How It Works
An adult stem cell is thought to be an undifferentiated cell, found among differentiated cells in a tissue or organ that can renew it self and can differentiate to yield some or all of the major specialized cell types of the tissue or organ. The primary roles of adult stem cells in a living organism are to maintain and repair the tissue in which they are found.
Typically, there is a very small number of stem cells in each tissue, and once removed from the body, their capacity to divide is limited, making generation of large quantities of stem cells difficult.
Our doctors remove small quantities of adult stem cells in cell culture and manipulate them to generate specific cell types so they can be used to treat injury or disease.
The following are the three most common ways to acquire Adult Stem Cells:
Adult Stem Cell Transplant: Bone Marrow Stem Cells
Adult Stem Cell Transplant: Peripheral Blood Stem Cells
Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant
Adult Stem Cell Transplant:
Perhaps the best-known stem cell therapy to date is the bone marrow transplant, which is used to treat leukemia and other types of cancer, as well as various blood disorders.
Why is this a stem cell therapy?
Leukemia is a cancer of white blood cells, or leukocytes. Like other blood cells, leukocytes are made in the bone marrow through a process that begins with multipotent adult stem cells. Mature leukocytes are released into the bloodstream, where they work to fight off infections in our bodies.
Leukemia results when leukocytes begin to grow and function abnormally, becoming cancerous. These abnormal cells cannot fight off infection, and they interfere with the functions of other organs. Successful treatment for leukemia depends on getting rid of all the abnormal leukocytes in the patient, allowing healthy ones to grow in their place. One way to do this is through chemotherapy, which uses potent drugs to target and kill the abnormal cells. When chemotherapy alone can't eliminate them all, physicians sometimes turn to bone marrow transplants.
In a bone marrow transplant, the patient's bone marrow stem cells are replaced with those from a healthy, matching donor.
To do this, all of the patient's existing bone marrow and abnormal leukocytes are first killed using a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. Next, a sample of donor bone marrow containing healthy stem cells is introduced into the patient's bloodstream.
If the transplant is successful, the stem cells will migrate into the patient's bone marrow and begin producing new, healthy leukocytes to replace the abnormal cells. Adult Stem Cell Transplant- Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant:
While most blood stem cells reside in the bone marrow, a small number are present in the bloodstream. These multipotent peripheral blood stem cells, or PBSCs, can be used just like bone marrow stem cells to treat leukemia, other cancers and various blood disorders. Since they can be obtained from drawn blood, PBSCs are easier to collect than bone marrow stem cells, which must be extracted from within bones. This makes PBSCs a less invasive treatment option than bone marrow stem cells. Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplant:
Newborn infants no longer need their umbilical cords, so they have traditionally been discarded as a by-product of the birth process. In recent years, however, the multipotent-stem-cell-rich blood found in the umbilical cord has proven useful in treating the same types of health problems as those treated using bone marrow stem cells and PBSCs.
Umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants are less prone to rejection than either bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells. This is probably because the cells have not yet developed the features that can be recognized and attacked by the recipient's immune system.
Also, because umbilical cord blood lacks well-developed immune cells, there is less chance that the transplanted cells will attack the recipient's body, a problem called graft versus host disease. Both the versatility and availability of umbilical cord blood stem cells makes them a potent resource for transplant therapies.
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What are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are cells that have the potential to develop into some or many different cell types in the body, depending on whether they are multipotent or pluripotent. Serving as a sort of repair system, they can theoretically divide without limit to replenish other cells for as long as the person or animal is still alive. When a stem cell divides, each "daughter" cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a muscle cell, a red blood cell, or a brain cell.  Phripheral Stem Cells
PBSCs are collected from the donor's blood after five or six days of taking a drug that causes hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow to move into the circulating blood. In both cases, recovery is usually swift and donors typically have fully restored marrow and blood cell counts in under two weeks.
Bone Marrow Stem Cells
Bone marrow is the soft, sponge-like material found inside bones. It contains immature cells known as hematopoietic or blood-forming stem cells. Umbilical Cord Stem CellsCord blood cells are obtained from the umbilcal cord and placenta of a newborn baby after the cord is clamped and cut as in a normal delivery. The cord blood is then stored frozen in a bank until needed for a transplant. The baby is not harmed in any way by this collection, as the cord blood is collected from tissues that in the past had been discarded as medical waste. Current Therapeutic Treatments Include:
Auto Immune Disorders, Multiple Sclerosis, ALS, Muscular Dystrophy, Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, Cardiac Disease, Peripheral Artery Disease, Diabetes, Psoriasis, Diabetes Mellitus type 2, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Joint, Tendon and Arthritic Conditions, Spinal Cord Injuries, Kidney Disease, Stroke, Heart Disease, Transverse Myelitis, Renal Failure, if you do not see a therapy that applies to your needs please contact us.
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Adult Stem Cells from Human Skin
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