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Stem-cells and MS are widely discussed, but we might be finally getting closer to stem-cell treatments for MS patients.

Stem cell therapies are investigated for their potential to provide long-lasting or permanent remission of multiple sclerosis (MS) signs and symptoms. Many patients are well-informed of the potential of stem cell therapy for MS, and many seek treatments abroad that are promoted to give positive or curative outcomes. There are also clinics in the US that provide treatments that are outside of FDA-approved uses. The only FDA-approved, stem-cell based products used in the US consist of CD34+ stem cells derived from cord blood.

An independent study cites the use of HemaCare-sourced human bone marrow-derived CD34+ stem cells for research into a potential new therapy for sickle cell disease. ^[1]

Sickle cell is a serious disease that affects millions of people throughout the world. People affected by sickle cell anemia have rigid, sickle-shaped red blood cells that can’t adequately carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. As a result, sickle cell patients suffer from a variety of medical complications, which can shorten their life span. Contemporary cell therapy treatments have focused on a gene therapy approach that uses lentiviral vectors to supply CD34+ bone marrow-derived stem cells with an unimpaired version of the hemoglobin gene. While this tactic has met with some promise, finding healthy, matched bone marrow donors is difficult. Researchers at Biogen, a well-known biotech firm headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, are trying to discover cell and gene therapy methods that they hope will provide an alternative solution, and thereby improve treatment success rates.

Stem cell treatments can have a significant impact on human health. These methods can prolong and even save lives.

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that have the capacity of self-renewal and to develop into diverse cell types in different areas of the body. Given these characteristics, stem cells have become promising options to bolster regenerative medicine efforts that may provide therapeutic results that are not possible with current approaches. The utility of stems cells to renew tissues affected by trauma and degenerative conditions can provide breakthroughs in the treatment of numerous diseases, such as cardiovascular, neurological, and other diseases.

Because many people with Lyme disease do not fully recover with antibiotics alone, many are seeking stem cell treatments as an option.

Lyme disease is transmitted by the bite of blacklegged ticks (deer tick, Ixodes scapularis) infected with Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. A number of debilitating and long-lasting symptoms can include the development of a distinctive skin rash (erythema migrans), fever, fatigue, muscle pain, and headaches. Due to the nonspecific and diverse symptoms, Lyme disease is often misdiagnosed and can progress to serious conditions of the heart, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems.

Gene (or genome) editing refers to various technologies that are used to alter genetic material. This technology is used as a new means to treat diseases including genetic disorders. Fanconi anemia is an inherited disease that affects bone marrow leading to decreased production of all blood cell types. In general, editing of CD34+ (hematopoietic) stem cells have proven more difficult than for fibroblasts or embryonic stem cells. Some advances have been achieved in this regard; however, the efficiency of gene editing for CD34+ stem cells remains less than that possible with lentiviral vectors.