Biology Stem Cells Study Analysing The Scientific Articles

Ian Murnaghan is the author of the article “Why are Stem Cells Important”. The article appeared on the Explore Stem cells on December 2, 2017. The article examines the significance of stem cells and its capacity to provide treatment for various types of diseases and conditions affecting millions of people globally (Murnaghan I. N., 2017). The ability to treat different types of diseases rest with the unique ability of stems cells. The stem cells have the ability to renew and distinguish into cells with a specific ability. In addition, because stems cells are largely unspecified, means that they scientists can make them into specialized cells (Murnaghan I. N., 2017).

According to the author, the reason why stem cell is a major discovery is its potential to offer knowledge on human development. Learning about their attribute can educate us about early human development. It also has the ability to make scientist learn about why birth defects occur and how we can avoid and possibly reverse them (Murnaghan I. N., 2017). Probably the most crucial value for stem cell is the use of cell therapies. These important treatments replace defective or an ailing tissue with a stem cell in a patient. Currently, many people are ailing from organ failure and the possibility that doctors can replace damaged cells and tissue is a breakthrough in medicine (Murnaghan I., 2018).

The second article is entitled “Induced pluripotent Stem Cells Could Serve as Cancer Vaccine”. The author of the article is Steve Fisch and it appeared on Stanford Medicine News Centre. This article summarizes a study from Stanford University School of Medicine. The research suggests that the use of programmed pluripotent stem can train the immune system to prevent or even to eliminate tumors (Fisch, 2018). The scholars conducted the research on mice and the result provides some hope that one day it would be possible to vaccinate people with their own healthy cells to shield them from developing cancerous tumors (Fisch, 2018).

They expect the healthy cells identified as iPS cells to act as a vaccine for cancer because many cancer cells are the same as developmentally immature progenitor cell similar to many cancer cells. The cells are not susceptible to growth restrictions found in mature cells in the body tissues (Fisch, 2018). The researchers realized that they could inject an individual with their own healthy cells, which could multiply, to make a person resistant to a variety of cancers. The proposed vaccine has strong immune characteristics that can help the body to grow its own immunity to a specific type of cancer (Fisch, 2018).

The third article is entitled “Stem Cell Treatment Could Be a Game Changer for people with MS”. The author of the article is Alice Park and it appeared on the Time Newspaper on March 19, 2018. The articles report on the groundbreaking research that may have found a cure for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) disease. The cure would be possible after a stem cell transplant (Park, 2018). Scientist presented the report at the European Society for Bone and Marrow Transplantation that took place in Lisbon, Portugal. In the report, they observed that people with some type of MS syndrome who had undergone a stem cell transplant had less chances of the disease recurrence than those who had other treatments (Park, 2018). They had conducted their study on 110 individuals with a history of the disease relapses.

According to scholars this a condition in which the immune system starts to attack some critical organs of the body, including the brain, spinal cord and eyes (Park, 2018). When the attack happens, a person starts to lose the ability to control functions of the body such as mobility and vision. In the study, the researcher randomly administered available treatments that slow the advancement of the disease (Park, 2018). Another group received a chemotherapy treatment before undergoing a stem cell transplant (Park, 2018). They also took specialized medication to help the stem cell to start producing new immune cells. After waiting for three years, they discovered that more people from the group that had received standard treatment had relapsed. The conclusion from the finding is that the notion of rebooting the immune system with healthy cells is proving to be more effective than other treatments (Park, 2018).

The fourth article is entitled “Stem Cells Pave the Way for New Treatment of Diabetes”. The author of the report is the University of Copenhagen, the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and it appeared in Science News on November 6, 2017. The article summarizes findings that show stem cell treatment can help diabetic persons to start production of insulin in the body (University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences., 2017). The discovery proves to be more efficient and cost effective for patients suffering from diabetes. Thus, the research has the prospective of paving the way for a more effective treatment for diabetes and may be vital for treatments of other serious diseases.

The researchers conducted the study on mice and they were able identify cells that are able to produce bête insulin. They hope that they may be able to replicate the same result in human being suffering from diabetics in the future (University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences., 2017). They first began by trying to identify the process of instructing specific cells into their various functions. They were surprised to find out that the mechanism is simple. They realized that the progenitors are able to distinguish different functions of the body. The same process controls the formation of cells through divergence changes. Thus, the development of any cells into beta cells depended on their programming in the pipes (University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 2017).

The procedure is simple, whereby scientists are able to direct the progenitor cells to convert them into beta cells. Al though they did the tests on mice, they realized that the same process applies to the development of human cells. Now scientists can use this knowledge to turn the human stem cells effectively into better cells in the laboratory. They hope to be able use these artificially produced cells in patients suffering from diabetes for treatment (University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences., 2017).

The fifth article is entitled, “First of its Kind Clinical Trial will use Reprogrammed adult Stem Cells to Treat Parkinson’s”. The author of the article is Dennis Normile and it appeared on Science Journals on July 30, 2018. The article announces the launch of clinical trial to treat Parkinson’s disease with stem cell therapy. Jun Takahashi the lead scientist explained that they have been able to find possible cure using programmed stem cells known as iPS (Normile, 2018). In the procedure, they take mature cells from the patient and reprogram them to return to their early stage of growth. From there they can direct the cells to grow into any of the body specialized cells. For the Parkinson patient the team intends to inject the programmed stem cells directly into the brain because it plays an important role in the neural deterioration associated with Parkinson disease (Normile, 2018).

Parkinson’s disease occurs due to lack of specialized cells in the brain that produces the monoamine neurotransmitter. A lack of dopastat causes a patient to lose the ability to move which makes the patient to tremble and walk with difficulty. As the disease progresses it brings other complications to the patient, such as dementia (Normile, 2018). The strategy of the researchers is to derive dopaminergic progenitors form iPS cells and inject them into the putamen, a rounded organ located at the base of the brain. Prior studies on animals have shown that the progenitor is able to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons in the body and moves into the brain. The researchers say that monkey with Parkinson’s disease showed a significant improvement for 2 years after they received injections with neurons prepared from human iPS cells (Normile, 2018).

The next article is entitled “Stem Cells Help Patch up Brain Damage in Stroke Victims”. The author is Michael Irvin published in New Atlas Magazine on February 20, 2018. The article summarizes the findings of scientists at the University of Georgia who developed a new treatment for strokes based on stem cell (Irving, 2018). When they tested the technique on animals, they found that stem cell therapy helped the brain to heal itself and reduce d brain damage. The results were satisfying enough that the stage is to do clinical trials on humans (Irving, 2018).

The treatment named AB126 utilizes exosomes, a small organ shaped like a tube produced by the neural stem cells. Since these tubes are smaller than cells, they are able to penetrate into places that cells cannot. Therefore, they are able to send enough amounts of healthy cells to various parts of the body (Irving, 2018). The finding is exciting because scientist realized that exosomes are invisible even to the body’s defense system. When injected with healthy cells, these treatments can generally improve the mobility of the body and change cell development. The scientist first tested the AB126 on mice and found out that the treatment improved the recovery of memory and mobility in stroke victims (Irving, 2018).

The article “Stem Cell Brain Implants Could Slow Ageing and Extend life Study Shows” appeared on the Guardian newspaper July 27, 2017. The article reports the finding of a study by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The study shows that implanting stem cells into the brain can help slow down the process of ageing (Sample, 2017). The scientists conducted the tests on animals that raised hope that they could replicate the same on human and increase their years while battling age related diseases. They found stem cells that had the ability make new cells in the brain. The scholars found that the cells, known as neurons can delay the process of ageing in older mice (Sample, 2017).

Additionally, the mice were more active and more physically and mentally fit for months. The treatment was able to prolong the life of mice for over 10% compared to those that they had not treated. The study described as a breakthrough in science suggests that the stem cells found in the specific region of the brain controls the ageing process of the body. These cells die off and disappear when a person is their middle age (Sample, 2017).

The next article “Stem Cells to Treat Blindness appeared on Explore Stem Cells” Magazine on September 29, 2018. The author of the article is Ian Murnaghan and he seeks to enlighten people on the possibility of treatment of blindness with stem cells. People who have been blind may shudder at the thought recovering their sight, but this may happen eventually. The researchers have not long ago restored the sight of a blind person, which leaves millions other with the same problem in optimism (Murnaghan I., 2018).

The scientist replaced the person’s damaged cells with new ones, which were able to regenerate and provide healing. A person’s cells in eye damages or worn out because of ailments such as macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a leading cause for losing vision in elderly people. Initially, the researchers performed the procedure on blind mice. They injected the mice with the stem cells at the back of their eyes. Within a short period, the stem cells were able to replace the damaged cells that are vital for sight (Murnaghan I., 2018).

The next article is entitled “Researchers Repair Acute Spinal Cord Injury in Monkey”. The author of the article is Christopher Packham and it appeared on Medical Express on June 5, 2018.The article describes the findings of a research done by Chinese Medical researchers. The report published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Spinal cord injuries are among the most severe and difficult medical condition to treat (Packham, 2018). The condition usually leads to permanent disability and loss of mobility, muscle function and sensation. However, using chitosan loaded with neurotrophin-3(NT3), scientists have been able to treat spinal cord injury on a rhesus monkey. Researchers had previously attempted to use the treatment on rodents, but they say that the result could not apply well in human. With the use of primates, though there is substantial evidence that the result could work on humans (Packham, 2018).

The next article is entitled “Decorated Stem Cells Could Offer Targeted Heart Repair”. The author of the article is Tracey Peake published on the Medical Express on January 10, 2018. Ke Cheng a researcher at North Carolina State University and his team have been conducting studies on cardiac stem cell therapy (Peake, 2018). The research r says that the study is promising to produce a treatment for heart attack patients. They have been trying to direct the cell to the site of injury and getting them to stay there, which has proved to be a challenge. However, when they injected mice with platelets, they demonstrated a higher rate of retention with no side effect. They hope to be able to use the same process to improve cardiac stem cell therapy in clinical trials in the future (Peake, 2018).

Summary

The first article is important since it highlights the potential of stem cells therapy to treat a number of diseases and conditions that affects millions of people globally. The next articles discuss the various diseases that the breakthrough technology can treat. The first disease is cancers which scientist have discovered its cure through use of induced pluripotent stem to train the immune system to prevent or even to eliminate different types of cancers (Fisch, 2018). The other disease in analysis is multiple sclerosis and the current study shows that stem cell could provide treatment for the disease. This can be possible using stem cell transplant instead of the traditional medicine used to control the diseases.

People with diabetes have a chance for cure too and the treatment provides a patient with a mechanism to produce insulin (University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, 2017). Parkinson disease is a debilitating disease and scientist seems to be offering hope for people suffering from the disease. This could be possible with the use of programmed pluripotent stem cells into the brain. Scientists at the University of Georgia have also developed a new treatment for strokes based on stem cell. The article by Irving, (2018) shows that implanting stems cells into the brain can help slow down the process of ageing.

Additionally, people who have been blind for a long time may not believe it but they too have a chance to recover their sight with stem cells implant. The researchers have recently restored the sight of a blind person, which gives hope to millions of others with blindness (Murnaghan I., 2018). Spinal cord injuries too have hopes of cure because of the breakthrough science of stem cell implant. Since this is among the most severe and difficult, medical condition to treat it could prove helpful to millions of people worldwide. Lastly, there is hope of producing a treatment for heart attack patients. This could be possible through injecting cells directly to the site of injury and getting them to stay there for a person to regenerate new cells (Peake, 2018).

All the articles above are interrelated and integrated to one another in nature because they discuss advances in scientific medical research on the treatment of various terminal diseases. Scientists have made promising advances in recent years in stem cell transplantation to cure and treat injuries, damaged tissues and various ailments. This is especially useful because of various immune based disorders, especially those that are associated with the nervous system, whereby diseases often appear due to the disintegration of cells (Murnaghan I. N., 2017).

Treatment using stem cell therapy is supposed to reset the immune system rather than suppress and this is how it is able to offer cure for many diseases. Therefore, stem cell therapy is for sure one of the remarkable achievements of our time in medical history. This technology promises to transform the laboratory cell biology and provide an advanced innovation and method of developing of drugs (Murnaghan I. N., 2017). In addition, it will assist in the essential studies of the diseases originating from human genes. Stem cell therapy with its distinctive characteristic has provided promising result to treat complex diseases such as Cancer, MS, Spinal Cord Injury, Cardiovascular complication, Diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and others.

References:

1. Fisch, S. (2018, February 15). Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Could Serve as Cancer Vaccine. Retrieved from Stanford Medicine News Centre: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2018/02/induced-pluripotent-stem-cells-could-serve-as-cancer-vaccine.html
2. Irving, M. (2018, February 20). Stem cells help patch up brain damage in stroke victims. Retrieved from New Atlas: https://newatlas.com/stroke-stem-cell-treatment/53478/
3. Murnaghan, I. ( 2018, September 29). Stem Cells to Treat Blindness. Retrieved from Explore Stem Cells: http://www.explorestemcells.co.uk/stem-cells-treat-blindness.html
4. Murnaghan, I. N. (2017, December 2). Why are Stem Cells Important? Retrieved from Explore Stem Cells: http://www.explorestemcells.co.uk/whyarestemcellsimportant.html
5. Normile, D. ( 2018, July 30). First-of-its-kind clinical trial will use reprogrammed adult stem cells to treat Parkinson’s. Retrieved from Science.
6. Packham, C. (2018, June 5). Researchers repair acute spinal cord injury in monkeys. Retrieved from Medical Express: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-06-acute-spinal-cord-injury-monkeys.html
7. Park, A. (2018, March 18). Stem Cell Treatment Could Be a Game-Changer for People With MS. Retrieved from Time: http://time.com/5205946/stem-cell-treatment-multiple-sclerosis-patients/
8. Peake, T. (2018, January 10). Decorated' stem cells could offer targeted heart repair. Retrieved from Medical Express: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-01-stem-cells-heart.html
9. Sample, I. (2017, July 26). Stem cell brain implants could 'slow ageing and extend life', study shows. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/jul/26/stem-cell-brain-implants-could-slow-ageing-and-extend-life-study-shows
10. University of Copenhagen The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. (2017, Novemeber 6). Stem cells pave the way for new treatment of diabetes. Retrieved from ScienceDaily: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171106112248.htm