Some knee injections for osteoarthritis promise to repair or regenerate the joint. Others claim to decrease pain and make it easier to move.
Articles on Stem cell therapy
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For decades, stroke damage was though to be irreversible.
Often described as ‘miracle’ cells, stem cells need to be truly mastered if we’re to use them in medical treatments.
Lab-grown islet cells offer new hope for type 1 diabetes.
It’s rare for medical research to be truly ‘groundbreaking’, but the case study from China showing that stem cell therapy can reverse type 1 diabetes is worthy of this adjective.
Fifteen patients receiving an experimental stem cell therapy to treat advanced MS didn’t have the expected deteroriation in their condition.
Stem cells could help regenerate diseased or damaged parts of the body – but first, scientists need to make the cells forget their own histories.
Over 1,500 clinics are selling unapproved and unproven stem cell therapies.
Many tumors have cancer stem cells that help them grow and evade treatments. Differentiation therapy forces these cells to mature, stopping growth with less toxicity than traditional treatments.
To successfully treat people with stem cells, you first need to know which cells are faulty.
The idea behind regenerative medicine is that the patient is both the donor and recipient of healthy tissue grown from stem cells. But sometimes the transplanted cells are rejected. Now we know why.
When it comes to seeking out stem cell treatments for joint injuries, buyer beware. These so-called miracle treatments are often scams, so it vital for patients to discuss options with a physician.
All multiple sclerosis sufferers have stem cells with the potential to heal them, but scientists are only just figuring out how to kick them into action.
A new type of stem cell therapy for MS seems effective, but the side effects can be catastrophic.
When it comes to stem cells, the ways that informed consent has been obtained in the past are not sufficient and improvements are needed.
South Africa has no legislation setting out the rules for biobanks and the guidelines that do exist are not clear or detailed. This leaves the door wide open for unethical practises.
Unless the South African government tightens its laws that govern stem cell treatments, unproven stem cell therapy will continue to surge.
Many countries are introducing legislation and allowing practitioners to use medication still undergoing trials but that show preliminary signs of being safe, including some stem cell treatments.
South Africa may have legislation broadly guiding stem cell research and treatment, but these laws must be updated and clarified for it to be effective.
Stem cell research and therapy have become buzzwords across the globe. Although some of the treatments are controversial and unsafe, there is also a great deal of excitement and promise.
Top contributors
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Director, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine & SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research & Therapy, University of Pretoria
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Professor and Former Program Leader of Stem Cells Australia, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Law, College of Law, University of South Africa
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Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Reading
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Professor - Emerging Technologies (Stem Cells) at The University of Melbourne and Group Leader - Stem Cell Ethics & Policy at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The University of Melbourne
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MB/PhD Candidate, University of Cambridge
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Director of the Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics and Adjunct Professor and Head of Department of Bioethics at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
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Lecturer and Stem Cell Researcher, Division of Cell Biology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town
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Professor, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University
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PhD Candidate, Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
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Senior lecturer, The University of Melbourne
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Professor of Human Genetics: Stem Cell Researcher, University of Cape Town
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Consultant, Cell Therapy and Genomics, University of Pretoria
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Senior Scientist, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
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Chair, The Conversation Media Group