Stem cells can be used in the treatment of various diseases, since they have the capacity for self-renewal and differentiation, that is, they can give rise to several cells with different functions and that constitute the different tissues of the body.
Thus, stem cells can favor the cure of several diseases, such as cancer, spinal cord, blood disorders, immunodeficiencies, changes in metabolism and degenerative diseases, for example. Understand what stem cells are.
How the treatment is done
The treatment with stem cells must be done in a hospital or clinic specialized in this type of procedure and it is done with the application of stem cells directly in the blood of the person being treated, resulting in stimulation of the immune system and formation of specialized cells.
The stem cell used is usually collected after birth, being frozen in a laboratory specialized in histocompatibility and cryopreservation or in a public bank through the BrasilCord Network, in which the stem cells are donated to society.
Diseases that can be treated with stem cells
Stem cells can be used to treat several diseases, from the most common, such as obesity and osteoporosis, to the most serious, such as cancer for example. Thus, the main diseases that can be treated with stem cells are:
- Metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, liver disease, metachromatic leukodystrophy, Günther's syndrome, adrenoleukodystrophy, Krabbe's disease and Niemann Pick's syndrome, for example; Immunodeficiencies, such as hypogammaglobulinemia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic granulomatous disease and lymphoproliferative syndrome linked to the X chromosome; Hemoglobinopathies, which are diseases related to hemoglobin, such as thalassemia and sickle cell anemia; Deficiencies related to bone marrow, which is the place where stem cells are produced, such as aplastic anemia, Fanconi disease, sideroblastic anemia, Evans syndrome, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, juvenile dermatomyositis, juvenile xanthogranuloma and Glanzmann's disease, for example; Oncological diseases, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, Hodgkin's disease, myelofibrosis, acute myeloid leukemia and solid tumors, for example.
In addition to these diseases, treatment with stem cells can also be beneficial in the case of osteoporosis, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, thymic dysplasia, head trauma and cerebral anoxia, for example.
Due to the advancement of scientific research, treatment with stem cells has been tested in several other diseases, and can be made available to the population if the results are positive.
