What Treatments with Stem Cells Can and Cannot Do
Even though stem cells are now only authorized to cure a limited number of illnesses, scientists are investigating a wide range of potential applications for them.
Jian Feng, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, describes the subject of stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease as “exciting.” “There are undoubtedly many things to learn from the study of stem cells from a scientific standpoint.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, stem cells are the only cells in the body that have the ability to differentiate into other cell types, including bone, muscle, and blood cells, in order to repair damaged tissue. Experts may use them to better understand how illnesses develop, replace or repair damaged or sick cells, and assess novel drugs and therapies.
Researchers have been studying stem cells for decades to further understand their potential. That research is ongoing.
You’ve probably heard a lot about stem cells over the years but may not be entirely sure what they are or how they work. Here’s what you should know.
What are stem cells?
The majority of the body contains STEM cells, which are capable of producing a wide variety of cell types. According to the Cleveland Clinic, normal cells divide and multiply but have short lifespans, whereas they continuously grow and divide, duplicating themselves.
Stem cells come in two primary varieties: nonembryonic (sometimes referred to as adult stem cells) and embryonic (or pluripotent). The National Institutes of Health states that adult stem cells can be modified to possess the characteristics of embryonic stem cells.
Embryonic stem cells can be employed to regenerate or repair damaged tissue or organs since they can differentiate into any type of cell in the body. They are derived from in vitro-developed embryos and donated umbilical cord blood.
The Mayo Clinic states that although adult stem cells are present in the majority of adult tissues, their capacity to differentiate into other cell types is restricted. But in a lab, researchers can rewire adult stem cells to behave like embryonic stem cells. These are known as induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and scientists use them to test novel medications and other therapies by better understanding tissue and how illness affects it.
Since embryonic stem cells are extracted from human embryos at an early stage, there has been considerable debate regarding stem cell research throughout the years, according to the Mayo Clinic. Guidelines for human stem cell research, published by the National Institutes of Health in 2009, address the donation of embryonic stem cells and how they can be.
What is the application of stem cells?
According to Feng, bone marrow transplants are currently the most effective use of stem cells for the treatment of leukemia and other illnesses. Additionally, it is the only FDA-approved stem cell therapy.
According to the National Cancer Institute, a bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant, helps patients who have had radiation or chemotherapy for autoimmune illnesses, cancer, or blood disorders by restoring their blood stem cells. Various blood cell types can be produced from stem cells.
According to NCI, the transplants are used to treat blood-related diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and myelodysplastic syndromes. They are also used to treat autoimmune diseases and sickle cell disease, among other blood abnormalities.
The American Parkinson Disease Association states that although there is currently no FDA-approved stem cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease, research is ongoing and clinical trials have shown encouraging results. Researchers like Feng are also investigating the potential use of stem cells to treat a number of other diseases, including liver disease, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and more. Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the loss of neurons in the brain that communicate via the chemical dopamine.
The precise date of the availability of stem cell therapy to treat these conditions is uncertain, but research is progressing, according to Feng. “It’s very complex and very challenging.” At the moment, only one type of stem cell therapy is FDA-approved: bone marrow transplants for blood diseases. The FDA has warned consumers about any other “stem cell products,” such as supplements and clinics that offer treatments for other diseases, that are not FDA-approved.
Clinics around the United States and abroad charge thousands of dollars for stem cell-based treatments that promise to heal a wide range of illnesses. The Harvard Stem Cell Institute claims that although many individuals go in search of these therapies—a practice known as “stem cell tourism”—these aren’t proven treatments with track records, and the clinics aren’t giving them spots in clinical trials.
More than 1,400 companies were running 2,700 clinics offering “purported stem cell treatments for various indications,” which are not FDA-approved and lack safety and effectiveness proof, according to a 2021 research published in Cell Stem Cell.
Customers and patients should see stem cells as a “medical thing, not a nutrition thing, not a nutraceutical thing,” according to Feng. The cells must be incorporated into your system as they are active.