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Why All Stem Cell Therapy Is Not Identical

regenerative medicine

Before we get into the why, how and what of our treatments, let’s get one important thing squared away: the term “stem cell therapy” is a big, commonly used umbrella term for many different things and, at least the way we see it, kind of a misnomer. We prefer to think of the work we do as regenerative cell therapy. We prefer the term regenerative cell therapy because it is closer to the truth of what we do here at the Goswami Clinic. Our treatments allow you to harness the regenerative properties of your own stem cells to help other “pre-programmed” (we’ll get to that in a minute) cells that might be having trouble recovering after an illness or injury. These stem cells help regrow your naturally occurring tissues so that they’re stronger and better able to heal. It sounds like something straight out of Star Trek, we know, but the reality is, regenerative medicine holds real potential for many patients. What Are Regenerative Cells? Where Do They Come From? What Do I Need to Know About Them? Phew, that’s a lot of questions all at once. Let’s break it down to help make all this easier to understand. As humans, we grow from one cell that multiplies and differentiates into various organ systems. Each organ system retains their specific stem cells, and these constantly renew that particular organ system over our lifetime. If that makes you feel kind of like a giant starfish, that’s okay because it’s kind of the same thing—but our regeneration can only happen inside ourselves. This is the fundamental basis of our existence, at least of our physical existence. These regenerative properties lead us to the possibility of treating diseases and disorders involving particular organ systems by utilizing our own stem cells present in that system. Stem Cells Sources Typically, for orthopedic and sports-related injuries, stem cells (regenerative cells) can be found in three places: bone marrow, blood, and fat. Bone marrow stem cells are of very high quality, as the function of bone marrow is to constantly produce cells. These type of stem cells contain lots of good growth factors as well as other substances that aid in cell growth and regeneration. Bone marrow stem cells have the easiest time adapting to cells in other parts of the body. When someone gets a bone marrow transplant, what they’re really getting is an intense dose of these healthy stem cells. Fat is also a good source of stem cells because they exist in high quantity in adipose (fat) tissue. The challenge with fat is the isolation process (which we’ll talk about more later). When you break down fat, it has to be done in a way that maintains an adequate amount of stem cells. Because this process can be a bit tricky, some clinics will inject pure fat, claiming that it is stem cell therapy. This approach is not only misleading but also provides inadequate benefit to patients receiving the treatment. Blood contains certain valuable cells, proteins, and growth factors that can help with the regeneration of fat and bone marrow cells. Isolating and injecting PRP (platelet-rich plasma), PPP (platelet-poor plasma), and A2M (alpha 2 macroglobulin) helps provide a very robust environment in which your stem cells can thrive and grow. When it comes to understanding the different sources of regenerative cells, here’s a good analogy. Think about bone marrow and fat stem cells as the seeds. Then, your blood cells act as a strong fertilizer. Used together, all of these sources provide an optimal environment for regeneration! Stem Cell Therapy Protocol The most important thing you need to know about stem cell therapy is that there is no standardized protocol (yet) surrounding the harvesting and use of stem cells. This means one doctor might use one type of stem cell while another doctor may choose to work with a different type. Some doctors like to combine the different types of stem cells for their treatments. At our clinic, we tailor our approach to our individual patients and harvest regenerative cells from the source(s) we believe to be best suited to their treatment. Before you panic about the idea of a bone marrow transplant, you should know that the bone marrow harvesting process has changed considerably. It is no longer the extremely painful procedure it once was. Using current techniques and tools (if done properly), bone marrow extraction should be relatively painless. Likewise, harvesting fat has become easier as well and involves a minor liposuction procedure. However, it is important to understand that the techniques and tools are very different from those used in cosmetic and plastic surgery. Your fat stem cells are precious and need to be obtained with as little trauma as possible. If you’re thinking about undergoing a stem cell treatment, don’t move forward unless the prescribed protocol includes stem cell cells in a high concentration from all three sources mentioned above. Otherwise, you may not see the desired results. How Is Regenerative Cell Therapy Performed? There are three important aspects involved in the procedure of regenerative cell therapies: harvesting, isolation, and delivery. Harvesting is the collection of tissue from the part of your body where the stem cells are located. It’s critically important during this process that (1) enough stem cells are collected and (2) they aren’t damaged when being harvested. Isolation is the breaking down of that harvested tissue to isolate the stem cells. The methods used to isolate your cells will determine the quantity and quality. If performed incorrectly, your stem cells’ viability will be impacted. It’s vital that the isolation process is done according to good tissue practices and FDA guidelines. Delivery is exactly what it sounds like. After your stem cells are isolated, they are delivered into your body via injection. However, in order to achieve the results you are hoping for, the precise delivery of cells is extremely important. If the stem cells don’t reach the area of disease or injury, you will obviously not

The Latest Updates on Stem Cell Therapy and COVID-19

A new study published by the Journal on Aging & Disease reports that intravenous administration of clinical-grade human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) resulted in improved functional outcomes (Leng et al., Aging Dis, 11:216-228, 2020). This study demonstrated that intravenous infusion of MSCs is a safe and effective approach for treating patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, including elderly patients displaying severe pneumonia. COVID-19 is a severe acute respiratory illness caused by a new coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Currently, treating COVID-19 patients, particularly those afflicted with severe pneumonia, is challenging as no specific drugs or vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are available. Therefore, MSC therapy inhibits the overactivation of the immune system and promotes endogenous repair by improving the lung microenvironment after the SARS-CoV-2 infection found in this study is striking. Here’s what the study entailed, and what it means for the future. Overview of the Study The COVID-19 infection has been a challenge for all of us. Since there is not yet a definitive treatment, the world has been relying on containment through physical isolation. What we do know is that the COVID-19 virus causes a very strong inflammatory response in the infected person’s body. We also know stem cells carry potent anti-inflammatory properties and induce regeneration and repair by clearing out inflammation. Given this knowledge, the use of stem cells to treat COVID-19 seems like an avenue worth exploring. Overview of the Results Ten COVID-19 positive patients with moderate to severe symptoms were included in the published study. Seven of the patients received intravenous infusion of mesenchymal stem cells. Three patients in the control group did not receive stem cells. All seven patients who received the stem cell infusion demonstrated improvement in their symptoms and recovered from the COVID-19 infection. Among the three patients in the control group who did not receive stem cells, one patient died and the other two continued to show severe progression of their symptoms at the time of the publication. What’s Next? Clearly, one study with a small number of patients cannot be considered definitive proof of effectiveness. However, it does provide us with a step forward towards a more extensive study involving many more patients. The safety of properly harvested stem cells has been proven. The risk of an adverse event is low. Tapping into the anti-inflammatory potential that stem cells have in order to treat a highly inflammatory process such as COVID-19 infections seems logical next step. We hope regulatory authorities both at federal and state levels will allow well-scrutinized clinical trials to further assess the role stem cells can play.