Stem Cell Injections
Stem cell injections have been used in the treatment of numerous conditions including cardiovascular problems where mesenchymal stem cells have been introduced to the body by intravenous injection to treat the heart itself. In other trials and treatments stem cells have been injected into the brains of patients, sometimes with alarming consequences. One trial involving a nine year old boy with a rare genetic neurological disorder was reported in PLOS Medicine in 2009. The boy was treated in Moscow with three injections of foetal brain stem cells in an effort to revive his own damaged brain tissue. Four years later the boy developed tumours in his spinal column and at the base of his brain which appears likely to be connected to the stem cells injected into this area.
The Importance of Stem Cell Research
Other trials involving stem cells injected into neural tissue have reported positive outcomes for conditions such as Spinal Cord Injury, paralysis, and, in animal models, for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. There have also been other incidences of severe complication, and death, following stem cell injections into the brain including a Parkinson’s Disease sufferer who developed skin, hair, and bone cells in his brain after injections of embryonic stem cells. These sorts of cases highlight the importance of research in establishing the behaviour of undifferentiated cells introduced into human tissue. As such, the use of stem cell injections is controversial and there are many different attitudes and approaches when using stem cells in clinical practice regarding safety and efficacy.
Stem Cell Research under Controlled Conditions
Little research has been conducted under controlled conditions for the majority of ailments and pathologies that clinics claim to treat using stem cells, making it difficult for physicians to determine the best method of introducing stem cells into the body. Researchers are looking into the use of targeted injections, intravenous administration, surgical application of stem cells, and catheters to determine their relative merits and draw-backs. Questions abound over whether the stem cells injected will actually be effective, whether they will migrate to the target organ and remain viable, and whether problems such as cancerous growth could occur. Some patients may feel that the potential benefits outweigh the possible risks of stem cell treatment but all patients should remember that, whilst commonly a last resort, these procedures are far from guaranteed as safe.
