Potential Clinical Applications of Stem Cell Therapy
Medicine continues to move rapidly towards personalised treatment for a host of diseases, and stem cell therapy is one way to shift the move into high gear.
Stem cell therapy treats diseases by replacing dysfunctional or diseased cells with healthy, functioning ones.
In fact stem cell research is the most promising path to curing many severe diseases and disabling medical conditions that would otherwise remain untreatable.
Stem cell therapy has been used successfully over 700 times in the U.S. over the last 10 years and it has been used many more times in other countries around the world.
It is believed that stem cell therapy may eventually offer remedies for such conditions as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, juvenile diabetes, spinal cord injury, MS, ALS,
and certain forms of cancer and heart disease. Cell therapy is also being used in experiments to graft new skin cells to treat serious burn victims, and to grow new corneas for the sight-impaired.
For stem cell therapy to work however, it is imperative that the source of the stem cells be compatible with the recipient. To avoid the rejection of transplanted tissues it is best to use the patient's own cells for these treatments.
This is called an autologous transplant. General cell banking or transferring cells between close relatives does not have nearly as high an acceptance rate as the use of personal (autologous) cells.
There are many types of stem cell therapy and it is becoming a common treatment for some conditions.
Stem cell therapy has been accepted as the effective treatments for many blood diseases, certain types of cancers and several other diseases in the U.S.
over the last 10 years and it has been used much more frequently in other countries around the world. It is believed that stem cell therapy may eventually
offer remedies for brain diseases such as stroke, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, autoimmune diseases, MS, ALS, osteoarthritis ,
degenerative diseases, and certain forms of cancer and heart disease.
Researchers have found the pulp of some children's primary teeth and wisdom teeth to contain chondrocytes, osteoblasts, adipocytes, and mesenchymal stem cells.
All of these cell types hold enormous potential for the therapeutic treatment of new diseases currently not on the list shown above.
Some of the potential applications of this material would be to treat; neuronal degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS
(Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrigs Disease); chronic heart conditions such as congestive heart failure and chronic ischemic heart disease; periodontal disease
and to grow replacement teeth and bone. One of the most important potential applications using this material is for the treatment of paralysis due to spinal cord injury
which has already been done using mesenchymal stem cells from other sources. The application of stem cell therapy to these diseases is currently being pursued by
many of the brightest minds at the best institutions around the world and it is our belief that these treatments are on the horizon.
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Storing these cells for yourself and your child is an excellent way to ensure your and your child's future biological needs can be met. We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity and store your and your child's cells today.
