SCIENCE
Some of the most serious medical conditions that we suffer from are due to problems that occur somewhere in the process of cell division. As we know stem cells are the undifferentiated cells that we all have inside us. These cells all came from the zygote with constant division. All of our cells were once stem cells that got activated and so specific genes became active for the cells to develop. The medical community came to the conclusion that we can treat diseases in which cells die, such as Leukemia and lymphomas, but also Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, by implanting stem cells in order to replace the organism’s dead and diseased cells.
Perhaps the most important potential application of human stem cells is to be used for cell-based therapies. Today, donated organs and tissues are often used to replace ailing or destroyed tissue, but the need for transplantable tissues and organs far outweighs the available supply. Stem cells, directed to differentiate into specific cell types, offer the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues to treat diseases including spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Although there has been some disappointment in many fields’ doctors believe that there is hope for one disease: Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is one of the devastating illnesses that the human race has to face. It literally destroys the brain, as it shrinks over time due to the disease. Stem cells are being used to regenerate or regrow diseased parts of the brain. The problem with this approach is that the architecture of the brain plays an important role in the memory process, so even if we could grow a fresh, young part of the brain to replace one ravaged by AD, there would be no memories there. Another concept is using stem cells as drug delivery agents. For example, instead of giving Crenezumab or some other drug systemically, it is possible that stem cells could directly deliver the drug within the brain from cell-to-cell, which would also be a far more effective method.