Medical science has advanced at a pace that leaves even experts breathless. Conditions that were seen as a certain death warrant in the past can now be cured or managed. New treatment methodologies give patients a new lease on life. However, some treatments, such as chemotherapy can cause harm to some organs. That harm must then be reversed. Advances in stem cell therapy have made such reversal of damage caused by other treatments possible.
These therapies, commonly known as bone marrow transplants, have been around for thirty years. So far, however, most transplants were performed on patients that received chemotherapy for cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma. Chemotherapy destroys both healthy and diseased cells. Bone marrow transplants help to encourage the growth of new cellular material and to repair the damage caused by the chemotherapy to the immune system.
Bone marrow transplants have proved to be very valuable in treating certain types of cancer, but researchers are positive that this treatment method will become commonplace in the treatment of a very wide variety of medical conditions. It is an extremely complicated science however, and there are potential dangers that need to be addressed and new techniques that must be developed before this technology can be used on human patients.
One area of research that shows much promise is the potential of bone marrow transplants to treat conditions that cause neuro degeneration, including Parkinsons and Alzheimer disease. There is also high hopes that patients with severe spinal cord injuries and brain damage will benefit from this procedure. It is even foreseen that it will be possible to reverse the devastating effects of strokes.
Using bone marrow transplants for treating various heart conditions is also very high on the priority list of researchers in this field. It is believed that it will eventually be possible to grow new blood vessels in the heart and to even replace damaged damaged tissue in the heart muscles. This will limit the need for dangerous and invasive open heart surgery but the availability of such revolutionary treatment techniques is still some years in the future.
Research in this field has many enemies. Some argue that it will lead to unethical medical practices because it is not only bone marrow that is used but also the blood from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. They also point out that patients are almost sure to die if their bodies reject the transplanted materials. The risks involved in the use of this technology are simply too high, they argue.
Critics also say that desperate patients often opt for bone marrow transplants when the prognosis for success is poor. The treatment can be extremely expensive and there is absolutely no guarantee that it will work. Critics say that clinics offering this treatment is often dishonest because they do not fully explain the potential ramifications of a failed procedure and they create false hope in patients.
The fact remains that much progress have been made and amazing laboratory results have been achieved. Massive efforts are being made to accelerate research efforts. Many eminent scientists firmly believe that this technology will prove to be one of the most important medical breakthroughs ever.
These therapies, commonly known as bone marrow transplants, have been around for thirty years. So far, however, most transplants were performed on patients that received chemotherapy for cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma. Chemotherapy destroys both healthy and diseased cells. Bone marrow transplants help to encourage the growth of new cellular material and to repair the damage caused by the chemotherapy to the immune system.
Bone marrow transplants have proved to be very valuable in treating certain types of cancer, but researchers are positive that this treatment method will become commonplace in the treatment of a very wide variety of medical conditions. It is an extremely complicated science however, and there are potential dangers that need to be addressed and new techniques that must be developed before this technology can be used on human patients.
One area of research that shows much promise is the potential of bone marrow transplants to treat conditions that cause neuro degeneration, including Parkinsons and Alzheimer disease. There is also high hopes that patients with severe spinal cord injuries and brain damage will benefit from this procedure. It is even foreseen that it will be possible to reverse the devastating effects of strokes.
Using bone marrow transplants for treating various heart conditions is also very high on the priority list of researchers in this field. It is believed that it will eventually be possible to grow new blood vessels in the heart and to even replace damaged damaged tissue in the heart muscles. This will limit the need for dangerous and invasive open heart surgery but the availability of such revolutionary treatment techniques is still some years in the future.
Research in this field has many enemies. Some argue that it will lead to unethical medical practices because it is not only bone marrow that is used but also the blood from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. They also point out that patients are almost sure to die if their bodies reject the transplanted materials. The risks involved in the use of this technology are simply too high, they argue.
Critics also say that desperate patients often opt for bone marrow transplants when the prognosis for success is poor. The treatment can be extremely expensive and there is absolutely no guarantee that it will work. Critics say that clinics offering this treatment is often dishonest because they do not fully explain the potential ramifications of a failed procedure and they create false hope in patients.
The fact remains that much progress have been made and amazing laboratory results have been achieved. Massive efforts are being made to accelerate research efforts. Many eminent scientists firmly believe that this technology will prove to be one of the most important medical breakthroughs ever.
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