Stem cell research, though limited in the United States, is going ahead at a feverish pace in many other countries. Most European countries have government backed stem cell research programs. It is not the intention of this site or author to get into a political discussion on the ethics of stem cell therapy, only to show that it works and can be very useful in easing human suffering and returning some adults to a near normal level of functioning.
The most politically charged and ethic-bending form of stem cell research involves embryonic stem cells. The cells of an unborn fetus are used to test their ability to repair and re-grow adult tissue. Most people are unaware, or ignore, that the adult body naturally carries its own stem cells. These cells exist to repair tissue damage. Some of today’s cutting edge stem cell research is done with those cells that are taken directly from a patient’s body and used to re-grow tissue and re-implant it into the donor’s own body.
A case in point of this type of stem cell therapy would be Claudia Castillo, a young mother of two who had suffered from tuberculosis for several years. A severe bout left her with a badly damaged lung that doctors thought may have to be removed. Dr. Paolo Macchiarini thought that a windpipe transplant would do, instead. As with most transplants the biggest fear is that the new organ will be rejected, but if you use the patient’s own stem cells to line the new organ, the body is less likely to reject it. After a donor organ was found it was stripped of all cells, Ms Castillo’s stem cells were taken from bone marrow in her hip and used to line the new windpipe with her own cells. At this time she is living a near normal life without having to take immunosuppressant drugs. These drugs can cause high blood pressure and cancer.
I have simplified the process quite a bit, but the end results are well documented in the San Francisco newspapers and the American Society of Transplantation Journal. The ramifications of this type of stem cell research are enormous. Not only can it be applied to windpipe transplants for adults and children, but why not arthritis sufferers or people with chronic inflammatory bursitis. The worn out tissue can be replaced by cells that are currently in your body, thus minimizing rejection and nearly eliminating any ethical or religious arguments to the treatment.
There is currently research going on into the use of adult stem cells in cerebral palsy, spinal cord trauma, arthritis, and many auto-immune disorders. The debate still rages on about the use of embryonic stem cells, but where and what are the issues with an adult using their own cells to help heal themselves? There are products available that claim to be able to enhance adult stem cell production all naturally. I cannot tell you what to do, but I cannot see any reason that this type of research should not be used to ease the pain and stiffness of elderly patients so that they can have a better quality of life, later in life.
