Adult Stem Cells

Adult stem cells naturally exist in our bodies and provide a repair system fro many tissues in our bodies. Most importantly, adult stem cells have already been successfully used in human therapies for many years. Right now there are no therapies in humans that have ever been tested out using embryonic stem cells. New therapies using adult type stem cells, however, are being developed all the time and have been used on patients. There have been studies done on the effects of stem cell therapy on patients with different diseases. St. Jude's Children Hospital sponsored such research on patients wtih sickle cell disease, the study was called: Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplant for Patients With Sickle Cell Disease and Prior Stroke or Abnormal Transcranial Ultrasound. This is a type of transplant that has been used and found to be successful in some patients, mostly those with cancers of the blood.

Here is a site to go to about paitent stories dealing with umbilical cord blood and adult stem cells>>>http://www.stemcellresearchfacts.org/leukemia/

There is not much debate coming from adult stem cells because they come, not from the destruction of potential life, but life that has already become that potential:

• Umbilical Cords, Placentas and Amniotic Fluid—Adult type stem cells can be derived from various pregnancy-related tissues.
• Body Tissues—In adults and children, from the moment we're born, stem cells are present within virtually all tissues and organ systems.
• Cadavers—Neural stem cells have been removed from specific areas in post-mortem human brains as late as 20 hours following death.

As you can see stem cells can come from multiple different sources and do not have to "kill" any human potential. Because of the technological advancements happening have rapidly the need for embryonic stem cell research grows less necessary. For right now, however, there still is a need but alternatives like adult stem cells are being used. Thanks to this we can now try to find ways to cure such ailments as, Parkinsons, MS, and certain types of cancers and also find ways to create new skin for burn victims and new cardiac muscle tissue for heart patients.