What are stem cells? They are cells that can potentially develop into different types of cells. Because of this conceivable capability, stem cells are researched in hopes they may one day be used extensively for cell and tissue replacement. This form of treatment could be highly beneficial for numerous health conditions, such as:
- ALS
- lupus
- stroke
- arthritis
- diabetes
- lung disease
- osteoarthritis
- heart disease
- cerebral palsy
- spinal cord injury
- multiple sclerosis
- rheumatoid arthritis
- muscular dystrophy
- Parkinson’s disease
- Alzheimer’s disease
- epidermolysis bullosa
Stem cells are already proving to be an immense value in treating various health conditions, like:
- SCID
- leukemia
- lymphoma
- amyloidosis
- neuroblastoma
- retinoblastoma
- Ewing sarcoma
- Fanconi anemia
- sickle cell disease
- Gaucher’s disease
- severe aplastic anemia
Every body has stem cells, which are naturally performing regenerative tasks, like replacing dead cells and restoring injured tissue.
Embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells are the two main types of stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos and are believed to have the ability to develop into any cell type under certain conditions, including cancer. As of now, the use of embryonic stem cells is primarily limited to research.
The source of embryonic stem cells are from embryos that are fertilized in vitro and donated for research with consent by their donors. They are not embryos fertilized within nor harvested from a woman’s body.
The adult type of stem cells can be found in various adult tissues, for instance skin, muscle, intestine and bone marrow. These stem cells only naturally generate the type of cell for their originating tissue. This type of stem cell is also used to refer to fetal and cord blood stem cells.
Adult stem cells are presently being used to regenerate the type of cells and tissue from where they’re derived. A couple of examples of this are skin stem cells for burns and bone marrow stem cells for blood shortage replacement.
The methods currently used to infuse stem cells into the body are via bone marrow transplant, transplanting stem cells directly into tissue or injecting stem cells into the blood.