Sickle cell disease refers to a group of genetic blood disorders mainly affecting people of African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Caribbean decent. Those with sickle cell disease carry the abnormal hemoglobin S in their red blood cells due to a mutation of the β-globin gene. Instead of having flexible, disc-shaped red blood cells, affected individuals have characteristic sickle-shaped, more rigid cells that cause disturbances in blood flow and tissue oxygenation.
A "nanomatchmaker" for an alliance between the injured heart and traveler stem cells
Stem cell transplantations are emerging as a potential therapeutic option in the field of regenerative medicine. In one of our previous blogs, we have mentioned possible roles of stem cells in cardiac regeneration. In spite of several clinical trials, the success of stem cell transplantation in heart regeneration is still not nailed down completely. Some studies signified promising clinical outcomes, while others reported no difference. The role of bone marrow-derived mononuclear stem cells (BMMNCs) has also been investigated in patients with heart failure, and unfortunately results are not uniformly positive. Delivery of these therapeutic cells is always a major hurdle to achieve complete clinical success. Therefore, novel approaches are required for efficient targeted delivery of these cells to the site of injury.
The what, why and how hematopoietic stem cells are dominating the regenerative medicine space
Post WWII many soldiers owed their lives to spleen and bone marrow stem cell transplants. Much later we find out that it was the presence of hematopoietic stem cells that was responsible for cell re-population.