Stem Cell Therapy in Longevity
Can stem cells prolong human life?
If you need a recap, check out my longevity overview here.
So, we’ve determined that aging is the cause of almost all diseases, and diseases are what hinder a healthy life expectancy. So, how do we stop aging?
Stem cell therapy is a revolutionizing treatment, used to improve the human healthspan through personalized medicine.
What Are Stem Cells?
Our bodies are made up of cells, all of which have set specific functions. These are bone cells, blood cells, muscle cells, fat cells, skin cells, nerve cells, and stem cells. Once a cell is assigned a type at a baby’s birth, it functions as it should, and cannot change to a different type of cell with a different function. But, stem cells are special. These cells are naturally present in our body in places like the brain, bone marrow, blood, skin, liver, and muscles. They can become any type of cell, functioning as that cell would, and can also almost endlessly divide and form new cells to build and repair tissues and organs in the body. By doing so, their job is to act as regenerators for other types of cells.
The Regeneration Process:
Most of our body parts have innate stem cell regeneration. For example, the epithelium, which is inner lining of our intestines, regenerates every 5–7 days. Stem cells beneath the lining, replace the cells as they wear out.
So if stem cells are so great, what’s the problem?
Stem cells age as we do. The older we get, the effectiveness and amount of stem cells we have decreases exponentially. Stem cells from an embryo are much more versatile than those from an adult. Think of it like this: if you break your foot at 5 years old, you will fully recover. But, if you break your foot at 60, you will likely live with side effects from that injury for the rest of your life because your body’s ability to rejuvenate has decreased.
This aging process can be combatted with stem cell therapies, which replenish the supply of stem cells to allow the body to repair and rejuvenate.
Types of Stem Cells Used By Scientists:
Embryonic Stem Cells: The most versatile because a baby’s cells are still learning what to do when they are conceived. They are created from leftover embryos that are donated by fertility clinics. These cells are pluripotent, meaning that they can grow into any type of tissue in the body.
Adult Stem Cells: These are called tissue specific stem cells, and are found in small numbers in most of the body’s tissues. They replace the existing cells that wear out and die in organs. Adult stem cells are somewhat different from embryonic stem cells because although they can become many different types of cells, they can’t become every type.
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells: Cells that are reprogrammed by scientists to behave like embryonic stem cells.
Applications:
Stem cell rejuvenation is a type of therapy used to combat the effects of the natural aging process. A large amount of youthful stem cells, usually derived from umbilical cord tissue, or IPS cells, are injected into patients via an IV. These cells then replace the existing ones, causing the body to work efficiently by healing itself and reducing inflammation.
Scientists currently use this treatment for patients with blood diseases, such as lukemia. In leukemia, cells inside of bone marrow grow uncontrollably, crowding out the healthy stem cells which form blood cells. Through a stem cell treatment, new stem cells create the blood cells needed by the patient’s body.
This same rejuvenation process can be applied to longevity, in which people could potentially receive stem cell treatments to revitalize their bodies back to a youthful state. Obviously, this would result in a prolonged healthy lifespan.
The Future Of Stem Cell Therapy:
Very few stem cell therapies are currently FDA approved. Stem cell therapies have the potential to change the future of medicine and scientists are working to develop these treatments for the best interest of the general public. Given the fact that aging causes disease, stem cell therapies have the capability to significantly delay aging if developed correctly. Some stem cell transplants in current development aim to replace the body’s stem cells lost over the last 15–20 years. In addition, decades of research demonstrates the ability of stem cell therapy to treat age-related conditions such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, and macular degeneration.
Many treatments are currently being tested in clinical trials. We’ll just have to wait and see what the future holds for longevity medicine through stem cells!
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