Stem cells are in a position to revolutionize the way doctors treat disease. Among emerging medical technologies, stem cells are the most exciting because of their enormous potential.
In some cases, stem cell research has discovered medical treatments that were thought unimaginable a decade earlier.
There is a lot of public discourse on the ethics of stem cell therapy and certain legal restrictions that limit research, but what scientists are discovering in spite of these hurdles is truly amazing.
Before reading about stem cells, it’s important to note that much research still needs to be done before they can be considered an approved, widespread treatment.
Are you interested in learning more about the benefits of stem cell research? Keep reading to find out where they come from, how many kinds of stem cells exist, and how they can help treat disease or injury.
What Are Stem Cells?
The topic of stem cell research is controversial.
People with sick family members applaud the efforts to find cutting-edge medical treatments while others compare it to the work of twisted science fiction.
The fact is most people don’t understand stem cell research — what it is and isn’t.
Stem cells are considered unspecialized cells, which means they haven’t formed into any one type of cell yet. Therefore, they’re malleable.
The process of differentiation can help turn them into specific cells, such as those that compose the liver, heart, or brain.
These cells are the foundation for all of our organs and tissues. They first appear in a human embryo approximately five days after fertilization — this is what helps a developing embryo to grow into a newborn — but adults also have stem cells to replace their damaged cells.
Adults diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma, for instance, can receive bone marrow transplants containing hematopoietic cells, stem cells that help the body fight disease.
Scientists first derived embryonic stem cells from mice in 1981. This work led to the first method of deriving stem cells from human embryos in 1998.
When couples need fertility help to conceive a child, embryos are grown in a laboratory via the process of in vitro fertilization. When they are no longer needed or are found not to be viable, they are legally donated for research.
It wasn’t until 2006 that researchers learned they could reverse engineer differentiated “adult” cells back into a stem cell like state to treat numerous medical conditions.
Embryonic vs. Adult Stem Cells
There are five types of stem cells: totipotent (or omnipotent), pluripotent, multipotent, oligopotent, and unipotent.
Scientists classify stem cells according to the five categories above, but the easiest way to understand them is to know they either come from a: human embryo (embryonic stem cells), adult cells (mesenchymal stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells, or neural stem cells, for example), or are created in a laboratory (induced pluripotent stem cells).
Adult stem cells are different than embryonic stem cells because they are found in specific tissues throughout the human body. They exist in places like our skin or hair to help us replace old or damaged cells.
The problem with adult stem cells is that scientists haven’t been able to prove without a doubt that they can be used to regenerate other types of tissue. More often, adult stem cells are leveraged for their capacity to impact other cell types and the micro-environment into which they are introduced.
For example, mesenchymal stem cells are a type of adult stem cell that can act locally or systemically to reduce inflammation, reduce scarring, and in some cases, promote a healthy immune response.
Another kind of stem cell is the embryonic stem cell.
Embryonic stem cells can be derived from human embryos. These cells have the most potential for treating serious diseases but ethical concerns have limited donation and research.
The latest category of stem cells are known as induced pluripotent cells – often called iPSCs or iPS cells for short. With these stem cells, differentiated “adult” stem cells are coaxed back into behaving and acting like embryonic stem cells. Because they can turn into any of the approximately 200 cell types that compose the human body, they are pluripotent stem cells.
What Are the Medical Benefits of Stem Cell Research?
Although more research is needed, the use of stem cells to treat disease is very promising. Stems cells are now being used to treat conditions in ways no one believed could be done.
Stem cells have the potential to change modern medicine forever.
Research from the American Heart Association in 2017 found that implanted stem cells were a “feasible” treatment for cardiomyopathy, a disease that makes it difficult for a heart to pump blood. This research is in the early phases.
Newsweek Magazine also reported a case of stem cells being used to treat a police officer’s severe burns.
Cells from the officer’s healthy skin were grown in liquid suspension and then sprayed on the wound. His burns substantially improved with a three-day period.
Another study published in PLOS ONE demonstrated how stem cells were effectively used in rats to heal torn rotator cuff tendons. The next step in this project will be testing it on larger animals.
Here are 10 of the most popular stem cell treatments in 2022:
- Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
- Leukemia
- Stroke
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Autoimmune Diseases
- Spinal Cord Injury
- Stem Cells for Hair Regrowth
- Cardiac Problems
- Diabetes
The treatments of these medical conditions is facilitated through regenerative medicine, which uses stem cells along with the body’s natural defenses to speed up the rate of repair.
Unfortunately, most of the treatments above have not received approval from the U.S. FDA or other international regulatory bodies. As a result, interested patients can only participate in a clinical trial, find unregulated stem cell clinics, or travel to a foreign country where a procedure is offered.
As you can imagine, the world of stem cell research is fast-moving. New advances in regenerative medicine are being made all of the time.
Some researchers are now exploring the potential use of stem cells in the treatment of COVID-19 related conditions, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The applications are limitless.
Seeking a Stem Cell Treatment?
As the world’s largest publisher of stem cell industry news, BioInformant understandably cannot provide clinical treatments or advice. For this reason, please contact GIOSTAR with your medical questions. GIOSTAR is a global stem cell company that has treated a large number of patients, both in the U.S. and worldwide.
You can reach them at this link to schedule a consultation or ask them your questions.
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