by Emily Stone
Stem cells are types of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialised cell types. This means that they can change into almost any cell found in the body. They were first discovered in the 1800s and have huge implications for applications in medicine. The first stem cell transplant using bone marrow was performed in New York in 1950 and since then they have been used in over 1 million therapies to treat a vast range of diseases, ranging from leukemia and lymphoma, to testicular cancer. Umbilical cord blood stem cells were introduced in to clinical medicine in 1988 and in the last 28 years, has been used in transplant over 35,000 times.
Today, stem cells are used to treat over 80 diseases. Umbilical cord blood is considered to be a ready source of stem cells and can be preserved at birth to be used in treatments when required. This is known as stem cell banking.
The advantages of stem cell banking are numerous. Umbilical stem cells are youthful, pure and easy to collect with minimal risk to the mother and baby. They provide greater matching flexibility between donor and recipient and have been know to give better transplant outcomes. Considering the fact that every individual has a 5% probability of being diagnosed with a condition treatable by stem cells, why is this not a bigger operation?
Stem cell banking is primarily a commercial area at the moment and, intent on making a profit, companies play on the angst and worries of the masses in order to persuade them to spend a reasonably large sum of money on this storage. In actual fact, the individual’s chances of using personal cord blood for haematopoietic disorders before the age of 20 is very low (estimated around 1/20000). This banking cost is quoted on one site as £2,190 plus an extra £100 per year of storage. Furthermore there are alternatives to cord blood banking for those who may require stem cells for treatment, such as registries of possible donors with matching cells types and international public cord blood banking.
Commercial stem cell banking is incredibly ethically dubious. In 2004, the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies advised European Commission that: ‘The legitimacy of commercial cord blood banks for autologous use should be questioned as they sell a service, which has presently, no real use regarding therapeutic options. Thus they promise more than they can deliver.’ There have been cases in the past of companies incorrectly storing stem cells, rendering them useless for treatment, the very purpose they were stored for in the first place.
However the public banking of stem cells should be encouraged and supported, as the demand for stem cell therapy gets bigger and bigger. The potential for medical advancements in this field are expanding every day. A new area of regenerative medicine looks to restore structure to damaged tissues and organs or; if they are broken beyond repair, create new versions as replacements. Stem cells are ideally suited to this purpose because of their ability to differentiate into many cell types. At the moment, scientists are conducting clinical trials investigating the application of cord blood stem cells to treat diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and Alzheimer's. It is hoped in the future that many untreatable conditions will be cured using stem cells from cord blood.
And so, in conclusion, the discovery of stem cells gave rise to amazing new opportunities in medicine and the treatment of diseases that are currently incurable. There are many chances for developments in this field, now, and in the future. Stem cell banking for commercial gain raises many questions to do with the storage and reliability of the companies however as the use of stem cell treatments rise in modern medicine, pubic stem cell banks may become as commonplace as blood banks, or maybe even your average Natwest on the high street.
Stem cells are types of undifferentiated cells that are able to differentiate into specialised cell types. This means that they can change into almost any cell found in the body. They were first discovered in the 1800s and have huge implications for applications in medicine. The first stem cell transplant using bone marrow was performed in New York in 1950 and since then they have been used in over 1 million therapies to treat a vast range of diseases, ranging from leukemia and lymphoma, to testicular cancer. Umbilical cord blood stem cells were introduced in to clinical medicine in 1988 and in the last 28 years, has been used in transplant over 35,000 times.
Today, stem cells are used to treat over 80 diseases. Umbilical cord blood is considered to be a ready source of stem cells and can be preserved at birth to be used in treatments when required. This is known as stem cell banking.
The advantages of stem cell banking are numerous. Umbilical stem cells are youthful, pure and easy to collect with minimal risk to the mother and baby. They provide greater matching flexibility between donor and recipient and have been know to give better transplant outcomes. Considering the fact that every individual has a 5% probability of being diagnosed with a condition treatable by stem cells, why is this not a bigger operation?
Stem cell banking is primarily a commercial area at the moment and, intent on making a profit, companies play on the angst and worries of the masses in order to persuade them to spend a reasonably large sum of money on this storage. In actual fact, the individual’s chances of using personal cord blood for haematopoietic disorders before the age of 20 is very low (estimated around 1/20000). This banking cost is quoted on one site as £2,190 plus an extra £100 per year of storage. Furthermore there are alternatives to cord blood banking for those who may require stem cells for treatment, such as registries of possible donors with matching cells types and international public cord blood banking.
Commercial stem cell banking is incredibly ethically dubious. In 2004, the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies advised European Commission that: ‘The legitimacy of commercial cord blood banks for autologous use should be questioned as they sell a service, which has presently, no real use regarding therapeutic options. Thus they promise more than they can deliver.’ There have been cases in the past of companies incorrectly storing stem cells, rendering them useless for treatment, the very purpose they were stored for in the first place.
However the public banking of stem cells should be encouraged and supported, as the demand for stem cell therapy gets bigger and bigger. The potential for medical advancements in this field are expanding every day. A new area of regenerative medicine looks to restore structure to damaged tissues and organs or; if they are broken beyond repair, create new versions as replacements. Stem cells are ideally suited to this purpose because of their ability to differentiate into many cell types. At the moment, scientists are conducting clinical trials investigating the application of cord blood stem cells to treat diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and Alzheimer's. It is hoped in the future that many untreatable conditions will be cured using stem cells from cord blood.
And so, in conclusion, the discovery of stem cells gave rise to amazing new opportunities in medicine and the treatment of diseases that are currently incurable. There are many chances for developments in this field, now, and in the future. Stem cell banking for commercial gain raises many questions to do with the storage and reliability of the companies however as the use of stem cell treatments rise in modern medicine, pubic stem cell banks may become as commonplace as blood banks, or maybe even your average Natwest on the high street.
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