5 Myths About Stem Cell Regenerative Medicine

For many potential patients, stem cell therapy is shrouded in mystery and subject to speculation. Patients’ expectations can be led to be too high or too low depending on the sources of their information. Practitioners’ representatives can pack hotel ballrooms speaking about the promise of “miracles” for interested potential clients. Cynics can run with the assumption that all stem cells are amniotic and therefore subject to questionable ethics.

5 of the most popular myths about regenerative therapies using stem cells.

Stem Cells are a “cure” for everything: While stem cell therapy can feel like a “miracle” to some patients, it’s far from a panacea. The application of these therapies is most encouraging for chronic damage to tendons and ligaments, disc degeneration and bulges, arthritis, tendinitis, and various chronic painful joint conditions.1 There have been some promising results in Orthopedics with the use of lipoaspirate and bone marrow aspiration concentration. These cells from the patients’ fat and bone marrow have some properties similar to stem cells. They have been studied extensively in animals with great success but it does not always demonstrate those characteristics and results in humans. We call these MSC (Medicinal signal cells) because it acts as a messenger to allow our body to heal better.. For successful therapy, you need the right patient with the right condition to see the right doctor who offers the right treatment.

Stem Cell therapies always help with regeneration: There have been some promising studies that have shown regenerative potential but the generalization of this at this point is not true. The goal of these procedures is primarily for pain control and decrease inflammation

In stem cell therapies, if stem cells used are from your own body without or with minimal manipulation and not grown in a lab, the FDA does not object to this procedure.2 Per FDA guidelines, “There continues to be broad marketing of unapproved products considered regenerative medicine therapies that are intended for the treatment or cure of a wide range of diseases or medical conditions. These products require FDA licensure/approval to be marketed to consumers.”3 In other countries, they are allowed to manipulate cells before using them in humans. In U.S, it is illegal to manipulate cells before use.

As always, a qualified physician should be performing these therapies. Practitioners of stem cell therapies are limited in the amount that they can manipulate the cells and the amount of time they can hold these cells outside of the body. This is why stem cell therapies are same-day treatments.

This myth raises political and ethical questions. Stem cells originate from two main sources: adult body tissues and embryos.4 Stem cells are present inside different types of adult tissue. Scientists have found stem cells in tissues, including:

● the brain

● bone marrow

● blood and blood vessels

● skeletal muscles

● skin

● the liver5

According to Dr. Daniel Murell of Medical News Today, “In the past, scientists believed adult stem cells could only differentiate based on their tissue of origin. However, some evidence now suggests that they can differentiate to become other cell types, as well.”

Regenerative treatments using cells from embryonic sources are not the only effective treatments nor even the most popular treatments. It has been shown that most of the over the counter amniotic derived products do not have live cells and as a result, have limited stem cell properties.

Though the number of MSC cells in the bone marrow decreases with age, they have enough messenger cells to aid in healing and pain control. There are cells such as pericytes (attached to fat cells), that carry MSC like properties. Platelet rich plasma cell concentration does not change with age but can be affected by medical conditions, medication use etc.

1 Kamson, Solomon. “5 Top Questions about Regenerative Medicine.” Spine Institute Northwest. Published: 17 Oct. 2016. Accessed: 18 Aug. 2021. https://www.spineinstitutenorthwest.com/5-top-questions-regenerative-medicine/

2 Kamson.

3 “Important Patient and Consumer Information About Regenerative Medicine Therapies.” FDA. Accessed: 18 Aug. 2021. https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/consumers-biologics/important-patient-and-consumer-information- about-regenerative-medicine-therapies

4 Murell, Daniel, MD. “What are stem cells, and what do they do?” Medical News Today. Published: 19 Oct. 2018. Accessed: 18 Aug. 2021. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323343

5 Murell.