by admin | Nov 28, 2017 | Studies, Stem Cell Research
A recent publication in BioMed Research International has reviewed the study on the potential benefits of Wharton’s jelly derived mesenchymal stem cells in treating a variety of diseases. According to the authors of the review, these stem cells can be collected during millions of births each year at the time of delivery. A huge advantage of this type of stem cell collection over other methods is that it is not associated with the adverse side effects associated with other collection methods, nor is it particularly invasive. Its collection is also highly efficient.
Other advantages of Wharton’s jelly derived mesenchymal stem cells are that collecting them does not raise ethical concerns and that the cells themselves proliferate rapidly. Some stem cells have a tendency to lead to tumors or are prone to cause immune reactions. Wharton’s jelly derived stem cells on the other hand appear to circumvent both of these problems, making them valuable for a variety of applications in medicine.
Mesenchymal stem cells, which are the basis for a number of stem cell therapies and the relevant research, may be limited in value when they have been collected from older patients. Some reasons for this limitation are disease, DNA damage, and oxidative stress.
The authors also provide information on the regulatory and logistics aspects to stem cells. They explain that quality management systems are already part of the stem cell therapy infrastructure, which ensures that Wharton’s jelly derived mesenchymal stem cells would be donated, processed, stored, and distributed with the same high standards that other stem cells undergo donation, processing, storage, and distribution. The same is also true, they say, for the procurement and testing of these stem cells. While there seem to be clear benefits of Wharton’s jelly derived stem cells, more research on the clinical applications of these cells will help researchers determine the overall value of these cells.
Learn more about the benefits of stem cell therapy here.
by admin | Nov 10, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
In recent years, research into how stem cells can be used to improve heart health has been growing. Stem cells appear to be particularly promising for helping to repair damage to the heart because stem cells can help to rebuild tissue that has been injured or destroyed.
As it becomes more and more clear that stem cells offer therapeutic options, it also becomes more important to understand how stem cells work so that therapies can be strategically developed and optimized. A recent study helped to clarify how certain stem cells can be mobilized.
The researchers hypothesized that hyperbaric oxygen would mobilize bone marrow-derived stem/progenitor cells through a nitric oxide-dependent mechanism. Nitric oxide is known to have a role in mobilizing bone marrow-derived stem/progenitor cells through the release of a cytokine. The researchers’ hypothesis stemmed from the fact that hyperbaric oxygen can activate the protein that makes nitric oxide.
Data from the study showed that hyperbaric oxygen did indeed mobilize bone marrow-derived stem/progenitor cells. They also found that the number of bone marrow-derived stem/progenitor cells in patients’ blood was higher during hyperbaric oxygen treatments. However, exposure to radiation limited the response to hyperbaric oxygen.
Interestingly, some of the researchers’ clinical data were inconsistent with the results of their basic science studies. Thus, further research is needed to fully understand the best ways to mobilize stem cells and improve their likelihood of being therapeutically valuable.
To learn more about Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy, click here.
by admin | Nov 1, 2017 | Studies, Stem Cell Research
Recent research has found that stem cells may offer a promising new solution for treating Achilles tendon ruptures. Conventional treatment options for Achilles tendon ruptures have significant limitations. Some treatments work only to combat the symptoms related to Achilles tendon ruptures but do not work to repair the damage. These options are also time-consuming and often ineffective. Surgical interventions, on the other hand, involve high degrees of risk related to complications due to things like infection and nerve damage.
Given the opportunity for stem cells to help repair tissue damage, physicians and researchers have begun to focus on how stem cells may be specifically applied to treat Achilles tendon ruptures. The current study assessed two different types of stem cells in Achilles tendon rupture repair. These cells, called bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and tendon-derived stem cells, have advantages over other stem cell types in their potential to help with Achilles tendon rupture. For instance, both stem cell types proliferate quickly.
Because tendon-derived stem cells are specific to the tendon, the researchers hypothesized that these cells would be more effective in Achilles tendon rupture repair than bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. To test their idea, they implanted the two stem cell types into ruptured Achilles tendons and look at the impact of each stem cell type.
The researchers found that both types of stem cells were effective in improving the potential for ruptured Achilles tendons to heal. Consistent with their hypothesis, however, they found that the tendon-derived stem cells were more effective than were the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Further research will likely help the medical community understand how best to use stem cells to address issues like ruptured Achilles tendons.
To learn more about the benefits of stem cell therapy, click here.
by admin | Oct 20, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
Xiaodong Pang and colleagues have demonstrated the successful use of human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of chronic discogenic low back pain. The study, published in Pain Physician, is the first study to addressing the potential of this particular treatment option for chronic discogenic low back pain.
Chronic discogenic low back pain is the leading cause of chronic low back pain, which leads to a significant amount of disability. This type of back pain does not currently have any highly successful treatment options. Generally, the pain is managed conservatively, and if all else fails, surgical fusion is undertaken. Neither of these options addresses the underlying cause of chronic discogenic low back pain and instead simply address the symptoms, offering ways to try to reverse those symptoms.
In this initial study conducted by Pang and colleagues, the researchers aimed to establish that human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells could be both feasibly and safely used in humans to treat chronic discogenic low back pain. The study, conducted at a spine center in China, focused on two patients with chronic discogenic low back pain. Both patients underwent the transplantation of the stem cells, and their back pain symptoms and lumbar function were assessed both immediately after the transplants and again two years later.
The researchers found that both the pain and the function associated with the patients’ back conditions improved immediately after the stem cell transplants. In addition to demonstrating that this particular transplant procedure was feasible, the researchers also showed that it was safe, as neither patient suffered side effects.
There are a number of reasons for which human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells may provide the benefits that these researchers observed. For instance, unlike other stem cell types, these cells have the ability to differentiate into a number of different types of cells. The results of other studies suggest that these stem cells may help with this lower back condition by altering cell activity such that less inflammation occurs.
Going forward, researchers will need to replicate the findings of this study to show that the positive effects of human umbilical cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells in chronic discogenic low back pain extends to the general patient population. Further, as the mechanism by which these cells may improve the condition is not clear, research that helps to elucidate the way these cells confer their benefits will also help in the development of relevant therapeutic interventions.
To learn more about stem cell treatments click here.
Reference
Pang, X, Yang, H, & Peng, B (2014). Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation for the treatment of chronic discogenic low back pain. Pain Physician. 17: E525-530.
by admin | Oct 16, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
In a study published in Cell Stem Cell, researchers helped to clarify the mechanism by which mesenchymal stem cells achieve their immunosuppressive effects. While immunosuppression is not always appealing, there are certain contexts in which suppressing the immune system is critical. These cases include patients with autoimmune disease, where their immune system begins attacking the body’s organs, as well as skin grafts, where the immune system’s reaction to new skin often leads to graft rejection.
Mesenchymal stem cells have been strategically chosen over other types of stem cells when their immunosuppressive properties are beneficial. Nonetheless, because the specific reasons that these cells lead to immunosuppression are unknown, researchers have begun to investigate potential ways that the immunosuppression occurs.
One critical factor that the researchers considered was that the immunosuppressive effects of mesenchymal stem cells may not be innate. Given that immunosuppression is not always observed when mesenchymal stem cells are employed, the researchers hypothesized that the immunosuppression may depend on the presence of other factors in combination with mesenchymal stem cells.
Nitric oxide was one factor of particular interest to the researchers because nitric oxide is known to suppress the immune system’s T cells. Nitric oxide easily diffuses across barriers and interacts with a number of important proteins, making it an attractive candidate for contributing to immunosuppression that is observed with the use of mesenchymal stem cells.
Consistent with their hypothesis, the researchers found that nitric oxide does mediate the immunosuppression achieved by mesenchymal stem cells and demonstrated a specific mechanism by which this mediation occurs. This new information improves our understanding of how mesenchymal stem cells work and will therefore also enhance our ability to strategically use these cells to achieve the therapeutic benefits for which we strive.
by admin | Oct 14, 2017 | Stem Cell Research
Research into stem cell-based therapies has increased in recent years due to observations that these types of cells can provide new avenues for treatment where other treatment options are limited. Though bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have been the gold standard of stem cell-based therapies, there is mounting evidence that umbilical cord stem cells may offer some advantages over bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, as well as other popular stem cell types, such as adipose tissue, periodontal ligament, and dental pulp. In a recent review in Tissue Engineering, Reine El Omar and colleagues describe the state of umbilical cord stem cell research and the potential benefits of using these cells in stem cell therapies.
According to Omar et al., umbilical cord-derived stem cells were once thought of as medical waste. However, they have now been shown to provide advantages over other stem cells in stem cell-based therapies in 3 major ways:
- Umbilical cord stem cells are easier to collect than are other stem cell types. Extracting bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, for instance, is technically difficult and painful for donors. Umbilical cord stem cells can be painlessly collected and banked.
- Stem cells tend to proliferate more than other stem cells types. Other stem cell types have been shown to have limited proliferation and differentiation potential. Umbilical cord stem cells, on the other hand, appear to be more proliferative and differentiate longer.
- Umbilical cord stem cells are associated with less severe immune reactions than are other stem cells types. A critical aspect of the practicality of stem cells is their ability to act as therapeutic agents without causing adverse reactions. When the immune system perceives stem cells as dangerous foreign agents, the immune system can react in dangerous ways that lead to tissue damage and even death. Compared to other types of stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells appear to be associated with less severe immune reactions.
While efficacy is important for stem cell-based therapies, safety is perhaps more critical. Thus, research into how stem cells can be used therapeutically must focus not only on what therapeutic impact these cells can have but also what risks these cells pose. Future research will help to determine the safest cells to use and how those cells can best be incorporated to achieve their therapeutic goals.
Learn more about stem cell treatments here.
Reference
Omar et al. (2014). Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells: The new gold standard for mesenchymal stem cell-based therapies?
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