that could repair long bone injuries.

Intrauterine stem cell therapy (IUSCT) refers to treatment of a variety of fetal genetic disorders thought transplantation of either allogenic or genetically modified autologous stem cells. Stem cells become incorporated into the recipient tissue to start proliferation and differentiation through their pluripotent or multipotent potential to compensate for the missing or defective protein. This could be useful in treating fetal genetic disorders which are considered to be perinatally lethal or associated with significant disability and morbidity if intervention is delayed to postnatal period (1).