Have you heard of the term Stem-cell technology? For those who have the good news is that, the technology you believed to be science fiction is now rapidly growing to be real! For those who haven’t heard, here’s why it is going to be THE future of healthcare.

So what are stem-cells? Stem-cells are the master cells and building blocks of our body. They have a special ability to duplicate & renew themselves into a variety of cell types that can adjust to the requirements of different organs, i.e. a stem cell should be able to identify the signals and mechanisms of an organ and adjust to perform as the organ wants. Ex: to function as a brain cell or a muscle cell, a simply blood cell, etc.

There are 2 types of stem cells:
 1. Adult stem cells –present in bone marrow, blood and adipose tissues.
2. Embryonic stem cells – found in the umbilical cord at the time of birth.

 

Stem cells have the ability to treat or prevent a disease or a condition! Yes, it is like a cure/treatment found within the affected person. The treatment is carried out via a process called Stem Cell Therapy.

Now that we understood what a stem cell is and what it can do (in a nutshell), take a moment to think how you and your loved ones could be saved by preserving your stem cells? If saving yours turns outs to be too much in the future to think about, consider saving your future-child’s which can be extracted from the umbilical cord at birth.

 Conditions & diseases that stem cell can help treating are:

• Cancer treatments
• Genetic diseases
• Cardiovascular diseases
• Diabetes
• Organ dis-functioning (treating burns, kidney/ liver failure, brain damage, hearing loss, impairment of vision, etc.)
• Autism
• HIV

And the list goes on. One major obstacle this technology is facing at this phase would be it being tedious and expensive, which we hope over time will be feasible at a more reasonable rate.

Finally, from curing a minor condition to treating a fatal disease, we do have to acknowledge the potential that this technology has and can conclude that this most definitely will define the future of healthcare.

 

References:

https://www.cordlifeindia.com/about-stem-cells

http://www.eurostemcell.org/types-stem-cells-and-their-uses