Information To Know About Stem Cell Treatment Centers
Stem cell therapy is a treatment option that uses stem cells for the prevention and treatment of diseases and medical conditions. The techniques used treat medical conditions by replacing disease-destroyed or damaged cells with healthy ones. The techniques have proved to have a high level of efficiency although most of them are still under investigation and research because they are new. More reliable sources of the cells are also still being developed.
Since research is still underway, it is expected that the number of conditions treated will increase. However, currently, stem cell treatment centers say that the techniques can cure diabetes, eye diseases, heart disease, injuries, and cancer. Some of the stem cell therapies currently under investigation or use include therapeutic cloning, and umbilical cord blood, bone marrow and peripheral stem cell transplants.
Bone marrow therapy is the only most widely practiced form of therapy today. It has been in use for over thirty years and has helped in treating lymphoma and leukemia in cancer patients. The cells are mostly derived from adult donors and are kept in a frozen state until they are needed. A single donor can normally give up to 10, 000 doses.
One needs to understand some of the concerns involved in these therapies before going for them. Here are some of the concerns. Different stem cells are manufactured at different parts of the body during different stages of development. A perfect example is embryonic cells. These ones appear shortly after birth during the first stages. Others are manufactured and continue to exist in the body throughout the life of a person.
The body uses each type of stem cells for specific purposes. Tissue-specific cells are limited in their capabilities because they can only manufacture cells of the same type as the tissues they are derived. For instance bone marrow cells are the only one with the ability to generate blood. Blood generation can therefore only be done by that type of cells. For that reason, multiple unrelated conditions cannot be treated by a single cell type.
The treatment is faced with several challenges that make it unsafe and unsuccessful under various clinical trials. The first challenge is that it is a restricted procedure only tried under strict jurisdictions. The conditions the cells are subjected to during culture may also modify them making them lose certain qualities such as ability to control growth. Some cells also fail to behave like they should once in the body leading to serious problems.
Transplants are also done through sophisticated and risky techniques. The method of introducing the cell into the tissues damages the tissues at times. Diseases and infections also result from introduction of cell contaminated with pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Severe side effects should also be expected from immune reactions.
Cost is another issue that inhibits people from going for these therapies. It is very costly to go for even a single therapy yet several therapy sessions may be needed to achieve successful results. Most of the challenges highlighted above will take time to be cleared before declaring the techniques safe.
Since research is still underway, it is expected that the number of conditions treated will increase. However, currently, stem cell treatment centers say that the techniques can cure diabetes, eye diseases, heart disease, injuries, and cancer. Some of the stem cell therapies currently under investigation or use include therapeutic cloning, and umbilical cord blood, bone marrow and peripheral stem cell transplants.
Bone marrow therapy is the only most widely practiced form of therapy today. It has been in use for over thirty years and has helped in treating lymphoma and leukemia in cancer patients. The cells are mostly derived from adult donors and are kept in a frozen state until they are needed. A single donor can normally give up to 10, 000 doses.
One needs to understand some of the concerns involved in these therapies before going for them. Here are some of the concerns. Different stem cells are manufactured at different parts of the body during different stages of development. A perfect example is embryonic cells. These ones appear shortly after birth during the first stages. Others are manufactured and continue to exist in the body throughout the life of a person.
The body uses each type of stem cells for specific purposes. Tissue-specific cells are limited in their capabilities because they can only manufacture cells of the same type as the tissues they are derived. For instance bone marrow cells are the only one with the ability to generate blood. Blood generation can therefore only be done by that type of cells. For that reason, multiple unrelated conditions cannot be treated by a single cell type.
The treatment is faced with several challenges that make it unsafe and unsuccessful under various clinical trials. The first challenge is that it is a restricted procedure only tried under strict jurisdictions. The conditions the cells are subjected to during culture may also modify them making them lose certain qualities such as ability to control growth. Some cells also fail to behave like they should once in the body leading to serious problems.
Transplants are also done through sophisticated and risky techniques. The method of introducing the cell into the tissues damages the tissues at times. Diseases and infections also result from introduction of cell contaminated with pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Severe side effects should also be expected from immune reactions.
Cost is another issue that inhibits people from going for these therapies. It is very costly to go for even a single therapy yet several therapy sessions may be needed to achieve successful results. Most of the challenges highlighted above will take time to be cleared before declaring the techniques safe.
