Master Cell Therapy Not Far in the Future
Stem Cell Research Potential to Revolutionize Medicine
Nov 27, 2008
Exciting research on stem cell therapy to repair damaged or diseased tissue has the potential to revolutionize treatments for many diseases and disorders.
Stem cells are the body's "master cells" which have the ability to divide indefinitely and differentiate into highly specialized cells such as liver, bone, brain and cardiac cells.
Secrets of Master Cells
It sounds like science fiction, but research teams around the world are aiming to untangle the secrets of these master cells to discover what makes them tick. More specifically, what regulates their proliferation and differentiation.
In the fall of 2004, Dr. Alan Bernstein, president of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Honourable Jean-C. Lapierre, Minister of Transport and Regional Minister for Québec, announced eight new research teams will share $12.3 million in funding that will stimulate the development of world-class regenerative medicine and nanomedicine in Canada.
The goal is to better understand regenerative medicine and nanomedicine and its tremendous implications for health care and disease. Many of the projects are working towards facilitating the use of stem cells to regenerate and repair tissue damaged by disease or injuries.
One particular area of stem cell research that has been gaining world wide attention is the potential to regenerate and repair damaged heart cells.
The CARE-NET Project
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada on the CARE-NET project have teamed with the Stem Cell Network studying the use of adult stem cell therapy to treat heart disease. These researchers will be feverishly looking for which of the body's stem cells can be used to rebuild heart and vascular tissue.
While some researchers are studying injecting or infusing stem cells into damaged heart or vascular tissue, other researchers are examining dormant cardiac cells that appear to have stem cell-like activity and how to activate them to repair damaged tissue.
Adult Stem Cell Research
Adult stem cell research will likely revolutionize the approach to treating the number one killer of Canadians. In Canada, an estimated five people die every hour from heart disease. And, an estimated one out of five hospital beds in the country is occupied by someone with heart disease. This figure is likely to be a conservative number and will likely increase as our population ages.
Adult Stem Cell Therapy and Cardiac Repair
While medicine and research has come a long way to treating heart disease with drugs and devices that can ease symptoms and prevent heart attacks, it cannot reverse heart damage. This is one of the reasons why stem cell research is creating a lot of excitement. But the field of cardiac repair is in its infancy and researchers have a long way to go before this type of new therapy will be routinely used.
Early studies suggest it is feasible to use stem cells to heal a damaged heart. Long term studies are required to determine how safe and effective these strategies are. If researchers are successful, and many think the reality is not a pipe dream, then stem cell therapy will dramatically revolutionize medicine as you know it.
Imagine repairing damaged tissue, nerves, or muscle with a simple injection or infusion of a cellular cocktail of stem cells from the patient's own body parts, effectively curing diseases such as Alzheimer's, cardiovascular or spinal cord injury, and other diseases or disorders.
For more information stem cell research in Canada check out The Canadian Institute of Health web site, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
