By Henrylito D. Tacio
Stem cell treatment is considered to be the revolution of cellular medicine in the 21st century. Thousands of patients around the globe have already benefited from using stem cell delivered safely by skilled and certified physicians. Diseases once considered incurable are responding well to stem cell treatment and are restoring hope to patients who thought they had lost their lives forever.
Actually, stem cells are “precursor cells present in the embryo of any species, and they have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth,” explains an article which appeared in “Health and Lifestyle” (H&L).
Scientists describe stem cells as “a sort of internal repair system,” which divides and multiplies itself almost without limit to replenish other cells provided the person or animal is still alive.
“Each new stem cell produced by the division of the original stem cells has the potential either to remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, such as a cardiac, brain or nerve cell,” H&L explains.
“Stem cells can be classified as embryonic or adult, depending on their tissue of origin,” notes Professor Thomas P. Zwaka from the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy, and the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas.
“The role of adult stem cells is to sustain an established repertoire of mature cell types in essentially steady-state numbers over the lifetime of the organism. Although adult tissues with a high turnover rate, such as blood, skin, and intestinal epithelium, are maintained by tissue-specific stem cells, the stem cells themselves rarely divide. However, in certain situations, such as during tissue repair after injury or following transplantation, stem cell divisions may become more frequent.”
From the medical standpoint, the potential is that “stem cell therapy can literally replace old malfunctioning cells and make them like those of a young healthy person. They can be used to replace cells that are lost or damaged from disease, old age, or injury,” H&L notes.
For example, it may become possible to generate healthy heart muscle cells in the laboratory and then transplant those cells into patients with chronic heart disease. Preliminary research in mice and other animals indicates that bone marrow stromal cells, transplanted into a damaged heart, can have beneficial effects.
Researchers are looking forward of new technologies that will be able to treat a wide variety of debilitating conditions, such as spinal-cord injuries, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and muscle damage.
But for now, there’s only one type of stem cell therapy that has been proven to work. “Only bone marrow transplants for diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma are backed by solid evidence and are well-established clinical procedures. The others are not up to that level,” said Dr. David Siu, clinical associate professor at the cardiology division of Hong Kong’s Queen Mary Hospital.
Aside from bone marrow, sources of stem cells – commonly called adult stem cells – that are currently being used are those from the umbilical cord, blood vessels, brain tissues, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, skin and liver.
“There is evidence that certain stem cells can grow into new tissue but do they provide a therapeutic effect? We don’t have the evidence yet. Some are in clinical research,” Dr. Siu told Reuters.
Currently, there are several international researches and studies being done on stem cell therapy. Mexico, South Korea, Ukraine, and China are some countries starting to carry out such treatments. In the Philippines, stem cell therapy was only introduced six years ago and in the beginning, its focus was its role in cancer treatment.
Stem cell therapy comes with a heavy price. In the United States, for instance, stem cell medicine costs $120,000 and above. In the Philippines, it is 40 percent lower than what US is charging. In Germany, award-winning film actress Lorna Tolentino reportedly spent one million pesos for her treatment (although she did pay for it).
“Although stem cell therapy appears to be a very promising form of treatment for many types of degenerative diseases, there are also adverse effects which the public needs to be aware of,” cautions Dr. Reuben Ricallo in a report which appeared in “Vital Signs,” a publication for healthcare professionals.
This is the reason why the Department of Health (DOH) is regulating stem cell programs in the country. “As the vanguard of the health of our people, we are mandated to protect the public, by ensuring that only safe and ethical uses of stem cells are being used in the Philippines,” said Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona.
He said there are stem cell preparations that still need strict regulatory assessment before they are allowed for human use. “Our patients must be made aware of this status,” Dr. Ona said. “In the present situation when the public are presented with claims and counterclaims on the efficacy of various stem cell preparations, information on current scientific basis and acceptance especially in countries which have made the fundamental research on its uses must be made available.”
Only the autologous stem cell treatment, which does not involve foreign substances, is approved by the health department. Such treatment takes stem cells from the patient’s own blood or bone marrow.
Dr. Ona reiterated that only stem cells from human bone marrow, blood, and umbilical cords are safe. “We already know today that the safest and most effective cellular preparations are those that use the patients’ own cells – called autologous human cells. Their safety and efficacy (are) well established especially those derived from the bone marrow and peripheral blood. Umbilical cord stem cells also have a long track record of safety and efficacy,” he explained.
In its Advisory No. 2013-012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the following stem cell preparations require FDA approval: (1) genetically altered human adult and umbilical cord stem cells, (2) adipose or fat cells derived human stem cell, (3) human cells, tissues, and cellular and tissue-based products subjected to genetic manipulation, and (4) live animal embryonic, fetal, or adult stem cells in parenteral form for human administration.
“Is stem cell therapy worth the gamble?” asked Dr. Ramon F. Abarquez, professor emeritus of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine. “Being a novel with possible breakthrough medical option despite absence of long term survival benefits at present, certain questions should be asked by the public before considering or accepting stem cell therapy.”
Several prominent politicians had undergone stem cell therapy, including former President Joseph Estrada, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. In Hollywood, some celebrities rumored to have followed suit include American pop star Madonna and actresses Sharon Stone and Halle Berry.
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