Regrowth and healing of skin after severe traumas such as burns and other extensive skin damage are significant medical challenges and depend on complex skin regeneration mechanisms. Skin and other tissue regeneration processes start with platelet degranulation and clotting that are associated with the release of a number of factors including clotting factors and cytokines. Skin tissue regeneration also relies on the action of growth factors. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is beneficial for tissue regeneration processes because platelets promote the secretion of growth factors that are essential in wound healing.
A clinical trial shows that cord blood regulatory T cells help reduce GVHD in high-risk blood malignancies.
One of the worst adverse effects of bone marrow or stem cell transplant is graft versus host disease. Side effects can range from rashes to a complete destruction of vital organs such as kidneys or liver. Thanks to regulatory T cells from cord blood, transplant patients may have a better therapy option.
McMaster University researchers discovered how an RNA-binding protein regulates self-renewal capacity of cord blood stem cells.
Human umbilical cord blood was once discarded as medical waste, but is now known to be a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Cord blood stem cells can be potentially used in the treatment of various diseases of the blood, including cancer and other genetic disorders. However, as with other HSC sources, the total number of functional and engraftable stem cells still remains the limiting variable that strongly impacts transplantation success. Identifying methods for robust expansion of HSCs is necessary to generate an inexhaustible source of stem cells for use in regenerative medicine.
Recent data suggest that the average person has about a 40% chance of developing cancer at some point in his or her lifetime. [1] If those statistics are not frightening enough, let’s talk treatment: chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, chemical-based drug therapy, or a combination of the above. And don’t forget the various side effects of cancer therapy, many of which are a result of the destruction of crucial adult stem cells in the body. Because of this, stem cell transplants have been performed with fresh stem cells originating from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or cord blood to help replenish a patient’s hematopoietic system.