Stem cell therapies
Furthermore, stem cells are considered the body’s natural building blocks as they act as the internal repair system for growth and healing (Kumar, 2015). Therefore, stem cells are ubiquitous throughout human anatomy, and thus they control the repairment and growth of all tissue types. Subsequently, stem cell research can apply through a spectrum of conditions. This implies that stem cell research has applications throughout a spectrum of conditions. In this essay, three case studies will be explored, each with conditions that have unique medical issues. The first case study will explore orthopaedics, in which the healing potential of stem cells is showcased as stem cell therapies yield improved quality of care and reduced recovery times in the treatment of fractured joints as opposed to traditional joint repairs. The next case study of stem cell research is in drug delivery, as stem cell-derived exosomes replace liposomes, the commonest drug delivery vehicle which is toxic and susceptible to rapid clearance by the immune system. The final case study is in neurodegenerative disease. Where no treatments exist, regenerative medicine offers stem cells as an alternative to managing late-stage symptomatic behaviour. These three case studies will demonstrate the potential of stem cell therapies in treating a variety of physiological conditions, validating its long-term goal of providing an alternative to current medical practices.
The biochemical properties of stem cells
Stem cells play an instrumental part of our growth from even before birth, during our zygotic phase. They can be found in almost all human tissues, such as adipose tissues and brain matter. Throughout growth years, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, stem cells are most active as they are constantly required to produce new cells for tissue growth. During adulthood, however, stem cells tend to remain dormant for long periods of time until chemical signals initiate a growth response of stem cells called differentiation (Segre, 2000). This is the process by which stem cells grow and develop into new cells that are more specialized according to their function. One example of this is the production of blood. In bone marrow, there is an abundant supply of haematopoietic stem cells that will respond to stimuli that indicate a loss of or need for blood cells (King, 2018). These stem cells can differentiate into any three of the main blood cell types: red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets, all of which have their unique function. In this right, stem cells are considered immature, and they will develop into specialized cells to mature.
This capability of cellular repair is largely based on three biochemical properties of stem cells (Chagastelles, 2011) :
➢
The ability to remain unspecialized.
➢ The ability to divide and self-renew for sustained periods of time.
➢ The ability to be induced to differentiate into cells with a multitude of functions.
The unique characteristic of stem cells having relatively low specialization implies that they express few genes. This trait suggests that chemical signalling can be applied to produce cells with specific genes activated, so the outcome is controlled. Additionally, the feature of continuous division and self- renewal allows a small sample stem cells to quickly proliferate. This process entails the vast multiplication of cells, which can be performed in vivo or in vitro . Tissues or cell colonies can be grown
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