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The idea of a miracle cure and bodies healing themselves holds a particular fascination. Stem cell research brings regenerative medicine a step closer, but many of the ideas and concepts remain controversial. So what are stem cells, and why are they so important?
Stem cells are a type of cell that can develop into many other types of cells. Stem cells can also renew themselves by dividing, even after they have been inactive for a long time. Stem cells are cells that are continuously forming into several types of cell lines. There are two types of mammalian pluripotent stem cells. The embryonic stem cells (ESCs) which are derived from the blastocysts whereas embryonic germ cells (EGCs) are derived after implantation stage of the embryos.
The human body requires many different types of cells to function, but it does not produce each cell type fully formed and ready to use. Instead, it produces stem cells that have a wide range of possible functions. However, stem cells need to become a specific cell type to be useful. When a stem cell divides, the new cells may either become another stem cell or a specific cell, such as a blood cell, a brain cell, or a muscle cell.
Scientists call a stem cell an undifferentiated cell because it can become any cell. In contrast, a blood cell, for example, is a ‘differentiated’ cell, because it is already a specific kind of cell. These two types of stem cells can form into a variety of tissues and organs.
Where do stem cells come from?
Scientists can harvest stem cells in different ways. Embryonic stem cells come from an embryo that is just a few days old. Scientists can extract adult stem cells from different types of tissue, including the brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, the gut, the liver, among others.
Amniotic fluid contains stem cells. Many women opt for an amniocentesis test that checks for congenital disabilities before the child is born. If the doctor keeps the fluid, they could use it in the future to treat other conditions either during gestation or after birth.
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) are cells that scientists can reprogram to act as stem cells, for use in regenerative medicine. After collecting the stem cells, scientists usually store them in liquid nitrogen for future use.
Is there evidence that stem cells actually work?
Yes. Clinical trials proving that stem cell treatments can treat a number of conditions have been completed all across the world. There are over 6000 clinical studies posted on clinicaltrials.gov website that prove the efficacy of stem cell treatments in a wide variety of health conditions.
Scientists can extract adult stem cells from different types of tissue, including the brain, bone marrow, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, the gut, the liver, among others.
First a little history of how far we have progressed, and where we stand today on the topic of stem Cell therapy,
In 1908, these stem cells were discovered by the Russian histologist Alexander Maksimov while he was working on the theory of haematopoiesis. Hematopoiesis is the production of all of the cellular components of blood and blood plasma. It occurs within the hematopoietic system, which includes organs and tissues such as the bone marrow, liver, and spleen. Simply, hematopoiesis is the process through which the body manufactures blood cells.
A scientist named McCulloch stepped in to do stem cells research in 1963 to treat cancer and from there onwards, it appears to be a vital and critical topic to clinicians worldwide. In the early 2000s, stem cell research was controversial because it often required the destruction of human embryos. United states president George W. Bush banned federal funding of stem cell research. Nearly two decades later California residents approved a tax increase on themselves to support research. A “Proposition 14” asked whether Californians want to continue this work, providing $5.5 billion for stem cell research over the next three decades. Today, at the time of researching this topic (2020), there are clinical trials proving that stem cell treatments can treat a number of conditions have been completed all across the world. There are over 6000 clinical studies posted on clinicaltrials.gov website that prove the efficacy of stem cell treatments in a wide variety of health conditions. (Further resources can be found in the Resources page at the end of this eBook).
Stem cells have been used to treat rare diseases, such as severe combined immunodeficiency, also known as "bubble boy disease," and they are being tested in more common conditions such as Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration, Type 1 diabetes and even heart disease.
"Even if a subset of stuff in the pipeline goes all the way, it will change the world for patients who currently don't have other good options," said Sean Morrison, a stem cell biologist in Dallas.
"It's a pivotal time in the field," said Dr. Deepak Srivastava, president of the Gladstone Institutes, a nonprofit research organization based in San Francisco. "We can feel that we're at an inflection point, where after years of discovery and creating a foundation of knowledge, we're finally at a point where a number of approaches are reaching clinical trials."
"Every disease is a different set of challenges, and we spend years trying to develop therapies that are safe and effective," said Morrison, who chairs the public policy committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, a scientific organization. Daley, a global leader in the field, said he thinks the funding spurred enthusiasm for stem cell research more broadly. "The entire excitement around the field of stem cell biology is part of the reason you're seeing cures in cancer and impending cures in devastating diseases like sickle cell anemia," he said.
Research begun in the Harvard lab of Doug Melton may soon revolutionize the treatment of Type 1 diabetes, he said, liberating patients from needing to inject themselves daily with insulin.
Stem cell therapy induces repair mechanisms to diseased, injured cells and tissues using pluripotent stem cells. In some tissues, stem cells play an essential role in regeneration, as they can divide easily to replace dead cells. This therapy also includes bone marrow transplants for the treatment of leukaemia. Presently an extensive research is being carried to implement stem cell therapy for the treatment of cancer, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and other muscular contraction manifestations.
For instance, if someone’s heart contains damaged tissue, doctors might be able to stimulate healthy tissue to grow by transplanting laboratory-grown stem cells into the person’s heart. This could cause the heart tissue to renew itself. Researchers on a small-scale study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research tested this method. The results showed a 40 percent reduction of the size of scarred heart tissue caused by heart attacks when doctors transplanted stem cells to the damaged area. Doctors have always considered this kind of scarring permanent and untreatable.
Stem cells may provide the key to regenerative medicine, in which the body heals itself.
Jeffrey R. Millman, assistant professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at Washington University School of Medicine, stated “What we’re envisioning is an outpatient procedure in which some sort of device filled with the cells would be placed just beneath the skin.” They can be injected into the region of the diseased tissues in areas such as joints, skin, hair follicles, wounds as well as received through an IV or into the cerebral spinal fluid. The theory is that Stem Cells are attracted to the injured or weakened areas of the body, through our natural immune responses, working to repair or replace dead or dying cells, they may become the necessary cell type needed at the particular time and place.
Currently, there are various ways stem cells are collected for Stem Cell therapy. This process is called “harvesting cells” from the human body. It can be accomplished by collection from tissues such as bone marrow, blood plasma (referred to as Platelet Rich Plasma or “PRP), adipose tissue (fat cells), from fetal tissues (either amniotic fluids or sacs, placental sacs or fetal cord blood), which may be seen as counterintuitive to personal beliefs or even controversial for some religious beliefs. The topic of Ethics is a whole other discussion depending upon your personal opinions/beliefs, hence, the previously mentioned ban on StemCell research by President George Bush.
One way around this controversy, is to establish procedures in which Stem Cell therapies can be carried out using a method to collect autologous (meaning cells or tissues obtained from the same individual or simply cells that you make yourself and not from a foreign donor). This is preferred by many for obvious religious reasons and secondly, the benefit of preventing the body from attacking foreign cells and possibly rejecting them, which is what our immune system was designed to do in a very efficient manner for the majority of us.
Other, non-invasive and cost effective methods to activate your stem cells such as Photobiomodulation will be discussed in the later section of this eBook.
Many of the human to human use, or autologous harvest and collection techniques are extremely expensive, leaving the treatment available only to the wealthy. According to analysis by BioInformant, the cost of stem cell therapy ranges from less than $5,000 for simple procedure es to $25,000 or more for complex ones. In general, stem cell treatment procedures are paid out-of-pocket by patients, because they are not covered by medical insurance.
The cost of platelet rich therapy (PRP), which can be used separately or in conjunction with stem cell therapy, is typically $500-700, but may be as high as $2,000 at some locations.
Other key factors that impact the cost of stem cell therapy, include the type and source of stem cells used within the protocol, number of treatments required, quality of the clinic, and the experience of the medical provider. In addition, these are surgical or invasive procedures have inherent risks of tissue/cell rejection, infection, repetitive procedures or even risking death.
To determine the cost of stem cell therapy, BioInformant asked people within their readership who received stem cell treatments to send in their costs of stem cell treatment. Many readers sent in their invoices for treatment (with personal details retracted). They also conducted a Twitter poll, which received hundreds of responses.
According to the poll:
· 30% of the respondents undergoing stem cell treatments spent $5,000 or less
· 20% spent $5,000 to $10,000
· 40% spent $10,000 to $25,000
· 10% spent over $25,000
· The Twitter poll reported that, on average, patients can expect to spend from under $5,000 to $25,000 or more on stem cell therapies. In general, orthopedic treatments are less expensive, (such as restorative joint injections) while treatments for chronic and complex conditions are more expensive.
· Most of those paying lower stem cell treatment costs under $5,000 were pursuing treatment for orthopedic or musculoskeletal conditions.
· In contrast, most of the individuals who paid higher treatment costs were getting treated for systemic or more complex conditions, such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia), psoriatic arthritis, or autism. Relatively “easy” harvesting still doesn’t translate to inexpensive cost, although some are certainly more affordable than others.
Other, non-invasive and cost effective methods to activate your stem cells such as Photobiomodulation will be discussed in this eBook.
Most of the humans to human use, or autologous harvest and administration techniques are extremely expensive, leaving the treatment available only to the wealthy. According to analysis by BioInformant, the cost of stem cell therapy ranges from less than $5,000 for simple procedure es to $25,000 or more for complex ones. In general, stem cell treatment procedures are paid out-of-pocket by patients, because they are not covered by medical insurance.
The cost of platelet rich therapy (PRP), which can be used separately or in conjunction with stem cell therapy, is typically $500-700, but may be as high as $2,000 at some locations.
Other key factors that impact the cost of stem cell therapy, include the type and source of stem cells used within the protocol, number of treatments required, quality of the clinic, and the experience of the medical provider. In addition, these are surgical or invasive procedures have inherent risks of tissue/cell rejection, infection, repetitive procedures or even risking death.
To determine the cost of stem cell therapy, BioInformant asked people within their readership who received stem cell treatments to send in their costs of stem cell treatment. Many readers sent in their invoices for treatment (with personal details retracted). They also conducted a Twitter poll, which received hundreds of responses.
According to the poll:
· 30% of the respondents undergoing stem cell treatments spent $5,000 or less
· 20% spent $5,000 to $10,000
· 40% spent $10,000 to $25,000
· 10% spent over $25,000
· The Twitter poll reported that, on average, patients can expect to spend from under $5,000 to $25,000 or more on stem cell therapies. In general, orthopedic treatments are less expensive, (such as restorative joint injections) while treatments for chronic and complex conditions are more expensive.
· Most of those paying lower stem cell treatment costs under $5,000 were pursuing treatment for orthopedic or musculoskeletal conditions.
· In contrast, most of the individuals who paid higher treatment costs were getting treated for systemic or more complex conditions, such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS), neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia), psoriatic arthritis, or autism. Relatively “easy” harvesting still doesn’t translate to inexpensive cost, although some are certainly more affordable than others.
Other, non-invasive and cost effective methods to activate your stem cells such as Photobiomodulation will be discussed in the next section of this eBook.
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or PBM has proven to be beneficial in therapy of numerous diseases and medical conditions. Using specific low light laser and light-emitting diode, specific activities can be induced in the cells, such as proliferation and viability of cells while stimulating the activity of mitochondria, to increase the production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate our energy source), DNA and RNA synthesis, and activate cell signalling cascades. The mechanisms of action of PBM have been investigated a lot in the present decade and new information based on evidence based research is constantly added. Low-intensity laser irradiation has enhanced the activity of stem cells by increasing migration, proliferation, and viability; activating protein expression, and inducing differentiation in progenitor cells. The clinical effects and benefits that are therapeutic to LLLT are more understood and less harmful during the diseased conditions.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF PBM or LLLT:
Combined utilization of stem cell therapy and PBM, the applications will enhance the quality of life for hundreds of patients. Stem cell therapy promises to transform treatment of lethal human disease by designing various protocols where different therapies can be combined, and advanced new therapies such as stem cell and PBM rise above. This will offer complete and efficient recovery to the patients suffering from incurable diseases and reduce rejection risks of donor organ transplantation through autologous grafts. It appears difficult and even harder to believe than it is. The shortage of organs for transplantation purposes, donor and receiver incompatibility, and tissue rejection in organ transplant may become outdated for regenerative medicine, autologous stem cell therapy, and low- level laser augmentation therapy.
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