Numerous achievements are being made in the field of stem cell therapy and research. That, for most, may make it easier to accept and understand the potential therapies such as these have. When it concerns using stem cells to repair damaged hearts, advancements are being made all around the world.
Recently in Spain, at Madrid’s Gregori Maranon hospital, five patients that had suffered severe heart attacks were treated with stem cells. These cells were injected directly into the damaged tissue, allowing the hearts to regenerate the scar tissue into healthy heart muscle. While patients generally receive stem cells taken from their own hearts, it is now possible for donor stem cells to be stored and used on other patients. With the successful recovery of all five patients, the hospital is looking forward to treating fifty-five more patients! More information on this achievement can be found here.
As time continues on, many success stories of people having heart damaged reversed are popping up from all over the world. What is amazing about the discovery of its uses on hearts is that, not only will patients no longer have to worry about someday finding a donor heart to continue living, but people of all ages are eligible to receive this treatment. There are many patients well into their 70s and 80s who have successfully undergone this treatment. While age is a factor taken into consideration when looking for a new heart, when the stem cells are taken from the patient’s own heart, it is no longer an issue.
With a surge of fully recovered patients from clinical trials and the belief that this treatment will be readily available to millions in the next 5-7 years, funding for research is increasing. Many scientists, researchers and organizations realize the benefits of this treatment and are pushing to expand trials to include more people and eventually reach a point where anyone will be able to receive treatment for their injuries and illnesses. The lives these treatments have the ability to save, does make it something that cannot be overlooked. For an in-depth article on how this research is conducted and the science behind it, you can read more here.
As with many marvels of modern science, advancements are happening in all areas, all the time and it can be difficult to keep up. Our understanding of how to use stem cells expands every day. One place to check up on the recent advancements is on the website of Medical News Today. They cover more than simply using them to repair heart damage, proving just how versatile stem cells truly are.
To this end, there is hope that stem cell therapy will someday be able to remedy the diseases and disorders that currently have no cures. Correcting the damage that has been done to organs is truly a miraculous leap forward for the field on medicine. Stem cell therapy may be a young practice, but it is rapidly growing, and giving hope to countless lives. As this area of medicine grows and continues to save more lives that would have once been lost, the public will come to truly see how invaluable this research is.
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