Regenerative medicine, which involves the use of human stem cells to repair and regenerate damaged tissue or cartilage between two joints, has become a booming industry and a major area of global research over the past few years.
Post Date – 11:59 PM, Wednesday – December 7th
Hyderabad: Regenerative medicine, which involves the use of human stem cells to repair and regenerate damaged tissue or cartilage between two joints, has become a booming industry and a major field of research worldwide over the past few years.
While there are many clinics and high-end healthcare facilities offering stem cell technology to regenerate damaged tissue and relieve pain, the fact remains that, so far, not many have been able to fully deliver on the promise.
Regenerative medicine is based on the concept of the body’s natural ability to heal itself. All over the world, scientists are conducting extensive research aimed at developing therapies that induce or support the body’s own regeneration and repair of damaged tissues or cells.
In recent years, regenerative medicine has been hailed as the future of joint repair due to its promise and potential. As a result, it has also spawned unregulated clinics that promise a lot but are not yet 100% successful. Most regenerative medicine research and treatments are focused on the treatment of osteoarthritis. The aim is to use the body’s own stem cells to repair and rebuild the cartilage between joints, allowing arthritis patients to walk with ease.
“We are still years away from having foolproof and tested regenerative therapies that allow damaged cartilage in joints to regenerate on their own. However, there is some potential and promise for regenerative medicine in the future. Therefore, many are being done worldwide. At this point in time, one must not get carried away with promises because we are not there yet,” said Dr Maheshwar Lakkireddy, Head of Orthopedics at AIIMS Bibinagar.
Stem Cells and Joints
Mayo Clinic, a well-known American health care and research institution, defines stem cells as “the raw material of the body from which all other cells with special functions are produced.” Under the right conditions in the body or in the laboratory, stem cells divide to form more cells. No other cell in the body has the natural ability to generate new cell types.
Stem cell therapy is increasingly being used to treat arthritis on the idea that it can regenerate damaged tissue for almost any part of the body. Typically, clinicians harvest mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) — found primarily in bone marrow and fat — for use in such procedures.
The stem cells are separated from other tissue components and injected into the painful joint in the hope that they (the stem cells) will initiate tissue regeneration in the joint.
Indian scenario
Last year, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said in a paper titled “Evidence-Based Status of Stem Cell Therapy for Human Diseases,” that “unfortunately, the promise of regenerative medicine, especially stem cells, is Ethical and medical challenges, this goal has not yet been achieved. It has been proven that sufficient numbers of specialized cells can be generated to restore lost body functions using only a small number of stem cells or by using stem cells from one organ to restore cells and functions in a different organ , which is much more difficult in humans than in humans. It is believed to be based on animal experiments. Therefore, the inherent appeal of stem cells remains largely unmet in human disease.”
Despite the cutting edge of stem cell research, the senior plastic surgeon in Hyderabad points out that there is no conclusive evidence that stem cells can restore lost tissue or regenerate damaged cartilage on their own.
