Stem cell therapy has emerged as a groundbreaking medical approach in India, garnering increased attention for its efficacy in treating diverse conditions such as leukemia, Thalassemia, damaged cornea, and severe burns. Stem cells, the undifferentiated cells with the unique ability to transform into various cell types, serve as the foundation for this innovative therapeutic strategy. Unlike traditional treatments, stem cell therapy offers several advantages. Firstly, it holds the potential for regenerating damaged tissues and organs, addressing the root cause of ailments rather than merely alleviating symptoms. This regenerative capability makes it particularly promising for conditions where conventional treatments have limitations. Secondly, stem cell therapy minimizes the risk of rejection, as the cells can be sourced from the patient’s own body, reducing immune system complications associated with transplant procedures. As India witnesses a surge in the adoption of stem cell therapy, the nation stands at the forefront of exploring this cutting-edge medical frontier to revolutionize healthcare outcomes for a myriad of conditions.
Tag: Science and technology-developments and their application and effects in everyday life.
Decoding the Question:
- In Intro, try to define stem cell and stem cell therapy.
- In Body,
- The role of stem cell therapy is useful in treating a variety of medical conditions.
- Discuss the advantages of stem cell therapy over other treatments.
- Try to conclude with the scope of stem cell therapy.
Answer:
Stem cells refer to a class of undifferentiated cells that can differentiate into various specialized cells. These cells have the potential to develop into many cell types in the body during early life and growth. In many tissues, these cells work as a kind of internal repair system to replenish other cells. Stem Cell Therapy (SCT) is the treatment of various disorders, non-serious to life-threatening, by using stem cells. These stem cells can be procured from a lot of different sources and used to potentially treat more than approved 80 disorders.
Stem cell therapy has been used in treating leukemia, Thalassemia, damaged cornea, and several burns. The ability of stem cells to self-renew offers the potential for the generation of tissues that can be used to replace disease, damaged areas, or body parts and at the same time reduce side effects and minimal risk of rejection.
Stem cell therapy offers multiple advantages over other types of treatments, like:
- Degenerative Diseases Cure: Diseases like diabetes, heart diseases, spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, etc. were considered degenerative diseases but now they are curable with stem cell therapy. Stem cells from adult bone marrow can differentiate into those required to repair the blood vessels and heart due to the secretion of numerous growth factors.
- Speeding up healing: It was considered that injuries are serious and time-consuming for healing. But now this fact is getting diluted with the emergence of stem cell theory, which speeds up the healing process whatever the injury, and a person starts his/ her normal life sooner than ever.
- Treating cancer: Blood stem cells are increasingly used to treat diseases of the blood. Some treatments like chemotherapy are used in the treatment of blood cancer which involve the risk of damage or destruction of bone marrow.
Indian Scenario: India is among the front-runners in stem cell therapy. Clinical trials are being performed to treat genetic, metabolic, and blood-related conditions. Stem cell has the potential to replace expensive, painstakingly protracted, and routinely ineffective conventional therapy for treating a multitude of acute and chronic ailments. In India, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines recognize stem cell therapies only for some treatments and there is no specific law to regulate SCT.
So, it can be understood that stem cell therapy is a unique and safe treatment in itself, and in countries like India it has huge scope for application. Stem cell therapy has helped millions of patients in treating serious illnesses. Therefore, a dedicated policy to promote research and regulation of SCT is required. The Union Health Ministry’s ‘New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules, 2019’ declared that stem-cell-derived products can be used as “new drugs”. So, government permission is necessary for such treatment.
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