Stem Cell Research Derived from Clinical Trials

- Cell Article

Stem Cell Research Derived From Clinical Trials:

During the history of medicine removal of diseased tissue was the only option. As a greater understanding of how the body functions was obtained it led to synthetic replacements and implants being used to help with this loss. As people are now living longer there has become a need for replacement of tissues due to the wear and the limited life-span of the implants. Using more biological approaches would seem to be more practical. We could achieve this by using stem cells to regenerate the organs and tissues damaged or lost. The biggest leap this would make would be that the properties of a living tissue could adapt with physiological and environmental cues which is a major factor in why implants fail. Stem cells can also help to advance the treatment with cardiovascular disease. As of now 62 million people in the US have some form of cardiovascular disease, including: coronary heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. The tissues that die as a result from these diseases can not be replaced at present, but with the use of stem cells the effects of cardiovascular disease could be reversed. Stem cells could also be used in the future with the treatment of diabetes as well as neurodegenerative diseases.

Possible Cells For Tissue Regeneration - Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Have the ability to proliferate indefinitely in vitro and can differentiate into any somatic cell type. They are an important potential cell source. Adult Stem Cells: Adult tissues harbor cells with the capacity for regenerative repair. Example - skin cells. Multipotent Adult Stem Cells: Have the ability to differentiate to cell types other than the tissue of origin.

More research is needed in order to achieve and control differentiation and growth of stem cells. Issues which need to be investigated include, the signals that trigger differentiation and the role of physical factors.