Stems cells are promise of the future. There are a number of conditions where stem cells have potential application and tere are many ways in which human stem cells can be used.
One of the primary goals of stem cells is to identify how undifferentiated stem cells become the differentiated cells that form the tissues and organs. Here are the areas where stem cells can help the medicine and human race.
Understanding Disease Processes
Some of the most serious medical conditions, such as cancers are due to abnormal cell division and differentiation. A more complete understanding of the genetic and molecular controls of these processes may provide us with better understanding of the diseases and the enable us to build new therapies.
Additional basic research on the molecular and genetic signals that regulate cell division and specialization would let us identify the steps, triggeres and factors related to these events. we can then effectively control the processes at least in theory.
Test New Drugs
New medications could be tested for safety on differentiated cells generated from human pluripotent cell lines. An in use example of this is testing of anticancer medicines agianst cancer cell lines. The availability of pluripotent stem cells would allow drug testing in a wider range of cell types.
However,for effective drug testing, the precise control of the differentiation of stem cells into the specific cell type on which drugs will be tested would be required.
We lack this precision as of now.
Transplant of Organs/Tissues
This is perhaps the most important, most advertidsed and most talked about potential benefit of stem cells. It involves the generation of the generation of cells and tissues that could be used for cell-based therapies.
As of today, donated organs and tissues are often used to replace ailing or destroyed tissue, but the need is far more than the available supply.
Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including Alzheimer’s diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
For example, in people with type 1 diabetes, the cells of the pancreas that normally produce insulin are destroyed. It may be possible to direct the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells in cell culture to form insulin-producing cells that eventually could be used in transplantation therapy for persons with diabetes.
About Arun Pal Singh