• Question: what illnesses can stem cells cure?

    Asked by teddyhunter to Emma, James, Jayne, Kara, Sharon on 19 Mar 2011 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Sharon Sneddon

      Sharon Sneddon answered on 17 Mar 2011:

      Hi Teddyhunter,
      Stem cells could be used in lots of treatments. Currently, they are being used in treatment of leukaemia, diabetes, some neurological (brain) diseases and in cartilage and bone treatments. They have also been used to treat rare conditions like fanconi anaemia. Scientists have also used stem cells to rebuild a windpipe which is really amazing! In the future, they have the potential to help most cancers, parkinsons disease, liver disease, heart disease, grow new skin and bones and restore sight. They can also be used for lots of neurological conditions. There are probably a lot more that I have not covered, but they are pretty amazing cells!

    • Photo: Jayne Charnock

      Jayne Charnock answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      We hope lots in the future, but at the moment successful treatments have been for leukaemia (bonemarrow stem cell transplants), some neurological disorders and some cases of blindness. All those are fantastic examples of what the potential of stems cells as cures can be. We hope that treatments for other illnesses such as cancer, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Celiac Disease, cardiac failure, muscle damage and various neurological disorders will become available.

    • Photo: James Chan

      James Chan answered on 18 Mar 2011:

      Hi Teddy, at the moment stem cells are exciting because we think they can help treat a lot of illnesses but most of the research has not made the bold step to human trials yet. Recently though, people have tried to use stem cells in people who’ve had heart attacks and parkinson’s disease (a brain disorder) and they seem really promising. So the whole community is excited. We now need to do more tests to make sure this technology is absolutely safe and will not cause harm and then we can see whether they benefit patients. In my research, we think we have found a way to get stem cells to help broken bones heal quicker. We can do it in the mouse, so we hope to be able to try this on humans next! Watch this space!

    • Photo: Emma King

      Emma King answered on 19 Mar 2011:

      Hi teddyhunter – thanks for your question. Stem cells have the potential to cure lots of illnesses – especially those that require new cells to be grown, such as helping to repair cells lost through stroke or in spinal cord injuries. Stem cells are already used in the form of bone marrow transplants to replace blood cells lost through illnesses or cancer treatment
      They might also be used to grow tissue for the purposes of testing new drug compounds – so they may help by giving us better conventional drug therapies.
      So they have lots of potential!

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