Scientific researchers and doctors are continuously making advancements to make the world a better place. Here is a list of the most vital cellular health research in action right now.
Lou Gehrig’s Disease
The neurons in our brain can send and receive nerve impulses, and by altering these impulses, neurological disorders, such as Lou Gehrig’s, can be treated. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have successfully developed astrocytes using embryonic and adult stem cells that protect brain cells.
These astrocytes have helped researchers learn about normal brain functioning and to develop treatments for diseases that cause abnormal brain functioning. Transplanting healthy astrocytes can help treat various brain disorders.
The leading causes of blindness in the elderly and children are macular degeneration and Stargardt’s macular dystrophy. A treatment has been created by the Advanced Cell Technology of Santa Monica through embryonic stems cells that prevent further loss of vision with minimal side effects. Similarly, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison produced retina-like tissues that could potentially be used to test, treat and prevent diseases that cause blindness.
Researchers at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital came up with a therapy that could potentially treat blood disorders that are inherited, such as beta-thalassemia. Beta-thalassemia is caused by a mutated gene that reduces the production of your oxygen carrying cells. Recent advancement in cellular health has led to a treatment that can correct this mutated gene with the use of embryonic stem cells. Some of these cells don’t contain the mutated gene, and thus be used for transplantation purposes.
Recent research has led to the development of synthetic blood using embryonic stem cells. This advancement can come in handy when wars or natural disasters cause low blood supplies, especially for O-negative blood which is a rare blood type.
Among other things, embryonic stem cells can also be turned into cartilage cells. These cells can be used to repair cartilage that is injured or diseased. The same principles are being researched to create cells that can repair other parts of the body as well.
The embryonic stem cells have also been turned into pluripotent stem cells by the researchers at Stanford University. Pluripotent stem cells are the hair cells inside the ear that cause hearing loss when damaged. By transplanting these cells, there is possibility that deafness and hearing loss could be effectively treated.
Cellular advancements could also be used to treat infertility problems in men, mainly azoospermia. Research done at Kyoto University has done clinical trials on fertile mice to test this theory. In the near future, it’s possible for men suffering from azoospermia to have their own biological family.
These are some of the latest advancements in cellular health you should be excited about.