Stem Cell: A Special Stem Cell Therapy In Australia
August 25th, 2008 Nits Posted in Health | No Comments »
Stem cells can serve as therapy for conditions ranging from arthritis to burns, Australian researchers said.
According to Australian researchers, Stem cells coming from placentas and umbilical cord of newborn babies can actually be an effective therapy to those people who are suffering from arthritis and other conditions.
“Stem cells derived from different pregnancy tissues may be better suited to treating some diseases than those from widely used umbilical cord blood,” said Richard Boyd, Director of Monash University’s Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories.
Boyd said that stem cells are rich in the lining of the placenta and can potentially develop into skin tissue, lung tissue, and digestive tract tissues that can be used to cure diseases in these organs.
In addition to curing major organ diseases, Boyd said that stem cells can also develop into many different tissue types and can be used as a generic repair kit that can renew muscles and nerves.
According to Boyd, Mesenchymal stem cells, which can be found in the placenta and umbilical cord, are precursors of bone and cartilage that can be regenerated to help combat arthritis and other diseases or injuries.
Boyd, expressed sadness knowing that there are many stem cells that are put to waste during each and every birthing experience.
“It’s a crying shame that so many stem cells are discarded at birth,” said Boyd.
In an attempt to prevent more waste from happening, and to educate Australian people about stem cells, Boyd will meet the Therapeutic Goods Administration to monitor a protocol regarding the extraction and freezing of stem cells from multiple tissues; Boyd will also talk about stem cells at the Australian Biotechnology Summit in Sydney in the coming weeks.
For every birthing experience in Australia, one to two percent is requested to do a cold blood storage that will store the blood on the child’s behalf for the prevention of bone marrow diseases in the future.
Despite the marvel and usefulness of stem cells, many are still skeptical about it.
Some doctors said that the stem cell service has insufficient scientific backing regarding its effectivity and is only preying on the fears of new parents..
Karin Tiedemann, head of bone row transplantation services at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, said that though Stem cells can really be helpful, the chances of it to be used on the same child is slim to protect the child from the risk of recurring diseases.
Furthermore, president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Christine Tippett said that Anxiety should not be the basis of recruiting parents into investing in a stem cell therapy plan.
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