A single cell is the body’s building block. If one cell goes off the rails, it causes a chain reaction that can have lasting effects. Every cell has its purpose. There’s not one cell in the human body lying around without a defined sense of what it’s supposed to do. Or is there?
Stem cells have the potential to change it all. A stem cell, like any other cell, can be defined according to needs. We produce it naturally; it is already in our bodies. We have dozens of stem cells, and they can be turned into any kind of cell the body needs. Regenerative or else. To fight Parkinson’s or leukemia. To repair muscle tissue and joints. It depends. To know it, we have to understand it first.
Single Cells
A stem cell resembles a lone wolf, a single soldier ready to fight whenever needed, but currently it’s taking a break. All the cells in the body have a job to do around the clock. A stem cell is undifferentiated, it has a purpose, but not a defined one at any given moment. The body needs them to replenish and repair. Their remarkable feature to become whatever they need to be is what makes them special. It’s what draws the attention of a whole science community. The progress we made in medicine and genetic engineering allowed us to take advantage of these cells and their undifferentiated “attitude”. All they need is a bit of guidance; with it, they become inseparable parts of treatments aiming to heal us and make us better.
How It’s Used
With the knowledge we have of what they are, we can imagine their use. The main idea is to use them against autoimmune diseases and degenerative diseases. Stem cells are not foreign bodies; the body knows them—they’re part of us. With the technology being young, the cost of stem cell transplant can vary depending on needs and requirements. The price is often justified as it takes into account all the costs, from making them to post-treatment. The most often used are for regenerative purposes. Healing tissue, repairing damaged organs, and fighting off and slowing down degenerative illnesses. The list is long and the uses are many.
The Many Different Types
Stem cells are undifferentiated, which does not mean they’re all the same. There’s a lot of technical terminology involved. The simplest explanation is; the type of stem cell that derives from early-stage embryos can be made into any type of cell, those that can be found in our bone marrow that can be differentiated into a limited number of cells, and those that are “programmed” in a lab to resemble the first kind. All of them have varied applications in medicine, and it’s still an ongoing project to make it all work.
Is There Any Doubt?
It’s new and daring, and some considerations exist regarding the whole stem cell treatment idea. Ethically, the most common complaint is the destruction of embryos, as those cells have proven to be the most potent and effective. There’s some doubt regarding the costs and the effectiveness in certain cases. It all comes down to complaints and considerations that partially exist because the treatment is still new. In tumor formation, stem cells can get out of control. Not all treatments regarding stem cells are safe; some are not. There’s still a lot to learn.
Daring times are ahead; we can only hope for the best. When we look at what we know, it’s safe to say many diseases will stop being a threat in the future.
