Adult Stem Cell Overview

Regenerative medicine is based on the fundamental premise of restoring the ability of the body to heal itself. Through the use of stem cells, the field is positioned to change the face of modern medicine.

Stem cells are primitive partially or fully undifferentiated cells that have the ability to differentiate into various specialized cells types such as osteoblasts, chondrocytes, neural cells, endothelial cells, amongst others. Responding to local stimuli from the micro-environment of the injured tissue, stem cells act by modulating the local tissue response through the secretion of cytokines and other growth factors, and differentiating to repair and/or replace damaged tissues.

Several studies have demonstrated that as we age, the number of stem cells in our body decline, impacting our ability to regenerate tissue and heal efficiently. In infants these cells are present in relatively large numbers resulting in immense regenerative capabilities with low levels of inflammation and scarring. As we age, the number of adult stem cells in the body decline along with our ability to properly respond to injury.

Supplementing the endogenous repair process of older patients with exogenous stem cells essentially acts to turn back the clock, thereby restoring the body’s ability to repair damaged tissue with the ability to that of a younger patient.

Adult stem cells can be used autologously, meaning that they can be administered to the same person from whom they are derived. In addition, some adult stem cells, including ELA cells, have been shown to be non-immunogenic and therefore may be used allogeneically in patients that are unrelated to the donor. The true potential of adult stem cells, particularly cells such as the ELA cell, is therefore unlimited.