How Can Cell Medicine Improve Physical Health?
How Can Cell Medicine Improve
Physical Health?
Using the power of your own cells to treat disease and repair damage is one of the
hottest areas of medical research today finance.sananselmo. This field of cell therapy is called
regenerative medicine. It has the potential to halt or even reverse many life-
threatening conditions and restore function to damaged organs and tissues.
Advances in stem cell research, gene editing and cell culture technology are
creating a fertile environment for this type of groundbreaking science.
Stem cells are the basic building blocks of all body cells, including blood, bones and
skin. Stem cells can differentiate into specialized cells that can perform particular
functions, such as forming cartilage or producing insulin. They can also form new
blood vessels or replace damaged ones. Scientists are trying to learn how to control
the differentiation process so that it can make cells with specific properties to treat
certain diseases and conditions.
The most common application of stem cell therapy is hematologic transplantation, or
bone marrow transplant. Stem cells from the bone marrow are used to replace
blood-forming stem cells destroyed by chemotherapy or disease, and they can also
help patients tolerate transplanted organs. Other types of adult stem cells are
currently in clinical trials to treat a number of diseases and conditions, including
heart disease.
Scientists have discovered that hematologic stem cells can be guided to become
heart-like cells, and they are now being tested in people with heart failure. They
have also been tested to see if they can improve the function of damaged cardiac
tissue and prevent scarring after a heart attack.
Some athletes, such as golfer Tiger Woods and baseball pitcher Max Scherzer, credit
their quick recoveries from injuries to stem cell treatments or platelet-rich plasma
(PRP). PRP is a concentrated mix of your own blood that contains a large amount of
growth factors that can speed healing and reduce inflammation.
Induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs, are created by genetically reprogramming
regular adult cells, such as skin cells. The reprogrammed cells can become any type
of cell in the body, and they have the potential to be used as a source for future cell-
based therapies since they are generated from the patient’s own cells. This would
avoid the risk of immune rejection that can occur when using embryonic or donated
stem cells.
Therapeutic cloning, or somatic cell nuclear transfer, is another technique that
creates versatile stem cells independent of fertilized eggs. However, it is still in its
early stages, and there are concerns that the reprogrammed cells could develop
cancer or other types of cellular mutations. In addition, the cells might be mistakenly
identified as foreign invaders and rejected by the patient’s immune system.
Scientists are working to overcome these obstacles, and some reprogrammed adult
cells have already been used in clinical trials for certain forms of brain disease. They
have also been shown to be effective in treating spinal cord injuries and improving
the quality of life of people with neurological disorders.