Stem Cell Therapy: Types, Benefits & Regenerative Medicine

The two different types of stem cells are embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. These two types of cells are different from regular cells because they can regenerate through cell division. Therapies using stem cells are known as regenerative medicine.

Stem Cell Therapy

• Doctors use stem cells from donors to help combat a disorder in their patients. Since stem cells can regenerate, introducing them to patients can help restore some of what the patient has lost while suffering from an illness like cancer.

Leukemia

• Bone marrow contains adult stem cells (stem cells derived from matured humans). People with leukemia, however, cannot create healthy bone marrow. Donors give them healthy bone marrow stem cells to produce new leukocytes (white blood cells), which fight off infection.

Heart Disease

• Small amounts of stem cells run freely through our veins. These stem cells---called peripheral blood stem cells---are harvested through blood donations. Enough of these stem cells could repair damaged heart tissue and create new blood vessels.

Type One Diabetes

• Embryonic stem cells (stem cells derived from an embryo) can possibly cure type one diabetes. If embryonic stem cells are able to be manipulated to produce insulin, a cell transplant with those embryonic cells may cure diabetes.

Alzheimer's Disease

• Brain cells die in a patient with developing Alzheimer's disease, lowering the intellectual abilities of the brain. Stem cell transplants may be able to regenerate the lost brain cells of the patient, curing Alzheimer's disease.