Stem cell therapy is the procedure of using stem cells from the body to treat or even prevent a certain disease or medical condition. As of late, the only proven therapy using stem cells from the body is embryonic stem cell transplantation. This normally takes the form of an umbilical cord-blood transplant, but stem cells can also be obtained from umbilical cord plasma. Although this procedure has been approved for some diseases, like cancer, it has not yet been approved for all kinds of chronic illnesses.
Some conditions, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, are incurable. In these cases, stem cell therapy is used. In Parkinson's, damaged nerves are replaced with neuroblasts. In Alzheimer's, degenerated nerve cells are replaced with neuroblasts capable of repairing nerve damage.
But there are cases in which stem cell therapy can help. A Parkinson's patient, after enduring partial paralysis, was injected with stem cells from his own body. The neurogenic cells quickly differentiated into motor neurons, which helped restore the paralyzed patient's movement. In Alzheimer's, the damaged tissue is replaced with synthetic astrocytes. As these cells differentiate, they can form memory foam and deliver messages between brain cells, like artificial intelligence. And in experimental cord-needy children, diseased cord muscles are replaced with muscle cells that are able to differentiate and grow into healthy muscle tissue. Be sure to click for more info!
It is still early to say what the future holds for regenerative medicine. Scientists, hoping to unlock the mysteries of stem cell therapy, are currently trying to genetically manipulate human cells for the hope of using them to treat diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. This effort is currently not successful, but it does show promise as a way of managing the symptoms of these illnesses.Discover more facts about stem cells at https://www.encyclopedia.com/medicine/divisions-diagnostics-and-procedures/medicine/stem-cell-research.
Scientists are now trying to inject newborn babies with embryonic stem cells in an attempt to replace the parents' diseased cells with healthy ones. This is more of a gamble than injecting the adult stem cells because it is impossible to tell whether or not these cells will generate correctly. Although it is a riskier alternative than embryonic stem cells, researchers hope that this will be the breakthrough that finally finds a solution for the thousands of people born with some type of genetic disability. If successful, the use of these embryonic stem cells will be the final piece of the puzzle for these people, giving them a chance for a normal life.
Stem cell therapy has a lot of hurdles to overcome before it can even begin to replace damaged or dying stem cells. Patients must have their own stem cells taken from their own bodies, since the procedure uses very potent drugs to stimulate the cells to regenerate. Scientists have yet to find a donor material that can be used in the injections, although they have discovered a way to make this material, called a chimney. The chimney will be used to store the cells until they are needed. There are currently eight clinical trials testing the effectiveness of this therapy at myapexmd.com, although there are only a few patients in the trial that are actually undergoing the procedure. No one really knows how successful the therapy will be, although the success rate so far seems promising.
