Cellular Therapy and Regenerative Medicine - All You Need to Know

Table of Content

• What is regenerative medicine?

• Types of regenerative medicine 

• Uses of regenerative medicine 

• What is cellular therapy?

• History of cellular therapy 

• Diseases can be treated with cellular therapy

• Types of cellular therapies available

• Does regenerative medicine really work?

• Can regenerative medicine really help me?

• FAQ on Cellular Therapy and Regenerative Medicine

Introduction

The human body is an association of various cells working together in harmony. Now we all know, whenever there is a group or a system of things working together one or the other part of that group is bound to break down. The same is true with our human body. It is not possible for all the cells in our body to always work at their maximum efficiency. Some of them fall sick and break down every now and then. But, the beauty of our human body is that these cells, in most cases, repair or replace themselves on their own. Sometimes, however, these cells fall chronically sick or maybe even die.

When this happens the function of those cells gets hampered. Most of the time, we can assist these diseased cells in repairing themselves with the help of medicines. But sometimes, even drugs don't help and we are left with no other option but to stick to those diseased cells forever and live with the disease. 

However, this won't be the scenario for long. What if I told you that medical science has discovered a means to heal those diseased cells or perhaps even revive dead cells so you won't have to live with the illness forever? This new way of treating the diseased cells would not just cure your disease but, it would also give you a new life.

We are talking about a technique called Cellular therapy and Regenerative Medicine, the big revolution that the field of medicine is going to see in the near future. In fact, what if I tell you, the revolution has already started? 

What is regenerative medicine?

The human body is capable of healing itself, in cases when we cut ourselves or break a bone. However, in some diseases, like diabetes or heart diseases, that is not the case. This is now changing, thanks to the relatively new discipline of regenerative medicine, where experts are looking for therapies and methods that mimic the mechanisms which promote your body's potential for self-healing. Instead of the present clinical approach, which mostly focuses on treating the symptoms, regenerative medicine tries to replace the tissues or organs that have been damaged, by a disease, trauma, or congenital problems, by healthy tissues or organs. 

The idea of Regenerative medicine first caught momentum in 1990's, when stem cell research, tissue engineering and skin grafting started. Instead of treating symptoms with drugs and procedures, the aim of regenerative medicine is to replace or rejuvenate tissues or organs that have been damaged by illness, accident, ageing, or any other factor.

Types of regenerative medicine

Regeneration in humans occurs at three levels- 

1. Molecular level

2. Cellular level 

3. Tissue level

The most widely practiced regenerative medicine, in today's world, is stem cell therapy. In stem cell therapy, scientists grow specialized cells, known as stem cells, in laboratories in a controlled environment. These cells are special because they have the power to take the shape and function of any cell that we desire. When delivered into patients, these stem cells are trained to behave as target cells, taking over the role of sick or damaged cells and enhancing the patient's quality of life. A few major areas where regenerative medicine is changing our lives are : 

1. Tissue engineering and biomaterials

2. Cellular therapy 

3. Medical devices 

4. Artificial organs

Uses of regenerative medicine 

Regenerative medicine can be used in several therapies and to treat many conditions including:

1. Type 1 diabetes

2. Cardiovascular tissue repair

3. Brain injury tissue repair

4. Immune system improvement

5. Cell therapy

6. Tissue engineering

7. Skin wounds

8. Certain cancers

9. Organ transplants

What is Cellular Therapy?

Do you know how our human body heals? One major component involved in the healing process is stem cells. Stem cells are certain cells that are present in our body which can take the shape and form of any cell. Our body uses stem cells as one way of repairing itself. Studies have shown that if adult stem cells are harvested and then injected at the site of diseased or damaged tissue, reconstruction of the tissue becomes feasible under the right circumstances. Cellular therapy works on the principle of " using the cell itself as medicine. " Cellular therapy is a therapy in which new healthy stem cells are introduced in the patient's body which replace diseased or damaged cells of the body to modulate the functioning of the patient's cells, thus enhancing the health and controlling the disease. When the theory was first hypothesized, the aim was just to cure terminal conditions, but, over time it was realized that it was just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, it was discovered that cellular therapy could also be used to halt and reverse diseases, restore damaged organs, and, ultimately, cure many life-threatening conditions. Cellular therapy is a rapidly advancing and highly promising field with the promise to change the field of medicine for good.

History of Cellular Therapy

Just like many other discoveries, Cellular therapy began as a medical breakthrough. A hypothesis to change the way medicine worked along with an accident in a lab is how we got the gift of cellular therapy. The credit goes to Dr. E. Donnall Thomas, who, in 1950, came up with the idea to change how cells repair themselves. When he discovered cellular therapy, he was working on treating one of the twin siblings suffering from aplastic anemia, from the cells derived from the bone marrow of the other twin sibling. Initial trials of cellular therapy had mixed results, but over time, the technique was mastered and today, stem cell therapy is a promising medical treatment for many medical conditions.

Diseases That Can Be Treated With Cellular Therapy 

The following diseases and conditions can be treated using cellular therapy: 

1. Lymphoma

2. Metastatic melanoma

3. Multiple myeloma

4. Neuroblastoma 

5. Synovial cell carcinoma

6. Ovarian cancer

7. Specific types of solid tumors, including cervical, head & neck, bladder, gastrointestinal, sarcoma and melanoma.

Types of Cellular Therapies Available

Though cellular therapies are still under clinical trials and not available widely across the world, there are a few types of cellular therapies that are provided by select medical institutions. These therapies are: 

1. Stem cell based therapies 

2. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy

3. Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy

4. In Vitro Sensitized (IVS) T-cell therapy

5. Engineered T-Cell Receptor Therapy

6. Natural Killer (NK) cell therapy 

Does Regenerative Medicine Really Work?

Obviously, after reading this article, the first question that would come to your mind would be if all this is for real or is it still a concept. The truth is, regenerative medicine is the future of medicine. It is the big revolution we have been waiting for. Even though it is a novel concept, regenerative medicine is being used to treat terminal conditions like cancer and genetic disorders like muscular dystrophy in many parts of the world already. So the answer is yes, regenerative medicine really works. Though the truth is it will still take a few years before regenerative medicine starts getting widely practiced. 

Can Regenerative Medicine Help Me?

Regenerative medicine is still a novel concept. Most of the therapies of Regenerative medicine are still under clinical trials. It will take a lot more time before these therapies get approved for medical use. If you or any of your loved ones happen to be suffering from the above-mentioned conditions and don't seem to be benefiting from medicine, you can consult your doctor today to know about the possibility of using these therapies. 

Take-Home Points

• It was when stem cell research, tissue engineering, and skin grafting emerged in the 1990s, the concept of regenerative medicine also gained traction.

• In regenerative medicine,  damaged tissue or organs that have been harmed by a disease, trauma, or congenital disorders are attempted to be replaced with healthy tissues or organs.

• Cellular therapy is a type of regenerative medicine.

• Cellular therapy uses specialized cells known as stem cells, which can transform into any type of desirable cell and perform the desired function in place of the damaged cells.

• There are many types of cellular therapies available but unfortunately, most of them are still under clinical trials.

FAQ on Cellular Therapy and Regenerative Medicine

1. What is gene therapy? 

Ans. Gene therapy is a method for treating or curing disease by changing a person's DNA.

2. How does gene therapy work?

Ans. Gene treatments can function in a variety of ways:

A disease-causing gene that is not functioning properly can be inactivated. A disease-causing gene that is new or altered can be introduced into the body to help treat a disease.

3. What is cell therapy? 

Ans. Cell therapy involves introducing whole, living cells into a patient to treat or prevent disease. The cells may be autologous (from the patient) or from a donor (allogeneic cells). By their capacity to differentiate into various cell types, the cells used in cell therapy can be categorized. While multipotent cells can change into different cell types, their repertoire is more constrained than that of pluripotent cells, which can turn into every type of cell in the body.

References

• Pubmed - cell and tissue in regenerative medicine 

• What is Regenerative medicine? 

• Cell therapy - types, regulation and clinical benefits