Stem Cell Therapy involves a series of steps in the process:
1. The necessary cells are isolated.
2. A stimulant is used to incite the isolated stem cells to differentiate into the desired types of cells.
3. The differentiated cells are then placed in a culture and are able to grow and multiply in numbers.
4. They are then injected into the patient, and allowed to continue growth in the patient's body. (Citation 24)
APPLICATIONS
STEM CELL THERAPY: HOW DOES IT WORK?
In this lab, you can see how different stimuli cause stem cells to differentiate into other types of cells. This is how scientists manipulate stem cells in order to acquire the necessary types of cells for replacement of tissues and even organs! This lab was provided by the Children's Hospital in Boston HERE!
INTERACTIVE STEM CELL LAB: Differentiation
This interactive lab demonstrates how scientists use different types of stem cells - embryonic, adult, and iPSC (induced pluripotent) to create new cells necessary in a particular stem cell treatment. This lab was presented by Virtual Stem Cell Lab at http://virtualstemlab.com/stemcell.html
INTERACTIVE STEM CELL LAB: Treatments
PROBLEMS: REALITY CHECK
A common complication that stem cell therapy faces is immune rejection. If the therapy is allogeneic, meaning the stem cells used were donated from an individual other than the patient, then the stem cells injected run a risk of facing the patient's immune system. Recognizing them as intruders, the immune system will attack the stem cells, not allowing them to work and repair the inflicted tissue. (Citation 24)
STEM CELLS: CURES FOR DISEASE
Stem cell therapy can be used to treat numerous diseases that advance upon the human kind. Here are some of the examples of the applications of stem cells in the medical field. Click on the pictures to find out more information for each of the diseases.
Stem cells have a variety of applications in the medical field. The main one is called Stem cell therapy. Stem cell therapy aims to cure a disease through the introduction of whole human cells into the body, aiming to restore the patient's health. (Citation 24)