Is Stem Cell Therapy For Cerebral Palsy Possible?
Is stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy possible? Research seems to indicate that it is and these studies have been going on for several years. Cerebral palsy is a term that is used to describe a group of brain diseases or impairments that affect two to three children out of every one thousand. This disease can affect one part or different parts of the brain and it can also be caused by some type of trauma to the head or infections that can occur during or after childbirth.
This condition prevents the child from being able to control their muscles and reflexes and it can affect one part of the body or different areas, depending on the type of cerebral palsy the child has. It can be mild or severe and some children end up needing to be cared for all of their life. This is why the hope of a stem cell treatment that really works is so exciting. At this time, there are no controlled trials that involve humans but studies that have been conducted prove that the outlook is hopeful. Scientists already know they can place stem cells in the brain but they don’t know the effects it will have on a person with this condition. Stem cells have been researched for many years but their potential is only recently becoming apparent. Many scientists believe that stem cells have the potential to heal many brain diseases and that one day there will be effective stem cell treatments for Parkinson's and others brain effecting syndromes.
Stem cells are the basic building blocks of the body and they are found in almost all multi-cellular organism. They have the ability to divide and copy themselves and to grow into different cell types. That’s why cerebral palsy and stem cells research is so important. It is feasible that stem cell therapy could help improve or maybe even one day, cure this condition. There would be many advantages to this type of therapy such as the fact that it would be designed to treat the actual disorder in the brain that is the direct cause of the cerebral palsy. It’s also drug free so the patient wouldn’t have to suffer with the bad side effects that are often associated with taking certain medications. Stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy would focus on creating a physical change within the brain that will help improve the quality of life for the patient. There are some stem cell research companies that only focus on finding cures for brain related illnesses.
The German Center for Living Cell Therapy has reported that about seventy percent of the cerebral palsy patients that have been treated show some signs of improvement. However, there is a lot of research and many more studies that need to be conducted before the full effects of stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy will be understood.
At this time, it’s believed that the embryonic stem cells carry the highest rate of improvement for cerebral palsy and similar illnesses because they have the ability to change into any cell in the body except for the egg and sperm. However, the adult stem cells may also have potential even though they are more limited because they can grow into different cells that are found within the same basic group. Stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy is some of the most exciting research being done today.
