Summary:
The expanding applications of stem cells is a topic of extensive research.
Amongst adult stem cells, those isolated from the umbilical cord blood (UCB)
and the umbilical cord tissue (UCT) after the birth present increasing
interest. Due to their unique properties compared to other sources of adult
stem cells, UCB and UCT are promising candidates ongoing clinical trials and
future therapies.
There are numerous therapeutic applications of hematopoietic stem cells of the
cord blood, bone marrow and peripheral blood. Since 1998, over 20,000, UCB
transplantations (particularly allogeneic) have been performed for a variety of
hematological disorders (malignant or not).
Recently, the clinical experience with UCB has broadened to include
non-hematological diseases such as metabolic storage diseases, cardiovascular
diseases, neurological disorders and type-1 diabetes mellitus. There are, also,
diseases and conditions for which their use ir promising or emerging.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are highly promising for the treatment of
non-hematological diseases. They can be isolated from bone marrow, adipose
tissue, tooth pulp, as well as UCB and UCT.
Because of their ability to differentiate into different cell lines, scientists
believe they have a key role in the future in the context of Regenerative
Medicine for tissue repair after injury or pathological alterations. These
currently include orthopedic applications, heart disease treatment, a wide
range of neurological diseases and the improvement of respiratory function.
Furthermore, the immunomodulatory action of MSCs contributes to faster
implantation and engraftment of hematopoietic stem cell transplants following
coadministration for hematopoietic malignancies, thereby reducing the risk of
GvHD and the complications of transplantation. Their use in autoimmune and
inflammatory diseases is, also, promising, and has been shown ameliorate the
cilinical symptoms and, therefore, improve the quality of life of afflicted
patients.
Finally, they can contribute to the creation of artificial organs by tissue
engineering methods with scaffolds, offering new perspectives on the problem of
shortage of donor organs.
Directed allogeneic transplantation between siblings is a major achievement of
modern embryology-gynecology. There are incidents, reported both in Greece and
worldwide, of children born with IVF methods and preimplantation genetic
diagnosis to use their stem cells to treat siblings suffering from thalassemia
and chronic granulomatous disease.
In gynecology, of particular interest is the use of MSCs in the treatment of
breast and ovarian cancer. Stem cells from tissues of the female reproductive
system such as amniotic membrane and endometrium, give an alternative approach
for reregenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Moreover, stem cells may
offer hope in the treatment of infertility.
The results are very encouraging and may change the treatment of many diseases
in the future. However, intensive research is required to demonstrate their
safe use and effectiveness, so that they can be used as standard therapies for
even more conditions in the future.
Keywords:
Stem cells, Infertility, Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Family cord blood banking, Directed allogeneic transplantation
