Life-saving stem cells

Stem cells feature two important characteristics that make them distinct from other cells. The first distinctive characteristic is their ability to renew themselves through cell division and the second is their capability of being induced to become tissue or organic-specific cells with specific functions.

Life-saving menstrual blood stem cells can be harvested during the menstrual cycle. New research have already proved that menstrual blood, which has typically been get rid of as unsanitary waste, can be used to receive self-renewing stem cells that can be easily accumulated, processed and cryo-preserved to be used in several potential cellular therapies.

Women can isolate menstrual blood that comes out from the lining of their uterus during monthly cycle to use them for renewing the building blocs of their bodies. The importance of these menstrual blood stem cells gains more weight from the fact that they are not only capable of repairing and renewing the building blocks of the body to which they belong, but also of the bodies of their first-degree relatives.

The inner cells in a three-to-five-day old embryo gives rise to several important organs and specialized tissues such as the lungs, skin, eggs, sperm, heart of the organism. Isolated swarm of adult stem cells replaces injured or disabled cells in some adult tissues such as muscles, brain and bone marrow.

Stem cell research has been facing opposition from the side of several ethical groups, but they should keep in mind that currently there are more than seventy disorders and diseases, including acute and chronic leukemia, refractory anemia, stem cell disorders, osteoporosis and several inherited metabolic disorders, which are either cured or ameliorated through stem cell therapies or transplants. Stem cell International reviews and publishes information on all areas of stem cells.

Given their exceptional capability of renewing and regeneration, stem cells offer new potentials for curing numerous prevalent diseases such as heart stroke and diabetes. But, much research work is yet remains to be done to determine how to use menstrual blood stem cells effectively to treat such diseases.

Lack of facilities and services for menstrual blood storage is also a stumbling block in the progress of stem cell-based therapies. There are only a few menstrual blood banks available that enable women to go for menstrual blood storage, and they also are too expensive to be affordable by many. I would recommend you to go for Celle for their menstrual blood stem cell banking.

It is interesting to take notice here that the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled recently that federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research can continue, a development that would definitely provide a boost to the research and facilities in the field.

Research on stem cells is one of the most enthralling areas in the field of modern biology; however, hardly it makes new discoveries, when new scientific questions arise.