Thursday, 27 November 2014

Stem Cell Therapy and the Heart Failure

Heart failure is a medical condition that occurs when the heart fails to pump enough blood required for the normal functioning of the body. The underlying cause can be either functional or structural disorder of the heart. Some common causes of such failure include cardiomyopathy, heart valve problems, hypertension, and coronary artery disease. There is no cure for heart failure. However, there is hope.

Role of Stem Cell Banking in Curing Heart Failure

Stem cells not only stimulate the damaged areas but also initiate a flow of biological process that aids in healing of the heart muscle.  According to some animal studies, a stem cell therapy helps to boost the formation new muscle cells by stimulating the dormant stem cells that are already present in the heart muscle. In these studies, it was noted that the administered stem cell also transformed into new heart muscle cells.

How Stem Cells are Collected

•Stem cells, which are used to treat heart failure,are usually collected from human umbilical cord tissue (allogeneic mesenchymal). These stem cells are then expanded at the laboratory.

•Mesenchymal stem cells are usually recovered from an institution that offers stem cell banking. The stem cells are collected from the umbilical cord right after the baby is born. Prior to donation, the mother is tested for infectious diseases and her medical history is evaluated. Moreover, legal consent of the donor’s family is obtained.

•All umbilical cord-derived stem cells are checked for infectious diseases to International Blood Bank Standards before they are further processed and used.

Which Stem Cells can Best Treat Heart Failure and Why?

Medical experts often stress on the advantages of using allogeneic human umbilical cord tissue (HUCT)-derived mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of heart failure. Here are the reasons.

•As HUCT mesenchymal stem cells offer immune system privilege, they can be used for the treatment of any individual.Here, the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) matching is not a prerequisite.

•Allogeneic stem cells can run several times over the period with a standardized dosage that contains high cell counts.

•Umbilical cord tissue is a rich source of mesenchymal stem cells.

•Unlike liposuction or bone marrow collection, stem cells collection is not an invasive procedure

•The outcome of various researches suggests that HUCT mesenchymal stem cells are a better option than mesenchymal stem cells from sources like fat.

Thus, stem cells have the ability to identify the injury and inflammation by secretions from damaged cells.These cells do not seem to provoke any immune response, and therefore can be used by unrelated recipients and that’s when stem cell banking comes into play.

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