More than the existing uses of cord blood stem cells, research indicates that these stem cells someday may be used to treat numerous other diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, diseases of heart and liver, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury and stroke.
Characterized by the ability to refurbish themselves through mitotic cell division and differentiating into a varied range of specialized cell types, Stem cells are found in majority of the multi-cellular organisms.
Dr KK Sethi, senior cardiologist, Delhi Heart & Lung Institute, said of the efficacy of the stem cells, “Yes, it works. In less than three years, studies are able to explain the magical aspects of these stem cells. They have an ability to regenerate and grow into various types of cells including endothelial (cells lining the blood vessels), heart cells and smooth muscle cells.”
Hope for premature babies
Premature babies, born at 24 weeks gestation or 16 weeks premature, have an 80 percent chance of developing a chronic lung disease vis-à-vis a 50 percent chance in case of babies born at 28 weeks.
The biggest apprehension of the parents of such babies is that they may not see life for more than one week because of the underdeveloped lungs.
Such babies are, more often than not, hooked up to mechanical respirators and oxygen machines to help them breathe. These machines stretch the tissue of the lungs to help the baby breathe but in the process cause micro bruises and damages the babies’ fragile lungs.
In due course, the infants tend to have lungs similar to 50-year-old smokers. However there is hope. New research has indicated that these babies may live a healthy life by using stem cell therapy to protect their lungs from chronic lung disease.
Another research has suggested that skin tissue derived from stem cells can be effectively used for the treatment of burn victims.
Stem cells bank gets equipment
The only non-profit public sector stem cell bank in India, the Jeevan Stem Cell Bank, got a stem cell harvesting equipment donated by the Rotary Foundation.
The new equipment would enable the facility to efficiently harvest stem cells with minimized risk of infection as against the manual process of harvesting stem cells.
Post new comment