Therapeutic Use of Stem Cells and Its Future Prospects

The field of medicine keeps evolving, creating new treatment options for better results. Stem cell therapy is one such treatment option. Its regenerative potential is unparalleled and has immense therapeutic benefits, especially for disorders with limited treatment options. Stem cell discovery has sparked hope in many to be the ultimate cure. Years later, a plethora of clinical trials have assessed the therapeutic use of stem cells for numerous disorders. The early trials have demonstrated intriguing results, and this blog highlights the advances in this therapy.

Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells

Although known for their regenerative ability, research over decades revealed several other properties of stem cells that can enhance their overall potential in treatment.

Anti-inflammation: Inflammation is the underlying mechanism for several disorders and worsening diseases. Stem cells can regulate the levels of anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory mediators to reduce inflammation.

Anti-apoptosis: Many studies have demonstrated that these cells induce the expression of proteins that are essential for cell survival while suppressing the pathways of cell death.

Immune Modulation: Immune cell migration to damaged tissue is a common phenomenon, but it can cause significant harm. Stem cell-based therapy modulates the immune response toward repair and also controls the autoimmune attack by promoting the proliferation of regulatory T lymphocytes.

Paracrine Effects: While studying their effects, researchers found that these cells can induce healing in the organ by stimulating the proliferation of organ cells, resulting in a self-healing cascade.

Antioxidant: Oxidative stress is a cell-damaging factor that can exacerbate the disorder. Stem cells consume these reactive oxygen species responsible for oxidative stress to prevent further damage.

Angiogenesis: These cells trigger the formation of blood vessels that decline in number in various disorders.

Therapeutic Applications of Stem Cells

Neurological disorders: These conditions encompass autism, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, etc. Treatment of these disorders poses considerable challenges. The lost neurons cannot be regenerated, leading to a decline in cognitive and motor abilities. The patients sometimes rely on others for their daily activities. However, stem cell therapy has shown favorable outcomes such as improvement in balance and posture, higher cognitive scores, increased social skills, improved disability, etc. A patient paralyzed from spinal cord injury was able to stand due to this state-of-the-art treatment.

Diabetes: Diabetes requires functioning pancreatic islets for normal insulin and glucose levels. The medications available for diabetes control the blood glucose levels by various mechanisms, but their long-term use can cause organ toxicity. There have been many reports of reversal of diabetes in type I and type II diabetic patients after stem cell treatment, eliminating the need for medicines.

Orthopedic Disorders: Arthritis, sports injury, and osteoporosis are a cause of frequent concern. These disorders are progressive, that is, they worsen with time. The treatment options only act on the pain in joint movement with little long-term relief, offering surgical intervention at the advanced stages. The negative impact of these conditions on mobility reduces the functional independence of individuals. Stem cells have shown tissue regeneration and treatment of underlying mechanisms of these conditions, treating them from the root.

Future of Regenerative Medicine

Stem cells have proven their efficacy and safety in clinical trials. However, research continues to maximize their potential and minimize any potential risks, reshaping regenerative medicine.

Biomaterials: Studies have indicated that biomaterials support the growth and survival of these cells, as well as induce their transformation into a specific cell type. They have already been used in orthopedic disorders and have striking results.

Organs: Three-dimensional culture and bioprinting of stem cells have generated viable organs ready to replace patients' damaged counterparts. The availability of lab-grown organs will prove beneficial for end-stage diseases and eliminate the delays owing to organ matching and donor shortage. The easy accessibility to entire organs will also minimize the cost and time for treatment.

Exosomes: Exosomes are nanosized vesicles that contain a wide inventory of biomolecules, including RNAs, lipids, cytokines, growth factors, and diverse proteins. Cells synthesize and release these exosomes to communicate with the surrounding cells. Exosomes acquire their properties from the cells that created them. Therefore, stem cell-derived exosomes contain the therapeutic properties of their parent cells except for differentiation. They exert them with their biomolecular cargo and are devoid of risks associated with their cellular counterparts. Therefore, exosomes might soon replace stem cell-based therapy in regenerative medicine.

Conclusion

Stem cell therapy is going to introduce a new era of regenerative medicine. They address the limitations of conventional treatment approaches. The conventional treatment cannot improve the damage, and thus, patients are generally left with the organ working at a diminished capacity. Regenerative medicine, however, repairs the damage at a deep cellular level to demonstrate positive outcomes. With the proven effectiveness and safety of this therapy, there will be more advances in it, potentially leading to its clinical translation. Advancells is opening the avenues for this groundbreaking treatment by delivering top-notch quality stem cells.