tem cell transplants are all the rage right now. Around 50,000 transplantation are performed every year, with the numbers constantly jumping 10% to 20% annually.
This regenerative medicine is frequently in the news. Due to its potential to treat multiple sclerosis (MS), more and more patients have been investing in this kind of treatment. But, like any medical treatment out there, the real potential and effectiveness are not always definite.
The question is, how effective is the allogeneic umbilical cord tissue for MS? What can you really expect? Here is all you need to know.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy?
A lot of people ask what this therapy is. What makes it so popular?
This cellular therapy is a type of regenerative medicine meant to reduce inflammation, modulate the immune system, and restore damaged cells. It’s a viable option for managing a range of different health conditions.
These stem cells can be collected from the cord blood, which is the umbilical cord blood. In other words, the blood that stays in the placenta after the child has been born.
People collect the cord blood since it is packed with stem cells that can come in handy when treating genetic and hematopoietic disorders. Experts can also collect some of the cord tissue (the tissue of the umbilical cord) if they need some more stem cells.
This procedure can be done in any cord blood bank, like the CellSave Stem Cell Bank, for example.
Stem Cells and Multiple Sclerosis
Reports show that nothing has troubled doctors more than those struggling with multiple sclerosis.
It’s a debilitating medical condition that worsens over time. Many of those affected lose their ability to walk or see. Their energy shrinks, they have speech problems, pain, and numbness. As a result, they can’t do anything for themselves.
However, chemotherapy and typical multiple sclerosis are often of no use. Although they can ease the symptoms and prevent nerve cell damage, they don’t have what it takes to repair the damage that has already been done.
Scientists hope that stem cell therapies could provide people with a completely new approach that could prevent damage and allow the body to repair itself.
How Can This Therapy Help?
Our body’s repair system is packed with stem cells. When a cell dies or gets damaged, our system will create new ones. There are a couple of these stem cells researchers are studying that could be used for creating MS treatments. They are the ones that can:
- Prevent damage – The cells called immunomodulation could reset the entire immune system. The goal is to try to get the immune system to stop attacking the nerve cells and decrease the amount of damage in the body.
- Repair damage – Stem cells could aid with the natural regeneration process. By repairing the “myelin sheath,” it can get the nerves back on track. This can stop the degeneration process and allow the body to re-grow new nerves.
- Create new medicine – Because of their impact on the central nervous system, stem cells could be used to create new medicine for managing MS.
All of these effects could be used for treating various MS stages. But, I decided to dig a little deeper and see what more research has to say.
According to the National Institutes of Health, these cellular therapies could have the potential to repair the central nervous system and provide protection from inflammatory damage. These are all key components in treating multiple sclerosis.
Various other science reports support these claims. With this kind of therapy, patients can prevent the progression of the disease and get a better quality of life.
Final Thoughts
At the moment, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis. But because of the poor effect of old MS treatments, scientists have started investigating the future possibilities of using stem cells for this particular health condition. However, more research is necessary before the therapy could be fully recommended for this type of treatment.
References
https://www.webmd.com/cancer/lymphoma/features/stem-cell-transplant-expectations#1
https://www.eurostemcell.org/multiple-sclerosis-how-could-stem-cells-help
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5813951/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6513392/
