The Impact Of The Use Of Adult Stem Cells On Medicine

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Padraig

For the most part, stem cell research has a horrible reputation. In fact, stem cell treatments that claim to treat everything from bum knees and slipped discs to multiple sclerosis, autism and even Parkinson’s disease, are often regarded as modern trickery.

However, the use of adult stem cells in the medical field has already proven to help with the recovery of a number of physical ailments, including issues with the heart, central nervous system and the eyes. Adult stem cells have also proven to be useful in the treatment of problems caused by autoimmune disorders of various types, including symptoms that were once believed to be incurable and everlasting.

Not much over a decade ago, the textbooks used to teach neuroscience claimed that the neurons of the human spinal cord and brain were not able to regenerate. According to these books, once the neurons of the central nervous system were damaged they were gone for good.

Then, in the mid-nineties, something major happened. Scientists discovered that it was possible for neurons to be regenerated in some parts of the human brain. In addition, research found that new neurons could be derived from the adult brain as well as in the fetal brain. At first, scientists began experimenting with fetal stem cells. However, this type of research was frowned upon for various religious, ethical and political reasons. Therefore, after a number of years arguing, scientists began to focus their research on the use of adult stem cells.

Adult Stem Cells In the beginning, scientists worked with lab rats. The spinal cords of these rats were disabled and paralysis was induced. Embryo stem cells from rats were injected into the rats that had been disabled. To the researchers’ amazement, the cells in the rats began to regenerate and function was restored in the rats’ limbs within three months of the treatment.

Such research became highly publicized, opening the eyes of scientists everywhere almost overnight. These scientists have been working for several years on the use of adult stem cells in the field of medicine. Work is organized with various types of physical dysfunctions in humans related to spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, brain injury and other issues related to the central nervous system.

These days, research is more focused on using adult stem cells to treat a number of different health issues. Adult stem cell treatments have also been used to regenerate heart tissue and corneas. The use of adult stem cells has also been proven helpful in the treatment of various conditions that are caused by autoimmune diseases. As more and more cases end in great success, scientists are even more inspired to continue their research on the use of adult stem cells in the treatment of more and more patients.

Stem Cells and Cancer

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Padraig

A hot topic among researchers is stem cells and cancer. Stem cells have shown great promise at the possibility of repairing damaged and diseased tissue within the human body. However, one of the most important reasons to study stem cells is to determine their importance in the treatment of many, if not all, types of cancer.

According to the beliefs of some researchers, inside every cancerous tumor is a group of aberrant stem cells, which sustain the damaging tissue. If this is so, it may very well explain the reason tumors frequently regenerate, even after they have been demolished by anti-cancer drugs.

Cancer geneticist Robert Weinberg of the Whitehead Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts says, “I think this is one of the most interesting developments in cancer research in the last five years.”

Cancer treatment centers across the country are very interested in stem cells and cancer treatment possibilities. Stem cell treatments are a new and innovative way to fight the disease. More and more cancer patients are choosing this integrative method of treatment.

Stem Cells and Cancer

It is important to note, however, that not all cancer patients are candidates for stem cell treatment. In most cases, a number of factors must be considered before such treatment is administered, including the age and general health of the patient as well as the stage of the patient’s cancer.

Treatment centers are also using this alternative treatment as a way to improve the cancer patient’s ability to fight the disease. Currently, cancer treatment centers and hospitals use stem cells in their most advanced treatment techniques.

Stem cells, which are immature cells in the blood, bone marrow and umbilical cords, eventually develop into blood cells. Because it is possible for stem cells to become damaged during some cancer treatments, techniques have been developed to add healthy cells to the body following treatment.

Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation and bone marrow transplantation are two of the most common treatments of this type. Both procedures restore stem cells damaged due to high doses of chemotherapy. In addition, such treatments may also be used to treat patients who have taken radiation for their cancer.

Autologous stem cell rescue is a type of cancer treatment that uses stem cells. The innovative therapy is used to treat a number of cancer types. The procedure involves using the patient’s own peripheral stem cells and bone marrow to repair the damage that is done to the bone marrow from radiation treatments or high doses of chemotherapy.

Only you and your caregiver can know for sure the treatment that is best in your situation. Take the time to talk with your ecologist about the possibilities of stem cells and cancer treatments to determine if this type of procedure is the best way to get you healthy.

Speeding Up Stem Cell Differentiation

Posted on February 13, 2012 by Padraig

The process of changing stem cells to specific endothelial cells has become quite commonplace in many labs all around the world. However, bringing what has been learned about stem cell differentiation into clinical use means that the process must be done quicker and on a much larger scale. Therefore, scientists have been researching a new method that makes such a thing possible.

green fluorescent protein markers By using fluorescent green protein markers, scientists have been able to identify a compound that could very well be the solution to increasing the efficiency of the production of endothelial cells by as much as forty times that of the usual process.

A scientist by the name of Daylon James designed a new line of stem cells that yield fluorescent green protein as they turn into vascular endothelial cells. The label made it possible for researchers to monitor the stem cells quickly and easily as they morph into this new type of cell.

The stem cells were bathed in a variety of small molecules and scientists kept an eye out for the production of more green cells. Researchers discovered mostly vascular endothelial cells after the stem cells were exposed to a beta-blocking compound, which is used to help control the specialization of the cells.

By blocking the TGF-beta growth factor at the optimal time when the cell is being cultured will dramatically increase the amount of vascular endothelial cell that are produced. In the past, scientists had to begin with five stem cells per endothelial cell generated. However, this new method to speed up stem cell differentiation makes it possible to begin with five stem cells with a result of forty endothelial cells. According to James, “we’ve turned the ratio around”.

The most important thing is that the cells work. Scientists were able to grow human vascular endothelial cells and inject them into lab mice. Within a week, the newly humanized cells became integrated in the circulatory system of the mice. The glowing green cells made it possible for the team of researchers to determine which ones were the injected cells. Also, a molecule that adheres to blood vessel walls became fixed to the green cells as well, which suggests that the new cells were functioning properly.

The use of a small molecule inhibitor avoids some of the problems with human tests. Additional techniques to generate endothelial cells from stem cells require a number of factors that come from animals. Due to concerns for safety, cells that are produced in this manner are not suitable for clinical use. The new method, however, does not require the use of any factors derived from the animal kingdom, which makes the process much more appealing for the formation of therapeutic blood vessels in patients.

How Adult Stem Cells are Extracted

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Padraig

If you or someone you love has a serious or progressive disease, you should take the time to learn all about how adult stem cells are extracted and the many ways they can be used to treat various diseases and injuries with great success.

Many experts believe that adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can be found alongside the differentiated cells in organs and tissues. These experts have discovered through many, many hours of research that these cells have the ability to not only renew themselves, but also differentiate to form important specialized cells for the organs and tissues of the body.

The main function of adult stem cells is the maintenance and repair of the tissue in which the cells are located. The term scientists use to refer to these cells is “somatic stem cells” because the term somatic is in reference to the cells of the body, not eggs, sperm or germ cells. Dissimilar to embryonic stem cells, the origin of the adult stem cells found in some mature tissues has yet to be determined.

Adult stem cells have reportedly been found in a number of different major organs and tissues within the human body, such as the brain, skin, heart, liver, teeth, skeletal muscle, testes, bone marrow, blood vessels, peripheral blood, gut, and ovarian epithelium. It is believed that the adult stem cells are located in a specific area of the tissue known as the stem cell niche. Current studies indicate that in many tissues some stem cells are pericytes, which are cells that make up the outer layer of the small blood vessels.

Stem cells can remain undivided for a long time until activated by the need for additional cells to maintain or repair tissue due to disease or injury. However, research proves that these cells can be extracted and used to repair damaged tissue in other areas of the body.

Extracted stem cells are ready for the patient Isolating adult stem cells from the body can be done in a number of different ways. The chosen method depends on the tissue itself. For example, blood stem cells are harvested from the donor’s bone marrow, from the umbilical cord blood of a newborn baby or from the patient’s own circulating blood. Mesenchymal stem cells used to create bone, fat, cartilage, fibrous connective tissue and blood-forming cells are harvested from bone marrow. Neural stem cells come from the spinal cord and brain to form three major cell types found in the brain. Most recently, it has been discovered that cardiac stem cells can be isolated from the heart.

Isolation is only the first step. The harvested cells must be grown and developed into large numbers before they are useful in medical treatments. However, scientists are already working on methods to boost the number of cells that can be developed.

Stem Cell Transplantation

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Padraig

Stem cell transplantation is the term used to describe the process of infusing healthy stem cells into the human body. Such a procedure may be necessary if a patient’s bone marrow fails to function properly and is not producing an adequate amount of healthy stem cells. In addition, stem cell transplantation can help with the production of healthy platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells, which can reduce the risk of potentially fatal infections, excessive bleeding or anemia.

Typically referred to as a stem cell transplant, the process of replenishing a patient’s healthy supply of cells is also often referred to as an umbilical cord blood transplant or a bone marrow transplant. Stem cell transplantation may either use cells that are harvested from the patient’s own body, which is known as an autogous stem cell transplant, or from donors through an allogeneic stem cell transplant.

A stem cell transplant can be used in the treatment of individuals whose own cells have been damaged due to disease, or even the treatment of some diseases. Stem cell transplants have been proven to benefit patients suffering from both malignant as well as nonmalignant diseases.

One of the most common uses of stem cell transplantation is to replace bone marrow that has become dysfunctional. For example, the bone marrow of a patient with aplastic anemia does not make a sufficient amount of new blood cells. The medical professionals will first destroy any dysfunctional marrow through radiation or powerful drugs prior to the infusion of healthy stem cells. If the procedure is a success, the new cells will migrate to the bone marrow and resume normal functions.

In a patient suffering from leukemia, stem cell transplantation is used to destroy the unhealthy cells. Then, healthy cells are transplanted so normal cell production is able to resume. In addition, the immune factors that are included in the transplanted cells can help to fight off any cancerous cells that may remain in the patient’s bone marrow.

Following a stem cell transplant, the patient may remain in the hospital until blood counts recover. However, in some cases, the patient is allowed to leave the hospital to recover in the comforts of their own home, yet remain under the close watch of a medical care team. Some patients are able to leave the hospital in as little as three to five weeks, while others must stay much longer. Some facilities require patients to stay close in order to allow proper monitoring following a stem cell transplant.

In the days and weeks following stem cell transplantation, patients must undergo a number of tests and other procedures to monitor the condition that was present prior to the transplant. Supplemental nutrition and numerous medications may also be prescribed to combat any complications.

Outstanding Success with Adult Stem Cell Treatments

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Padraig

More and more people all around the world are finding freedom from a number of diseases and other health conditions due to the success of adult stem cell treatments. Lives are being changed forever and a renewed sense of hope has fallen over thousands of afflicted individuals everywhere. However, the success of these treatments, which far surpasses that of embryonic stem cell research, has been shaded by popular media.

Treating Spinal Cord Injuries

One of the most devastating debilitations is a spinal cord injury. Often times, the result is some form of paralysis, if not death. In one case, a teenager from Texas in the United States was involved in an automobile accident the rendered her paralyzed from the neck down. Doctor after doctor told her she would never walk again.

Spinal Cord

Based on the advice of a number of different spinal cord injury specialists, it seemed that stem cell treatments were the best option. A procedure called olfactory mucosa transplantation was performed by taking stem cells from the nasal region and transplanting them into the site of the injury.

After resuming life and continuing with therapy, an MRI was conducted on the young girl. The test showed that seventy percent of the injury had been repaired. In just six months, the girl gain feeling in her abdomen. Within three years, she had agility in her upper body and could stand for extended periods using a walker. Soon, she was walking with minimal assistance.

Repairing Heart Tissue

Recently, stem cell treatments have shown great promise in patients who have suffered heart failure or heart attacks. A study was conducted in 2003 on twenty-eight heart attack patients by transplanting their own cells into their arteries.

All but two of the patients show elevated levels of heart-pumping ability by almost five percent. Within only four months following the stem cell treatments, the dead tissue around the patients’ hearts had been reduced by as much as twenty percent on average.

The List Continues To Grow

Spinal injuries and heart attacks are not the only areas where stem cell treatments have shown incredible promise. Stem cell success stories also exist involving patients who were treated for the following:

• Blindness, corneal degeneration and additional ocular disorders through a procedure called limbal stem cell transplantation
• Autoimmune disease
• Diabetes, with hundreds of patients putting away their insulin needles for more than a year thanks to cells harvested from cadavers
• Lupus
• Crohn’s disease, with patients in remission for more than a year
• Multiple sclerosis
• Behcet disease, resulting in total remission two years later
• Parkinson’s disease
• Anemia
• Cancer
• Immune deficiencies
• A number of other diseases, with more cures being discovered all the time

Some people may tell you that stem cell treatments work miracles, while others will tell you that they are morally wrong. Yet, every day more and more medical breakthroughs are being made that cannot be denied for much longer.

What Is Stem Cell Research?

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Padraig

A relatively new technology that involves using human cells to create any type of cell, such as brain cells, blood cells and other tissues, has many people asking the question,

What is stem cell research?

Researchers and scientists expect great things to come from the use of stem cell therapy, especially cures for diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. On the other hand, many people are fearful that such research will lead to the cloning of human beings, which is regarded as unethical in most circles. Other concerns also come from the destruction of human embryos to conduct scientific research.

However, there is actually more than one type of stem cell. Primarily, these cells are extracted either from adult tissue or from embryos. Embryonic stem cells can be created in a lab solely for research, or they may come from the embryos that are leftover from in-vitro fertilization procedures. Adult stem cells are extracted from the adult’s own tissue.

Even though some might say that it is easier and more beneficial to obtain stem cells from embryos, just as many people out there do not agree. It has been proven that patients are exposed to less risk when transplanted cells are harvested from their own tissue. In addition, adult stem cells have been known to provide positive results when used for medical treatments, while it is yet to be determined that embryonic cells are as beneficial.

To answer the question “what is stem cell research?” completely, you must also have an understanding of the legal issues that relate to stem cell exploration. In the United States, the conducting of research on stem cells is legal, even for cloning humans.

Just over a decade ago, then U.S. President George W. Bush authorized the spending of federal funds to conduct research on more than sixty lines of stem cells. The restriction to these few cells is due to the fact that the issues regarding life and death have been decided already. In other words, these stem cells are capable of infinite, independent regeneration. However, more recently in 2009, reigning U.S. President Barack Obama reversed the policy, which made it possible to use federal funding toward even more lines of stem cells.

In countries outside the United States, the degree of research allowed on stem cells varies. Some countries, such as Sweden, Japan and the UK, have ordered the study of stem cells legal, including human cloning. Other countries, such as France, Canada and Australia permit research on leftover embryonic cells and adult stem cells; however, they do not allow any type of human cloning. The most restrictive laws on stem cell research are in Poland, Ireland and Austria.

Once you know the answer to the popular question, “what is stem cell research”, you will be able to form your own personal opinion, evaluate the pros and cons of such research and determine where you think the line should be drawn.

Important Facts About Stem Cells

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Padraig

Stem cells are often referred to as “starter cells” or “source cells”, which grow into adult tissue. The foundation of all the cells, tissue and organs within the human body is stem cells. It is possible for stem cells to replace or repair tissue that is damaged. What this means about stem cells is that they show great promise of being able to reverse injuries and diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, blood diseases and even more.

The Different Types of Stem Cells

One thing that you should know about stem cells is that there are in fact two different types of stem cells. The two types of cells are embryonic stem cells, also known as unlimited stem cells, and adult stem cells, which are also known as limited stem cells.

Currently, unlimited stem cells, or embryonic stem cells, are derived from three-day-old embryos that are leftover and would otherwise be discarded at fertility clinics. Permission from the patients is required to obtain these cells.

Embryos are created at these fertility clinics entirely outside the human body. However, an important thing to know about stem cells such as these is that they are able to grow into any type of tissue or cell within the body.

Limited stem cells, or adult stem cells, are somewhat rarer. These stem cells are only found in some tissue and organs that are already developed. The use of adult stem cells has led to many successful bone marrow transplants for several years. In addition, these types of stem cells have also been used successfully in hair and skin transplants. An individual suffering from an ailment related to tissue damage or degeneration should talk to their doctor about stem cells.

Something else you need to know about stem cells is that there is one other way to acquire embryonic stem cells, which is by using an adult cell and an unfertilized egg from the patient. This procedure is called somatic cell nuclear transfer; it is also sometimes referred to as therapeutic cloning.

The main differences between limited and unlimited stem cells are adaptability and sustainability. Adult stem cells only repair the organs or tissues from which they came. In addition, they must be transplanted into the patient immediately or frozen.

What Stem Cell Research Means For You

Now that you know more about stem cells, you might wonder why this is of interest and what it potentially could mean for you. The most important implication is that stem cells can replace or repair damaged tissue, which may reverse injury and disease. For instance, a heart attack damages the heart muscle, but stem cells can be used to replace the damaged muscle cells.

An estimated one hundred million plus people in the United States alone may potentially be helped through the research of stem cells. This research will not have an impact on a single disease, but on many different types of disease.

Scientists who have studied diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune disease, blood disease, burns, spinal injuries and leukemia, believe that patients could benefit greatly from the research of stem cells. The more that is learned about stem cells, the better the chances of curing innumerable ailments.

Questions about Harvesting Adult Stem Cells Answered

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Padraig

Researchers began looking into the advantages of harvesting adult stem cells to treat serious diseases over forty years ago. Scientists discovered that a least two different types of stem cells are contained in bone marrow – hematopoietic stem cells and bone marrow stromal cells.

How Stem Cells Are Harvested From the Donor

A sample of blood is taken from the stem cell donor so it can be typed. If a patient with a matching HLA blood type is in need, the donor will be notified. A few days prior to harvesting adult stem cells, the donor is given a medicine to force the stem cells out of the bone marrow and into general circulation.

In a process known as apheresis, blood is taken from the donor via catheter or IV. The stem cells are harvested from the blood before it is returned to the donor. Unless a stem cell donor is of advanced age, the harvesting process typically takes about a day to collect the necessary cells for transplantation.

If enough stem cells can be extracted, the next step is a bone marrow transplant. If insufficient stem cells are obtained using this procedure, a surgical bone marrow method will be used to harvest the necessary cells.

What to Expect As a Cell Donor

When you donate stem cells, your calcium levels get out of balance, which can lead to a tingling sensation, especially in the lips. You can chew on an antacid to ease this discomfort.

As the cells are being harvested, a nurse will be with you the entire time. Harvesting adult stem cells requires you to lie in bed throughout the entire process hooked to a machine. You can pass the time by bringing something to read with you, a laptop or a friend to keep you company.

Once the cells have been harvested, you can go. The cells will be frozen on site, or sent elsewhere to be frozen. It is best if after harvesting adult stem cells they are kept in storage at the location of the eventual transplantation. However, these stem cells are completely portable. In fact, adult stem cells are transported from one facility to another on a regular basis as standard practice.

The one question that you must answer on your own about harvesting adult stem cells is when to become a donor. Age and overall health must be considered in addition to an assessment of your bone marrow and your personal risk for lymphoma. It is up to you to decide whether you feel that it is best for your stem cells to be harvested now and put away in long term storage, or you may choose to reserve the harvesting procedure for a time when a patient is in need.

Stem Cell Therapy For Leukemia

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Padraig

Stem cells offer a great deal of promise in the successful treatment of cancers like leukemia.

What Exactly is Leukemia?

White blood cells, which are called leukocytes, are the target for a type of cancer known as Leukemia. Just as with all other blood cells, the leukocytes in the body come from somatic stem cells. When mature leukocytes are released to the bloodstream, they work hard at their job of fighting off infections within the body.

When leukocytes begin to show signs of abnormal function and growth, this is an indication that they have become cancerous with Leukemia. Abnormal cells do not have the ability to fight off infection. Even worse, leukocytes that do not develop and work properly interfere with the functions of the other organs in the body.

In order for treatment of Leukemia to be successful, it is crucial that all of the abnormal leukocytes within the patient’s body are eliminated. Once the abnormal cells are gone, new healthy cells will be able to develop to take their place through stem cell therapy.

Treating The Disease

One method that is often used to rid the patient’s body of the abnormal cells is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of strong drugs that kill off the abnormal cancerous cells. In cases where the cancer is not eliminated completely through chemotherapy, the next step is to move forward with bone marrow transplants, which essentially is a form of stem cell therapy.

A bone marrow transplant involves taking healthy bone marrow from a matching donor and using stem cell therapy to replace the bone marrow stem cells that were killed by previous treatments.

To prepare for a bone marrow transplant, all of the present bone marrow must be removed in addition to the killing of the abnormal cells. This is typically accomplished through a combination of radiation and chemotherapy. Then, stem cell therapy involves taking the bone marrow with the healthy stem cells from the matching donor and putting it into the bloodstream of the Leukemia patient.

If the bone marrow transplant and stem cell therapy is successful, the healthy stem cells will then migrate into the bone marrow where it will begin to produce new healthy leukocytes to take the place of the abnormal cells that were removed.

Even More Possibilities with Bone Marrow Stem Cells

According to new research related to stem cell therapy, bone marrow stem cells show promise of being able to differentiate into other cell types to make up tissue outside the blood, including muscle and liver. Scientists are working hard to discover more and more uses for stem cell therapy that goes well beyond just curing the diseases of the blood.
If you or someone you love is suffering from Leukemia, you are in luck. Today, the possibility of finding a cure for Leukemia through the use of stem cell therapy is more of a reality than was ever before believed possible. Take the time to talk to your ecologist or health care professional to find out the possibilities that stem cell therapy has in store for you.