Stem cells are critical cells in the human body. These “blank slate” cells turn into highly specialized cells that make up tissues and organs, depending on the signals received from one’s body. Throughout life, we rely on persistent stem cells to repair injured and damaged body tissues, as well as cells we lose from blood, hair, skin, and gut lining.
Stem cells have two main defining characteristics: the ability to self-renew (divide and generate more stem cells) and the ability to differentiate and turn into specialized cells that make up tissues, organs, and other body structures.
Stem cells come from different parts of the body, or they form at varying times during life. The types of stem cells include:
Adult stem cells are multipotent, which means they arise from many mature cell types (correspond to certain tissues). These adult stem cells form cell types from many tissues (called unipotent). Some adult stem cells correspond with the tissues in which they reside (called bipotent). Stem cells often replace dead cells or they can restore tissue following an injury.
Pluripotent stem cells (also called embryonic stem cells) give rise to all cell forms in the human body. They can grow in vitro, and if given the right cues, they may differentiate to a variety of mature cell types. Because of this characteristic, these cells are valuable in regenerative medicine. Embryonic stem cells are collected during the early stage of development, when the fetus is only a mass of cells.
R3 Stem Cell Center of Excellence physicians DO NOT use embryonic stem cells
The aim of regenerative medicine is to repair tissues and/or organs that are damaged from aging, disease, or trauma. This is done to restore and improve function. Regenerative medicine is used to describe medical research and treatments that use stem cells to restore the function of tissues and organs. This can occur by administering stem cells, using cells derived from stem cells in the laboratory, or by administering drugs that potentiate stem cells that are present in the human tissues.
Adult stem cells along with amniotic and umbilical cord blood stem cells are used to treat many autoimmune diseases, as well as musculoskeletal conditions. Conditions treated include:
As an example, mesenchymal stem cells show potential for articular cartilage regeneration in patients with arthritis. In a recent study, intra-articular stem cell injections benefited patients with knee osteoarthritis. Based on this study, patients had improved joint function, decreased pain, and reduced cartilage defects following injections.
There have been many additional studies displaying the effectiveness of stem cell therapy for conditions such as COPD, kidney failure, neurodegenerative disorders, autoimmune syndromes, and all types of bone and joint degeneration.
Resources
Jo CH, Lee YG, Shin, WH (2014). Intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: a proof-of-concept clinical trial. Stem Cells, 32(5), 1254-1266.
The various treatment procedures being used at R3’s Center of Excellence in Austin include: