Characteristics of Stem Cell Threrapy

Stem cells have enormous potential in health and medical research but to fully harness this potential, scientists are studying how stem cells transform or differentiate, into the diverse range of specialized cells. Stem cells offer a viable source of replacement cells to treat diseases and can potentially reduce the morbidity and mortality for those awaiting transplants. Burn victims tend to endure an enormous amount of pain from their wounds as well as frustration from the challenges of healing. Adult stem cells can divide or self-renew indefinitely, enabling them to generate a range of cell types from the originating organ or even regenerate the entire original organ. It is generally thought that adult stem cells are limited in their ability to differentiate based on their tissue of origin but there is some evidence to suggest that they can differentiate to become other cell types. Adult stem cells have been identified in many organs and tissues, including brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, liver, ovarian epithelium and testis. They are thought to reside in a specific area of each tissue. Current evidence suggests that some types of stem cells are pericytes cells that compose the outermost layer of small blood vessels in many tissues.Adult stem cells can divide or self-renew indefinitely, enabling them to generate a range of cell types from the originating organ or even regenerate the entire original organ.It is generally thought that adult stem cells are limited in their ability to differentiate based on their tissue of origin but there is some evidence to suggest that they can differentiate to become other cell types. Adult stem cells have been identified in many organs and tissues including brain, bone marrow, peripheral blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, skin, teeth, heart, gut, liver, ovarian epithelium and testis. Stem cell also benefits the study of development stages that cannot be studied directly in a human embryo which sometimes are linked with major clinical consequences such as birth defects, pregnancy-loss and infertility. A more comprehensive understanding of normal development will ultimately allow the prevention or treatment of abnormal human development.It holds the key to reversing the effects of aging and prolonging our lives. It has already found many treatments that help in slowing the aging process and a bonus of further research is a possible cure for aging altogether.An advantage of the usage of adult stem cells to treat disease is that a patient own cells could be used to treat a patient.

Risks would be quite reduced because patients' bodies would not reject their own cells.Embryonic stem cells can develop into any cell types of the body and may then be more versatile than adult stem cells.Stem cell rejection is less during when using cord blood as cord blood has not been involved in an immune reaction.Banked stem cells from cord blood are more readily available and are very useful for patients with leukemia, anemia and immune deficiency.Cord blood has a greater capacity to produce high number of new blood cells compared to bone marrow stem cells.Stem cells have an important benefit for the pharmaceutical field.New drugs can be tested on stem cells to assess their safety before testing drugs on animal and human models.Initial studies indicate that transformation of mice cells with a combination of these anti-differentiation signals can reverse differentiation and may allow adult cells to become pluripotent.The need to transform these cells with an oncogene may prevent the use of this approach in therapy. An extremely rich source for adult mesenchymal stem cells is the developing tooth bud of the mandibular third molar.The stem cells eventually form enamel, dentin, periodontal ligament, blood vessels, dental pulp, nervous tissues and a minimum of 29 different end organs.These will probably constitute a major source of cells for personal banking, research and current or future therapies.