Bone marrow transplants (BMT) are a well-known clinical application of adult stem cell transplantation for cancer patients. BMTs can repopulate the marrow and restore the bloodâs different cell types after high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, which are used to eliminate cancer cells. An alternative for ESC are stem cells obtained from tissue after birth. Adult tissue-derived stem cells offer an alternative for the development of cell based therapies which circumvents the ethical controversies surrounding foetal and embryonic tissue. For instance, neural progenitor cells have been harvested from adult brain and spinal cord. However, adult stem cells are less plastic than ESCs and divide less frequently in culture. Also, their differentiation potential may decrease in time. This makes them a possible but somewhat limited alternative for ESCs. On the other hand, they offer the advantage that they can be transplanted without genetic modifications or pretreatments. The most common way of thinking about stem cells treating disease is through a stem cell transplant. Embryonic stem cells are differentiated into the necessary cell type, and then those mature cells replace tissue that is damaged by disease or injury. This type of treatment could be used to replace neurons damaged by spinal cord injury, stroke, Alzheimerâs disease, Parkinsonâs disease, or other neurological problems. Cells grown to produce insulin could treat people with diabetes and heart muscle cells could repair damage after a heart attack.
Prakash S Bisen, Stem Cell Therapy Perspectives
Last date updated on April, 2024
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