Stem Cell Therapy and Regeneration of Organs

Jun 27, 2024

3 min read

118

By: Alexander Heredia

Have you ever heard of stem cell therapy? Stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, promotes the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional, or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives. It is the next chapter in organ transplantation and uses cells instead of donor organs, which are limited in supply [1]. Stem cell therapy has been used for years to regenerate damaged tissue in the body, such as skin. Additionally, it is already being used to recreate damaged, but functional islet beta (β) cells.

Can Stem Cells Be Used To Regenerate Damaged Organs?

First, what are stem cells? How do they work? There are two main categories of stem cells: Embryonic, meaning that they are found in the inner cell mass of the human blastocyst, which is an early stage of developing embryos. Adult stem cells, otherwise known as ‘somatic’ stem cells, can be found throughout many tissues in the body.

ESCs (embryonic stem cells) develop in the human body by dividing into two new cells approximately every 15 minutes, one being a duplicate and another a daughter cell. While developing, ESCs translate specific parts of their DNA, or “turn on” different genes in different cells. The environment the cells are in can also affect what type of cell they become. The daughter cells keep dividing and changing shape until they reach a mature cell type, such as a white or red blood cell.

Regenerating Skin with Stem Cells

The skin is the human body’s largest organ, comprising three different layers of thickly-compressed cells to protect against infectious pathogens and other debris in the air. Still, nearly everyone on Earth has experienced the painful experience of accidentally cutting themselves and puncturing their skin on their body; for instance, a student getting a paper cut on their finger. Almost immediately following the injury to the skin, stem cells in the bloodstream jump into action. During the initial inflammatory phase of the injury to the skin, the flesh surrounding the puncture wound will pump white blood cells into the opening to fight against infectious pathogens entering through the wound. As more blood enters, the wound becomes sealed by fibrin, which forms a temporary matrix occupied by immune cells whose task is to remove dead tissue and control infection.

Fibroblasts are recruited afterwards into the site of the injury and secrete collagen, and form granulation tissue. They also promote angiogenesis and the recruitment of fibroblast-derived myofibroblasts, which contract the wound area. SSCs are mobilized into the site of injury at this stage to begin the process of re-epithelialization starting from the edge of the wound. Finally, new ECM components are secreted by both fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes, which are protein structures that remodel the skin cell matrices through the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), special proteins called enzymes that turn macronutrient proteins from food into the protein that comprises skin and flesh. Amazingly, through these fabulous stem cell processes, the new and regenerated skin tissue is able to regain ~80% of its normal strength in as little as 3 to 4 months [2].

Regenerating Cardiac Tissue with Stem Cells

So how can stem cells be used to regenerate tissues such as cardiac tissue? We already know that stem cells can take the form of other cells; tissue specific cells. Several different types of approaches are being used to repair damaged heart muscle with stem cells. The stem cells, which are often taken from bone marrow, may be inserted into the heart using a catheter. Once in place, stem cells help regenerate damaged heart tissue [3].

Like any other procedure, transplanting bone marrow stem cells into cardiac muscle can be risky. If you have BMD, otherwise known as Bone Marrow Deficiency, you would need somebody else’s bone marrow. Since your immune system attacks anything that isn’t your own, it could reject it and cause serious complications.

Summary View

Stem cell therapy is very effective and is possibly the future of medicine. Ranging from healing damaged skin to damaged organs, stem cells are one of the most powerful and useful cells in the body. With extensive research and clinical studies, more and more will be discovered about stem cells and their regenerative properties.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Alexander Heredia is an 9th grader from the Southern United States, passionate about current advancements in healthcare technology.

Works Cited