Now animals also benefitting through stem cell treatments

Stem cells possess a remarkable potential to grow and differentiate into different types of cells in the body. They act as repair cells in some of the tissues by dividing continuously until the death of living organism. The new cell formed as a result of division can either regenerate into stem cells or other type of cell having some specialized function such as red blood cells, muscle cells or any other. Recently, two vets Gil Sinclair of New Zealand and Dr Sandy Cooper from veterinary Centre successfully performed stem cell therapy in the cats very first time in the medical history. The treatment will be offered for dogs, cats and horses suffered from arthritis, first time in Southland.

The golden Labrador star, a dog breed and cat Tuku have became the first two recipients of this treatment. Both of them were suffering from the unbearable arthritis. The cells were grown onsite in the laboratory conditions. In the stem cell treatments, the cells were used for the repairing of the damaged tissue and promote healing in these tissues. Due to this these cells were effective to cure inflammation in the joints. To begin with the procedure first of all fat was extracted from the adult stem cells of the animals. These cells were segregated from other parts and then mixed into the activators. The activators were actually taken from the platelets cells of the animals. They boosted the healing of the damaged part.

What the two vets were trying was to ultimately boost the healing performance. The results obtained after the research were tremendous and unexpected. They showed improvements in about eight percent patients that was a major success. According to Dr Cooper it was great to offer therapy under the lab conditions. There are also other benefits associated with the research. Owners need not to take their pets to the special centers now. It is also safe to offer stem cell treatment rather than usage of drugs as they have many harmful effects.

The vets are hoping that the therapy is going to show great improvements on both of the pets Tuku cat and golden Labrador Star. Previously the stem cell research was surrounded by a controversy because of the use of embryonic stem cells. As these cells damage the embryo after their harvesting it has raised many conflicts all around the world. This recent research used adult stem cells that were taken from the body of patients. There have already been given approval for the usage of adult stem cells to cure spinal injuries. Thus, vets are considering it a major achievement because uses of adult stem cells are non-controversial and now have proved their effectiveness in the animals also.

Scientists successfully developed mouse retina through stem cell therapy

Scientists recently achieved a milestone by successfully growing mouse retina through stem cell therapy. Basic retina was generated by use of embryonic stem cells. Retina is that part of the eye which is used n the detection of entrance of light that provides the correct vision. The retinal tissue can be effectively used in the treatment of wide variety of eye disorders like retinitis pigmentosa. These are also effective against macular damage that occurs with growing age. The tissue would be thus useful in the investigation and determination of new drugs for varied range of eye disorders.

Scientists made use of embryonic cells and a gel was injected to proliferate the three dimensional growth of the retinal cells. Gradually cells cluster formed an optic vesicle, then became an optic cup and later formed a structure helpful in treatment of eye. Researchers believe that the method will generate bulk amount of cells to cure blindness through transplantation mechanism. However, the experts are hoping to grow retinal cells of human being also and the research is still under process. This way the stem cell treatments would be used to recover the lost vision in the human beings to some extent, who have lost their sight completely.

According to the professor Robin Ali, of London College this research is one its first kind that has been successful in the making of a complex structure from the stem cells extracted from embryo. Professor Ali was however not part of this study. No one would have ever imagined that a day would come when scientists will be growing a complete tissue in a dish. Due to efforts of stem cells international societies and scientists working in medical centers and institutes it has been possible to cure several chronic diseases.

In the year of 2006 Professor Ali with his colleagues had done a successful transplant of retinal cells to adult mice form the newly born mice. These cells then integrated with the eye of adult mice and started functioning like the light sensitive cells. One of the major issues with that research was where to obtain cells from. This recent research done although has resolved a large number of conflicts. The study published in a journal reveals that stem cells taken from embryo have the ability to regenerate and give rise to some typical structure. Scientists believe that it is just the initiation. With time they will be able to come out with more stem cells solutions not only against blindness but for other disorders also. Stem cell technology thus has made large number of treatments possible that were once beyond imagination.

Stem cell research providing better understanding of Schizophrenia

Stem cells have always given their high contribution to the medical field. The stem cells are those cells that can generate into some special type of cells or stem cells. These special cells help in repairing and regenerating of tissues and organs. Few days earlier a group of scientists did a research on persons suffering from the disease named Schizophrenia. There were extracted skin cells from the body of four schizophrenia patients. These cells were processed into the embryonic stage and then were altered into brain cells. This stem cells news has aroused the interest of many scientists who are into the study of causes of this disease.

It is a possibility that the research will be useful to understand the causes and also the impact of medication in the patients. The stem cell research was conducted in California. After the study the team found that the altered neurons taken from Schizophrenia patients were making lesser number of nerve connection rather than those taken from the healthy body. Thus the lower neural connection proved to be major cause for this neurological disease. Professor Fred Gage who was the head of the research said that it was the very first time that such a complex mental disease has been studied in the live cells of human body.

Benefits of stem cells is that the same experiment can be used for other brain disorders by following the same way that was modeled in an open dish. It involved the reprogramming of the skin cells of the patients into embryonic and then growing into different type of brain cells. Moreover this mechanism would also be useful to understand the mental state of those where secrets of these biological methods are hard to reveal. Several environmental factors have also been found to act as a catalyst in the growth of disease. Furthermore one more scientist suggested that by growing neurons in dish the environment factor can be removed and thus shifting more focus on the biological mechanism.

Moreover during the research there was observed the effects of the drugs on the patients. Five different types of neurons were exposed to neurons and some amazing results were obtained. A drug called Loxapine improved the neural connection of all the patients and rest of the medication was found improved the connectivity in the cells of one patient only. The research would help to test which of the drugs are suitable for every individuals. People usually try so many drugs to know which one will suit at its best. This study is however a beginning. It will come out with many more advanced techniques in the near future.

Stem cells extracted from menstrual blood storage perform similarly to stem cells: Reveals a study

A recent study revealed that menstrual blood storage is very rich source of stem cells. All the scientists around the world were overwhelmed after this research. Stem cells are known as a life saving cells. From the very past the mechanism of extraction of stem cell form embryo is regularly under conflicts due to destruction of embryo. It was recommended to prefer the usage of adult stem cells but they were not able to grow in a countless number like embryonic stem cells. . The research has provided the scientists with an easy source of stem cells.

The study has therefore revealed that menstrual blood contains the cells just like embryonic stem cells. This is the reason researchers are suggesting women to donate menstrual blood rather than discarding it. According to Dr. Indira Hinduja described how they ended up to this remarkable study. During the menstruation period women shed uterine lining and new are generated in that place. So, it was determined that if the new lining is being regenerated every month there can be possibility of stem cells presence. The main objective was to investigate whether stem cells reside there or not and if they do then of what kind.

It would have been invasive to obtain cells from endometrial lining. So, it was considered safe to examine the menstrual blood in its place. The result was there were found similar stem cells to embryo as in the preserve menstrual blood. Adding to this, Dr. Hinduja said that the menstrual blood stem cells have large number of advantages. In addition to their easy extraction these are also safe to use without any danger of rejection of the tissues. As already explained there is no issue of ethical questions against its use like in case of embryonic cells. Furthermore these cells are easier to collect as compared to other sources such as cord blood and bone marrow. Due to their non –invasive technique they do not cause any harm and pain to the donor.

A most amazing fact about these cells is that they can be collected from the age of 12 years up to 47. The study revealed that menstrual stem cells were able to generate into different cells types such as blood vessel, brain, liver, lung, heart and pancreas. Today there have been started many programs to motivate women to store menstrual blood and donate it. Many of them provide monetary benefits. Others provide treatment to woman in case of severe disease through extraction of stem cells from the menstrual blood of the same women. Thus, today’s woman must come forward and give their vital contribution.

Stem cell technology bringing new hope to the sufferers

Every time scientists discover a new technique it generates new hope among the scientists as well as the patients and their families. This is the reason that the issue of stem cell technology is catching huge attention in the current scenario. The whole concept is the stem cells can repair the destructed cells and regenerate into new one cell, tissue or organ. Stem cells are basically categorized as the unspecialized cells that develop into specialized type of cells such as muscle, brain or blood cells. Currently the stem cells are being used for hematopoietic transplant (for blood cells production).

The stem cells are taken from the bone marrow and then they are infused in the body. This treatment is very successful for the patients suffering from blood cancer, lymphoma and many other blood disorders. The main question is does this method of stem cells is effective for several diseases such as Parkinson’s cancer, cerebral palsy and countless of others? Recently there was held a forum that was a first international conference. The seminar was held in order to encourage the flow of fresh ideas and discuss about the need of developments in the field of stem cell therapy. It is the belief of many experts that the research no doubt has made big advancements but there is long way to go.

Scientists from well reputed and recognized medical centers and institutes also took part in the discussion. The experts from world most famous institutes shared their recent updates about the field with the audience. The main objective of the conference was to communicate all the possible treatments of the therapy. The experts said that today the science has reached on the initial clinical stage and it is still require going further up to the stage of three clinical trials. After discussion It was found that the major concern today is to increase the count of clinics across the whole world that are providing an effective treatment.

Adding to this, exploitation of patients has further raised the worry. For this the patients were recommended to analyze the factors while looking for a clinic. These include history, recognized clinic, evidences for the treatment, names of the clinics and physicians to make sure they will provide a valid cure. The stem cell transplant is however little expensive nowadays but with the opening of more clinics it may be provided for free. The conclusion of the meeting was found that at the present time scientists require performing these treatments under lab conditions. So, more and efforts would be made in this direction.