In a stem cell therapy, healthy stem cells, either of the patient or a donor are transplanted in the body of a person who is suffering from cancer. These stem cells replace old and damaged cells, which in turn helps to cure cancer such as leukemia and myeloma.

These stem cell therapies differ from the kinds of stem cells being used in the transplant. The basic types of stem cell transplants that take place today are:

• Adult Stem cell Transplant, a therapy which uses Bone marrow Stem cells

• Adult Stem cell Transplant that uses Peripheral Blood Stem Cells

• Umbilical Stem Cells Transplant which utilizes umbilical blood cord stem cells

These stem cell transplants are either Allogeneic transplants or Autologous transplants. However, in all the above-mentioned therapies, the Umbilical stem cells transplant can be really considered as a gift of modern science to humanity. Umbilical stem cells are less capable of getting rejected than either of peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplants.

This is because umbilical stem cells are not fully developed and lack features prone to be recognized and attacked by the recipient’s immune system. Moreover, umbilical stem cells have advanced immune cells that after transplantation will not attack a recipient’s body. This exclusive feature makes umbilical stem cells free from causing any graft versus host diseases.

The resource of Umbilical stem cells is also one of the major reasons on why this therapy really stands out from other stem cell therapies. As pointed out by critics of stem cell therapies, Umbilical stem cells therapy does not involve the destruction of fertilized eggs and human embryos. In contrast, in an umbilical stem cells transplant, umbilical blood cord cells being used are primarily extracted from newly born infants.

This process is done immediately after the delivery of a newborn child. The umbilical cord is fasten, fixed with a clamp, and is then cut to separate the child from the mother. This umbilical cord, which is generally discarded as waste, contains a large number of umbilical stem cells that are then used in transplants and in curing diseases.

These umbilical stem cells collected from umbilical cords are now being used to treat more than 70 hematologic diseases (diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs) including certain types of anemia and leukemia. Research has also indicated that umbilical stem cells are more promising than adult stem cells in treating diseases.

Moreover, Umbilical stem cells also have properties similar to those of embryonic stem cells (cells derived from embryos), which can develop in all types of cells and thus, are useful to treat all types of diseases.

Thus to sum up, due to their intrinsic features and conventional resource and storage abilities, umbilical stem cells are definitely a gift of modern science to humanity and are also now regarded as the future of stem cell therapies.

Collection of umbilical cord blood cells consists of a simple procedure and doesn’t involve any kind of risk to you or your child.

A surgery is required to obtain bone marrow stem cells, whereas medications are induced to obtain blood stem cells. On the other hand, obtaining umbilical cord blood stem cells does not require any time-consuming or complicated procedure. After the umbilical cord blood stem cells are kept in storage, they can be made available easily and in less time if required for a treatment.

If your child is suffering from complications such as severe Fanconi anemia, umbilical cord blood cells may prove very beneficial, as these cells act as a source of marrow-repopulating cells and they can be used to restructure marrow in your child.

Umbilical cord blood stem cells in cancer treatment:

Earlier, a patient at a last stage of leukemia had no chance of surviving. However, with umbilical cord blood stem cells, you can have a new lease of life even if you have been diagnosed with leukemia and are at the last stage. Umbilical cord cells have proved to be effective in treating over 70 hematologic (blood-related) diseases, including certain types of anemia and leukemia.

Leukemia treatment generally involves high-dose radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. Although these high doses are effective in killing cancer cells, they also harm the healthy cells. This can cause severe and life-threatening side effects.

Hence, to optimize the effect of radiation therapy or chemotherapy and reduce the potential risks involved in the process, umbilical cord blood stem cells can be delivered to you following the chemotherapy and radiation. These stem cells will then grow in your body and replace your stem cells that were destroyed in the process of chemo-radiation therapy. This will result in a new line of red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets that you need to survive.

Besides restoring the damaged stem cells, umbilical cord blood stem cells can also attack your cancer cells, providing an added source of anticancer activity.

Advantages of umbilical cord blood stem cells:

1. As umbilical cord blood stem cells are comparatively better at tolerating differences between the donor and recipient, this minimizes your chances of suffering from graft-versus-host disease (a complication in which the grafted cells attack the host).

2. Umbilical cord blood stem cells also lower the risk of the transmission of an infectious disease.

3. Umbilical cord blood stem cells also have a much greater ability than bone marrow to generate new blood cells. Thus, a smaller amount of cord blood cells is required for a successful transplantation.

4. Umbilical cord blood stem cells have a rich content of mesenchymal progenitor cells and contain a large amount of endothelial cell precursors.

Thus, with so many benefits, umbilical cord blood stem cells can prove a promising aspect of stem cell research.

Strokes are of two types, namely ischemic strokes (resulting from a blood clot or blocked artery) and hemorrhagic strokes (resulting from a burst blood vessel). People, who survive a stroke, can suffer from different degrees of disabilities based on the part of the brain that has been damaged.

Currently, no effective stem cell stroke therapy exists. Hence, the prospect of stem cell stroke treatment offers some respite and seems promising.

Although there are reservoirs of stem cells in the adult human brain, their amount is insufficient to restore the neurological function. The umbilical cord blood consists of stem cells that are pluripotent in their ability to be transformed into a number of precursor cells of various body organs including he brain.

When Umbilical cord blood stem cells are placed in the culture with nerve growth factor, nutrients and brain neurotrophic factor tend to form precursor progenitor brain stem cells. Patients having post stroke syndrome, can be provided intravenous brain stem cells with stem cell therapy.

Research on stem cell stroke treatment essentially focuses on repairing the brain by restoring or replacing neurons. Inadequate blood flow to the brain and the consequent loss of nutrients and oxygen the blood transports, are the factors that cause neurons or brain cells to die in the course of a stroke.

To save a life, it is necessary to administer clot-busting drugs at the earliest. However, by the time a diagnosis is done, it is often too late. Stem cells can help doctors to extend this window of opportunity to support dying neurons and reverse the series of events caused by stroke.

Until recently, there was a wide belief that it is impossible to replace damaged brain cells. However, clinicians and researchers have now proved that the brain has the capacity to reorganize itself and compensate for the disease, injury or surgery. This is where stem cell stroke therapy comes into the picture.

Stem cell stroke therapy can be carried out in two ways, namely endogenously and exogenously.

Endogenous repair or ‘in-vivo stimulation’ mobilizes the brain to treat itself. Adult stem cells in the brain have the ability to restore the brain cells damaged in the course of a stroke.

As per exogenous ‘in-vitro’ procedure of stem cell stroke therapy, stem cells are created outside your body in vitro (a laboratory dish) and then transplanted inside your brain. The objective is to multiply or either completely or partially differentiate the cells to required nerve cells.

Signals coming from the damaged brain cells act as a distress call to beckon the transplanted cells. Subsequent signals then help the stem cells to differentiate into neurons and the other cells supporting the brain.

Stem cell stroke therapies have proved successful in rodents such as rats and it is only a matter of time that stem cell stroke treatments will prove effective in humans too.

The type 1 diabetes is a condition in which the immune system rapidly destroys the insulin generating cells present in the pancreas. In Stem cells diabetes therapy, you undergo a transplantation process known as ‘autologous non-myeloblative hematopoietic stem cell transplant’ (HSCT). In this type of stem cells diabetes therapy, stem cells derived from your own bone marrow are collected from the blood stream. Along with this, you also undergo chemotherapy to partly destroy your own bone marrow cells.

The healthy stem cells collected from your bone marrow are then replaced with the damaged cells. This process in stem cells diabetes therapy resets your immune system, which in turn stops the attacks to pancreas and thus reduces the effect of type 1 diabetes largely. This transplantation process is similar to transplant process used to cure cancer.

The other method used in the stem cells diabetes therapy is the islet cell transplantation. In this, stem cells are used to develop islets (cells that make insulin). Once developed, these islets made from stem cells then begin to make insulin and thus help to reduce the effects of type 1 diabetes. These types of stem cells also release a diabetic from the clutches of kidney diseases, heart diseases, eye a/or nerve damage that happen due to the high levels of glucose.

However, as every coin has a flip side, stem cells diabetes therapy has some drawbacks too. This therapy is effective, only when the condition in type 1 diabetes is caught within six weeks of diagnosis. If you conduct stem cells diabetes transplant after this period, then this stem cells diabetes therapy may not be effective as your pancreas are severely damaged and you already have complications from high blood sugar levels. Also, the reluctance of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicates that the islet cell transplantation hinders the curing of diabetes through stem cells largely.

Moreover, in the US, the curing of diabetes through stem cells diabetes therapy has taken a huge setback due to the non-availability of donors. It is estimated that only 7,000 deceased donors are available in the US and less than half of these donors are viable for pancreas transplantation.

Considering its effectiveness and its intrinsic features of making diabetics independent of insulin shots, stem cells diabetes therapy is really a boon for patients that suffer from type 1 diabetes and it can be regarded as another new gem after adult stem cells, bone marrow stem cells and umbilical stem cells, in the crown of stem cells therapies.

To know more about stem cell diabetes, log on to www.ukstemcellbank.org.uk/.

Stem Cells are present in almost all multi-cellular living organisms. They have a special characteristic of regenerating themselves through the process of mitotic cell division. Thus, they are a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues and are used to cure diseases such as Alzheimer, stroke, burns, coronary disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and spinal cord injury. Stem Cells are of two types, namely Embryonic stem cells and Adult stem cells.

Stem Cell Transplant:

A stem cell transplant is the insertion of healthy stem cells into your body. It is a process of refilling your body with blood-forming cells. While performing a transplant, doctors can use cells from your own body (as in the case of autologous stem cell transplant) or from donor’s body (as in the case of allogeneic stem cell transplant).

The process of stem cell transplant is very complex and involves many steps. Although the procedure for allogeneic and autologous transplants is same, you need to have a detailed analysis of autologous stem cell transplant and see how it differs from allogeneic transplant. The step-by-step procedure of the transplant is as follows:

Stem Cell Collection: Stem cells are collected from bone marrow and then harvested for High dose chemotherapy. In autologous transplant, as the patient himself is a donor, stem cells are moved from the bone marrow to the bloodstream before their collection. This process is called mobilization and is carried out by injecting a colony-stimulating factor (protein that stimulates development and growth of blood cells) under your skin. After the required number of stem cells is mobilized into your bloodstream, the stem cells are then collected through a non-surgical process called apheresis.

1. Processing and Cryopreservation: After the stem cells are collected, they are cryopreserved (frozen) in a laboratory and are store until needed. This type of process is not required if you are undergoing an Allogeneic stem cell transplant as stem cells are collected just before the transplant.

2. High Dose Chemotherapy: This therapy differs from the type of cancer you are suffering from and is more effective than standard chemotherapy.

3. Infusion: After the completion of high-dose chemotherapy, the stored stem cells are transplanted or infused in your blood stream. This infusion process is similar to that of blood transfusion and can also be done on an outpatient basis in some cases. In this process, the stem cells are thawed in a warm water bath and infused in your vein over a period of 2 to 4 hours. These stem cells then pass through your bloodstream and settle in the bone marrow, wherein they start producing WBC’s RBC’s and platelets.

Types of stem cell transplants:

The different types of stem cell transplants are Bone marrow Transplants, Peripheral blood stem cell transplant and cord blood transplants. Stem cell transplants are also categorized on the basis of the donor who provides the stem cells. These types of transplants include Autologous stem cell, Allogeneic, Tandem autologous and mini (nonmyeloblative) allogeneic transplant.

To know more about stem cell transplant, log on to www.ukstemcellbank.org.uk/.

ES cells are not only grown in human body but they can also be grown in laboratories. Growing Embryonic stem cells in a laboratory is known as the cell culture. At any stage, in the process of developing embryonic stem cells, the cells can be preserved by freezing it or it can be shipped to other laboratories.

Very often embryonic and adult stem cells are considered the same; however, there are significant medical and scientific differences between embryonic and adult stem cell research and therapy. The advantages and disadvantages of Embryonic stem cells.

At each and every stage during the process of developing embryonic stem cells, scientists test the cells to check whether the cells are exhibiting their fundamental characteristics. This process of testing the cells is called characterization.

The Embryonic stem cells are classified mainly on two properties, their pluripotency and their ability to renew themselves. Pluripotencty is the characteristic of the ES cell that distinguishes it from the adult stem cells. While the adult stem cells are capable of generating only a few types of cells, the ES cell with its pluripotencty characteristic is able to produce all types of cells in the body.

Very often, the ES cells and adult stem cells are considered as the same thing but there is a significant medical and scientific difference between the two. Some advantages and disadvantages of the cells are listed below:

Embryonic Stem Cell Advantages:

1. These cells are very flexible i.e. they have the potential to make almost all type of cell present in the human body.

2. These cells are immortal. The cells have the capacity to provide an endless supply of cells with defined characteristics. These cells are self-sustaining.

3. Embryonic stem cells are very easily available. They are readily available in the vitro fertilization clinics.

A major advantage of the embryonic stem cell technology is the possibilities associated to cloning. ES cells contain information on every body cell and so can be manipulated by the scientists in every possible way. This makes them an ideal tool for cloning purpose. Scientists all over the world believe that embryonic stem cells can be used to grow artificial organs and limbs, which can then be transplanted into humans who require it. As the embryonic stem cells are the exact DNA matches, the transplant procedure is more efficient and has a higher possibility of being successful.

Embryonic Stem Cell Disadvantages:

1. It is difficult to differentiate uniformly and homogeneously ES cells if transplanted into a target tissue.

2. These cells are Immunogenic i.e. if ES cells from a random embryo donor is transplanted then they are likely to be rejected.

3. These cells are also Tumorigenic, capable of forming tumors or promoting tumor formation.

Despite its drawbacks, significant discoveries about these cells have been made. For instance, Japanese scientists have discovered that adult stem cells can be transformed into pluripotent stem cells and human body accepts these cells. In recent times, a lot of finance is allocated on embryonic stem cell research. In US about $3 billion are allocated for embryonic stem cells.

Stem cells are found in majority of multi-cellular organisms. They have exclusive trait of renewing themselves through the process of mitotic cell division. The two basic types of mammalian stem cells are adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. However, before moving towards understanding these two Stem Cell Pictures we will first study the basic stem cell picture.

Stem cell:

The process of human development starts when a sperm fertilizes an egg, which develops into a single cell known as zygote, which ultimately has the potential to develop into an entire organism. However, the fertilized egg, called totipotent is nothing but a form of stem cell known as Embryonic stem cell. Thus, stem cells are the omnipotent cells that give birth to an organism. The Embryonic stem cells after some days mature and are then known as Embryonic germ cells or pluripotent stem cells. These stem cells, at a later stage are then converted into fetal tissue stem cells and then into Adult stem cells.

We will now discuss and understand the two main types of Stem Cell Pictures, the Embryonic stem Cell Picture and the Adult Stem Cell picture.

Embryonic Stem Cell:

These stem cells are pluripotent stem cells that are developed from the inner cell mass or from the early stage of an embryo known as blastocyst. These stem cells are able to differentiate themselves into all germ layers known as endoderm ectoderm and mesoderm. Their pluripotency differentiates them from adult stem cells. Because of their malleability, and unlimited capacity of self-renewing, they are proved to be beneficial in several tissue replacement and regenerative medicine.

Adult Stem cell:

These are undifferentiated cells, that are found throughout the body after the development of the embryonic stem cells. They are also known as somatic stem cells. These stem cells express ATP-binding cassette transporters such as The Lipid flippase MsbA, Vitamin B12 transporter,BtuCD and molybdate transporter AB2C2 complex. These transporters are members of protein superfamily. The ABC transporters found in these stem cells are transmembrane proteins that tap the energy of ATP hydrolosis to carry out definite biological process such as translation of the DNA and RNA in your body. These stem cells in order to ensure self-renewal undergo two types of cell division, which gives rise to two identical daughter cells that are endowed with various stem cell properties.

Both these stem cells are now used in various therapies to cure several diseases, mainly cancer, with the help of two transplantation processes known as Autologous stem cell transplantation and Allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

Political aspect of stem cell debate:

The stem cell debate gathered momentum when President Bush banned Government funding for embryonic stem cell research and appointed doctors, lawyers and ethicists into a committee on bioethics to advise him on stem cells, cloning and other ethical matters. The stem cell debate turned ethical when it centered on research involving the usage and destruction of human embryos. Various Religious Conservatives argued that use of stem cells involved the destruction of fertilized eggs and human embryos in the initial stages of development. They gave another face to the stem cell debate and equated it to crime and abortion. Moreover, the stem cell debate took a U-turn when current US President, Barack Obama separated state from science and lifted the Bush administration’s ban on embryonic stem cell research.

Scientific aspect of stem cell debate:

Then, there was the scientific stem cell debate, which questioned the efficiency of the stem cell research and their use. Many anti-stem cell research activists tried to twist and twirl the stem cell debate in one way or the other. Some wanted the researchers to focus on other less controversial means of killing these vital cells but were rebuked severely by scientists.

Many people in the US argued that stem cells cannot be differentiated to become liver or blood cells but scientists claimed that stem cells could be differentiated into whatever type of cell that is needed to cure the organ. In addition, there was a huge uproar on from where do scientists get these cells but the dust settled down when a vast majority of scientists claimed that the stem cells used in the research came from the disposed and excessive embryos that were stored in the in-vitro fertilization clinics. Scientists also claimed that a huge chunk of these cells came through donation of unneeded embryos from parents who did not wished to have more children.

However, the stem cell debate took a new turn when scientists silenced pro-life activists. They exacted the skills of pulling out stem cells from aborted fetuses with the consent from women patients who independently wanted to terminate their pregnancy.

Science is virtual answer for the stem cell debate:

Beyond the political and scientific debates surrounding stem cells, there lies a huge amount of scientific dubious distinction. Can scientists develop stem cells for transplants, which do not let off the immune attack from the new host? Can scientists use stem cells to eradicate the need for human subjects in chemotherapy? No one knows the answer to these questions and hence the stem cell debate will continue to be a mootable question in the medical fraternity unless and until Science and Scientific advances give answers to these questions.

It involves infusion of healthy cells to replace damaged or diseased ones. If the process is successful, the healthy stem cells integrate into the body and produce more cells that can perform necessary functions for a tissue.

It is a new branch of medicine known as regenerative medicine.

A stem cell transplant does not involve a surgery similar to the one required in an organ transplant. The procedure is fairly simple in comparison. However, it offers huge benefits.

Stem cell transplant has proved extremely beneficial in the treatment of various diseases such as:

1. Cancer: Stem cell transplant is particularly useful for treatment of leukemia. The chemotherapy and radiation that is given to the patient during the course of his/her treatment to destroy cancer cells, unfortunately also destroys healthy cells.

A stem cell transplant substitutes the lost and damaged cells with new ones that are fully functional. These cells can then provide red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets that are essential for metabolism, clotting and immunity. The other important benefit of this treatment is that the newly produced white blood cells further improve the immune system of the patient, which in turn destroys any remaining cancer cells in the bone marrow.

2. Aplastic Anaemia : This condition is not cancerous but causes a decrease in the production of blood cells by the bone marrow. A stem cell transplant can replace the dysfunctional marrow with new stem cells that function properly. The new stem cells that have been transplanted travel from the blood of the patient to the bone marrow where they perform their required function and produce healthy working blood cells.

3. Multiple Sclerosis : Stem cell transplant can stop the advancement of many diseases and also has the ability to reverse the neurological dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis. The patients are injected with stem cells obtained from their own bone marrow. These are known as haemopoietic stem cells. Blood cells originate from these stem cells. Up to 70% to 80% of the patients, suffering from multiple sclerosis did not relapse later.

4. Spinal Cord Injury: Stem cell transplant has provided life- saving benefits to spinal cord injury patients. The spinal cord cells once destroyed have no ability to regenerate. However, stem cell surgery provides fully functional cells. The transplant greatly improves the lives of the patients making them less dependent on others.

Future Transplant Treatments: Success has been seen in the treatment of various other diseases using stem cell transplant.

These diseases are:

• Retinal diseases: Retinal cells that have been destroyed due to disease or accident can be replaced by stem cells.

• Type I diabetes: Stem cells can be transplanted to take the place of worn out pancreatic cells.

• Parkinson’s disease: Stem cells can replace the damaged brain cells.

• Improvements in the symptoms of diseases such as Epilepsy, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Down Syndrome and Sickle Cell anaemia.

• The therapy can positively influence the outcome of diseases such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Huntington’s disease.

You will be able to see positive results within a month of starting stem cell transplantation therapy.

To know more about stem cell transplants, log on to www.stemcells.cam.ac.uk/.

The stem cells are basically of two types, Adult Stem Cells and Embryonic Stem Cells. The Adult Stem Cells are found within the bone marrow in cord blood and in the circulatory blood system of the human body. Researchers have initiated that the stem cells found in the cord blood can renew itself and it is capable of giving rise to new cells, which are specific to their own types of cell.

The Embryonic Stem Cells: These stem cells directly come from the cord blood of a newborn baby. Researchers have found out that the stem cells cord blood is self-sustaining and long lasting. These stem cells cord has the potential to give birth to almost every cell found in your body.

With more and more research done to understand the importance of the embryonic stem cells cord, in current times their usage has increased manyfold while treating multiple illness. If you are suffering from any blood related diseases like blood cancer than these stem cells cord are an effective cure for your disease. Doctors use the stem cells cord not only to treat your blood related diseases but also to replenish your blood and to provide support and strengthen the immune system of your body. These stem cells cord, which is very peculiar to your child and your family; you can give it to another family or any other individual for treating their disease. Your stem cells can be a very effective remedy to cure others disease even if the blood groups do not match. This means that many families can now seek treatment for their blood diseases.

You must be aware of the fact that research have found out and implemented the usage of stem cells cord in the umbilical to treat different kinds of blindness, spinal cord injuries, heart attacks, strokes, child cancer etc.

If you are suffering from disease, which requires you to regularly replace your blood cells, then there is good news for you as research has found out that the cord blood cells can be effectively used to replace the failed blood cells in the human body. According to statistics around 6000 patients world wide have had stem cell transplant.

According to doctors in the Minnesota Medical Center, the cord blood research have directed them to find out that these stem cells cord are effective in treating bone marrow, storage diseases and other immunodeficiency disorders.

With numerous achievements coming out from stem cells cord blood research, people should consider preservation of stem cells to find have an advantage of survival while from life threatening disorders. Scientists are laying great emphasis on carrying out research on stem cells, especially on those extracted from the infant’s umbilical cord and it is hope that these cells are the future of medical sciences.