How does stem cell therapy work, and what is it?
Utilizing stem cells to cure or prevent diseases and disorders is known as stem cell therapy. Stem cells are unique cells that can differentiate into several cell types in the body, including blood, nerve, muscle, and bone cells. It is also capable of self-renewal, organ and tissue repair, and stem cells. For many illnesses and injuries that now have no cure or few treatment choices, stem cell therapy offers the potential to provide new and effective treatments.
Stem cells specialize in regenerating damaged tissues in order to regrow healthy organs for promoting health. They aren’t limited to specific diseases; they can address various underlying conditions that cause different degenerative diseases in different organs such as kidney, brain, liver, heart, lung, colon, etc. Stem cells also have been showing groundbreaking results on different autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Hashimoto, ALS, MS, etc. Moreover, stem cell is now very much popular for autism spectrum disorder since it is supported by numerous clinical trials and double-blinded randomized controlled research. Additionally, stem cells boost our immune system, providing protection against other illnesses.
What are the types and sources of stem cells?
- Embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells are the two primary categories of stem cells. The central cell mass of a very young embryo, known as the a, is where embryonic stem cells are produced. They are pluripotent because they have the ability to develop into any adult cell type. Under specific circumstances, they can also develop indefinitely in a lab.
- Adult stem cells can be found in the bone marrow, skin, brain, and liver, among other tissues and organs of the body. They are either multipotent or unipotent because they can only differentiate into the specific cell types of the tissue or organ from which they originated. They may also be inactive until a demand for additional cells or an injury triggers their activation.
In terms of research and therapy, both types of stem cells have benefits and drawbacks. Although they offer the potential to heal a variety of illnesses and ailments, embryonic stem cells also raise moral and practical concerns. Although adult stem cells are less contentious and more widely available, they have a limited ability to differentiate and may be impacted by disease or aging.
There are other sources of stem cells that are being investigated for use in research and therapy in addition to embryonic and adult stem cells (14-15).
These consist of:
- Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs): These are adult stem cells that have undergone genetic or environmental reprogramming to become pluripotent. Without utilizing embryos, they may imitate the characteristics of embryonic stem cells.
- Umbilical cord blood stem cells: These are blood-forming stem cells that are taken from the umbilical cord and placenta after delivery. They can be used to treat blood illnesses such as leukemia and lymphoma.
- Amniotic fluid stem cells: These are multipotent stem cells derived from the amniotic fluid that surrounds the fetus during pregnancy. They can differentiate into diverse cell types such as bone, cartilage, neurons, muscle, and fat.
- UC-MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells): These are multipotent stem cells that can be found in a variety of tissues, including bone marrow, adipose tissue, dental pulp, and the umbilical cord. They are capable of differentiating into cells that form connective tissue, including bone, cartilage, fat, and muscle. They are also capable of secreting immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory substances that can improve tissue repair.
Stem cell therapy for regrow and regeneration?
Transplanting or injecting stem cells into the body to repair or restore damaged or diseased cells and tissues is what stem cell therapy is all about. Several steps are involved in stem cell therapy:
- Harvesting: The extraction of stem cells from a donor or a patient Various methods are utilized to collect stem cells, depending on the source. Bone marrow stem cells, for example, are extracted by inserting a needle into the hip bone; umbilical cord blood stem cells are extracted by clamping and severing the chord after birth; and adipose tissue stem cells are extracted via liposuction.
- Processing: This is the process of extracting, purifying, expanding, and altering stem cells prior to their application in therapy. Different methods are utilized to handle stem cells, depending on their nature and goal. Embryonic stem cells, for example, are cultivated in a special medium; iPSCs are created by inserting certain genes or proteins; and MSCs are driven by growth factors or cytokines.
- Delivery: This is the procedure of moving or injecting the stem cells into the body’s intended target area. Different approaches are employed to distribute the stem cells, depending on the disease or condition being treated. For instance, neural stem cells are injected into the brain or spinal cord; cardiac stem cells are injected into the heart muscle; and blood-forming stem cells are infused into the bloodstream.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of stem cell therapy treatment?
Several potential advantages of stem cell therapy over traditional therapies include: Compared to surgery or dialysis, it is less invasive and more natural.
- It can raise one’s chances of survival and quality of life both now and in the future.
- After transplantation, it can minimize or completely remove the need for immunosuppressive medications.
- It can circumvent the moral dilemmas and shortages brought on by organ donation.
- It could result in problems or unfavorable reactions such as infection, hemorrhage, tumor growth, immunological rejection, etc.
References:
- Zakrzewski, W., Dobrzynski, M., Szymonowicz, M., & Rybak, Z. (2019). Stem cells: past, present, and future. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, 10(1), 68. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-019-1165-5
- Gnecchi, M., & Melo, L. G. (2009). Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells: Isolation, expansion, characterization, viral transduction, and production of conditioned medium. Methods in Molecular Biology, 482, 281-294. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-060-7_17
- Trounson, A., & McDonald, C. (2015). Stem cell therapies in clinical trials: Progress and challenges. Cell Stem Cell, 17(1), 11-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2015.06.007
- Puri, M. C., & Nagy, A. (2012). Concise review: Embryonic stem cells versus induced pluripotent stem cells: The game is on. Stem Cells, 30(1), 10-14. https://doi.org/10.1002/stem.700
- Barker, R. A., Parmar, M., Kirkeby, A., & Björklund, A. (2015). The prospects of stem cell therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(11), 661-672. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn4007