These cells produce all of the new blood cells we need throughout our lives – including the white blood cells that control the body’s autoimmune response. The first identified adult stem cells, called hematopoietic stem cells, and were found in bone marrow. Yet, even as adults, we retain some cells that maintain the potential to change and the ability to create new kinds of cells. Through the embryonic and fetal stages, as our cells became more specialized into bone, muscle, nerve, and other tissues, we lost the number of stem cells that remain unspecialized (or undifferentiated). When each of us began as one cell, a fertilized egg, that one cell was the ultimate “stem cell.” It was undifferentiated, meaning it had the potential to divide and give rise to every other cell in the body. They are the body’s biological expression of “potential.” Meaning, they are cells that have the potential to become something else. The potential is great, and here are some of the basics you should know! Important Note: Though not yet approved for lupus by the US Food and Drug Administration, there have been dozens of studies and hundreds of patients who have undergone stem cell therapy clinical trials and the results are encouraging. This, of course, is much more complicated than it sounds and requires a bit more explanation! Thereby, replacing or repairing damaged cells or even reducing the autoimmune and inflammation response. Simply stated, stem cell therapy requires taking stem cells from the lupus patient, or from matching donor, and transplanting them back into the patient. These include: Parkinson’s, COPD, ALS, and autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s … and increasingly lupus! Currently, stem cell therapy is being either researched or used clinically in fighting a variety of diseases. However, stem cells have been used for decades in the form of bone marrow transplants in the treatment of some types of leukemias and lymphomas. Stem cell therapy, as a treatment for lupus, is relatively new and still experimental. What can this therapy mean for you – now or in the future? Read on to find out! Stem cell therapy is the newest frontier in the quest for better treatments (and possibly a cure) for lupus.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |