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| What you need to know: |
Tell me, please, what are stem cells?
THE human body is made up of various cell types. There are about 210 known distinct human cell types in the adult human body (examples heart muscle cells, thyroid gland cells). A cell type is a specialised functional form of cell.
Now, stem cells are unspecialised cells that can self-renew indefinitely and also differentiate into more mature specialised functional cells. In humans, stem cells have been identified in the inner cell mass of the early embryo; in some tissues of the foetus, the umbilical cord and placenta; and in several adult organs. In some adult organs, stem cells can give rise to more than one specialised cell type within that organ.
Stem cells that are able to differentiate into cell types beyond those of the tissue in which they normally reside are said to exhibit “plasticity”. When a stem cell is found to give rise to multiple tissue types associated with different organs, the stem cell is referred to as “multipotent”.
Broadly there are three types of stem cells depending from the source of origin: Human Embryonic Stem Cells (HESCs), Fetal Stem Cells and Adult Stem Cells.
What is the role of Stem Cells?
In a developing embryo, embryonic stem cells can differentiate into all of the specialized embryonic tissues whereas, in the adult organism, adult stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body by differentiating into specialized cells and replenishing any affected tissues. In other words, in the adult human, we tap into our body’s stem cell reserve to repair and replace injured or diseased tissue. It should be noted, however, that our reserve of ASCs is finite and becomes depleted with age; the consequence of which is that our body will eventually succumb to disease, disorders and the general ravages of aging.
Is there really a new world opening up for therapies and possible cure for diseases, which conventional medicine currently has no answer for?
We are in the 21st century and medical science can do wonders, breaking barriers and age-old thinking. So even though a stem cell is a cell whose job is yet not determined, new-age companies are opening new vistas of treatment with them.
Every single cell in our bodies ‘stems’ from a stem cell - like the Queen in chess, a stem cell can become a lot of things, when it gets the signal. So, you have a part of your body which can become a skin cell, bone cell, red blood cell, nerve cell, skeletal muscle cell…though not at the same time.
We are living in what has been described as the most exciting time of biomedical advances ever experienced. Just ask a patient who had been sent home to die and who is now scuba diving or playing golf, dancing or playing with their grandkids. This is not hype – it is happening to hundreds and thousands of people, safely and ethically.
NOTE: I am talking about adult and fetal stem cells NOT embryonic cells which involve the destruction of human life and have not yet been used to help one patient.
Why is the seemingly derogatory term ‘experimental’ so often bandied about when referring to stem cell therapies?
Trials of any new technology take time and a huge amount of money. Some companies are investing heavily in research and development while others are getting on with giving patients a chance at a healthier and longer life. Eventually the term ‘experimental’ will fade as more clinical trial results are published. The fact is that today many patients do not have the time to wait to try and regain some quality of life. Treatments are available now to patients suffering from brain damage, cancer, spinal cord injury, heart damage, blindness and a host of other devastating diseases.
Why is stem cell therapy so expensive?
Companies are mainly focused on research, therapeutics and therapy in the field of regenerative medicine. Research is directed towards acquiring the knowledge and understanding of stem cells and its differentiation process required for the development of therapies to treat human diseases.
Stem cell research offers unprecedented opportunities for developing new medical therapies for debilitating diseases and a new way to explore fundamental questions of biology. Innovative tailor-made cells will be developed for various diseases. All this takes time and money as the best products and technology emerge from the labs. Diseases such as Critical Limb Ischemia, Acute Myocardial Infarction, Dilated Cardiomyopathy, Spinal Cord Injury, Parkinson’s Disease, Cerebral Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes-Type I, Muscular dystrophy and Motor Neuron Disease are but a few devastating diseases that have responded well to date. The provider of the therapy has to pay for the technology and product. When millions are being routinely treated of course the price will drop and the procedure will become available to even more people.
Stem cell therapy costs are in line with other hi-tech treatments. Sometimes it may be cheaper. For example, Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) used for Parkinson’s disease, or Cardiac Resynchronisation Therapy (CRT) used for Dilated Cardiomyopathy is costlier compared to stem cell therapy. In general, stem cell therapy cost depends upon the type of stem cells used and also the mode of treatment.
Hospitals/clinics charge the patients for the treatment. The developer provides the necessary services to the hospitals — like stem cells isolation and up-scaling in a clean room environment, extensive quality control checks, training and support in designing the clinical protocols. Stem cell business requires heavy investment - investment in creating a world-class lab for stem cell production, investments in R&D, animal studies, clinical trials, and so on.
Today many treatments are “autologous”. It takes time to make the stem cells medicine ready for each patient in the lab and the cost associated with it is high.
But once we move towards “allogenic” — meaning the stem cells originate from a healthy donor — we can use large scale production techniques. This will reduce the production cost and make the therapy more affordable.
Against conventional medicine which uses chemical entities or biotechnology, how does stem cell therapy score?
Stem cell therapy aims at addressing the root cause of the disease rather than the symptoms. For example, take Diabetes-Type 1. Stem cell therapy addresses how to regenerate the insulin producing cells and secrete them, whereas conventional medicine just addresses only the insulin deficiency by injecting “insulin” medicine.
Medical and scientific interest in stem cells is based on a desire to find a source of new, healthy tissue to treat diseased or injured human organs. It is known that some organs, such as the skin and the liver, are adept at regenerating themselves when damaged.
Recent research suggests that stem cells are a key to these regenerative properties. We believe that stem cells will be a major branch of medical treatment and will be a standard of cure and practice in the years to come.
Regenerative medicine is a rapidly emerging area of biomedical research with enormous therapeutic potential, and this would be an ideal supplement for existing medical treatments.
Isn’t stem cell business a fluid field?
No. It is not a fluid field. The basic fundamentals do not change; as our understanding of stem cells deepens, it opens up newer opportunities and avenues in therapies and the routes of administration. We also now understand the process of directed differentiation (in vitro) and are confident that this would only open newer horizons in regenerating hope for unmet medical needs.
Definitions change in a matter of months. Do treatments stay the same, then?
Even though the definition changes, the treatment process remains the same. The regulatory process differs between autologous (refers generally to cells and tissues that are re-implanted in the same individual from whom they come) and allogenic (stem cells that are taken from one person and given to another) treatment from country to country.
There is controversy surrounding stem cells in the Western world. What is all that about?
Stem cell therapies raise many difficult and important ethical issues and concerns. These are expected for any new approach or new therapy involving human experimentation. The source of stem cell is a major ethical concern.
The use of embryos is generally not agreed upon especially when fertilization is performed for the sole use of stem cell research. For those who believe that the human embryo, even at the one-cell stage, has absolute moral value, equal to that of a new born baby or an adult, any embryo research is ethically unacceptable, as it would tantamount to murder.
However the use of leftover embryos from in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques is legally allowed in many countries. The embryos used in these cases were created for infertility purposes through in vitro fertilization procedures and when they were no longer needed for that purpose, they were donated for research with the informed consent of the donor.
There are no controversies on the usage of human adult stem cells for therapeutic purpose.
What is the cure or improvement rate amongst patients?
Stem cell providers are able to improve the quality of life of many patients. While we have seen 100 per cent safety, efficacy varies from patient to patient depending upon the disease type and disease status. We have seen very good results in many diseases and also moderate to no improvements in certain diseases.
Wherever they have seen moderate/no improvements clinical protocols are reviewed with the experts to see how they can improve the efficacy. Sometimes they go back to the bench and do further research on the related stem cell science.
Good companies will tell prospective patients their chances and will never offer a guarantee of a cure or any certainty of amelioration of their condition. For some reason some patients do not derive any benefit, but most will take their 70-80 percent chance of some symptoms improvement.
How big is the global market?
The global market for stem cell therapies is expected to be $20 billion by 2010. Adult stem cell therapy currently dominates the global stem cells market with a share of almost 58 per cent. There are almost 30 prominent adult stem cell companies in the world the majority are based out of the US, followed by the EU; Israel, Thailand, Canada and Australia.
In seeking help what do I need to be careful of?
1. Treatment centers and agents who want your money and who will urge you to act swiftly. Their sites look great and their language is persuasive. Get the facts, think carefully and avoid all hype.
2. Treatment centers or agents who are unable to provide the contact details of ex-patients you can talk to.
3. Your own desire for healing for yourself or your loved one. When you are anxious and desperate for a lifeline you tend not to listen well and to only hear what you want to hear. It is a good idea to write down all your questions and answers so that you can refer to them as part of your decision-making process.
With us you get a FREE AND INDEPENDENT service for just as long as you need it. The doctor (or doctors) will call you and answer all your questions and you can contact us just as often as you like. We take great care in choosing to work only with a few companies who have excellent patient management skills and who operate out of the best clinics with the highest safety standards and a code of ethics.
What steps are involved in becoming a patient?
1. Complete the Contact Us form on the site and send it to us.
2. Your initial questions will be promptly responded to and if you wish to proceed a medical form will be emailed to you. We ask that you paste and complete the form and email it back to us so our doctors can review the patient’s condition and offer a clinical opinion as to whether or not they feel the patient may benefit from the procedure.
3. All your subsequent questions will be answered either by email or by telephone.
4. Any travel and accommodation inquiries can be dealt with by our office staff and your appointment for therapy booked.
5. Payment confirms your appointment and treatment date.
6. You may be invited to be videoed and/or interviewed while at a treatment center so as to provide us and you with a record of how you were before and after treatment. This is ONLY done with your full and informed consent and you are free to decline or withdraw consent at any time. Patient stories and video clips are a powerful and often moving testimony for other patients to read about or view. They often encourage others to get help and give them the realistic hope of being able to live fuller, more energetic and healthier lives.
Please note: At no time will you be pressured into “buying” our service. Our patient care people are here to help guide you patiently, skillfully, knowledgeably and compassionately to arrive at your own decision in full possession of all the relevant facts. We make no hyped-up or extravagant claims as to the specific benefits any patient may derive from our procedure. Every patient is different and it would be wrong of us to falsely raise expectations.
Talk to us please. We have spent years researching biotechnology companies and stem cell providers. We know who is doing what and where around the world. Our counsel is free to you and guided only by your best interest. |
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About StemCells 21
We are to guide you from your initial inquiry until the day you arrive home after treatment. We are absolutely committed to your having a hassle-free and successful trip. If you wish we can also arrange all air bookings and accommodation... |
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Available Stem Cell therapy treatments and locations
Stem cells may well hold the key to the rejuvenation of the damaged cells/tissues and may give you great results after treatment, but the word cure we cannot use. This is not a guaranteed therapy as some patients vary... |
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Retina Cells Created From Skin-derived Stem Cells
ScienceDaily (Aug. 25, 2009) — A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health has successfully grown multiple types... |
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