Questions and answers

Question: What does “cellular therapy” mean?

Answer: Cellular therapy (also called cell therapy) is a treatment with stem cells and tissues and also with biologically active substances they produce.

Question: Everyone is talking about stem cells, what is this?

Answer: Stem cells have three main characteristics. First – they are not specialized cells (in contrast to cells of muscles, brain, and heart). Second – stem cells are capable to divide during long time, and in the result of the division two identical cells form. The third important characteristic of stem cells is their ability to differentiate into specialized cells, like muscle cells, brain cells, blood cells and others. Cells of 1-day embryo can differentiate into any of 240 types of cells. In adult organism small amount of stem cells is present in all organs, providing the reparation (restoration) of injures and sick tissues. The younger the organism is – the bigger stem cell reserve is, and accordingly, body’s restoration potential. It is considered that application of stem cells in medicine will give the possibility to successfully combat diseases that are regarded incurable today.

Question: Tell us, please, where stem cells are isolated from?

Answer: According to their origin stem cells are divided into embryonal, fetal, stem cells of umbilical cord blood and stem cells of adult human. The source of stem cells is blastocyst – embryo that forms by 5-th day of fertilization. Fetal stem cells are isolated from abortion material on the 9-12th week of pregnancy. These cells are considered ideal from the point of their application in regenerative medicine. Experimental and clinical research demonstrated their high activity in treatment of many diseases. Umbilical cord blood, collected after child delivery is also a valuable source of stem cells. After isolation of stem cells and placing them into cryobank it is possible to use them for restoration of practically any tissues, and also for treatment of different diseases, including oncological. Somatic stem cells of adult organism are an alternative source of stem cells for clinical application. The most available source of stem cells is human bone marrow, because their content in this organ is maximal.

Question: In this case, what is common and what is different between embryonal and adult stem cells, and how they act on organism?

Answer: Adult and embryonal stem cells differ in number and types from the cells that can be obtained from them. Embryonal stem cells can give rise to all the cells of the organism, they are pluripotent. Adult stem cells, mostly differentiate into cells that are typical for those tissues where they are situated. Stem cells ensure restoration of injured areas of organs and tissues. Its mechanism of action is following: after receiving a signal about trouble they are directed to injured organ, where they transform into cells necessary for organism and stimulate internal organism’s reserves for organ or tissue regeneration.

Question: What are the possibilities of human stem cells application?

Answer: Progress of stem cell biology theoretic research in the last 10 years made a basis for the development of the most severe human diseases treatment methods. Disseminated sclerosis, brain and spine cord traumas, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, myocardial infarction, heart insufficiency, pancreatic diabetes, autoimmune diseases, leucosis, and burns form far from complete list of these illnesses. Unique characteristics of stem cells that allow constructing new tissues instead of, as it was considered earlier, irreversibly injured tissue zones of sick organism, give hope to many incurable patients.

Question: Are stem cells present in adult organism?

Answer: Of course, the own stem cells are present in adult organism in tissues during all life span, they renovate tissues and create new specialized cells instead of those who naturally died (apoptosis). For example, the cells that line out stomach live for merely 5 days, erythrocytes that during their life span pass the distance of about 2,000 km in vessels, live, on average, for only 120 days. Epidermis is renewed once a fortnight. According to the opinion of leading scientists, the liver of an adult human renews in 300-500 days. Presented examples show the intensity of processes for body tissues recreation. In aging the amount of the body own stem cells decreases; if in a newborn one stem cell accounts for 10,000 bone marrow cells, in a teenager there is already one cell for 100,000 cells, then by 50 years of age – one cell for 500,000 cells and by 70 years – one cell for 1,000,000. That is why the issue of pool renewal and increase of activity of the own stem cells is of major value for the solution of such problems as how to live without diseases, prolong life far beyond statistic limits, and preserve youth. To say nothing about possibility of treatment of diseases, incurable at present time, including hereditary diseases.

Question: Are there any contraindications for stem cells administration?

Answer: Practically, there are no contraindications for cellular therapy. Although there may be the conditions when stem cells transplantation will be postponed. Anyway, necessity of application or refusal from stem cells administration in each specific patient should be decided by a board of doctors. Taking into consideration high demands to the quality of administrated preparation, there are absolute and relative contraindications for stem cells isolation. Such contraindications, for example, are HIV-infection, hepatitis B, mycotic, cytomegalovirus infection and several other pathologies.

Question: I have heard about application of sheep cells for treatment of humans, is it true?

Answer: Really, professor Paul Nihans from La Praire clinics prepared cellular preparation from lamb embryonal liver and called it CLP in 1931 in Switzerland. This was a famous preparation used for treatment of all outstanding politicians, businessmen and art workers of the last century. At present human stem cells are exclusively used in world practice for treatment and cosmetology purposes.

Question: My mother has pancreatic diabetes, but she does not take insulin, whether it is possible to help her with stem cells?

Answer: The problem of pancreatic diabetes treatment is of priority value among main medical research directions in Europe. According to WHO annually the number of patients with pancreatic diabetes increases by 5-7% and it doubles every 12-15 years. At present time the possibility to help such patients is being studied. Methods of transplantation of allogenic (non-self) insulin-producing cells, formation of insulin depot, great number of methods of insulin production stimulation and glucose utilization by tissues are proposed. The method of stem cells administration into patient’s organism, where these cells will transform into insulin-producing cells and also will create microenvironment for normal work of injected cells, seems to be the most perspective method. Institute of Cellular Therapy participates in the Program of pancreatic diabetes patients’ treatment with stem cell. You can receive our consultation about the decision for a specific patient.

Question: Can stem cells help in viral hepatitis and liver cirrhosis treatment?

Answer: For hepatitis and liver cirrhosis treatment stem cells are applied along with already traditional methods of treatment with interferons and hepatoprotectors. Theoretical background is the proved possibility of hemopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells transformation into liver cells (hepatocytes). Intensity of stem cells buildup in a liver directly depends on the degree of liver damage. Stem cells transplantation in liver pathology positively impacts the disease, leads to correction of metabolic disorders, and to decrease of autoimmune aggression. Therapeutic effect is directly linked to the stage of the process. The earlier the treatment starts – the better the results are both in terms of clinical characteristics and life duration.

Question: Are stem cells used for treatment of stroke consequences?

Answer: Stroke is a final stage of brain vascular disorders’ development. Stages of compensation and decompensation precede a stroke. Effectiveness of brain vascular disorders treatment is actively studied in many countries of the world. Because it is relatively new method of treatment, the facts are not enough now to make unambiguous solution. Meanwhile, research shows both possibility of nervous system new cells creation (that previously was denied categorically), and their positive activating action to patient’s own “dormant” stem cells. Creation of a new nervous tissue happens and it is capable to implement function of previously lost cells as a result of a stroke. Scientist’s opinion about beginning of treatment is unambiguous: the earlier, at the more early stages of vascular disorders the treatment starts, the more chances are for restoration.

Question: What does it mean - “revitalization with stem cells application”?

Answer: Just the word “revitalization” means return to life, rejuvenation. It is known that aging processes starts to manifest from 30 years, and after 40-45 years they get apparent character and their speed accelerates. Rejuvenation tactics is concluded in delay of aging processes and in maximal restoration of organism organs and tissues. Role of stem cells in revitalization consists in activation of patient’s existing stem cells, and, what is most important, administrated stem cells incorporate into injured organism structures restoring their full-value functionality. As a rule, revitalization is done in relatively healthy people (both women and men). That is why stem cells, obviously, are used not for restoration of injured organ, but uniformly spread in organism, restoring hormonal level and normalizing relations between organism systems – and as a result – there is restoration of appeal, vitality, sexuality, and good mood. The older the person is – the more evident the results of rejuvenation are.