The Future Use Of Stem Cells

[Guest guest]

The Future Use Of Stem Cells

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=63577

The future use of stem cells is obviously a difficult question to

answer. There is no doubt from the levels of research funding

driving stem cell research that this is a fast growing and

potentially widespread branch of therapeutic medicine. Ideally a

properly funded national stem cell depository would allow unfettered

access for parents to a stem cell transplant if needed now or in the

future. Unfortunately parents come to us because that is not an

option for them: there are no widespread facilities to donate

samples that would be stored by stem cells storage experts.

A significant proportion of parents are opting to store their

child's cord blood as part of an informed consent process based on

potential use in areas such as diabetes, they are fully aware of the

limitations of current usage. All parents with these types of

conditions are given scientific literature on request to provide

them with factual evidence to base their decision on. Most parents

do not elect to store their child's cord blood in order to have a

therapeutic option for malignant blood disorders of childhood

available to them.

Some of the potential therapies of stem cells would require

amplification of samples (technically possible now), raising the

possibility of multiple uses within a family unit. There is now so

much research being undertaken and reported we frequently find

ourselves contradicting patients that it is not a panacea and that

much of the research has many years before therapies arise from the

work.

Areas which are rapidly gathering scientific credibility as

therapies of the future that would involve stem cell collection and

storage include organ engineering and repair and neurological damage

repair, as well as Diabetes. Its widespread use for certain

malignancies is currently not recommended. However, there is every

possibility that this scenario will change. We feel that cord blood

stem cell storage will have a growing therapeutic role in the short

future. We feel strongly that private cord blood storage should be

offered with full counselling of the risks, limitations and benefits

as part of an informed consent process, but also that women are

entitled to have access to information to allow them to make this

decision based on unbiased factual information about stem cells and

cord blood collection.

Written by:

Wayne Channon

Director of:

Cells4Life Ltd

Sussex Innovation Centre

Science Park Square

Falmer

Brighton, BN1 9SB

UK

http://www.cells4life.co.uk