Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy is a promising medical treatment for a wide variety of diseases
and injuries. In most cases starsgazette, stem cells are injected into the body to replace damaged
or diseased tissue, which can provide patients with new energy, improved mobility
and increased life expectancy.
However, the path to a cure is long and complex. Researchers must first grow the
right cell type, test that cell in the lab and make sure it’s safe to be transplanted
into the body.
How do scientists coax a stem cell into becoming a certain cell type?
Getting a stem cell to become a single cell type requires special signals. These
signals help the stem cell mature into a specific cell type and become functional in
the body. Once scientists have a stem cell that’s capable of developing into the
desired cell type, they must then find a way to test that cell in an animal model so
they know it will work in humans.
How do scientists make a stem cell reprogrammed to have properties similar to
embryonic stem cells?
A stem cell that’s reprogrammed to have the properties of an embryonic stem cell
can be transplanted into the body without immune system rejection. In addition,
scientists may also be able to use the reprogrammed cell in combination with other
treatments to help heal a disease quicker and more completely.
Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, can be generated from somatic cells
through genetic reprogramming. They’re a step ahead of embryonic stem cells and
may be more useful for treating diseases like Parkinson’s.
These cells can be isolated and cultured in a laboratory under the correct conditions
to develop into a new stem cell type. They have the potential to develop into any
cell in the body, allowing them to be used for different types of therapies.
The most common source of iPSCs is the inner cell mass of preimplantation
embryos, although they can also be derived from adult somatic stem cells. Some
studies have shown that iPSCs are able to differentiate into all the germ layers of an
organism, making them potentially more useful than ESCs for research.
Another important advantage of iPSCs is that they can be used to study any kind of
human disease and injury. This allows scientists to create therapies to treat cancer,
autoimmune disorders and other nonmalignant diseases as well.
What are the biggest challenges to developing new stem cell therapies?
Creating a stem cell-based therapy takes years of work, research and trials. It’s a
lengthy process, but it holds the promise of transforming medicine for the better.
A major challenge is finding a reliable way to harvest and test the stem cells that are
being used for a therapy. This is especially important for hematopoietic stem cell
therapies, such as bone marrow transplants, which involve the removal of a patient’s
own blood cells.
This is a difficult task because the patient’s own blood is usually full of viruses and
bacteria that can harm the treated cell. As such, the transplanted cells must be
tested for viral and bacterial contamination before they can be administered to the
patient.
