Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine

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Stem Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine, also referred to as stem cell therapy, is a discipline of medicine which aims to replace or repair either diseased or damaged cells or tissues in the human body with the aim to restore normal body functions (MRC, np). Regenerative medicine is considered key to future patient care. Many health organizations and governments have invested heavily in regenerative medicine.
Patients’ needs are increasing each day. Each day comes with a new challenge to the field of medicine. This challenge can be attributed to an increase in the aging population. It is therefore important for those working in the medical research field to find new ways to meet these increasing demands. Great progress has been made in regenerative medicine field. Regenerative medicine provides very effective means of treating both organs and tissues that could not be treated previously. Regenerative medicine has come up and is still coming up with new ways of treating and managing chronic diseases like heart failure, diabetes and degenerative joint, bone and nerve conditions.
Regenerative medicine aims to come up with ways of healing injuries and diseases that were previously considered untreatable or permanently damaged. Research in regenerative medicine wants to avail such methods of treatments for clinical use. Treatment with regenerative medicine includes both in vitro and in vivo procedures.

In vitro treatment involves treating the body through therapy implantation studied in the laboratory. On the other hand, in vivo treatment involves treating the body through trials and studies conducted inside a living body; with the aim of stimulating self- healing of organs that were previously considered irreparable.
Scientists in the field of regenerative medicine are applying principles of material science, cell transplantation and bioengineering to come up with biological substitutes that can help restore and maintain the normal functioning of either diseased or damaged body organs or tissues. The rapid advancement greatly aids construction of biological tissue or organ substitutes in the field of stem cells. Injection is one of the techniques used here; by introducing functional cells to a site of an organ or tissue that is non- functional. This introduction aims to stimulate regeneration of the tissue or organ, to aid in the production of growth factors or hormones or to promote vascularization.
The field of regenerative medicine is mainly concerned with four main areas. These areas include; medical devices and artificial organs, tissue engineering and biomaterials, cellular therapies and clinical translation (McGowan Institute, np). Regenerative medicine has made it possible to artificially grow organs in the laboratory then place the organ in a human. Scientists, through powerful technology, are now able to create new parts of the body from a patient’s tissues and cells. This innovation will also help reduce cases of tissue rejection during transplant since the tissues and cells are now from the same body. Scientists are also able to replace either diseased or damaged tissue or organs with cellular components, commonly referred to as biohybrid organs, or replaced synthetic devices, also commonly referred to as fully artificial organs (McGowan Institute, np).
There are various regenerative medicine strategies. They include; stimulation of the repair processes of the body, transplantation of either progenitor cells or tissues or stem cells and using cells to deliver therapeutic agents which include cytokines and genes. All these strategies aim to guide, harness or stimulate repair processes of the body.
The three main approaches in regenerative medicine are rejuvenation, replacement, and regeneration (Mayo Clinic, np). Rejuvenation involves boosting the heal capabilities of the body. Some of the body parts do self- heal like others. For example, when the skin is cut it can repair and self- heal after a few days. Cells in other organs of the body such as the heart and lungs were thought not to be able to self-heal. These cells were thought to be terminally differentiated; unable to undergo further division. However, through advancement in regenerative medicine, it has been discovered that these cells can remodel themselves and have some capability of self- healing. Advanced research is being undertaken to enhance the self- healing of such cells. The second approach is through replacement. In this approach, organs, tissues or cells from a donor, either deceased or living, are replaced with already damaged organs, tissues or cells. Replacement is common in organ transplants such as the kidney, liver and heart transplants. More research in this approach is done to reduce cases of organ rejection, overcoming donor shortage and also overcoming the necessity for immunosuppression. Regeneration, on the other hand, involves carrying certain types of cell products or cells themselves to diseased organs or tissues. The aim of these delivered cells and cells products is to restore the normal functioning of the organ or tissue where they have been delivered. An example of regeneration is a bone marrow transplant. Regeneration can be achieved through cell products such as growth factors or cell-based therapy. This approach works from within the body hence it is definitive and provides a solution for various health issues.
Research in various areas of medicine has enabled the advancement of regenerative medicine. The most important area of research is the stem cell. Other areas of research include; gene therapy, tissue engineering, cellular therapeutics, chemical biology, cell biology development, biomaterials, and nanotechnology. In most cases, regenerative therapy begins with the collection of a particular type of cell from the patient, for example, the skin cells. The patient’s cells are then reprogrammed in a laboratory to add certain characteristics to the cells. The reprogrammed cells are then introduced back into the patient’s body to treat the disease.
The most important components of regenerative medicine are the cells and biomaterials (Atala, np). Biomaterials can either be synthetic or natural matrices. Synthetic matrices are commonly referred to as scaffolds and form an important tool in regenerative medicine. Biomaterials can be used to introduce bioactive factors into the damaged or diseased organs or tissues. Biomaterials can also attract growth factors and hormones from the body after implantation. Another function of biomaterials is to create a conducive environment for restoration of tissue functions and structure. Biomaterials also guide the tissue’s growth direction. In certain conditions, biomaterials are introduced without cells. Such a process aims to stimulate the body’s repairing ability.
Stem cells are critical for regenerative medicine. These cells provide various opportunities for clinical applications due to their unique qualities. Through the defferentiation process, stem cells develop into different types of cells; for example lung cells, skin cells and brain cells. Research on stem cells is being done on various categories of stem cells including the embryonic and adult stem cells. A variety of progenitor cells are also being studied. Such cells include cells found in the umbilical cord blood and pluripotent stem cells which are bioengineered cells. Each stem cell has its unique quality and versatility (Mayo Clinic, np).
The body uses stem cells to heal itself. Regenerative medicine is exploring the opportunity to use stem cells to repair tissues destroyed through wear and tear, trauma and diseases. It has been found out that the umbilical cord, usually gotten rid of at birth, contains numerous stem cells. The umbilical cord can be stored, so that one has a supply of his/her cells in case one ever needs cell transfer. The latter solves the problem of few compatible donors and also reduces cases of body rejection of foreign cells.
The rapid development in the field of stem cells has opened new avenues for regenerative medicine. Considering venues such as cellular programming and therapeutic cloning will in future provide an unlimited source of cells which can be used in engineering applications. Although a lot of research is still being done on stem cells, some of its applications are already being successfully applied in a clinical setting.
Each day diseases are becoming more destructive that through traditional medicine, the only way to cure such diseases is by replacing the whole organs or tissues affected. However, research on regenerative medicine aims to change this. The work of regenerative medicine aims that in future there is no need to replace entire organs. For example, there has been a rampant increase in the number of cases of heart diseases in the United States (McGowan Institute, np). Currently, medicine only offers a heart transplant as the solution. Considering there is a shortage of donors and cases of rejection, this is very problematic for the field of medicine. Heart valves are normally affected by heart diseases. Through regenerative medicine, scientists have been able to create heart valves from human cells. Using biomaterials it will be easier to treat heart diseases; heart valves for transplant will be from the patient’s cells.
Through clinical translations, promising therapies are tried. There is rapid development in the field of regenerative medicine. It is therefore important to try these new forms of treatment to determine whether they can be used in clinical practice. The United States is spending more and more each year in its healthcare system. In 2015, the amount spent on health was $3.2 trillion, representing 17.8% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. This figure was also a 5.8% increase from the previous year. Heart diseases are the leading causes of death in the United States, claiming about 610,000 lives each year. The government also spends about $207 billion every year on heart diseases. Another chronic disease that can be cured by regenerative medicine is diabetes. Over 29 million people are living with diabetes in the United States, with another 86 million living with prediabetes, increasing their chances of contracting diabetes or other chronic diseases. Another disease is the Valvular Heart Disease, commonly referred to as VHD. VHD claims 20000 lives each year with another 90000 hospitalized, costing the United States $9 billion (McGowan Institute, np). VHD mostly occurs among the aging population. All these conditions can be cured through regenerative medicine. A lot less will be spent on treating such diseases. It is clear that regenerative medicine is a timely development and it will save many lives and also save the country a lot of money.
Works cited
Atala Antony. Regenerative Medicine Strategies. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 2015.
Mayo Clinic. Regenerative Medicine. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2018.
McGowan Institute. What is Regenerative Medicine? Regenerative Medicine. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, 2017.
Medical Research Council. Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells. Leading Science for Better health. Medical Research Council, 2018.