Focus On Stem-Cell Therapy

Get the facts on the treatment of the future

- Ali Horsfall

Often described as a ‘miracle cure’, stem-cell treatment has been making headlines since the very first bone-marrow transplant in the 1960s. Smart scientific research and continual breakthroughs in regenerative medicine mean this cutting-edge therapy now offers hope for progressive diseases, disabilities, injuries and other health conditions. Do you want to learn more about why stem cells are so important? Here’s the lowdown.

SUPERCELLS

So, what is a stem cell? ‘Stem cells are cells in the human body that have the potential to turn into other cell types – this could be a blood cell, skin cell, muscle cell or a nerve cell,’ says Dr Majid Kazmi of London Bridge Hospital.* ‘Because of their unique ability to renew and become different types of cells, they offer us hope in treating disease and re-growing damaged tissue or organs.’

WHAT CAN BE TREATED WITH STEM-CELL THERAPY?

‘Despite stem cells having great potential to treat many conditions and illnesses, much of the exciting stem-cell research is still at an experimental stage, and unproven,’ says Dr Kazmi. ‘This means that the number of stem-cell therapies available is still quite small.’ It is approved for skin grafts and the repair of damaged corneas, but the most commonly known treatment is a stem-cell transplant for conditions where the bone marrow is no longer able to produce healthy blood cells.

This includes:

• Bone-marrow failure

• Leukaemia – a type of cancer affecting white blood cells