The
banking or preservation of stem cells such as from umbilical cord blood or bone
marrow has been increasing, as the potential for using stem cells in clinical
applications continues to fuel speculation and expectations. Researchers have been steadily exploring various ways
to use stem cells at the optimum level, what types to use and how to deliver
them to the body — findings that are not only transformational, but also progressive
and pragmatic.
Preliminary and promising
research through clinical and
experimental trials
suggests that stem cells may be able to treat autoimmune diseases such as type
1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, brain and spinal-cord injuries, cardiovascular
disease, liver disease, kidney disease, and breast cancer, among other
illnesses. Either donated or stored privately, cord-blood banking is proving to
be a rich source of life-saving treatment — now and in the future, as the
possibilities of cord blood continue to expand.
“Initial
studies suggest that stem cell therapy can be delivered safely,” said Dr. Ellen Feigal, Senior Vice President
of research and development at the California
Institute of Regenerative Medicine, which was awarded more than $2 billion
toward stem cell research since 2006 and is enrolling patients in 10 clinical
trials this year. In addition to continuing
safety research, Dr. Feigel added, “Now what we want to know is will it work, and will it be better than what’s
already out there?”
On
the other hand, Dr. Charles Murry, Co-director of the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative
Medicine
at the University of Washington, believes that
it is important to note that very few therapies beyond bone marrow transplants
have been shown to be effective. Websites, newspapers and magazines advertising
stem cell therapies leave the impression among the masses that such treatments
are ready to use and that “the only problem is the evil physicians and
government, who want to separate people from lifesaving therapies,” he said.
Scientists are now exploring direct therapies in new and
innovative ways, such as reproducing and studying diseases in a dish using
cells created from patients with specific ailments. Kevin Eggan, associated
with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, is using this
technique to study amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis,
or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He began his work five years ago when he took skin
cells from two women dying from the same genetic form of ALS. He turned these
skin cells into stem cells and then into nerve cells, and discovered an
electrical problem—the cells weren’t signaling to one another properly, which he
theorized was probably causing the neural degeneration that characterizes ALS.
After
replicating these nerve cells multiple times and testing various drug compounds
to see which would correct the electrical signaling problem, he found a
candidate drug — an existing medication approved for epilepsy — that will be
tested in ALS patients as soon as the end of this year.
Increasingly,
though, companies are competing with medical institutions offering stem cell
harvesting and preservation services. Parents seeking to preserve stem cells
for their children are turning to the harvesting and preservation of umbilical
cord blood as a source of stem cells. Further, the harvesting of stem cells
from adults for their future use in cellular therapeutic applications and/or
tissue engineering needs has emerged as a growing facet of the stem cell
market. Even further, companies are emerging that offer patients the
opportunity to clone their own line of embryonic stem cells.
The
real medical challenge is, however, to uncover which type of cell therapy best addresses
each particular medical condition. With numerous
experiments and huge amounts of money involved, scientists and researchers have
yet to come up with the most cost-effective ways to deliver stem cells.
For our relevant
BCC Research stem cell report, visit the following link:
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