The diversity of MSCs, their different clinical applications, and their many traits that have not yet been thoroughly investigated are sources of discussions and controversial opinions about these cells. What are the mechanisms of action of MSCs? How do they reach their destination? Is the clinical use of MSCs safe? These are the main questions that arise regarding MSCs when they are considered as therapeutic tools. In addition to their many advantages and benefits, there are still questions about the use of MSCs. The great potential and availability of MSCs allow for their various clinical applications in the treatment of many incurable diseases. Due to their properties, especially their ability to self-regenerate, differentiate into several cell lineages and participate in immunomodulation, MSCs have become a promising tool in developing modern and efficient future treatment strategies. Researchers are increasingly aware of the nature of MSCs and new possibilities for their use. Nowadays modern treatment strategies willingly use mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from different sources. Currently, stem cells are being investigated for their potentially widespread use in therapies for many untreatable diseases. Patients could be exploited by paying for expensive treatments and being given false hope of a cure as stem cell therapies are only in their developmental stages.The need to search for new, alternative treatments for various diseases has prompted scientists and physicians to focus their attention on regenerative medicine and broadly understood cell therapies. Much of the research is being carried out by commercial clinics, so reported successes are not subject to peer review.Whether the benefits of stem cell use outweigh the objections.Educating the public about what stem cells can, and can't do, is important.At what stage of its development should an embryo be regarded as, and treated as a person?.Embryos could come to be viewed as a commodity, and not as an embryo that could develop into a person.For therapeutic cloning is it right to create embryos for therapy, and destroy them in the process?.A source of embryonic stem cells is unused embryos produced by in vitro fertilisation (IVF).Cultured stem cells could be contaminated with viruses which would be transferred to a patient.Mutations have been observed in stem cells cultured for a number of generations, and some mutated stem cells have been observed to behave like cancer cells.These would have to be collected before birth - some clinics offer to store blood from the umbilical cord when a person is born. The difficulty in obtaining and storing a patient’s embryonic stem cells.The current difficulty in finding suitable stem cell donors.There is no guarantee how successful these therapies will be, for example the use of stem cells in replacing nerve cells lost in Parkinson’s disease patients.Some variables which would be considered when discussing stem cells include: Clinical issues Sometimes, there are no right or wrong answers, or even answers at all. It is important to obtain a balanced view. They will also depend on whether the stem cells are to be used for therapy or research. These issues will be different for growth and transplant of adult, embryonic and therapeutically-cloned stem cells. But there are clinical, ethical and social issues with their use. Stem cells have great potential, in treating patients with currently untreatable conditions, growing organs for transplants, and research. Benefits and risks associated with the use of stem cells in medicine Although human stem cells have been produced in this way, and used in research, there is no evidence that, as yet, they have been used to treat anyone. Stem cells produced in this way could be transferred to the patient. The technique involves the transfer of the nucleus from a cell of the patient, to an egg cell whose nucleus has been removed. Therapeutic cloning could produce stem cells with the same genetic make-up as the patient. Alternatively, donor cells could come from a person with closely-matched tissue types. Fewer complications would arise if the stem cells came from a close member of the family. Those from a donor would not be genetically identical. Those that use the patient’s own stem cells would be genetically identical and would not be rejected by the patient's immune system. Therapeutic cloning Transplanting stem cellsĪdult stem cell transplants could use a patient's own stem cells or be from a donor.
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