Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy has been in existence for more than a decade, and it has been used for the treatment of various diseases. These diseases include blood disorders such as thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, G6PD deficiency, tissue degeneration, post-transplant diseases, arthritis, autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and so on. Stem cells have unique features, that makes them useful in the treatment of several disorders. Some of the special characteristics of stem cells include self-regeneration, differentiation, tissue repair, and immune modulatory functions. In addition to this, they are also capable of inhibiting inflammation and also reduce the progression of fibrosis. A type of stem cell is the mesenchymal stem cell; this cell cannot be detected by the body immune system. So this kind of stem cells can quietly enter the body, without triggering any reactions. However, the question that most people have been asking is” how safe is the stem cell therapy?”. This question is valid, considering the number of stem cell business that has been created lately. This question would be answered subsequently in this piece. Below are some important things you need to know about the current state of stem cell therapy.
Important Things To Know About Stem Cell Therapy
- Presently, only a few diseases treated by the stem cell therapy has been proven: The number of diseases that can be treated by stem cell therapy is very few. The most effective and most commonly used stem cell is the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. They have been very important in the treatment of blood disorders, and also some diseases caused by the immune system. In addition, they are also used to restore the cellular components of the body, especially after a procedure, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Some other diseases that have been largely proven to be treated by stem cells include the musculoskeletal system, the eyes and skin injuries. For example, stem cells can be used in the treatment of skin injuries such as burns. It is capable of restoring the skin to the way it was before the injury if used promptly. These procedures have been proved and considered safe in clinical trials. It’s advisable to be careful of stem cell treatments that are without any regulatory approval.
- Stem cells come from different parts of the body and also serve different purposes: Stem cells can be extracted from various parts of the body. For example, they can be extracted from the adipose tissue. Stem cells can be gotten in abundance from fat tissues. Also, they can be gotten from bone marrow. This process isn’t pleasant and isn’t frequently used. However, they produce very effective stem cells. Another place to get is from embryos. Basically, only stem cells gotten from the bone marrow can form hematopoietic stem cells. Likewise, stem cells gotten from the brain can only make nerve cells. Be careful of clinics that offer to treat a disease with stem cells that are a part of the body.
- The same stem cell treatment cannot be used for all diseases: It’s not possible for stem cells from a part of the body, be used for the treatment of other parts of the body unless the cells have been processed and manipulated in the laboratory. Researchers and scientists have developed a way of making specialized cells through some series of processes, by using pluripotent stem cells, which are embryogenic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells. These type of cells have the ability to form various types of cells, thus making them very useful for the treatment of many diseases. However, this kind of stem cells is not recommended, because they require a lot of manipulation, which must be done with great care and instruction. Beware of clinics that offer the same treatment for different types of diseases.
- The science and mechanism of the disease should tally with the science and mechanism of the treatment: The more information you have about a disease, including the cause, symptoms and the physiology of the disease, the better equipped you are to make the right treatment choice. As an illustration, if an individual has a blood cancer, treating the patient with hematopoietic stem cells sounds reasonable, as these kind of stem cells are naturally capable of forming all types of blood cells. On the other hand, a patient suffering from osteoarthritis, and being treated with this same hematopoietic stem cells makes no sense. This is because the problem with the patient is not blood-related, it rather has to do with the musculoskeletal system and the immune system. The best thing you can do when looking for a suitable stem cell clinic is to educate and arm yourself with the necessary information and knowledge about the disease.
- An experiment being sold is not the same as a clinical trial: Experimental procedures been sold does not mean it’s a clinical trial. It is important not to get this confused. Below are some of the features of a proper clinical trial;
- They do a lot of laboratory research and also own a preclinical data. In addition to this, they do conduct research on cells, animals with outcomes that indicate that the procedure is safe, and would also be safe and healthy when conducted on humans.
- They must follow the regulations and rules of a regulatory body. In addition to this, they have to be listed in a reputable clinical trial registry.
- They should have a platform or a department that can answer questions concerning any disease they’ve claimed they can treat. Also, there should be results showing a comparative analysis of the treatment, factoring in a control group, and how the people they treated did better. Be careful of costly treatment procedures that have not passed through clinical trials successfully.
- Medicine is not supposed to harm, but rather help: Any procedure that has more side effects than the benefit that can be gotten from it should be avoided. You should avoid clinics that try to boycott the normal procedure of science.
References
Jung, Y., Bauer, G. and Nolta, J. (2011). Concise Review: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Progress Toward Safe Clinical Products. STEM CELLS, 30(1), pp.42-47.
Keating, A. (2008). How Do Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Suppress T Cells?. Cell Stem Cell, 2(2), pp.106-108.
Knoepfler, P. (2009). Deconstructing Stem Cell Tumorigenicity: A Roadmap to Safe Regenerative Medicine. Stem Cells, 27(5), pp.1050-1056.
Sugarman, J. and Siegel, A. (2008). How to Determine Whether Existing Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Can Be Used Ethically. Cell Stem Cell, 3(3), pp.238-239.
