Stem Cell and regenerative medicine are slowly gaining popularity as they have proved to offer lasting solutions to some chronic diseases. Stem cells can be defined as the raw materials within the body where all other cells with various functions are generated. During normal conditions in the laboratory or in the body, stem cells normally divide to form new cells that are known as daughter cells. The resulting daughter cells generally became new stem cells or specialized cells that carry out a more specific function such as brain cells, blood cells, bone cells and muscle cells.
There are no other known cells in the body that are capable of generating new types of cells. Individuals who are projected to benefit from stem cell therapy include individuals with type 1 diabetes, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cancer, osteoarthritis, stroke, burns and cancer.
Stem cells have demonstrated that they have the capability to be regrown and turn out to be new tissues that can be utilized in regenerative and transplant medicine. Researchers today are continually studying the benefit of stem cells in regenerative medicine and transplant. Before researchers can apply investigational drugs on human beings, they can utilize some of the stem cells to test the medicine for safety and quality. This method of testing is thought to have a direct impact first for drug development for cardiac toxicity related testing. The new field of study currently testing the effectiveness of utilizing human stem cells that have been set to act like specific tissue cells to act as a platform for testing new drugs.
In order to get accurate results, stem cells must be programmed so that you can get properties of the kind of cells that are being targeted by the drug. Ways to change stem cells and become specific cells are being studied by researchers. For instance, nerve cells can be generated in order to test new drugs that cure nerve diseases. The new drug can be used as a base for testing of its effect on the cell and if it causes any damage to the cells.
However, new evidence indicates that adult stem cells can generate several types of cells. For Instance, it has emerged that bone marrow cells have the potential to generate and create new heart muscles or bone cells. This important research has led the way for the early stages of clinical tests to test the safety and usefulness of using this technology in human being. Currently, doctors have been successful to carry out transplants that are known as bone marrow transplants.
