Mari879

De BISAWiki

Stem Cell Strategy to Spinal Cord Injuries: The brand new Frontier

Knee Stem Cells - Spinal cord injuries are injuries that happen to any level of the spinal-cord. Although the hard bones with the spinal column protect the soft tissues from the spinal cord, vertebrae can still be broken or dislocated in a number of ways and cause traumatic trouble for the spinal cord. Vertebrae injuries vary within their severity, but almost inevitably lead to various forms of compromised functionality because the spinal cord is in effect the main pathway for information traveling around the human body. Exactly what body functions are impaired through the injury will depend on the region of the spine that's been damaged and the extent this agreement the spine has been affected. Although serious impacts such as falls and car accidents account for many spinal-cord injuries, tumors growing near to the column can also damage sensitive nerve tissue and also have the same effects.

Knee Stem Cell Injections - For years scientists have been trying to try and find a way to remedy the various ailments that spinal-cord injuries can bring, however with limited success. However, in recent years a pioneering new technology has emerged that is helping many people around the world regain part, if not completely, of their previously lost mobility. That treatment methods are the use of stem cells.

What exactly are Stem Cells and Stem Cell Treatments?

Knee Stem Cells - Stem cells are located in all multi cellular organisms and so are characterized by their ability to tell apart into a diverse array of specialized cells after they divide and renew themselves. They are remarkable for their ability to regenerate themselves into any human cell. Their use in the treatment of various diseases and conditions, from Leukemia to Multiple Sclerosis, is now becoming more common. With respect to the condition, stem cells could be transplanted into the patient to help renew and regenerate previously damaged cells, giving patients renewed hope when, before, no reliable treatment existed.

This principle is now being applied to treating spinal cord injuries using stem cells, as well as in instances where the patient hasn't experienced a complete vertebrae injury, i.e. a complete severing of the spinal-cord leading to a loss of function beneath the 'neurological' level. There has been great success in helping patients recover greater sensory and physiological ability.

Spinal Cord Injury: How Stem Cell Treatment Works

If you find trauma to the spinal cord, myelopathy (damage to the fibres that carry messages both to and from the brain) has occurred. These 'myelinated fibre tracts' are the focus of stem cell treatment, and are the nerve cells the treatment helps to regenerate. The procedure usually follows three phases in most cases requires no longer than a period of around five weeks in medical care for monitoring:

Phase one involves the harvesting of stem cells. Cellular structure are extracted from a fetus's umbilical cord. They are then put through a process whereby they are isolated and purified prior to being finally cultured to become suitable for clinical use.

Phase two is the transplantation of the stem cells. This is accomplished in one of three ways:

1) Lumbar puncture - an operation used where stem cells can be injected directly into the spine.

2) Intravenous injection- stem cells are injected into the patient's vein.

3) Tissue injection - direct injection into target tissues.

Phase three requires the monitoring of the patient to make certain there are no adverse unwanted effects. The only side effects reported to date were caused by the lumbar puncture, and not the stem cell treatment itself, with simply 15% of patients reporting mild headaches. In the period under medical supervision, patients undergo various physiotherapy activities along with other treatments as necessary.

Stem Cell Research and Treatment in China

China is quickly becoming a world leader in stem cell research, and is also now a major centre for your stem cell treatment of many diseases and types of conditions. The Chinese government has poured many millions of dollars into research on regenerative medicine, and that investment has really borne fruit during the last few years. As a result of this expanded investment, Chinese contributions to scientific journals on regenerative medicine topics leapt from 37 in 2000 to 1,116 in 2008, exceeded only from the contributions of experts in america, Germany, Japan and also the UK.

The government has also aggressively recruited high-caliber scientists trained abroad in pursuit of its ambition to become world leader within the field. Indeed, the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health commented that, "the government's policy of attracting highly educated Chinese nationals back to China has contributed significantly towards the country's success within the field." The authors were "amazed that most the top Chinese researchers inside the regenerative medicine field have been educated in the US and the UK and gained extensive experiences there in cutting edge research."

Although in the past treatment in China might have been considered risky due to lax health and safety laws, the past few years have seen an increase in legislation protecting the individual, and improving the functionality of clinics. Since 2009, proof of safety and efficacy through many studies is required by China's Secretary of state for Health for all stem cell and gene therapies, making sure Chinese clinics meet international standards within their qualifications and methodology. At the time of January 2010, about 1,500 patients had received laser hair removal for spinal cord injury at one Beijing clinic alone, including roughly 1,000 foreigners.

In addition to this, China has long held a place at the forefront of stem cell research to treat all manner of conditions. Some of China's notable contributions to stem cell research are:

By transferring the nucleus of your human skin cell in to the immature ovum cell of a rabbit, researchers from the Shanghai hospital successfully produced embryonic human cells.
China to date has created at least 25 human embryonic stem cell lines (some estimate over 70 stem cell lines), four that are of a specialized type that in those days only two other groups worldwide had were able to create.
Harboured several human tissue types, created artificially, including blood vessel, tendon, bone, cartilage, skin, cornea and muscle fibre.
Furthermore, Chinese researchers are involved with a myriad of projects to assist aid patients through regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy. Below are several projects underway within Chinese institutions:

ChinaSCINet, a consortium of 27 medical facilities, are beginning phase 2 numerous studies to test the efficacy and safety of employing cord blood stem cells and oral lithium to take care of about 40 patients with vertebrae injuries.
Clinical trials are underway on the use of stem cell therapies to take care of patients of strokes, artery obstruction, and liver and neural diseases.
Research is underway on the potential use of stem cells to deal with heart, liver and blood diseases, eye cataracts, also to combat aging.
Successes from the Treatment of Vertebrae Injuries in China

Lots of people of all ages and with varying examples of injury have received stem cell treatment in China during the last few years. It is important to remember that not every patient will react as well as others, and that the age of the individual and the severity of the injury greatly affect the likelihood of recovery. However, there have been many success stories from both Chinese citizens and foreigners.

Before her treatment began in January 2006, Ms. Pai, 38, from Shenyang couldn't move her body beneath the injury site, and was unable to control her bowel motions. Within 8 months of the treatment she regained movement in both her legs, could bend her knees (even though toes of one foot remained paralyzed) and was even able to walk with crutches.

Razvan Iordache, a Romanian citizen aged 30, travelled to China for many bouts of stem cell treatment following any sort of accident while diving in to a river that left him paralyzed from your neck down. Following his treatments, Razan reported in 2008 that not only could he are now using his arms almost normally, and could feel pain in a number of of his fingers, he could "even feel warm and cold" sensations. He went on to add the following: "Now I'm able to control my urine for 10 minutes and the sensation for urine and stool is more preferable. Generally, my entire body is more powerful than before."

Donald Maricelli, a 54 years old US citizen, suffered a spinal cord injury carrying out a fall in 2002. He underwent an operation to correct his lack of sensation in his lower body, however there were complications and Donald stayed in a worse state than before. Before arriving for treatment in China, he was still unable to walk unaided. Following the treatment, which commenced in November 2007, Donald makes significant improvements. He regained sensation throughout nearly all of his abdomen, and also the sensation in his legs also improved. Particularly significant, the sensation on the bottom of his feet came back, helping him just to walk without tripping. Most important to Donald was that he regained control and strength as part of his left leg, allowing him simply to walk significant distances and stand for prolonged periods of time.

There are many more success stories from patients that have received this pioneering treatment to help correct varying levels of spinal cord injury. However, it is always important to remember that not all patients recover exactly the same functions in the same period of time. A lot of hard work switches into the post treatment rehabilitation, plus it takes great drive, determination and ambition to enable the body to get back to more regular functionality. However, the job being done by scientists and clinics in China shows time and again that stem cells hold a critical key to the future of helping people who have spinal cord injuries recover their lost functions. On a monthly basis, more and more people are visiting various cities across the country that offer different packages of treatment based on precisely what injury has been inflicted. The level of service has improved greatly lately, and continues to improve each month, meaning that those unfortunate enough to possess suffered spinal cord injuries need will no longer feel theirs can be a lost cause. There exists a very real chance how the standard of living of any patient may be improved with little pain, little hospital time, and a little motivation. The existing evidence shows that stem cell therapy for spinal cord injuries is the way forward.