Stem cells can develop into mature cells and tissues. They are classified according to their potency, a measure of the number of cell types a stem cell can develop into. Totipotent step cells, found at the earliest stages of embryonic development, can develop into any cell type in the body, while multipotent stem cells, found in adults, may be able to develop into a few cell types. Stem cells in a laboratory setting can be guided to mature into one cell type over another. There are a number of benefits for stem cell therapy in medicine.
Advances in Disease Treatment
One major benefit of stem cell technology is the potential role of stem cells in treatment of previously incurable diseases. A number of cell types in the body can no longer renew themselves once they have matured. As a result, nerve damage or nerve cell death in the brain is typically permanent--since brain cells are considered permanent cells, there is only a very limited capacity to renew damaged brain cells.
Stem cell therapy may provide a way to treat diseases characterized by damage to cells that do not normally regenerate. The use of stem cells as a therapy for neurodegenerative disease, such as Parkinson's disease is ongoing, according to a 2004 study published in Nature Medicine. Continued advances in stem cell technology may benefit the treatment for previously incurable disorders, such as Parkinson's.
Tissue Growth for Grafts
Another potential benefit is that stem cells may serve as the source for tissue following injury. Since some stem cells have the ability to generate any cell type in the body, advances in stem cell technology may allow researchers to culture new graft tissue from a patient's stem cells to be used in treatment. Stem cells from the patient have the benefit of not inducing the immune response that would occur from receiving a tissue graft from another patient and would therefore lead to fewer post-graft complications. ScienceDaily.com reported on a study in which researchers used stem cells in culture to generate blood vessels, which in the future could provide an alternative to synthetic blood vessel grafts. Advances in stem cell technology may allow for the development of other types of tissue grafts, as researchers learn more about stem cell development into mature tissues.
Advances in Drug Development
Another benefit of stem cell technology is that it may allow for advances in drug development. Embryonic stem cells--a very potent type of stem cell that can develop into a number of cell types--can be used as laboratory models to search for new drug therapies. A report published in the journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery in 2007 indicates that embryonic stem cells can be engineered to mature into a number of tissue types, and the distinct tissue types can be tested during drug development. The use of stem cells allows researchers to study the metabolism of the drug in stem cells and examine the safety and efficacy of the drug in human cells. The use of stem cells in drug development allows for additional testing before clinical trials on actual humans to decrease the possibility of adverse reactions to the drug during trials.
References
- Nature Medicine: Stem cell therapy for human neurodegenerative disorders--how to make it work
- ScienceDaily: Tissue-Engineered Grafts Composed of Adult Stem Cells Could One Day Replace Synthetic Vascular Bypass Grafts
- Nature Reviews Drug Discovery: Embryonic stem cells as a source of models for drug discovery
