Stem Cells

Stem cells are cells that have changed medicine and disease as it is known in the world today. Stem cells are self-renewing, undifferentiated cells that can transform into different types of cells and perform different functions. There are three main types, which include embryonic, adult (somatic), and induced pluripotent stem cells.

Stem cells perform 2 vital functions for the body: tissue repair and regeneration, which occur when stem cells differentiate into a specific type of cell, and serve a specialized purpose.

Stem cells undergo these processes through self-renewal, which is their ability to multiply, and tissue regeneration which involves them regrowing those tissues.

They also can maintain homeostasis and undergo specialization, which involves them branching out into different types of cells (which is especially crucial for curing diseases). These abilities all contribute to stem cells being a turning for medicinal discoveries and achievements in the future of medicine and healing as one knows it to be.

The first discovery of Stem cells was in Bone Marrow during the 1960s, however, the first stem cell lines were found much later, in the late 1990s. This discovery led to the isolation of human embryonic stem cells, which was further applied to medicine. This discovery further involved the studying of the underlying mechanisms of diseases at the cellular level, including disease modeling, which is creating models of diseases by simulating them using stem cells, in addition to drug development, which uses stem cells to figure out the effects of medicine on diseases, along with study the safety and efficiency of drugs. These discoveries also involve regenerative medicine, fixing diseases and therapies, and understanding the fundamental basis of biological content. Stem cells can also be a part of the cure for various diseases, including two discussed below.

Parkinson’s disease, a neurodegenerative disorder, has been revolutionized by introducing stem cells. Parkinson’s disease involves the loss of the neuron (dopamine) and disorientation. It’s commonly seen in all types of people, but more in older adults. Symptoms of this disease include trembling, difficulty walking, shaking, stiffness, loss of balance, decreasing motor function (ability to move), resting tremors, bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and gradual impairment of autonomic, cognitive, and mood functions.

Stem cells target the root of Parkinson’s Disease, the brain (precisely, the basal ganglia, the area of the brain that controls movement). With Parkinson's Disease, the basal ganglia becomes impaired or even dies entirely. Stem cells replace and regenerate function in the area. The prognosis of Parkinson’s Disease involves the effects on your brain becoming worse over time however, most people have a normal life span, but a bad quality of life with this condition.

With stem cells, the neural progenitor cell is directly inserted into the patient’s body, after which the patient is then studied for 2 more years, with constant check-ins on health. After the procedure, the patient’s quality of life is increased, and symptoms are significantly lowered. Stem cells replace damaged brain cells and repair dopamine-producing cells. This transplant improves the loss of dopaminergic neurons by interacting with the inflammatory microenvironment.

Stem Cells can also treat Leukemia, a cancer that involves the blood and abnormal blood cell production. In this disease, the body cannot fight infection and is weakened because of those cells becoming cancerous. Leukemia affects both blood and bone marrow and is caused by rapid white blood cell production and abnormal growth of blood cells.

Leukemia is characterized by an increase in tiredness, infections, bleeding, bruising, fatigue, and a decrease in one’s quality of life. Other symptoms may include fevers, sweating at night, swollen lymph nodes or spleen, abnormal bleeding and bruising, fatigue, unintended weight loss, and shortness of breath.

When stem cells are used to cure Leukemia, doctors transfuse donor stem cells with an IV, a narrow tube placed in a vein, which takes many hours. When the stem cells inevitably reach the bone marrow, they grow and produce healthy cells.

Without the treatment, individuals diagnosed with Leukemia have an average of 5-10 years to live, and the quality of life of a patient is greatly affected. However, with stem cell therapy, the transplant kills the cancerous cells and replaces them.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can self-renew and transform into a different type of cell. They are an integral part of research and development and have the potential to change the way diseases and medications operate in our world today.

Stem cells can combat diseases such as Parkinson’s and Leukemia, ones that can last an entire lifetime if not cured. Studying stem cells provides a glance into the numerous ways they can be used for research and changing the way medicine is known to the world today.

They can change the way treatments for diseases are and simulate various diseases so doctors and researchers can understand the intricate nature of the human body, and see how healthcare can be more beneficial in the coming years.

All in all, stem cells are cells that can be a basis for research, medicine, and the healthcare industry.

Bibliography:

“Home.” Home | Harvard Medical School, 27 Sept. 2023, hms.harvard.edu/.

“Home: Stem Cells: University of Nebraska Medical Center.” UNMC, www.unmc.edu/stemcells/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2023.

National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2023.

Stoddard, Lee, and UK Stem Cell Foundation. “Welcome to UK Stem Cell Foundation.” UK Stem Cell Foundation, 8 Sept. 2023, www.ukscf.org/.

“Cancer Treatment & Research.” Siteman Cancer Center, 7 Aug. 2023, siteman.wustl.edu/.

“Medical Diseases & Conditions.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions. Accessed 27 Sept. 2023.

RHEACELL >< Newsroom, www.rheacell.com/en/newsroom/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2023.