STEM CELL THERAPY

 

 

Tag Archive for: Stem Cell Therapy

In Search of Optimal Health - The AIMS of Dr. Asher Milgrom and Dr. Alice Pien

In Search of Optimal Health – The AIMS of Dr. Asher Milgrom and Dr. Alice Pien

Imagine if someone told you that there is a cure for herpes, diabetes, Lyme disease, lupus, MS and many more diseases considered to be incurable life-sentence illnesses by conventional medicine.

Wouldn’t you be overjoyed?

What if you found out that there are treatments for cancer that are 1000% more effective than conventional treatments? What if you found out that many of these therapies have been available for some time but that the “powers-that-be” such as the FDA, “big-pharma” and insurance companies shut the door on these “alternative cures”?

Wouldn’t you be outraged?

Optimal Health and the Powers-that-be 

Well, studies show there are KNOWN and proven cures to some of the most debilitating diseases of our time, but because of what seem to be nefarious and conspiratorial reasons having to do with power and money, those that control medicine seem determined on keeping us in the dark about these treatments and cures.

Why would they do that?

Because your ill health is a multi-trillion-dollar industry that feeds massive pharmaceutical companies, giant insurance companies, as well as the Feds and enormous sectors of the legal industry. Simply put, the disruption to these industries represented by a cure to an illness whose “management” generates billions of dollars is a threat.

Bottom line, there is a lot of money and power in “managing” your illness for the span of your lifetime, rather than simply curing it and restoring you to optimal health.

Is your mind boggling?

Because mine certainly did when I discovered all this from husband and wife team, Dr. Alice Pien MD and Dr. Asher Milgrom PhD.

Pioneers in Integrative and Regenerative Medicine

Beyond the repairing of your skin… to a holistic rebirth of your skin

Beyond the repairing of your skin… to a holistic rebirth of your skin

For me the issue was also personal. I’d gone in search of an alternative cure for my rosacea as I’ve suffer with continual outbreaks, not only on my skin, but occasionally also in my eyes. The only solution I could find with western medicine were antibiotics and steroidal creams, both of which cause side effects and are hard on my liver.

My search brought me to AMA Regenerative Medicine & Skincare where I met Drs. Milgrom and Pien, pioneers in Integrative and Regenerative medicine. Together, Drs. Milgrom and Pien own and operate AMA Regenerative Medicine & Skincare where they’ve developed advanced holistic medical protocols for a wide variety of laser procedures that produce extraordinary clinical results while requiring minimal patient downtime. In other words, they could stop my rosacea for good – with no unhealthy side effects in a short span of time.

The only down side?

My insurance wouldn’t cover it. I went ahead regardless and had the laser treatments done.

And did it heal my rosacea?

Absolutely – 100%

Holistic Rebirth of Your Skin

AMA Regenerative Medicine & Skincare offers all kinds of leading edge, noninvasive therapies that go beyond the repairing of your skin to a holistic rebirth of your skin. If you want healthy, young looking and vibrant skin, this is the place to go.

Achieving Optimal Health

But hold on, not only do Dr. Milgrom and Dr. Pien include high potency vitamin IV therapy, acupuncture, collagen induction therapy, and hyperbaric oxygen treatments as adjuncts to their hi-tech laser medicine, they further offer ozone therapy and stem cell therapy for a wide spectrum of systemic diseases as well.

These last two therapies for optimal health are what really intrigued me, and I wanted to know more, not just about these therapies but also about what is happening in our healthcare system?

Integrative and Regenerative Medicine for Optimal Health

SoCal Magazine:

Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Dr. Milgrom holds a vial of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

Stem cell therapy seems to offer tremendous promise in treating a range of diseases, injuries and other health-related conditions. Could you tell us more about this?

Dr. Pien and Dr. Milgrom:

Eventually all the cells in our bodies lose their ability to function because of aging or because they were damaged in some way. Since stem cells are the regenerative engines of our bodies, we can either stimulate your own native stem cells or inject your body with stem cells that will help heal your body in ways your own stem cells are no longer able to.

We administer stem cells in the form of injections and IV infusions, and once the stem cells are in your body we stand back and watch the healing. It’s rather miraculous and is truly humbling for physicians to work with these “mysterious” cells (see the documentary, the “God Cells”).

The stem cells we use are harvested from the human umbilical cord Wharton’s Jelly and are known as Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC). Studies show that these stem cells help with joint repair, auto-immune disease, degenerative organs and neuromuscular diseases including Autism, Multiple Sclerosis and muscular dystrophy. Without a doubt, Stem Cell Therapy is the most promising and potent of all anti-aging, longevity and regenerative therapies.

SoCal Magazine:

And what can Ozone Therapy do for you?

Dr. Pien and Dr. Milgrom:

Ozone therapy is being administered via autohemotherapy

Ozone therapy is being administered via autohemotherapy.

There are studies from around the world showing that Ozone Therapy is effective in the treatment of various diseases including cancer, AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic infections such as Lyme disease and viruses, as well as many autoimmune diseases.

Ozone kills bacteria, viruses and fungi, and comes with a long list of benefits such as anti-aging, boosting the immune system, and increasing energy production in your cells. Ozone therapy stimulates the mitochondria of every cell in our body, and given that mitochondria are the “engine of life” in each cell—ozone stimulates the regenerative capacity of every organ in the body.

Ozone therapy has been extensively studied for decades, is used worldwide for cancer, hepatitis, HIV, herpes, Lyme, autoimmune diseases and hundreds of serious illnesses, and though it is legal to use, it is not FDA approved in the US. You may wonder how that can be, when ozone is so effective and inexpensive, without any harmful adverse reactions or side effects so typical of pharmaceuticals and surgeries. Ahhh, and therein lies the rub, because the fact is that ozone works and if it was used more, many people could avoid the need for pharmaceuticals and/or surgeries.

SoCal magazine:

Why is Western Medicine not climbing on board?

Dr. Pien and Dr. Milgrom:

Conventional western-medicine is failing us here in the USA. Not only do we pay the most exorbitant costs for healthcare anywhere in the world, but the quality of care we receive is now the lowest in the developed world. To make it worse, the painful truth that no one wants to look at, is that “Iatrogenic Death”, which is death caused by medical treatments, ranks as one of the top 3 leading causes of premature and unnecessary death in the United States. And yes, of course, everyone is aware that western medicine has also developed amazing and vital therapies, but we’re moving towards a future where achieving optimal health is the goal.

For stem cell research, the rules and regulations laid out by the FDA slows us down and makes it very expensive to do trials that also require many years to complete – and everyone knows it. It’s short sighted because now literally millions of people every year leave the US in search of preferred healthcare elsewhere in the world that is focused on optimal health and is both more effective and often less expensive than treatments in the US.

When it comes to achieving optimal health… The doctor and the patient aren’t even included in the conversation

When it comes to achieving optimal health… The doctor and the patient aren’t even included in the conversation

SoCal Magazine:

Above is Dr. Milgrom’s animated depiction of what the medical playing field looks like in the US. Notice how neither the doctor nor the patients are allowed to participate in the conversation dominated by the four huge gorillas.

It’s due to this ludicrous situation that Drs. Pien and Milgrom are looking to establish a medical facility in Belize called AIMS – Advanced Integrative Medicine and Surgery that will be truly integrative and completely free of the gorillas, and 110% focused on delivering the best possible clinical outcomes to its patients. They’ve already gained support from Belize’s Ministry of Health who said “…we are pleased to provide all necessary support to ensure the success of this project…” And the government in Belize has modified its healthcare regulations in support of the AIMS project.

So, how does AIMS plan to help patients achieve optimal health?

Advanced Integrative Medicine & Surgery

Advanced Integrative Medicine & Surgery

Dr. Pien and Dr. Milgrom:

With Advanced Integrative Medicine—a safer, non-toxic, minimally invasive, less expensive way to treat you with superior results that achieve optimal health.

Integrative Medicine incorporates treatments from all modalities, ancient treatments and modern science, western and eastern, including Regenerative medicine, and takes into account not only the physiological symptoms, but also the psychological, social and spiritual aspects of illness, health and wellness. Integrative Medicine utilizes, supports and amplifies the body’s own potential to heal itself.

In this fully integrative environment, even when surgery is necessary, the outcomes will be far and away superior to conventional standards. Through AIMS and its research facilities, Drs. Pien, Milgrom, and hundreds of their colleagues’ intend to develop and provide optimal health for humanity.

Article By: Niki Smart for Socal Magazine
Photos by: Johnny Buzzerio & James Mutter


Lecture : What are stem cells? – Part 4 of 4 – What Are They Used For?

(The following is a transcription of the above video)

How Stem Cells Are Used

Here is the stem cell coming out of the fog.

Stem cells are stored in cryogenic freezers at -80°C. In this photo a vial of stem cells is being removed from cryopreservation.

Stem cells are stored in cryogenic freezers at -80°C. In this photo a vial of stem cells is being removed from cryopreservation.

The magic fog of cryogenic storage where they have to be stored.

Fibrin Matrix

This is the fibrin matrix that we extract out of someone’s blood and make a spongy stuff out of it. Then this matrix becomes a perfect environment for the stem cells.

Platelet rich fibrin matrix.

Platelet rich fibrin matrix.

Remember how we said the stem cells like to hold on to things? They need to hold on to things so that they can release their magic soup.

Well we provide that in a fibrin matrix that we derive right out of the patient’s blood and then we insert the stem cells in that environment, we mix them together and then we infuse them into the joint that needs repair.

The stem cells are mixed with the platelet rich fibrin matrix.

The stem cells are mixed with the platelet-rich fibrin matrix.

After we have extracted the stem cells we mix them with the fibrin matrix.

Vitamins and Homeopathic Growth Factors

Here we’re preparing the joint, this is an injection to a knee, where the knee is injected with vitamins and other things that the knee is going to like and the stem cells are going to like.

Preparing the joint for injection of stem cells by first injecting vitamins, homeopathic growth factors and procaine.

Preparing the joint for injection of stem cells by first injecting vitamins, homeopathic growth factors and procaine.

It also includes some procaine which not only breaks the pain cycle for someone who is in a lot of pain but also makes the procedure completely comfortable. They don’t even feel a thing.

Injection of the FDA: HCT/P – Stem Cells

Then of course, there is the injection of the stem cells themselves.

The mixture of stem cells and platelet rich fibrin matrix are injected into the joint.

The mixture of stem cells and platelet rich fibrin matrix are injected into the joint.

This patient is the famous Dr. John Gray, author of Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus. A whole series of books on psychology and relationships. He’s a gem of a human being. He is extraordinary dedicated to naturopathic and regenerative integrative medicine. You can watch a video of his experience with the stem cell injections below.

And of course you all know Dr. Pien who is administering the treatment.

Where Stem Cells Are Used

Knee

This is a picture of a knee just like mine but not nearly as damaged as mine.

MRI of cartilage in the knee that has been regenerated with the use of stem cells.

MRI of cartilage in the knee that has been regenerated with the use of stem cells.

On the left you can see how the articulate cartilage is very damaged and very thin and worn down and beneath is 6 months later and you can see how thick and cushy and alive and fabulous the articulate cartilage is.

In my case the cartilage was completely gone. I was bone on bone and I regenerated it as you see here. Not just the articulate cartilage but also the Meniscus and you can see that on the right side of the slide.

Spine

Again, it’s not just the knee joint, it can be the spine, anywhere there is bone degeneration, the stem cells can go in there and bring much healing to the discs. Not to the spinal cord alone, obviously she didn’t have a spinal cord issue here, it was just the disc and vertebras themselves.

Injection of stem cells into the back.

Injection of stem cells into the back.

She had a lot of issues with degeneration up in her cervical neck, cervical spine and that would generate pins and needles in the hand and affected her ability to grasp strongly. All that can heal very quickly with stem cells injected around the spine.

Every Joint of the Body

Whatever joint you have an issue with, we can treat it right here and there are many other clinics around that do similar work.

Every joint can be treated with stem cells.

Every joint of the body can be treated with stem cells.

Where ever you are in the country, somewhere in the state that you are in, there’s bound to be someone who knows how to do this.

Stem Cell Health

This is a subject for another lecture. How do you keep your stem cells healthy?

Obviously, they are the engine of regeneration so the more you can keep them healthier, keep them healthy and strong, the stronger and healthier you will be.

In a nutshell, you now know all about the human stem cell, what it does, where it comes from and how important it is for you and longevity and health and vitality.

You’ve also learned a lot about how we use them, how we harvest them and use them as a therapy right here in our office.

Bottom line is this, they are magic, our physiology is magical and mysterious and the stem cell can, as we say; “add years to your life and life to your years”.

Patient Experiences – The Results of  FDA: HCT/P – Stem Cells

The following videos are patients of ours who share their experience with stem cell treatments.

Dr. John Gray – I Could’t Walk Due to My Knee Joint Pain… Now I Can!

“Hi I’m Dr. John Gray author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus. I came to AMA Regenerative Medicine because I couldn’t walk on my right leg. I did the umbilical cord stem cell treatment and it blew my mind…

… If somebody is considering stem cell treatments they are really lucky. This is life transformational, basic and easy. Your body does it for you. It’s fantastic!”

Michael – The Treatment that Finally Relieved My Back Pain

“My name is Michael. I’m a Veteran of almost 17 years in the Navy and the Army. I hurt my back on active duty and I’ve been in chronic pain for almost ten years. Ten years…

… After the first round of stem cell injections I felt so much better. I can’t imagine life without this treatment. My days before when I was injured I can’t even describe it now. It’s like somebody else’s life.”

Former N.Y. Yankee Jim Leyritz – Healing My Injuries & Eliminating My Pain with Regenerative Medicine

“I’m Jim Leyritz, former 2 time World Series Champion with the Yankees. I was a catcher in the major leagues for almost 20 years. I have been receiving Ozone and Stem Cell injections to help with my injuries and pain…

… I’m able to run again but more importantly I don’t have to take 6 to 10 Advil every day for the pain, for the swelling and things like that. My body is just naturally doing it because of the ozone injections and because of the treatments I am receiving with the ozone therapy.”

Reynolds – My Experience with Non-Surgical Knee Cartilage Repair and Pain Relief “See… It Works!”

“My name is Reynolds. I hyper-extended my left knee which had previously suffered an ACL tear and also meniscus damage and from that point forward I knew something was wrong with my knee again…

… I can tell you that in literally days of having the stem cells put in there I could feel as if my knee was beginning to repair itself. That has progressed on a regular basis since that time. I would say at this point in time after 5 weeks and certainly not completely through the benefits of the stem cell as well as the ozone therapy that it’s at least 95% of where it ought to be.”

Susan – My Experience with Non-Surgical Knee Cartilage Repair and Regeneration

“Hi I’m Susan and I have had a life long battle with bad knees due to a hereditary lack of cartilage…

… The results of the stem cell injections have been short of life giving as far as my knees are concerned. I don’t even see surgery on my horizon right now.”

Jeff – My Experience with Non-Surgical Shoulder Pain Treatment

“Hi I’m Jeff. What created the need for me to get relief from the pain in the rotator cuff of my shoulder was that I’m very athletic…

… The stem cell therapy treatments she has done have been unbelievable in giving me the pain relief I needed in my shoulders. It’s something you notice within a day or two of getting the shoulder pain treatments and within a week or two the pain is completely gone.”

About the Authors

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References

  1. Anzalone R, Opatrilova R, Kruzliak P, Gerbino A and La Rocca G. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Wharton’s Jelly (WJ-MSCs): Coupling Their Hidden Differentiative Program to Their Frank Immunomodulatory Phenotype. 2018;20:271-279.
  2. Vangsness CT Jr, Sternberg H, Harris L. Umbilical Cord Tissue Offers the Greatest Number of Harvestable Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Research and Clinical Application: A Literature Review of Different Harvest Sites. 2015 Sep;31(9):1836-43.
  3. Watson N, Divers R, Kedar R, Mehindru A, Mehindru A, Borlongan M, Borlongan C. Discarded Wharton’s Jelly of the Human Umbilical Cord: A Viable Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jan;17(1):18–24.
  4. Kalaszczynska I, Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2015, Article ID 430847, 11 pages.
  5. Davies J, Walker J, Keating A. Concise Review: Wharton’s Jelly: The Rich, but Enigmatic, Source of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. 2017 Jul;6(7):1620–1630.
  6. Weiss M, Troyer D. Stem Cells in the Umbilical Cord. 2006;2(2):155–162.
  7. Erices A, Conget P, Minguell J. Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells in Human Umbilical Cord Blood. 2000 Apr;109(1):235-42.
  8. Shawki S, Gaafar T, Erfan H, El Khateeb E, El Sheikhah A, El Hawary R. Immunomodulatory Effects of Umbilical Cord‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;59(6):348-56.
  9. Arutyunyan I, Elchaninov A, Makarov A, Fatkhudinov T. Umbilical Cord as Prospective Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy. 2016;2016:6901286.
  10. SubramanianA, Fong C, Biswas A, Bongso A. Comparative Characterization of Cells from the Various Compartments of the Human Umbilical Cord Shows that the Wharton’s Jelly Compartment Provides the Best Source of Clinically Utilizable Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;10(6):e0127992
  11. Ilic D, Polak JM. Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine: Introduction. 2011;98:117-26.
  12. Sanchez-Ramos J. Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood. 2006 Nov;24(5):358-69.
  13. Low CB, Liou YC, Tang BL. Neural Differentiation and Potential use of Stem Cells from the Human Umbilical Cord for Central Nervous System Transplantation Therapy. 2008 Jun;86(8):1670-9.
  14. Herranz AS, Gonzalo-Gobernado R, Reimers D, Asensio MJ, Rodríguez-Serrano M, Bazán E. Applications of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells in Central Nervous System Regeneration. 2010 Mar;5(1):17-22.
  15. Zarrabi M, Mousavi SH, Abroun S, Sadeghi B. Potential uses for Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2014 Winter;15(4):274-81.
  16. Kabataş S, Civelek E, İnci Ç, Yalçınkaya EY, Günel G, Kır G, Albayrak E, Öztürk E, Adaş G, Karaöz E. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study. 2018 Oct;27(10):1425-1433.
  17. Sadlik B, Jaroslawski G, Puszkarz M, Blasiak A, Oldak T, Gladysz D, Whyte G. Cartilage Repair in the Knee Using Umbilical Cord Wharton’s Jelly–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Embedded Onto Collagen Scaffolding and Implanted Under Dry Arthroscopy. 2018 Jan;7(1):e57–e63.
  18. Kim DW, Staples M, Shinozuka K, Pantcheva P, Kang SD, Borlongan CV. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Phenotypic Characterization and Optimizing Their Therapeutic Potential for Clinical Applications. 2013 May 31;14(6):11692-712.
  19. Nagamura-Inoue T, He H. Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Their Advantages and Potential Clinical Utility. 2014 Apr 26;6(2):195–202.
  20. Kalaszczynska I and Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2014 Dec.

 


Lecture : What are stem cells? – Part 3 of 4 – What do stem cells do?

(The following is a transcription of the above video)

These mesenchymal stem cells with their magic soup and those little vesicles that release the soup into the body and into the organ that’s damaged, etc.

What are these cells?

What is the outcome of this soup of cytokines that is released?

What Do Stem Cells Do?

1. Reduce Inflammation

Studies show that stem cells cause a massive reduction of inflammation. This is one of the main benefits of stem cells.

This is really important because most of our chronic diseases that we all know of, have as a part of their fundamental element, a systemic inflammation of our body. It may only be your joints that are hurting because you have rheumatoid arthritis but you have, in fact, massive systemic inflammation throughout your body because of this rheumatoid arthritis.

Studies show that the magic soup that the mesenchymal stem cells release immediately reduces inflammation at its source, throughout your entire body.

Stem Cells Versus Pharmaceutical Medications

Let me give you an example of how these stem cells work on inflammation using rheumatoid arthritis.

The drugs that you hear advertised all the time on TV, Enbrel and Humira, they target the markers that you’ll find in someone’s body, in their blood, that are inflammatory markers, showing how much inflammation is going on in their body. In people with rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory diseases those markers are really high where they shouldn’t be.

Pharmaceuticals target the inflammatory markers

Pharmaceuticals target the inflammatory markers

So you take Enbrel or Humira and after a certain amount of time, usually numerous weeks, slowly but surely, these drugs will suppress those markers. But those drugs have many very serious side effects that are not good for us.

On the other hand, Regenerative Medicine specialists around the world report that if you give that patient an infusion of stem cells, within hours, a day or two at most, those same inflammatory markers get reduced by like 50%. And there’s absolutely no downtime, no side effects, no detrimental elements like there are for those pharmaceuticals.

Studies also show that if you give them a second dose of stem cells, those same inflammatory markers will go down another 50%. This is powerful medicine and it is the stem cells that bring it. That release that medicine into our bodies.

2. Modulate Autoimmune Disease

Studies show that stem cells are used for diseases where our immune system has gone haywire and is causing all sorts of havoc in our body.

Many of these diseases we’re very familiar with. Things such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, IBD or inflammatory bowel disease. Even type one diabetes (you may not know is also an autoimmune disease). Psoriasis which is a skin disease. Even asthma has autoimmune elements to it and various thyroid dysfunctions are also autoimmune.

Now there’s a whole other class of diseases that have immune dysfunction associated with them that stem cells can be used for. They are not exactly autoimmune but studies show that stem cells work for them as well. These include diseases where you have a chronic persistent infection that causes the immune system to get over-reactive because the body is infected and the infection doesn’t go away. Diseases like Lyme disease is a perfect example of that. Viruses such as herpes or HIV also fall into this category as well.

Normal Controlled Activation of the Immune System

To understand how stem cells are used to help in diseases such as these we first have to review how the immune system is supposed to work.

We have these immune cells, these lymphocytes, or white blood cells as they are more commonly referred to. They are designed to react to invaders coming into our body.

Take a look at this slide, we have a cell that is waiting around to be activated. It is properly activated when a virus or bacteria or some kind of invader comes into our body. This causes the cell to become activated.

How our immune system is supposed to work - Normal Controlled Activation

How our immune system is supposed to work – Normal Controlled Activation

Once it’s activated, it’s going to expand. In other words, it’s going to duplicate itself and create a small army of other cells that are activated to fight that one pathogen, that one invader, that started this whole cascade going.

This is a very specific function. It is highly controlled because you don’t want to get this thing going out of control. It’s going to then fight the invader that has come into the body.

You’ll see that these cells that expanded, this army of cells, are releasing a whole bunch of special biochemical moderators that are going to fight the infection. Some of these biochemicals are in fact, inflammatory biochemicals. It is a necessary inflammation.

Most people think that inflammation is always bad, that’s not true. Our bodies need to have inflammation in order to do all sorts of important functions including the immune system fighting pathogens.

When this is a controlled very specific system, it will deal with invaders without going out of control and hurting things or attacking things that aren’t the invaders.

Abnormal Uncontrolled Activation of the Immune System

In an autoimmune condition or autoimmune disease, we have our immune white cells (lymphocytes) that are waiting to be activated.

In this case though, they are activated improperly, abnormally, aberrantly, not by an invading bacterium or virus but by our own tissue. Something in our tissues has activated the cell and the cell then goes through this massive clonal expansion.

When our immune system is activated improperly, not by an invading bacterium or virus but by our own tissue - Abnormal Uncontrolled Activation

When our immune system is activated improperly by our own tissue – Abnormal Uncontrolled Activation

Billions of these cells are created in our body and all of them are releasing these inflammatory biochemicals that are causing the disease state in our tissues.

They’re attacking our organs such as in diabetes. It’s attacking our own pancreas and causing us to lose the ability to make insulin.

Or they’re attacking the cartilage in our joints and creating rheumatoid arthritis and deformation of our joints and all that pain that you feel.

Pharmaceutical Drugs and the Immune System

In traditional Western medicine we have these pharmaceutical drugs that will work on helping us contain the inflammation that we’ve been talking about.

A great example of this are the drugs Humira and Enbrel prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis. How do these pharmaceutical drugs work? They will target those lymphocytes, those immune cells, and clamp down on them. This inhibits the immune cells ability to release those inflammatory lymphokine biochemicals.

Pharmaceutical drugs work by clamping down on the immune cells

Pharmaceutical drugs work by clamping down on the immune cells.

The drugs will also target those inflammatory biochemicals themselves. They will inactivate them.

Pharmaceutical drugs will also work by inactivating the inflammatory biochemicals.

Pharmaceutical drugs will also work by inactivating the inflammatory biochemicals.

It takes a number of weeks for this to take place but there’s a problem. The drugs are clamping down not just on the aberrant cells that are attacking our tissues, they’re clamping down on all the immune cells.

So now your natural necessary important immune functions are being suppressed throughout your body. This makes you susceptible to other diseases and infections.

This is not a good thing.

How Stem Cells are used for Autoimmune Inflammation

Now let’s see how stem cells are used to deal with this autoimmune inflammatory disease situation.

Studies show that the stem cells will attack the situation right at the source.

Instead of waiting down to the bottom of that slide where all those inflammatory biochemicals are released by the immune army or that clonal army. They will go up to the top, where that aberrant activation occurs, and they will stop the whole system from going out of control where that clonal army is created.

Stem cells attack the aberrant activation right at the source and prevent it from occurring.

Stem cells attack the aberrant activation right at the source and prevent it from occurring.

Regenerative Medicine specialists around the world report that stem cells essentially heal the problem at its source.

Instead of just managing the disease and trying to manage the inflammation as pharmaceutical drugs do, with all of their many negative side-effects, stem cells are used to essentially cure the disease where it starts according to the studies on the NIH website.

We don’t exactly understand how the stem cells do this. There’s still much about what the stem cells do that is mysterious to us but the fact is, they do it.

So if you’re suffering from any of those diseases that have autoimmune issues or autoimmune components to them or massive inflammation because of a chronic infection, studies show that stem cells could very well be your solution.

3. Stimulate Regeneration

We’ve been talking about what stem cells do and how they are used and sure enough, if you have a damaged organ or damaged tissue and you insert these mesenchymal stem cells into that damaged organ or tissue, studies show that the stem cells help the organ start to regenerate.

MRI of cartilage in the knee being regenerated with the use of stem cells.

MRI of cartilage in the knee that has been regenerated with the use of stem cells.

Kobe Bryant flew to Germany to get stem cells in his knee because he couldn’t get them here. That’s a political issue, we won’t talk about that. Now, this kind of work with stem cells can be done in the United States and the results are magnificent.

Key Properties of Stem Cells

One of the questions that many people have about what do stem cells do… “Hey, these stem cells came out of someone else’s body”, true.

1. Immune Privileged

“So, if you take tissue from someone else’s body and insert it into my body aren’t I going to have an immune response or rejection of those stem cells?”

You’ve heard of course, that sometimes, people have to match. For instance, if someone needs a kidney transplant, you have to match that kidney donor with the kind of cell membranes that you have in your body, so that when you insert that kidney, you don’t reject it.

Graft-versus-host Disease

When you reject a transplanted tissue, the reaction of your immune system is intense and that in fact can kill you let alone not having a functioning kidney. It’s called graft-versus-host disease.

These mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord don’t have the cell wall components that cause those kinds of reactions. Stem cells are what they call immune privileged, so that you can use the stem cells and the other person doesn’t get a reaction to them.

Modulate Immune Response

In fact, studies show that the stem cells ability to modulate immune response is so powerful that, not only do you not reject them but if you’re in the middle of rejecting some other tissue that you had transplanted like a kidney and you’re in the middle of the terrible chaos of a graft-versus-host disease, if they infuse those stem cells in you, those stem cells will calm that reaction down and you’ll be able to keep the kidney.

Regenerative Medicine specialists around the world report that the stem cells can be used to heal you of that graft-versus-host reaction.

2. Turmoricidal

Last but not least of the many benefits of stem cells, many people are concerned, “Will those stem cells grow a tumor in me?”

No, they won’t and this is one of the things that the FDA required a great deal of stem cell research on, to be sure that these stem cells don’t promote cancer.

In fact, it’s been proven by many studies that not only do they not grow cancer, they will kill tumors, cancerous tumors. There is a lot of research on this and by the way at the end of this lecture, you’ll see some links that you can go to, for additional information on stem cells.

Clinical Use of Stem Cells

So, what are these mesenchymal stem cells used for? Here are the three areas; Inflammation, Autoimmune and Regeneration. Please note that some of these treatments may or may not be available in the United States. Please see the FDA Disclaimer for more information.

The three areas where stem cells are used : Inflammation, Autoimmune and Regeneration

The three areas where stem cells are used : Inflammation, Autoimmune and Regeneration

1. Inflammation

Heart disease by the way, heart disease is always associated with vascular inflammation and it’s a whole topic for another lecture.

Liver disease, diabetes, autism, the inflammation of your vasculature also causes stroke; so there’s an element of inflammation and getting strokes.

In the case of autism just know though that autism is associated with massive GI or intestinal inflammation. Studies show that if you give the stem cells to a child who’s suffering from autism or even a young adult who is suffering from autism, the inflammation and the GI goes away and the symptoms and the characteristics of the autism start healing and it can be very dramatic. Another one of the many benefits of stem cells.

2. Autoimmune

We’ve spoken about rheumatoid arthritis, MS and Parkinson’s.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy, not necessarily associated with autoimmune, it’s more of a genetic disorder.

Well guess what, studies show that the use of stem cells not only arrests the progression of the muscular dystrophy, they can even heal it.

It’s just incredible, the magic that happens with the use of stem cell therapy.

3. Regeneration

Joints, spinal cords, brain, strokes, the list is endless but let me simply say that one of the most dramatic examples is when someone is paralyzed because they’ve had a spinal cord severed. The prime example is a commercial pilot, who’s in an accident, has severed his spinal cord, and became quadriplegic.

Stem cells were used on his spine and a few months later, full-function regained. He got his license back and he’s flying airplanes again.

This kind of thing was the stuff of fantasy and now it’s real, it’s actually happening.

Next up …

About the Authors

[simple-author-box]

References

  1. Anzalone R, Opatrilova R, Kruzliak P, Gerbino A and La Rocca G. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Wharton’s Jelly (WJ-MSCs): Coupling Their Hidden Differentiative Program to Their Frank Immunomodulatory Phenotype. 2018;20:271-279.
  2. Vangsness CT Jr, Sternberg H, Harris L. Umbilical Cord Tissue Offers the Greatest Number of Harvestable Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Research and Clinical Application: A Literature Review of Different Harvest Sites. 2015 Sep;31(9):1836-43.
  3. Watson N, Divers R, Kedar R, Mehindru A, Mehindru A, Borlongan M, Borlongan C. Discarded Wharton’s Jelly of the Human Umbilical Cord: A Viable Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jan;17(1):18–24.
  4. Kalaszczynska I, Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2015, Article ID 430847, 11 pages.
  5. Davies J, Walker J, Keating A. Concise Review: Wharton’s Jelly: The Rich, but Enigmatic, Source of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. 2017 Jul;6(7):1620–1630.
  6. Weiss M, Troyer D. Stem Cells in the Umbilical Cord. 2006;2(2):155–162.
  7. Erices A, Conget P, Minguell J. Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells in Human Umbilical Cord Blood. 2000 Apr;109(1):235-42.
  8. Shawki S, Gaafar T, Erfan H, El Khateeb E, El Sheikhah A, El Hawary R. Immunomodulatory Effects of Umbilical Cord‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;59(6):348-56.
  9. Arutyunyan I, Elchaninov A, Makarov A, Fatkhudinov T. Umbilical Cord as Prospective Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy. 2016;2016:6901286.
  10. SubramanianA, Fong C, Biswas A, Bongso A. Comparative Characterization of Cells from the Various Compartments of the Human Umbilical Cord Shows that the Wharton’s Jelly Compartment Provides the Best Source of Clinically Utilizable Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;10(6):e0127992
  11. Ilic D, Polak JM. Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine: Introduction. 2011;98:117-26.
  12. Sanchez-Ramos J. Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood. 2006 Nov;24(5):358-69.
  13. Low CB, Liou YC, Tang BL. Neural Differentiation and Potential use of Stem Cells from the Human Umbilical Cord for Central Nervous System Transplantation Therapy. 2008 Jun;86(8):1670-9.
  14. Herranz AS, Gonzalo-Gobernado R, Reimers D, Asensio MJ, Rodríguez-Serrano M, Bazán E. Applications of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells in Central Nervous System Regeneration. 2010 Mar;5(1):17-22.
  15. Zarrabi M, Mousavi SH, Abroun S, Sadeghi B. Potential uses for Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2014 Winter;15(4):274-81.
  16. Kabataş S, Civelek E, İnci Ç, Yalçınkaya EY, Günel G, Kır G, Albayrak E, Öztürk E, Adaş G, Karaöz E. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study. 2018 Oct;27(10):1425-1433.
  17. Sadlik B, Jaroslawski G, Puszkarz M, Blasiak A, Oldak T, Gladysz D, Whyte G. Cartilage Repair in the Knee Using Umbilical Cord Wharton’s Jelly–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Embedded Onto Collagen Scaffolding and Implanted Under Dry Arthroscopy. 2018 Jan;7(1):e57–e63.
  18. Kim DW, Staples M, Shinozuka K, Pantcheva P, Kang SD, Borlongan CV. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Phenotypic Characterization and Optimizing Their Therapeutic Potential for Clinical Applications. 2013 May 31;14(6):11692-712.
  19. Nagamura-Inoue T, He H. Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Their Advantages and Potential Clinical Utility. 2014 Apr 26;6(2):195–202.
  20. Kalaszczynska I and Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2014 Dec.

 


Lecture : What are stem cells? – Part 2 of 4 – Where do they come from?

(The following is a transcription of the above video)

There are three sources of stem cells.

  1. There are the embryonic stem cells, those stem cells that are part of a developing fetus. 
  2. There are the placental stem cells, which are the placenta and the umbilical cord.
  3. All of our adult organs have stem cells in them as well.

Which stem cells are used in medicine?

1st Source – Embryonic Stem Cells

We do not use the first source of stem cells, the embryonic stem cell. 

The Controversy of Embryonic Stem Cells

You may recall a few years back there was a great deal of political upheaval and controversy about the use of embryonic stem cells, why? Because when you pluck those cells out of a developing embryo, you are in fact interfering with the development of a human life. 

For all of the ethical reasons this is very controversial and should be.

Embryonic Stem Cells are NOT Used in Clinical Medicine

Now, from a medical perspective, we wouldn’t use those cells in stem cell therapies anyway. Because those cells are still undifferentiated.

Embryonic stem cells are still undifferentiated and NOT used in clinical medicine

Embryonic stem cells are still undifferentiated and NOT used in clinical medicine

Remember, they haven’t yet decided which line they’re going to be a part of, which organ system they’re going to be a part of. They have all of those options ahead of them and you don’t know which direction they’re going to go. 

If you took some of those cells out to try to cure a liver and stuck them in someone’s liver, you don’t know that they’re going to become liver cells, they could become something else.

Not a good situation, so in clinical medicine, they are not used and never were, so we can just let them go for now. Embryonic stem cells are used for research purposes but not in clinical medicine.

2nd Source – Placental Stem Cells

The second source of stem cells, the placental cells, ARE used in clinical medicine.

In fact, most of what I’m going to be talking about today are the characteristics and the use of placental stem cells. 

Image of a mesenchymal stem cell.

Image of a mesenchymal stem cell.

These are called Mesenchymal Stem Cells that are extracted out of, or harvested from, umbilical cords.

NO Controversy with Placental Stem Cells

There is no controversy there at all because after the baby is born, the next delivery in fact, is the placenta and the cord and those are considered medical waste. They’re going to be incinerated and simply disposed of which is a shame because stem cells are in those tissues and they’re very valuable. 

With the mother’s permission, they can be donated to science or given to a cord bank for preservation in case the mother and / or the child need those cells in the future.

Or they can be used for medications or for treatments such as we’re going to be talking about today. That’s the second source of stem cells.

3rd Source – Adult Stem Cells

The third source of stem cells are the adult stem cells. Remember, we have them in our own organs.

Each organ system has adult stem cells that are specifically programed and equipped to care for that organ.

Each organ system has adult stem cells that are specifically programed and equipped to care for that organ.

Now you wouldn’t want to extract stem cells from someone’s liver. That would be painful and not very efficient.

Harvesting Adult Stem Cells

There are three places we can get stem cells out of a human body efficiently and effectively without causing too much disruption or pain.

1. Bone Marrow

You can drill into someone’s bone and extract the bone marrow, which is filled with stem cells.

Adult stem cells can be harvested from the patient’s femur bone.

Adult stem cells can be harvested from the patient’s femur bone.

 Not the most comfortable procedure I assure you, but it can be done easily.

2. Blood

You can simply remove some of the blood and extract stem cells from somebody’s blood. A very easy procedure to do.

3. Fat

There are a lot of stem cells in fat. Those stem cells happen to be dormant but there are a lot of them in there and they’re commonly used in clinical medicine.

Processing the Harvested Stem Cells

About the adult stem cells, what do you do with them after you’ve harvested them? After you’ve extracted them from your patient?

A patient comes into the office, they want for instance, a stem cell injection for their knee because they have a banged-up knee.

You take some of their fat and the first thing you have to do is clean that fat. Extract and distill out the stem cells and then you prepare them in whatever way is necessary to be re-injected or re-infused into the patient.

Concerns of Harvesting Adult Stem Cells

There are 4 major concerns when harvesting the stem cells of an adult.

1. Pain

Obviously the discomfort of the procedure.

Harvesting fat from a patient's belly. Stem cells from fat are commonly used in clinical medicine.

Harvesting fat from a patient’s belly. Stem cells from fat are commonly used in clinical medicine.

If you’re extracting the cells from someone’s belly, you’re going to bruise them. It’s not the most comfortable procedure, though with an anesthetic, it can be comfortable but the patient is going to bruise and there’s going to be some discomfort afterwards.

2. Infection

There’s always the possibility of causing an infection in the area from which you’ve extracted the stem cells.

3. Contamination 

There’s also the issue of contamination. 

During the time, in the procedure, where you are distilling the stem cells, cleansing them, preparing them. What if some contaminant got in there?

4. Age of Stem Cells

The last concern and one of the most important in my mind is the fact that these are stem cells of an adult.

Let’s say you have a 50 year old patient, well they have 50 year old stem cells in there. Those 50 year old stem cells are not nearly as potent. They do not have as much potential and vitality as the young stem cells that are extracted from umbilical cords.

Stem Cells and Age

As we age, two things happen to our stem cells. First, we lose the numbers of them. 

As we age, the number of stem cell we have decreases and the stem cells we do still have lose their vitality.

As we age, the number of stem cell we have decreases and the stem cells we do still have lose their vitality.

The Number of Stem Cells Decreases

In fact, from a brand new baby to 18 years old, you lose about 60 percent of your stem cells.

From 18 years old to 30 years old you lose another 25 percent of them.

By the time you’re 50, 60 and 70, you’re down to around 5% of the amount of stem cells you had when you were a baby.

The Stem Cells Lose Functionality

Not only do you lose the number of stem cells in your body, but the stem cells that you do have are not nearly as potent, as functional and as eager to do the job that they’re supposed to do. They lose functionality. The adult stem cells that you extract out of a 50 year old patient who has a knee issue, are not going to be as vital as umbilical cord stem cells.

The Science

To give you a very clear example here’s the science behind it. 

A comparison of the potency of adult stem cells versus mesenchymal stem cells.

A comparison of the “potency” or functionality of adult stem cells versus mesenchymal stem cells.

If we take one of those adult stem cells from someone’s fat and we put it in a petri dish and nourish it with all the things that it likes to eat and be happy. In 30 days that one adult stem cell is going to become 200 cells. Not bad, 200 out of one.

Now, take that same umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell put in the same petri dish with the same nutrients. In one-months time it will become over a billion cells. Two hundred to a billion.

That’s the difference between the vitality of an older persons stem cell versus a young nascent cell from an umbilical cord whose entire life and vitality are still ahead of it.

A good way to imagine this since we talk about billions all the time and we kind of don’t really know how much a billion is. If you took 200 quarters, like the 200 cells from an adult stem cell and stack them up maybe 14 inches tall.

If you took a billion quarters and stacked them up, they’d be over a thousand miles tall.

A thousand miles versus 14 inches, this is a huge difference in their vitality, their potential and their capacity to regenerate and bring new life to a patient.

How Stem Cells Function

The umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell. 

How does it work? What are its characteristics? How does it function?

1. Homing to Damaged Tissue

When you infuse mesenchymal stem cells into someone’s body, studies show that those cells will home to the damaged tissue. We know this because you can put markers on those cells.

If someone has a damaged heart and you infuse those cells into their body, studies have shown that you can see them migrating directly to the damaged tissue.

It’s brilliant, it’s mysterious how they do this. It’s part of the mystery, magic and the miracle of our physiology.

2. Attach to Micro-capillaries

When the mesenchymal stem cells get to their destination, these stem cells latch on to the micro-vasculature, the tiny little capillaries of that organ.

Image of mesenchymal stem cells (in red) attaching themselves to the micro-vasculature (in blue).

Image of mesenchymal stem cells (in red) attaching themselves to the micro-vasculature (in blue).

When the stem cells are attached there, there is one thing they don’t do and one thing that they do, do.

A. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Do not Become Organ Tissue

What they don’t do is become that organ tissue.

Along the way earlier I said how stem cells would duplicate or replicate themselves and then the other cell will become the tissue that needed to be replaced. These mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord do not do that. It’s called engrafting. 

They do latch on to the little tiny capillaries in that organ but they don’t become that organ tissue.

B. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Release Messaging Molecules:

These mesenchymal stem cells release this magic soup of signaling messaging molecules.

Remember those little vesicles that were on the surface of the cell?

The vesicles on the surface of the mesenchymal stem cell release a soup of messaging molecules that cause massive regeneration of tissue.

The vesicles on the surface of the mesenchymal stem cell release a soup of messaging molecules that cause massive regeneration of tissue.

Those little bubbles pop and this soup comes out that is filled with all these incredible cytokines, which cause massive regeneration of the tissue. 

In fact, one of the things that this soup does is stimulate the native stem cells in that organ to do what they used to do when you were a baby. Studies show that this massive regeneration happens because of what the mesenchymal stem cells release.

Discovery of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Dr. Arnold Caplan is the brilliant scientist who discovered these mesenchymal stem cells in umbilical cords. He named them of course, to define them as mesenchymal stem cells (MSC).

Dr. Arnold Caplan discovered the mesenchymal stem cell.

Dr. Arnold Caplan discovered the mesenchymal stem cell.

This magic soup that they release is such a powerful element of why these cells are so powerful in our physiology, that he is playing around with the idea of changing MSC from Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Medicinal Signaling Cells, also MSC.

Up next …

About the Authors

[simple-author-box]

References

  1. Anzalone R, Opatrilova R, Kruzliak P, Gerbino A and La Rocca G. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Wharton’s Jelly (WJ-MSCs): Coupling Their Hidden Differentiative Program to Their Frank Immunomodulatory Phenotype. 2018;20:271-279.
  2. Vangsness CT Jr, Sternberg H, Harris L. Umbilical Cord Tissue Offers the Greatest Number of Harvestable Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Research and Clinical Application: A Literature Review of Different Harvest Sites. 2015 Sep;31(9):1836-43.
  3. Watson N, Divers R, Kedar R, Mehindru A, Mehindru A, Borlongan M, Borlongan C. Discarded Wharton’s Jelly of the Human Umbilical Cord: A Viable Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jan;17(1):18–24.
  4. Kalaszczynska I, Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2015, Article ID 430847, 11 pages.
  5. Davies J, Walker J, Keating A. Concise Review: Wharton’s Jelly: The Rich, but Enigmatic, Source of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. 2017 Jul;6(7):1620–1630.
  6. Weiss M, Troyer D. Stem Cells in the Umbilical Cord. 2006;2(2):155–162.
  7. Erices A, Conget P, Minguell J. Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells in Human Umbilical Cord Blood. 2000 Apr;109(1):235-42.
  8. Shawki S, Gaafar T, Erfan H, El Khateeb E, El Sheikhah A, El Hawary R. Immunomodulatory Effects of Umbilical Cord‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;59(6):348-56.
  9. Arutyunyan I, Elchaninov A, Makarov A, Fatkhudinov T. Umbilical Cord as Prospective Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy. 2016;2016:6901286.
  10. SubramanianA, Fong C, Biswas A, Bongso A. Comparative Characterization of Cells from the Various Compartments of the Human Umbilical Cord Shows that the Wharton’s Jelly Compartment Provides the Best Source of Clinically Utilizable Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;10(6):e0127992
  11. Ilic D, Polak JM. Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine: Introduction. 2011;98:117-26.
  12. Sanchez-Ramos J. Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood. 2006 Nov;24(5):358-69.
  13. Low CB, Liou YC, Tang BL. Neural Differentiation and Potential use of Stem Cells from the Human Umbilical Cord for Central Nervous System Transplantation Therapy. 2008 Jun;86(8):1670-9.
  14. Herranz AS, Gonzalo-Gobernado R, Reimers D, Asensio MJ, Rodríguez-Serrano M, Bazán E. Applications of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells in Central Nervous System Regeneration. 2010 Mar;5(1):17-22.
  15. Zarrabi M, Mousavi SH, Abroun S, Sadeghi B. Potential uses for Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2014 Winter;15(4):274-81.
  16. Kabataş S, Civelek E, İnci Ç, Yalçınkaya EY, Günel G, Kır G, Albayrak E, Öztürk E, Adaş G, Karaöz E. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study. 2018 Oct;27(10):1425-1433.
  17. Sadlik B, Jaroslawski G, Puszkarz M, Blasiak A, Oldak T, Gladysz D, Whyte G. Cartilage Repair in the Knee Using Umbilical Cord Wharton’s Jelly–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Embedded Onto Collagen Scaffolding and Implanted Under Dry Arthroscopy. 2018 Jan;7(1):e57–e63.
  18. Kim DW, Staples M, Shinozuka K, Pantcheva P, Kang SD, Borlongan CV. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Phenotypic Characterization and Optimizing Their Therapeutic Potential for Clinical Applications. 2013 May 31;14(6):11692-712.
  19. Nagamura-Inoue T, He H. Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Their Advantages and Potential Clinical Utility. 2014 Apr 26;6(2):195–202.
  20. Kalaszczynska I and Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2014 Dec.


Lecture : What are stem cells? – Part 1 of 4 – Why are stem cells important?

(The following is a transcription of the above video)

Hello everyone, I am Asher Milgrom, PhD, the CEO and Chief Science Officer of AMA Regenerative Medicine & Skincare. My specialty is biomedical sciences and we specialize here in Integrative Medicine and Regenerative Medicine.

We are privileged to be doing all sorts of very interesting research with stem cells and that’s the subject of this lecture.

I intend to condense a lot of very sophisticated science into very simple language, to give you an overview of stem cells;

  1. What are stem cells
  2. What do stem cells do
  3. Where do stem cells come from
  4. Why are stem cells important to us 

The Power of Creation

We’re starting with this photo, which is obviously a slide from the Hubble telescope of a cosmic event.

Cosmic nebula representing the creation of the universe.

Cosmic nebula representing the creation of the universe.

This is a cosmic nebula which really represents the creation of the universe. If you look in there with the special telescopes, you can see all the way back to the beginning, the Big Bang, when the universe was created.

I’m starting with that because the power of creation cosmically, is also present in that stem cell.

The Mesenchymal Stem Cell

The power of creation of our own physiology, of our own health, our vitality, is all imbued inherent in those stem cells. In fact, many people call the stem cell, “The God Cell” and here it is.

Up-close look at a mesenchymal stem cell

Up-close look at a mesenchymal stem cell

That’s the mesenchymal stem cell right there. We’ll talk much more in detail about it later but in the meantime, know that you can go to YouTube and find a movie called The God Cells, which is a very graphic presentation of all the research on stem cells being done these days. Very exciting documentary, I suggest that you go take a look at it.

Mystery, Miracles & Magic of Human Physiology

This picture is a depiction of the many different ways that science, ancient science and modern science looks at human physiology.

You are walking around within this incredible dynamic multi-dimensional kaleidoscope of extraordinary intelligence that created us.

You are walking around within this incredible dynamic multi-dimensional kaleidoscope of extraordinary intelligence that created us.

Whether you are of a spiritual nature or not, there’s no question that human physiology is filled with mystery, miracles and magic. It’s magical what goes on in us and deeply, deeply mysterious.

We barely understand it. We’re just scratching the surface of our understanding of the unfathomable complexity of human physiology.

For those who do have a kind of a spiritual bend to it there’s no question that human physiology is a microcosm of the greater cosmos and all its complexity. There is no question for those who see the complexity and the miracle of it, the mystery of it, that it’s kind of like touching the mind of God and hopefully throughout this lecture and therefore, thereon, you will have a different experience with your own physiology.

You are walking around within this incredible dynamic multi-dimensional kaleidoscope of extraordinary intelligence that created us.

What is Health?

The best way to start a conversation about stem cells is to ask the very simple question; what is health?

In Western modern medicine that we’re all familiar with, in Europe and in the United States, the industry of medicine is really focused on disease. It really isn’t focused on health. In fact, it doesn’t even really define it, let alone find ways to augment it or to accelerate it or to promote it.

Well it so happens that stem cells deal both with disease and with giving us optimal health. That is why studies show that stem cells are so important for our health

Tissue Turnover

The best definition of health is in fact, tissue turnover.

When we are young, and our bodies are filled with stem cells, we have amazing regenerative capacity. We’re constantly turning over all of our tissues.

Apoptosis

Cells are designed to work at peak efficiency until they cannot and then they are designed to die.

Cells are designed to work at peak efficiency until they cannot and then they are designed to die, called apoptosis.

Cells are designed to work at peak efficiency until they cannot and then they are designed to die, called apoptosis.

It’s called programmed death or cell death or otherwise known as apoptosis and those cells that are now dysfunctional and dying are replaced with healthy new young nascent baby cells with their whole life ahead of them. Again, this is cellular turnover. 

When you were a kid, you had a new liver every few months, all of your organs were completely replaced every few months and as we age that process of cellular and tissue turnover slows down.

The Engine of Regeneration

So why are stem cells important? The stem cell is in fact, the engine of that regeneration. It’s the stem cell that has the ability to replace those dying cells with new cells.

In fact, every organ in your body is filled with stem cells that have become the cells in charge of regenerating that organ. In the liver, there are liver stem cells that regenerate new liver cells and in your kidneys and in your vasculature, etc. All over your body there are stems cells specializing in different organs.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell

Here is again, that same picture of the mesenchymal stem cell. I wanted you to look at it again more carefully.

Mesenchymal stem cells are extracted out of umbilical cords.

Mesenchymal stem cells are extracted out of umbilical cords.

This is a mesenchymal stem cell that’s extracted out of umbilical cords.

You’ll see that the cell has little bumps on it. Those little bubbles all over the surface. These are vesicles and those vesicles are filled with all sorts of signaling molecules, cytokines and things like that. These play a very important role in what the stem cells can do for us and how they function in our bodies.

Hold this image in your mind and we’re going to get back to it. 

The Promise of Regenerative Medicine

Now, what is the promise of Regenerative Medicine?

1. Cure Disease

There are many diseases that afflict our population that modern medicine doesn’t cure. It just manages, for instance diabetes; you don’t cure diabetes you manage it, you manage it with insulin.

There are many, many diseases like that that modern medicine cannot cure. Hopefully you can slow it down and simply manage it.

Well, Regenerative Medicine has a different perspective.

That diseases, even those that are end diseases and they just terminate with death, that those diseases should be able to be stopped and reversed.

Regenerative Medicine and stem cells play an important role in that.

2. Optimal Health

That thing, which modern medicine doesn’t deal with, our health, defining it, augmenting it, promoting it, accelerating it, Regenerative Medicine does exactly that.

Instead of just managing tissue that isn’t working, let’s say your pancreas, if you have diabetes how about replacing the damaged tissue or the dysfunctional tissue with new healthy young tissue that does function well? Then the disease would simply go away and you would be restored to optimal health.

That is what Regenerative Medicine is about.

3. Longevity

If you could keep your organs young, you could live a lot longer. It is really that simple.

The kind of motto that we play with here, maybe I should trade mark it, is that Regenerative Medicine “adds years to your life and life to your years”, we kind of like that and that really is what we do with Regenerative Medicine.

The Science of Stem Cells

Here we have a slide of a stem cell. Two critical characteristics define what a stem cell is.

Stem cells are defined by two critical characteristics, self renewal and differentiation.

Stem cells are defined by two critical characteristics, self renewal and differentiation.

It is in fact, what we call an immortal cell, it hangs around for a long time and while it’s hanging around it has two things that it can do.

2 Critical Characteristics of Stem Cells

  1. It is self-renewing. It can in fact duplicate itself precisely. That new cell that was the daughter cell of the stem cell, is an exact duplicate of the stem cell itself.
  2. It can differentiate. Which means it can turn into an organ cell. An adult differentiated organ cell is also known as a somatic cell.

If we have a stem cell of the liver and the liver needs a new cell, that stem cell in there is going to pop out into two. One of them is going to be a duplicate of the original stem cell and the other one’s going to be that new liver cell that the body or the liver needs.

The Difference Between Stem Cells and Normal Cells

While we’re discussing the two critical characteristics of stem cells, it’s a good place to say how they are different from our normal organ cells.

The primary difference is that normal organ cells, let’s take the liver again for example; they can duplicate but they’re very limited in how many generations of duplications they can do.

The other thing is that, this fully mature organ cell does not have the ability to stay alive forever, it has that programed death that we spoke of earlier (apoptosis). So limited ability to duplicate and it is going to die after it ceases to be able to function at peak efficiency.

The Development of Stem Cells

Here is the history of where stem cells come from in our development and where they end up going.

When we are an embryo, we are essentially a collection of stem cells.

When we are an embryo, we are essentially a collection of stem cells.

So when we are in fact an embryo, we’re pretty much all one big collection of stem cells.

It all Starts with an Egg and the Sperm

You have an egg and the sperm, they are both in fact very powerful stem cells because they are going to become everything you are. They come together and they fertilize and that one big cell becomes two, becomes four, becomes eight.

Those are very powerful stem cells that are in fact, going to evolve into, mature into, transform into every different type of cell in your body.

The Blastocyst

Through that process, you see it ends up at the blastocyst and this is an important distinction here because, the blastocyst cells now differentiate into two different types of stem cells. The pink cells around the outside and the blue cells on the inside.

The pink ones are the cells that will not become the baby in the human being. They become all of the embryonic tissue that you need to support the developing fetus. This is the placenta and the umbilical cord.

The blue cells in the middle; those cells are the ones that are going to evolve into, transform into all the different cells that are you, and all the different organs.

Why are Stem Cells important? Blastocyst Cells Differentiate Into Two Different Types

Why are stem cells important? Blastocyst Cells Differentiate Into Two Different Types

Here is a larger picture of the blastocyst. The cells on the outside that become the cord and the placenta and the blue cells in the inside.

We call them pluripotent or totipotent and they have the potential of becoming anything. Every cell in your body come from those cells.

The Hierarchy of Stem Cells 

Here’s the hierarchy of how those cells develop.

What are Stem Cells? The Hierarchy of How They Develop

What are Stem Cells? The Hierarchy of How They Develop

You start with that blue cell on the top right, the totipotent or pluripotent cell and it’s going to differentiate into different cell lines that become the different organ systems.

On the left, we have those that become all the blood cells and those are not just the red blood cells but also all the immune cells that are floating around your body.

On the right side, we have the cell lines that will become the various organs; the muscles and the nerves and the bones and all the other tissues that make up your body. The organ cells again, another name for them are somatic cells.

Stem Cells in the Human Body

Here we have a diagram that is depicting the fact that all the organs in your body have those green stars in them and those green stars are a small percentage of that organ that are in fact stem cells.

Why are stem cells important? All the Organs in Your Body Have Stem Cells

Why are stem cells important? All the Organs in Your Body Have Stem Cells

The stem cells of that organ are in charge of regenerating that organ and replacing the cells that are no longer functioning at peak efficiency and in fact are programmed to die and be replaced.

Up next …

About the Authors

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References

  1. Anzalone R, Opatrilova R, Kruzliak P, Gerbino A and La Rocca G. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Wharton’s Jelly (WJ-MSCs): Coupling Their Hidden Differentiative Program to Their Frank Immunomodulatory Phenotype. 2018;20:271-279.
  2. Vangsness CT Jr, Sternberg H, Harris L. Umbilical Cord Tissue Offers the Greatest Number of Harvestable Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Research and Clinical Application: A Literature Review of Different Harvest Sites. 2015 Sep;31(9):1836-43.
  3. Watson N, Divers R, Kedar R, Mehindru A, Mehindru A, Borlongan M, Borlongan C. Discarded Wharton’s Jelly of the Human Umbilical Cord: A Viable Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jan;17(1):18–24.
  4. Kalaszczynska I, Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2015, Article ID 430847, 11 pages.
  5. Davies J, Walker J, Keating A. Concise Review: Wharton’s Jelly: The Rich, but Enigmatic, Source of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. 2017 Jul;6(7):1620–1630.
  6. Weiss M, Troyer D. Stem Cells in the Umbilical Cord. 2006;2(2):155–162.
  7. Erices A, Conget P, Minguell J. Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells in Human Umbilical Cord Blood. 2000 Apr;109(1):235-42.
  8. Shawki S, Gaafar T, Erfan H, El Khateeb E, El Sheikhah A, El Hawary R. Immunomodulatory Effects of Umbilical Cord‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;59(6):348-56.
  9. Arutyunyan I, Elchaninov A, Makarov A, Fatkhudinov T. Umbilical Cord as Prospective Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy. 2016;2016:6901286.
  10. SubramanianA, Fong C, Biswas A, Bongso A. Comparative Characterization of Cells from the Various Compartments of the Human Umbilical Cord Shows that the Wharton’s Jelly Compartment Provides the Best Source of Clinically Utilizable Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;10(6):e0127992
  11. Ilic D, Polak JM. Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine: Introduction. 2011;98:117-26.
  12. Sanchez-Ramos J. Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood. 2006 Nov;24(5):358-69.
  13. Low CB, Liou YC, Tang BL. Neural Differentiation and Potential use of Stem Cells from the Human Umbilical Cord for Central Nervous System Transplantation Therapy. 2008 Jun;86(8):1670-9.
  14. Herranz AS, Gonzalo-Gobernado R, Reimers D, Asensio MJ, Rodríguez-Serrano M, Bazán E. Applications of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells in Central Nervous System Regeneration. 2010 Mar;5(1):17-22.
  15. Zarrabi M, Mousavi SH, Abroun S, Sadeghi B. Potential uses for Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2014 Winter;15(4):274-81.
  16. Kabataş S, Civelek E, İnci Ç, Yalçınkaya EY, Günel G, Kır G, Albayrak E, Öztürk E, Adaş G, Karaöz E. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study. 2018 Oct;27(10):1425-1433.
  17. Sadlik B, Jaroslawski G, Puszkarz M, Blasiak A, Oldak T, Gladysz D, Whyte G. Cartilage Repair in the Knee Using Umbilical Cord Wharton’s Jelly–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Embedded Onto Collagen Scaffolding and Implanted Under Dry Arthroscopy. 2018 Jan;7(1):e57–e63.
  18. Kim DW, Staples M, Shinozuka K, Pantcheva P, Kang SD, Borlongan CV. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Phenotypic Characterization and Optimizing Their Therapeutic Potential for Clinical Applications. 2013 May 31;14(6):11692-712.
  19. Nagamura-Inoue T, He H. Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Their Advantages and Potential Clinical Utility. 2014 Apr 26;6(2):195–202.
  20. Kalaszczynska I and Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2014 Dec.

Stem cells refer to “original” cells that are “undifferentiated” which means they have not yet become cells that are a part of a specific organ system.



Embryonic Stem Cells : Essentially all of the Cells of the Developing Embryo are Stem Cell

Essentially, all of the cells of the developing embryo are stem cells



First things first…. Embryonic stem cells that are used for medical treatments are NOT part of a developing fetus or baby.

Rather these cells are derived from other embryonic tissues such as placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic fluid. These tissues are routinely collected during the birth of a baby and destroyed (incinerated) immediately following the birth.

From a clinical perspective, fetal stem cells are NOT suitable for any therapeutic use, because they are very unstable and not safe for transplanting into patients.

Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells are derived from embryos before the 2nd week of development long before the developing embryo has transitioned to becoming a Fetus. During these first two weeks, essentially all of the cells of the embryo are stem cells, in that they have not differentiated into cells with specialized functions.

The 1st week of human embryo development. All of the cells are stem cells.

The 1st week of human embryo development. All of the cells are stem cells.

Typically, these types of stem cells are derived from embryos that are created in laboratory conditions, not harvested directly from a human mother. In other words, a human egg has been harvested from a woman and fertilized with a human sperm in vitro (in a laboratory). This usually takes place in an in vitro fertilization clinic – and then donated for stem cell research purposes.

Harvesting Embryonic Stem Cells

First, let’s dispel the misconception that developing fetuses (babies) are necessarily hurt, killed, or involved in any way with “embryonic stem cells”. They are NOT.

We are NOT referring to “fetal” stem cells that are harvested from a developing fetus, rather we are referring to stem cells derived from other embryonic tissues (not fetal) that are harvested after the baby is born.

Placental Tissues

These include placenta, umbilical tissues, umbilical cord blood and amniotic fluid. All these tissues are routinely destroyed after the baby is born and thus harvesting these tissues for research or medical treatments pose no ethical challenges at all regarding the life of the associated baby.

Blood (haematopoietic) stem cells come from the umbilical cord blood. Mesenchymal stem cells come from the Wharton’s jelly.

Blood (haematopoietic) stem cells come from the umbilical cord blood. Mesenchymal stem cells come from the Wharton’s jelly.

With the consent of the birthing mother, these tissues are professionally collected and taken to a specialized laboratory where the sought-after cells are extracted and stored. Of course, before these stem cells can be utilized, they must undergo comprehensive biological testing to ensure that the cells are free of disease, infections and genetic mutations. The parents of these cells are also tested and their health status validated.

Frozen Embryos

Where serious ethical issues are encountered, are tissues harvested from frozen embryos that were created from in-vitro fertilization procedures.

In a nutshell, when a couple are not able to conceive a baby through natural intercourse, sperm and eggs can be collected, and fertilization can be induced in a laboratory, resulting in a nascent developing embryo. These embryos, which also contain a potential fetus, are frozen awaiting surgical implantation into the mothers’ uterus.

Once a pregnancy has reached viability, any remaining frozen embryos are no longer needed, and many medical research labs have wanted to use these frozen embryos for research. The challenge is that these frozen embryos contain the potential of a viable human life.

Growing Embryonic Stem Cells

The technique of growing embryonic stem cells in the laboratory is referred to as cell culture.

Culturing

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are grown by harvesting the cells derived from an early stage preimplantation embryo (a very young embryo that if present in a human mother would not yet be implanted in her uterus).

Growing stem cells in a cell culture

Growing stem cells in a cell culture

These cells are grown in a special laboratory dish that contains a nutrient broth known as culture medium.

Sub-culturing

Once the cells have taken hold and are surviving they can be removed and placed into several additional culture dishes. The process is called sub-culturing the cells and can be repeated many times over many weeks and months.

Each cycle of sub-culturing the cells is referred to as a passage, and is a way that a few original stem cells can be “expanded” into many generations and millions of stem cells and are referred to as an embryonic stem cell line.

Characterization of Embryonic Stem Cells

During the process of generating lines of embryonic stem cells in laboratory conditions, it is important to test the cells to see if they exhibit the basic properties or “characteristics” of stems cells. This process is called “characterization”.

Though this process has not been standardized throughout the cell-biology industry, the following are some of the tests that are commonly performed:

Self-Renewal Ability

Testing the cells’ ability for Self-Renewal. This is accomplished simply by growing and sub-culturing the stem cells for extended periods of time and evaluating their rate of growth.

Healthy, undifferentiated stem cells under a microscope

Healthy, undifferentiated stem cells under a microscope

At each stage, the stem cells can also be inspected through a microscope to ensure that they look healthy and remain undifferentiated.

Gene Transcription Factors

Testing for the presence of specific Gene Transcription factors. Let me explain.

Every cell is constantly activating and deactivating specific genes which are the templates for the creation of different proteins. For instance, when we eat sugar, cells in our pancreas will create the protein insulin which is essential in regulating our blood sugar levels. To do this, certain transcription factors that turn-on the transcription of the insulin gene will be made. Conversely, when our sugar levels are low and we don’t need insulin any more, transcription factors will be made that inhibit the transcription of the insulin gene.

Basically transcription factors are what turn-on or turn-off the transcription of genes.

When stem cells are in an undifferentiated state, they produce certain transcription factors; specifically the “Oct-4” and “Nanog” transcription factors. Apparently, without these factors, the cells will start going down the path of differentiation. Therefore to establish that the cells we are growing are true undifferentiated stem cells, the transcription factors “Oct-4” and “Nanog” must be present.

Cell-Surface-Markers

All cells have specific membrane cell-surface-markers that are characteristic for that kind of cell.

All cells have specific membrane cell-surface-markers that are characteristic for that kind of cell.

All cells have specific membrane cell-surface-markers that are characteristic for that kind of cell.

Thus we can test for the presence of cell-surface-markers that are typical of stem cells.

Durability

Another important determination is to test for the cells durability. Can the stem cells be frozen and thawed and still remain viable.

Pluripotent

Testing to see if the stem cells are truly pluripotent… meaning that they can differentiate into any kind of adult cell. This can be accomplished by allowing the cells to naturally and spontaneously differentiate, or by stimulating them by inducing them into differentiation.

The hierarchy of stem cells : We can test the cells to make sure they are in face pluripotent

The hierarchy of stem cells : We can test the cells to make sure they are in face pluripotent

Some labs even inject the stem cells into laboratory mice to see what kind of tissues might grow in the injected area. As you recall from the previous article, truly pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into any one of three fundamental cell types, (germ layers), endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm cells.

What are the Different Embryonic Cell Lines?

The most important aspect of this question and its answer is first to understand that every cell in our body, in every organ and every tissue, was created by a parent stem cell. At conception every cell in the embryo that eventually becomes a fetus and thereafter a baby, is a stem cell.

As the embryo progresses through its development, stem cells will “differentiate” into fundamental “lines” of stem cells from which the entire human body is derived.  

As the embryo progresses through its development, stem cells will “differentiate” into fundamental “lines” of stem cells from which the entire human body is derived.

As the embryo progresses through its development, stem cells will “differentiate” into fundamental “lines” of stem cells from which the entire human body is derived.

Therefore, from a strictly scientific perspective, the answer to this question is: stem cells represent every “line” of cells that comprise the entire human body.

From a more practical perspective, is the simple knowledge that every adult tissue and organ in a human body, has some stem cells that are responsible for replacing aging cells in that specific organ. Thus, for example, as a liver cell ages, and becomes less functional, it is programed to self-destruct (“apoptosis”) and is replaced by a new liver cell that is created by a local liver stem-cell.

Every adult tissue and organ has some stem cells that are responsible for replacing aging cells in that specific organ.

Every adult tissue and organ has some stem cells that are responsible for replacing aging cells in that specific organ.

Thus, the organs and tissues that have the greatest regenerative capacity are those that have the greatest percentage and most active stem cells.

How are Stem Cells Induced to Differentiate?

Perhaps an even better question to ask is “how do we induce stem cells to differentiate into the exact tissue or organ we need”?

Let me explain. Obviously, the holy grail of regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy would be to grow a new organ – let’s say a liver – for a patient who has a diseased liver. In such a world, any damaged or diseased organ could simply be replaced by a new young organ generated right from the patient’s own stem cells.

Finding the Magic Recipe

The hope is that by changing the composition of the nutrient base in which the cells are cultivated, or by adding certain transcription factors, or by using any number of chemical, biochemical and electronic elements, we might find the correct “recipe” for inducing a stem cell to differentiate into the cells we need or want.

Researchers are looking for the “magic recipe” for inducing a stem cell to differentiate into the cells we need or want

Researchers are looking for the “magic recipe” for inducing a stem cell to differentiate into the cells we need or want

Though we have discovered some basic protocols for limited induction of stem cells into specific organ tissues, we are far from growing a complete and viable human organ.

To date our best hope is focusing on developing a specific cell type and not the entire organ. For example the cells that produce insulin within a pancreas, but not the entire pancreas.

Embryonic Stem Cells for Research

As it relates to medicine, embryonic stem cells are used in many areas of research. The most dramatic research is focused on areas where conventional approaches are woefully ineffective and offer little hope, and where stem cells are demonstrating significant potential and progress.

There are many conditions where stem cells are demonstrating significant potential and progress.

There are many conditions where stem cells are demonstrating significant potential and progress.

Examples include, neurological damage, neuromuscular diseases, nerve diseases and organ replacement. There are many articles and studies on the NIH website for the following conditions (see links).

  1. Spinal cord injuries
  2. Duchenne Muscular dystrophy
  3. ALS
  4. Parkinson’s
  5. Multiple Sclerosis
  6. Skin replacement for burn patients
  7. Pulmonary Fibrosis
  8. Diabetes

Clinical uses of  Embryonic Stem Cells

Embryonic stem cells are used in a new medical science called “Regenerative Medicine” for many conditions characterized by degeneration. Below are the two most common uses of stem cell therapy. These treatments may or may not be available in the United States. Please see our FDA Disclaimer for more information.

Orthopedic / Joints

The most common examples are degenerative joint problems, such as physical injury or arthritis.

Regenerative Medicine specialists around the world report that virtually all the joints in the body are good candidates for these amazing stem cells (click previous link to see the scientific studies on the NIH website). Most commonly in need are knees, hips, shoulders and spine that are damaged, poorly functioning and often very painful.

Generally, joint damage is concentrated in deteriorated ligaments, cartilage and bone that are needed for joints to function properly.

The Potential to Avoid Surgery

In cases like these, conventional medicine offers two primary therapeutic options, drugs to control the inflammation and pain, and/or surgery. Of course, as we all know, even the best pharmaceutical drugs have many deleterious if not dangerous side effects on the entire body, and surgeries are also fraught with many serious complications.

On the other hand, Regenerative Medicine, with the help of Stem Cells offers a different solution. Instead of attempting to repair joints by using invasive surgeries or disruptive biochemistry (drugs), Regenerative Medicine specialists around the world report that treatments using stem cells heal the damage tissues by causing them to regenerate naturally.

A well-known example of this was Kobe Bryant, the famous basketball star who saved his career by traveling to Germany to have stem cells injected into his deteriorating knees.  

To add even more good news, Regenerative Medicine specialists around the world report that stem cell therapy has no negative side-effects and often gives the patient positive “side-effects” that are not even the focus of the therapy.

Bottom line, you might want stem cells for a bad knee, but every physiological system in your body can potentially benefit from them!

Autoimmune Disease

Some of the most devastating diseases that many people suffer from are autoimmune in nature… wherein the patient’s own immune system has malfunctioned and is attacking healthy tissue.

A few of the more common examples are Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Graves Disease (Thyroid) and even Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

How the Procedure is Performed

In these cases, Stem Cells are infused into the body directly into veins, and sometimes by injections into muscles. As in orthopedic cases, Regenerative Medicine specialists around the world report the results are often amazing… not only arresting the progression of the disease, but actually reversing it, and healing the patient (click previous link to see the scientific studies on the NIH website)!

This last point is considered the most dramatic and positive impact that Regenerative Medicine and stem cells have on human health and medical science. Whereas conventional therapies are focused on “managing” and controlling the ongoing deterioration of a disease, studies show that Stem Cell therapy can often reverse and heal a disease.

About the Authors

[simple-author-box]

References

  1. Anzalone R, Opatrilova R, Kruzliak P, Gerbino A and La Rocca G. Mesenchymal Stromal Cells From Wharton’s Jelly (WJ-MSCs): Coupling Their Hidden Differentiative Program to Their Frank Immunomodulatory Phenotype. 2018;20:271-279.
  2. Vangsness CT Jr, Sternberg H, Harris L. Umbilical Cord Tissue Offers the Greatest Number of Harvestable Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Research and Clinical Application: A Literature Review of Different Harvest Sites. 2015 Sep;31(9):1836-43.
  3. Watson N, Divers R, Kedar R, Mehindru A, Mehindru A, Borlongan M, Borlongan C. Discarded Wharton’s Jelly of the Human Umbilical Cord: A Viable Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jan;17(1):18–24.
  4. Kalaszczynska I, Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2015, Article ID 430847, 11 pages.
  5. Davies J, Walker J, Keating A. Concise Review: Wharton’s Jelly: The Rich, but Enigmatic, Source of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells. 2017 Jul;6(7):1620–1630.
  6. Weiss M, Troyer D. Stem Cells in the Umbilical Cord. 2006;2(2):155–162.
  7. Erices A, Conget P, Minguell J. Mesenchymal Progenitor Cells in Human Umbilical Cord Blood. 2000 Apr;109(1):235-42.
  8. Shawki S, Gaafar T, Erfan H, El Khateeb E, El Sheikhah A, El Hawary R. Immunomodulatory Effects of Umbilical Cord‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;59(6):348-56.
  9. Arutyunyan I, Elchaninov A, Makarov A, Fatkhudinov T. Umbilical Cord as Prospective Source for Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy. 2016;2016:6901286.
  10. SubramanianA, Fong C, Biswas A, Bongso A. Comparative Characterization of Cells from the Various Compartments of the Human Umbilical Cord Shows that the Wharton’s Jelly Compartment Provides the Best Source of Clinically Utilizable Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2015 Jun;10(6):e0127992
  11. Ilic D, Polak JM. Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine: Introduction. 2011;98:117-26.
  12. Sanchez-Ramos J. Stem Cells from Umbilical Cord Blood. 2006 Nov;24(5):358-69.
  13. Low CB, Liou YC, Tang BL. Neural Differentiation and Potential use of Stem Cells from the Human Umbilical Cord for Central Nervous System Transplantation Therapy. 2008 Jun;86(8):1670-9.
  14. Herranz AS, Gonzalo-Gobernado R, Reimers D, Asensio MJ, Rodríguez-Serrano M, Bazán E. Applications of Human Umbilical Cord Blood Cells in Central Nervous System Regeneration. 2010 Mar;5(1):17-22.
  15. Zarrabi M, Mousavi SH, Abroun S, Sadeghi B. Potential uses for Cord Blood Mesenchymal Stem Cells. 2014 Winter;15(4):274-81.
  16. Kabataş S, Civelek E, İnci Ç, Yalçınkaya EY, Günel G, Kır G, Albayrak E, Öztürk E, Adaş G, Karaöz E. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation in a Patient with Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: A Pilot Study. 2018 Oct;27(10):1425-1433.
  17. Sadlik B, Jaroslawski G, Puszkarz M, Blasiak A, Oldak T, Gladysz D, Whyte G. Cartilage Repair in the Knee Using Umbilical Cord Wharton’s Jelly–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Embedded Onto Collagen Scaffolding and Implanted Under Dry Arthroscopy. 2018 Jan;7(1):e57–e63.
  18. Kim DW, Staples M, Shinozuka K, Pantcheva P, Kang SD, Borlongan CV. Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Phenotypic Characterization and Optimizing Their Therapeutic Potential for Clinical Applications. 2013 May 31;14(6):11692-712.
  19. Nagamura-Inoue T, He H. Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Their Advantages and Potential Clinical Utility. 2014 Apr 26;6(2):195–202.
  20. Kalaszczynska I and Ferdyn K. Wharton’s Jelly Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Future of Regenerative Medicine? Recent Findings and Clinical Significance. 2014 Dec.

Stem cells are a type of cell that has the ability to self-renew and differentiate and can be differentiated into specialized cellular populations. Stem cell differentiation allows stem cells to transition from a unspecialized state to a functionally specialized state, resulting in the formation of various tissues and organs in the body.

Medical science has known for decades that stem cells can be found in almost all human tissues and organs and that they are critical participants in the process of how human bodies repair themselves and stay healthy. Stem cell research has been under development for 100+ years.