Medical researchers have made great advanced during the past few decades. Many diseases that used to mean a definite death can now be treated successfully. In many other cases diseases have not been conquered yet, but new medication and treatment methods can add many years to the lives of patients. One can only wonder at what the next major breakthrough will be. Stem cell research facilities claim that they are on the verge of achieving a quantum leap forward.
Bone marrow transplants have been performed for a number of years, almost exclusively on patients suffering from blood related cancers. These patients receive chemo therapy that kills all blood cells indiscriminately. With the transplants, physicians hope that the growth of new cells will be encouraged in order to replace to dead and damaged blood cells.
Bone marrow transplants are not curing any condition yet, least of all cancer. There are some indications, however, that they can add a significant number of years to the lives of seriously ill cancer patients. Researchers believe that further improvements are round the corner and that this technology will eventually be used to cure some forms of cancer. Progress is slow and actual testing of new theories on humans are still a few years away.
It is not just a cure for cancer keeping researchers in this field busy. They think that bone marrow transplants will also be used to replaced damaged brain cells. If this is achieved, then patients with Alzheiner and Parkinson, for example, can receive treatment that will reverse the effects of their conditions. Patients with brain damage and spine injuries will also benefit from such transplants. The theory is that new cells will simply replaced damaged ones.
Another field of enquiry relates to the use of bone marrow transplants to replace heart cells and blood vessels. Researchers believe that it would eventually be possible to cure many types of heart disease by causing new cells to replace the damaged ones. Heart disease remains one of the most prolific killers and progress in this specific field of enquiry may end up saving millions of lives.
Make no mistake. Bone marrow transplants have numerous enemies. They say that this type of therapy is dangerous and that there is no evidence that it has worked thus far. They also site the fact that the transplanted cells are now often harvested from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. This, they say, opens the door to widespread abuse and seriously unethical behaviour.
Another main complaint of critics is that research in this field are over optimistic and that they are still many years away from any useful progress. They create false expectations, critics accuse, simply to obtain more and more funds for their research projects. There are no breakthroughs in the pipeline, say the critics and it is wrong to raise the hopes of desperately ill patients.
Dread diseases kill millions of people every year and anything that gives hope is welcomed. Whether the transplant of bone marrow cells will prove to be a medical miracle or not remains to be seen. In the meantime, some cancer patients live longer than expected precisely due to bone marrow transplants. Perhaps a miracle will occur after all.
Bone marrow transplants have been performed for a number of years, almost exclusively on patients suffering from blood related cancers. These patients receive chemo therapy that kills all blood cells indiscriminately. With the transplants, physicians hope that the growth of new cells will be encouraged in order to replace to dead and damaged blood cells.
Bone marrow transplants are not curing any condition yet, least of all cancer. There are some indications, however, that they can add a significant number of years to the lives of seriously ill cancer patients. Researchers believe that further improvements are round the corner and that this technology will eventually be used to cure some forms of cancer. Progress is slow and actual testing of new theories on humans are still a few years away.
It is not just a cure for cancer keeping researchers in this field busy. They think that bone marrow transplants will also be used to replaced damaged brain cells. If this is achieved, then patients with Alzheiner and Parkinson, for example, can receive treatment that will reverse the effects of their conditions. Patients with brain damage and spine injuries will also benefit from such transplants. The theory is that new cells will simply replaced damaged ones.
Another field of enquiry relates to the use of bone marrow transplants to replace heart cells and blood vessels. Researchers believe that it would eventually be possible to cure many types of heart disease by causing new cells to replace the damaged ones. Heart disease remains one of the most prolific killers and progress in this specific field of enquiry may end up saving millions of lives.
Make no mistake. Bone marrow transplants have numerous enemies. They say that this type of therapy is dangerous and that there is no evidence that it has worked thus far. They also site the fact that the transplanted cells are now often harvested from the umbilical cords of unborn babies. This, they say, opens the door to widespread abuse and seriously unethical behaviour.
Another main complaint of critics is that research in this field are over optimistic and that they are still many years away from any useful progress. They create false expectations, critics accuse, simply to obtain more and more funds for their research projects. There are no breakthroughs in the pipeline, say the critics and it is wrong to raise the hopes of desperately ill patients.
Dread diseases kill millions of people every year and anything that gives hope is welcomed. Whether the transplant of bone marrow cells will prove to be a medical miracle or not remains to be seen. In the meantime, some cancer patients live longer than expected precisely due to bone marrow transplants. Perhaps a miracle will occur after all.
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