Insight of stem cell banking past, present and future

As per the recent advancements in stem cell banking, the scope of stem cell therapy is highly promising to medical experts. The discovery and development of this treatment modality have changed the entire future of human medicine and its applications. To understand stem cell treatment better this is important to understand how it was discovered in the first place.

History of Stem Cell Therapy

Stem cell treatment began when system cells were artificially cultured and derived in laboratories. With the help of quality-controlled experiments the medical experts were able to derive and store stem cells. A properly controlled environment and culture media were used to clone and derive stem cells. Earlier stem cells were not directly used for medical treatment. Instead, the entire stem cell tissue served the purpose of graft due to its ability to create new tissues and cells.

In those days, extracellular therapy gained extra attention. This is when the scope of implementing stem cell therapy in modern-day medicine saw a bright future. There was a possibility to create cutting-edge technology using stem cells. Due to the versatility of stem cells in development and maturation into other cells, the scope of implementing stem cell therapy widened.

Present day use of stem cell therapy

Presently, stem cells are used for multiple treatment options, including transplants and curing blood-borne diseases. The cells are multipotent in nature and can easily differentiate to form any other cell of the body. Stem cells can also be compared to those cells of the human body that can mature to form any type of blood cell. The stem cells also have the tendency of self-renewal and exist in the same state within an embryo as well as an adult.

Classification of stem cells

• Unipotent stem cells
• Pluripotent stem cells
  
• Totipotent stem cells
  
• Oligopotent stem cells
  

Additionally, stem cell banking has emerged as a crucial practice, where stem cells, often of the pluripotent or multipotent variety, are collected and preserved for potential future medical use. This banking allows for the storage of these versatile cells, offering a valuable resource for regenerative medicine, research, and therapeutic applications.

Stem Cell Biology

The stem cells are multipotent in nature and exist as undifferentiated cells. They have the ability to proliferation and can thus form new types of cells and tissues. On activation under favorable physiological conditions, these cells can differentiate into new cells.

Uses of stem cells presently

The usage of stem cell treatment began with grafting. Taking a step ahead in this, today, stem cell transplantation is a popular treatment plan. It is one of the most recent advancements made in the medical industry. This is because -

• Stem cells derived from the umbilical cord are not influenced by any immunological irritants or allergens. Thus, these cells help in immunosuppression.
• They help in reducing the inflammation of the affected organs.
  
• Since the stem cells are derived from the same individual, the chances of rejection are negligible.
  
• Stem cells are highly regenerative in nature. This means that the cells can easily develop into other types of cells, thus helping in faster healing.
  

The future of stem cell treatment

Stem cell therapy was identified and came into practice about 25 years ago. Since these three decades, there have been excessive changes and several medical advancements. There is a bright scope for the future of clinical applications for newborn babies. Several experiments have been going on to make personalized and regenerative medicines using stem cells. There has been an expected rise in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Even though this has been in practice, with the use of stem cells, the immune effects have improved drastically.

Conclusion

In the last three decades, the progress seen in the use of stem cells in treatment modalities has been outstanding. The results shown by the real-life clinical cases have increased the scope of a bright future for stem cell therapy.

Stem cell treatment is only possible in the case of umbilical cord preservation. It is important that the cells remain viable and can be used immediately. Thus, it is important to select a cord blood bank that offers the best storage technology, and facilities and is also cost-effective. Check out Cryoviva, a lead stem cell storage bank in India.