What is Stem Cell?

In 1999, Science journal recognized the process of extraction of stem cells from human body, - the third significant discovery in biology of 20 century after opening of DNA and decoding of human’s genome.

WHAT IS STEM CELL

There are different methods with which people are trying to treat diseases. Among them surgery and chemical (pills) treatment are the most popular, spread and acknowledged. Comparing to this, Cell treatment is one of the youngest, but dynamically developing approach to treat different diseases and we see a bright future and many interesting discoveries in this field.

The most controversial and challenging in the cell method are experiments with the so called, Stem Cells. Thanks to the Stem Cells you could not only treat such disease as diabetes, oncology, immune deficit, parkinson’s, but also can revive your body for esthetic cosmetology purposes.

So, what is stem cell? Firstly, it is immature cell able to self-rejuvenate and evolve into particular cell of the body. In other words, these stem cells have ability to turn into muscle, bone, nerve and in all of other forms of tissues. This theory is grounded on the idea that billions of peoples’ or animals’ cells grew up merely from one cell which is called zygote (joined male and female gamete cells). This single stem cell consists of information not only about body, but also about scheme of successive development. During the process of growing this impregnate egg-cell divides and gives beginning to the all other different kinds of body’s cells. The genome of this stem cell is situated in so called “zero point”. Mechanisms, which determine specialization of the future cell are still not switched on, which means that potentially the cell can become any kind of cells, depending on body needs.

In the body of adult the stem cells can be found generally in the bone marrow, and in very small amounts in all organs and tissues. The stem cells provide restoration of injured tissues and organs. When they receive signal about defect, they rush through blood vessels to fix a problem. As we noticed above, in this way stem cells can repair practically any damage by changing into certain kind of cells, requested by body. But the problem is that in the adult body the number of these cells is very limited and this number is not enough for the struggle with many serious diseases.

The stem cells medication approach is directly connected to the kind of stem cell being used. This has influence not only on the quality and terms of treatment, but also on the cost. There are different ways in which contemporary medicine can get stem calls. As a rule, they are:

• embryonic cells - from donor or clone
• patient own stem cells - from spinal cord
• hemopoietic stem cells - from umbilical cord blood.

All of the above mentioned methods have their advantages and disadvantages. However, for the best results, most advanced clinics are using different types of embryonic stem cells: hemopoietic, nervous, thymic, muscular, cutaneous, etc. Each specific stem cell type has its own medical effects. The essential results have been achieved through combination of different cell types, depending on mechanisms of certain diseases and stages of their progress, etc.

Nowadays, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, Mexico, Barbados and some other countries are having clinics which propose stem cell transplantation treatment.