Can't stem cell therapies increase the chances of a tumor? Is there a risk of immune rejection with stem cells? How do scientists grow stem cells in the right conditions? When most people think about about stem cells treating disease they think of a stem cell transplant. In a stem cell transplant, stem cells are first specialized into the necessary adult cell type. Then, those mature cells replace tissue that is damaged by disease or injury. This type of treatment could be used to:. Any of these would have a significant impact on human health without transplanting a single cell.
Given that researchers may be able to study all cell types they have the potential to make breakthroughs in any disease. CIRM has created disease pages for many of the major diseases being targeted by stem cell scientists. You can find those disease pages here. You can also sort our complete list of CIRM awards to see what we've funded in different disease areas. While there are a growing number of potential therapies being tested in clinical trials there are only a few stem cell therapies that have so far been approved by the FDA.
Two therapies that CIRM provided early funding for have been approved. Those are:. Right now the most commonly used stem cell-based therapy is bone marrow transplantation. Blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow were the first stem cells to be identified and were the first to be used in the clinic. This life-saving technique has helped thousands people worldwide who had been suffering from blood cancers, such as leukemia.
In addition to their current use in cancer treatments, research suggests that bone marrow transplants will be useful in treating autoimmune diseases and in helping people tolerate transplanted organs.
Other therapies based on adult stem cells are currently in clinical trials. Until those trials are complete we won't know which type of stem cell is most effective in treating different diseases. Read the top ten things to know about stem cell treatments from ISSCR Alan Lewis talks about getting an embryonic stem cell-based therapy to patients Cord-tissue derived mesenchymal stem cells do not have any risk of rejection within the body.
There are no blood products associated with them either, removing the need for a donor match; they are universally accepted. These cells seek out inflammation in the body and begin to heal the damaged tissue.
Mesenchymal cord tissue-derived stem cells have been administered thousands of times at clinics around the world without instances of rejection graft vs. For an in depth comparison about different cell types please review t his article.
As a commonly discarded tissue, the umbilical cord contains a rich source of mesenchymal stromal cells, which are therefore obtained non-invasively 5. Umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to differentiate into different cell types and have the greatest proliferation rate of the three mentioned types of stem cells adipose, bone marrow, cord tissue.
Similar to adipose tissue and bone marrow-derived MSCs, UC-MSCs are known to secrete growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines, improving different cell repair mechanisms. These functions all assist the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of MSCs.
The harvesting procedure of UC-MSCs is non-invasive as it does not require extraction from the patient. The MSCs are taken directly from an area of an ethically donated human umbilical cord. Previously untreatable neurodegenerative diseases may now possibly become treatable with advanced stem cell therapies. Regenerative medicine and its benefits may be the key to prolonging human life. To learn more about the use of mesenchymal stem cells in a clinical setting visit our protocol page.
Find out if you are a candidate for treatment here. National Library of Medicine, Mar. Cell Engineering and Regeneration. Frontiers in medicine. International journal of molecular sciences. Key transcription factors in the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Differentiation; research in biological diversity. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology. Immune modulation by mesenchymal stem cells.
Cell proliferation. Cona is a leading edge stem cell treatment physician". My speech is so easy for me now, got easier throughout the day! I can talk like a NYer fast for the first time in years! Praise God! Only 3 days after treatment, Matthew is now able to touch his nose with his eyes closed as well as touch his thumb and pinky together.
Both of which he was previously unable to do before treatment. Stem cell transplants are used to treat conditions in which the bone marrow is damaged and is no longer able to produce healthy blood cells. Transplants can also be carried out to replace blood cells that are damaged or destroyed as a result of intensive cancer treatment. A stem cell transplant will usually only be carried out if other treatments have not helped, the potential benefits of a transplant outweigh the risks and you're in relatively good health, despite your underlying condition.
A stem cell transplant can involve taking healthy stem cells from the blood or bone marrow of one person — ideally a close family member with the same or similar tissue type see below — and transferring them to another person. This is called an allogeneic transplant.
It's also possible to remove stem cells from your own body and transplant them later, after any damaged or diseased cells have been removed. The effect means that certain kinds of transplants actually help kill off the cancer cells, along with rescuing bone marrow and allowing normal blood cells to develop from the stem cells.
Transplant has been used to cure thousands of people with otherwise deadly cancers. Still, there are possible risks and complications that can threaten life, too. People have died from complications of stem cell transplant. The expected risks and benefits must be weighed carefully before transplant. Your cancer care team will compare the risks linked with the cancer itself to the risks of the transplant.
They may also talk to you about other treatment options or clinical trials. Here are some questions you might want to ask. Be sure to express all your concerns and get answers you understand.
Transplant is a complicated process. Find out as much as you can and plan ahead before you start. Ask about these factors and how they affect the expected outcomes of your transplant or other treatment. Many people get a second opinion before they decide to have a stem cell transplant.
You may want to talk to your doctor about this, too. Also, call your health insurance company to ask if they will pay for a second opinion before you go. You might also want to talk with them about your possible transplant, and ask which transplant centers are covered by your insurance. Stem cell transplants cost a lot, and some types cost more than others. For example, getting a donor's cells costs more than collecting your own cells.
And, different drug and radiation treatments used to destroy bone marrow can have high costs. Some transplants require more time in the hospital than others, and this can affect cost.
Even though there are differences, stem cell transplants can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. A transplant or certain types of transplants is still considered experimental for some types of cancer, especially some solid tumor cancers, so insurers might not cover the cost. Ask if the doctors and transplant team you plan to use are in their network, and how reimbursement will work.
Some larger insurance companies have transplant case managers. If not, you might ask to speak with a patient advocate.
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