[Editor Note: May 2025-This nice summary of the five categories of health ailments corrected by stem cell therapy was presented by Erin Bolton Coletti, medical student at Blue Marble University Medical School. This is offered as an excellent learning essay covering those areas in which stem cell therapy is known to be beneficial. It is noted that cancer is particularly absent from the list and not treatable with stem cell therapeutics].
The Five Types of Medical Conditions Improved By Stem Cell Therapy are:
Injury Treatment – Wound care and CV patients. This advanced medical approach here involves treatments that utilize stem cell-derived skin precursors to aid in the regeneration of skin for burn victims. For spinal cord injuries, neural stem cells are being directly applied to the affected areas to promote repair and regrowth. Additionally, stem cell therapies are being explored as potential treatments for tissue regeneration following heart attacks and strokes, offering hope for functional recovery and healing.
Example of a treatment modality: According to Dr. Nadia Rosenthal and the video titled “Stem Cells and the End of Aging,” not only can stem cells help with the acceleration of decreasing inflammation and accelerating healing with wound care, but with stem cell therapy being administered to the heart, patients who are receiving bone marrow cells had an improved heart function by 5.5% as compared to those patients who were receiving placebo that averaged an improved heart function by 3.0%. In the context of cardiac injury, the heart’s epicardial covering has been identified as a crucial source of signaling factors essential for repair. Modality explained: Epicardial Activation: Method: Utilizing biomaterials or direct delivery methods to activate the epicardium, prompting the release of paracrine factors that stimulate cardiac repair. Cell Therapy: Method: Introducing epicardial-derived cells or their secreted factors into the injured heart to promote tissue regeneration. Gene Therapy: Method: Delivering genes encoding regenerative factors directly to the epicardium to enhance its reparative functions. These strategies aim to activate the heart’s intrinsic repair mechanisms, leveraging the epicardium’s natural regenerative capabilities to improve cardiac function following injury. Dr. Rosenthal’s work emphasizes the epicardium’s role in generating cells that contribute to tissue regeneration for cardiac injured patients.
Disease Treatment – Liver Insufficiency. This entails or refers to diseases that could arise from mainly bad choices and or environmental factors. The category would not include a patient who suffers from genetic defects, rather a patient who had a functioning healthy organ and became damaged over time. An example would be a patient who used to have a healthy functional liver, but becomes an alcoholic and now has cirrhosis of the liver from years of drinking. Another example would be a patient who has been diagnosed with viral hepatitis, but previously, had a functional healthy liver. In both scenarios, stem cells can be used to repair the liver damage. Disease treatment involves the treatment of tissues or organs that were previously healthy, but have become non-functional due to a virus and or external factors, not including genetic defects as previously stated. Cardiac conditions can also fall in this category. Clinical studies have demonstrated that MSC therapy can improve liver function, reduce fibrosis, and offer protective effects against cirrhosis-related complications.
Also in this category is Autoimmune Disease, where the body attacks its own healthy cells. Example of a treatment modality:Dr. Richard Burt, physician at Northwestern Medicine, utilizes autologous stem cell therapy to treat patients with autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic conditions like lupus. His approach involves hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), where a patient’s own stem cells are collected, processed to remove dysfunctional immune cells, and reinfused to regenerate a healthy immune system.
Genetic Defects. Genetic disorders are those that are caused by defects in our genes that a person inherits and creates disease, an example of this would include diabetes. Although, stem cells can’t cure genetic diseases as the cellular environment is very critical in determining how stem cells differentiate. If stem cells are derived from the patient’s tissue, and then reintroduced, unfortunately, the tissue is still exposed to the same tissue and or organ environment which will eventually create the same genetic defects, therefore those stem cells that are reintroduced to the same environment are likely to be influenced by the same defective environment which will result in the same genetic defaults. In this scenario, stem cells would still help to manage the disease of the genetic defect environment, however, it would only be a temporary solution and require ongoing treatments as frequent as several times a year. Addressing genetic defects with stem cells would require continuous intervention. This underscores the need for cost-effective, efficient methods of generating patient-specific stem cells for treatment, something we currently lack the capability to do at scale. The age of the patient is also vital as the older a patient is, the less effective the stem cell therapy tends to be.
Pathology – Aging. This fourth category encompasses aging as a whole. In the video by Aubrey de Grey in the Hormonal Rejuvenation course, where he explained his aging theory: “Metabolism causes damage, and damage leads to pathology.” Conditions like Parkinson’s disease, which results from the loss of dopamine producing cells and the buildup of abnormal protein inclusions, fall within this category. Alzheimer’s disease, marked by the formation of plaques in the brain, is another example of a pathology driven condition. Stem cell therapies hold great potential for these conditions by restoring function through the transplantation of healthy cells. In fact, both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s have already shown promising responses to stem cell treatments. In these cases, the focus is on restoring tissues or organs that once functioned properly but have lost their ability to do so due to disease or aging.
Source: Stem Cells and the End of Aging, stem cells can help greatly with aging. Stem Cell Therapy in Alzheimer’s Disease: Neural Stem Cells (NSCs): Transplantation of NSCs has shown promise in replacing damaged neurons and restoring neural circuits in AD models. These cells can differentiate into various neural cell types, potentially improving cognitive functions. Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs): Research indicates that HSC transplantation can reduce neuroinflammation and β-amyloid accumulation, key contributors to AD pathology. In mouse models, this approach has led to improved memory and cognitive performance. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs): Studies have explored the use of allogeneic MSCs in AD treatment. For instance, a study involving laromestrocel, a type of MSC, demonstrated improvements in clinical assessments of AD patients, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits. Dr. Rosenthal discusses how stem cells may play a role in reversing aging processes and treating age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s. She highlights the regenerative potential of stem cells in tissue repair and their role in combating age-associated degeneration.
Defects in Development – Blindness or vision impairment. The final category encompasses conditions resulting from abnormal development. While the DNA remains intact, disruptions during the developmental process lead to defects, such as those seen in certain forms of blindness and or vision impairment to include but not limited to: Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH), Septo-Optic Dysplasia (SOD) with ONH, Optic Nerve Atrophy (ONA), Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), and Diabetic Retinopathy.
Example of a treatment modality:Source: Returning Hope, https://www.returninghope.com/stem-cell-therapy-for-retinitis-pigmentosa.html The treatment protocol for visual impairment can include: Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell (UCBSC) Therapy: Administration Routes: Intravenous (IV) Injection: Stem cells are introduced into the bloodstream to facilitate systemic distribution. Lumbar Puncture (LP): Stem cells are delivered into the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the spinal cord, aiming to reach the visual pathways. Retrobulbar Injection: In certain cases, a direct injection behind the eye may be performed to target ocular tissues. This approach is determined based on individual medical assessments. Considerations for Children with Hormonal Issues: Some pediatric patients may receive only IV injections, as deemed appropriate by their healthcare providers. It’s essential to recognize that treatment protocols are personalized, and variations may occur based on the patient’s unique medical history and response to therapy. According to Returning Hope, they have had success with these modalities in over 340 cases since 2007.
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Panama College of Cell Science 