Stem Cells: Fun Facts: Joseph D. Fortin, D.O.: Interventional Pain Management

Stem Cells: Fun Facts

When scientists and physicians refer to stem cells, they are talking about cells that help our bodies to heal. Heal from injury, disease, trauma and everyday wear and tear on our bodies.

Did you ever notice that when a child gets a bruise it seems to be gone overnight? As we age a bruise may take days to weeks before it heals. That’s because the number of stem cells and other factors involved in the healing process drastically decline with the aging process. For example, at birth one out of 10,000 of our bone marrow cells are mesenchymal stem cells (one type of stem cell) and as teenagers that number drops to one in 100,000. At age 80 the number sinks to one in 2 million.

What do stem cells and atomic bombs have in common? The people exposed to nuclear fallout from atomic bombing during World War II suffered devastating health problems, leading researchers (searching for a cure) to discover stem cells.

In 1968 the first successful bone marrow or stem cell transplant was performed on two siblings with a severe immune disease. 10 years later stem cells were discovered in umbilical cord blood. Within a few years they were also discovered in adipose or fat tissue — and the race was on. Subsequently, stem cells have been isolated from every tissue in the body.

Search the https://www.clinicaltrials.gov website and you will find thousands of studies being conducted worldwide on stem cells. In other words, scientists are fast at work exploring various means to exploit the powerful healing potential of our immune system and stem cells.

The clinical use of stem cells to help patients heal is called regenerative medicine, in part, because stem cells have the capacity to regenerate new tissue.

If salamanders, starfish, octopus and the great horn toad can regenerate new limbs that have been amputated why can’t we do the same? Perhaps we can’t regrow entire limbs, but (as it turns out) we’re really not that much different than those creatures with incredible regenerative capabilities. For example, there are well documented case reports of children spontaneously regenerating parts of fingers which have been amputated. Keep in mind, every day our body is miraculously growing new cells to replenish the old dying ones. This process includes every organ in every system of our body. To no surprise, scientists are also trying to unlock the secrets that separate us from creatures with amazing regenerative powers, so that we can apply that knowledge to find new ways to help humans heal from injury or disease.

Author

Dr. Joseph Fortin, DO Dr. Joseph Fortin is the Medical Director at Spine Technology and Rehabilitation and a Clinical Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine.

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