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Stem cells are a breakthrough in modern regenerative medicine. They have a huge potential in regenerative medicine through their ability to generate cells and tissues. Stem cells can also be directed to differentiate into specific cell types, thereby offering the possibility of a renewable source of replacement cells and tissues - to treat diseases such as Parkinson's & Alzheimer's diseases, spinal cord injury, stroke, burns, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Recent studies have indicated the possibility to direct differentiation of stem cells into heart muscle cells or insulin-producing pancreatic cells. For example, it is now possible to generate healthy heart muscle cells from stem cells in the laboratory and transplant those cells into patients with chronic heart disease. In type I diabetes, the cells of the pancreas that normally produce insulin are destroyed by the patient's own immune system. It is now possible to direct the differentiation of stem cells in stem culture to form new insulin producing cells that could eventually be used in transplantation therapy for diabetes. |
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