Stem cell therapy has been and continues to be the focus for scientists in the quest to find treatments for many medical conditions. This therapy treats and prevents several kinds of diseases in animals as well as human beings. Most therapies discovered are still under development and have not yet been used successfully on humans anywhere in the world. Bone marrow transplant is the most commonly practiced therapy by many stem cell treatment centers.
Bone marrow transplant is more advanced making it to be used more than other treatments. It treats blood disorders such as lymphoma and leukemia cancer patients. Higher levels of efficiency and accuracy are still achievable through more research. In future, treatments for deafness, missing teeth, heart diseases, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, neurodegeneration, blood cell formation, infertility, baldness, and other conditions will be found.
The sources of the cells employed in treatment are different and some are being criticized a lot by critics of science. Embryonic stem cells are the most widely used cells. They are isolated from embryos before they get cultured and prepared before they are used . According to critics, the methods used to acquire the cells promote human cloning and abortion. Other ways are induction of pluripotent stem cells and use of somatic cell nuclear transfer methods.
Treatments which are formed basing on transplanting of cultured umbilical cord blood continue to face challenges and criticism in marketing. This is because this field is highly criticized. The controversies lead to lack of finances by research facilities, which shut done later while researchers are discouraged . Some treatments which would be complete by now are hindered by the challenges.
Therapy works through regeneration of damaged or lost cells in the affected area. Cells are introduced in the affected area where they stimulate formation of lost body cells. This effect has been determined to be able to treat conditions that lead to brain degeneration such as amyyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, and Parkinson disease. In the same way, normal body tissue can be generated to replace the typical scar tissue that forms on wounds.
Many people have high hopes in these therapies but they do not understand the technicalities involves. First, one must understand that human and animal bodies have stem cells of different types which perform specific functions in human body. This limits their ability to treat more than one condition especially if the conditions are unrelated. Tissue specific cells only perform the function they are meant for and specialized in.
The techniques used to introduce cells into the body by various therapies are very complicated. Patients face a lot of risks in the introduction process let alone the side effects. Cells derived from the body first need to be cultured before they are returned into the body. The culturing process codes the cells with instructions on how to behave once in the living tissues. The instructions have been known to fail resulting in serious side effects.
It is very expensive to go for the therapy too. Lack of finances therefore limit the number of people that can afford the treatment. This makes the majority to seek other treatment options.
Bone marrow transplant is more advanced making it to be used more than other treatments. It treats blood disorders such as lymphoma and leukemia cancer patients. Higher levels of efficiency and accuracy are still achievable through more research. In future, treatments for deafness, missing teeth, heart diseases, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, neurodegeneration, blood cell formation, infertility, baldness, and other conditions will be found.
The sources of the cells employed in treatment are different and some are being criticized a lot by critics of science. Embryonic stem cells are the most widely used cells. They are isolated from embryos before they get cultured and prepared before they are used . According to critics, the methods used to acquire the cells promote human cloning and abortion. Other ways are induction of pluripotent stem cells and use of somatic cell nuclear transfer methods.
Treatments which are formed basing on transplanting of cultured umbilical cord blood continue to face challenges and criticism in marketing. This is because this field is highly criticized. The controversies lead to lack of finances by research facilities, which shut done later while researchers are discouraged . Some treatments which would be complete by now are hindered by the challenges.
Therapy works through regeneration of damaged or lost cells in the affected area. Cells are introduced in the affected area where they stimulate formation of lost body cells. This effect has been determined to be able to treat conditions that lead to brain degeneration such as amyyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, and Parkinson disease. In the same way, normal body tissue can be generated to replace the typical scar tissue that forms on wounds.
Many people have high hopes in these therapies but they do not understand the technicalities involves. First, one must understand that human and animal bodies have stem cells of different types which perform specific functions in human body. This limits their ability to treat more than one condition especially if the conditions are unrelated. Tissue specific cells only perform the function they are meant for and specialized in.
The techniques used to introduce cells into the body by various therapies are very complicated. Patients face a lot of risks in the introduction process let alone the side effects. Cells derived from the body first need to be cultured before they are returned into the body. The culturing process codes the cells with instructions on how to behave once in the living tissues. The instructions have been known to fail resulting in serious side effects.
It is very expensive to go for the therapy too. Lack of finances therefore limit the number of people that can afford the treatment. This makes the majority to seek other treatment options.