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[Bridge Economy] Diverse Applications of Stem Cell Therapy, From Incurable Diseases to Anti-Aging Care

By 2017-04-07No Comments

 


[Bridge Economy] Diverse Applications of Stem Cell Therapy, From Incurable Diseases to Anti-Aging Care


Stem cells beneficial for anti-aging care, 'Adipose-derived stem cells' … 'Cell banking' as needed



 



 


 


One of the "hot keywords" in the medical field that spread most rapidly like a viral trend in the second half of last year was undoubtedly "stem cells." This followed reports that former President Park Geun-hye, former Blue House Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon, and Choi Soon-sil—identified as a behind-the-scenes power broker—had received stem cell injections. As it is a procedure that VIPs seek out on their own initiative, it is perceived as a "modern-day elixir of immortality," fueling public curiosity and generating quite a few rumors related to it.



Stem cells are "undifferentiated cells" capable of differentiating into various body tissues. They are characterized by their ability to differentiate into various tissue cells when provided with appropriate conditions. Furthermore, due to their properties of regenerating damaged tissues and enhancing therapeutic effects through immunosuppressive responses, anti-inflammatory effects, angiogenesis induction, and rapid recovery, they are considered a key to treating intractable diseases. In fact, they are known to be effective in overcoming rare and intractable diseases such as skin ulcers caused by diabetes and its complications, rheumatoid arthritis, and Parkinson's disease, and research on dementia treatment methods is currently active. They are also widely applied to heart disease, erectile dysfunction, and degenerative knee arthritis.



Stem cells are broadly classified into three types: embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and adult stem cells. In Korea, embryonic stem cells are primarily used for research purposes, while adult stem cells are utilized for clinical treatment.



Embryonic stem cells are considered pluripotent cells capable of differentiating into all cells that make up the human body, excluding the placenta, but ethical issues cannot be ignored because they must be extracted from blastocyst embryos just before implantation or from fetuses miscarried between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy. 



Induced pluripotent stem cells are created by injecting transcription factors (gene expression regulatory proteins) into fully differentiated somatic cells to turn them into pre-differentiated stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells. They are also called "induced pluripotent stem cells" because they induce stem cells capable of developing into any type of cell, as if turning back the clock. Shinya Yamanaka of Japan devised and developed them, winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2012) in the shortest time after development.



Adult stem cells, which can be extracted from bone marrow, blood, and adipose tissue, are easy to produce but differentiate into only a few cell types, limiting their effectiveness; therefore, they are primarily used for anti-aging care and pain relief rather than for treating intractable diseases. Even without the specific purpose of treating intractable diseases, stem cells have already become a part of the public's daily lives.




Effective for the treatment and pain management of early to mid-stage degenerative arthritis 



Pain treatment utilizing stem cells is becoming increasingly popular, following reports that Coach Guus Hiddink, who led South Korea to the semifinals of the 2014 World Cup, was cured of knee arthritis using stem cells. Degenerative arthritis occurs when the cartilage protecting the joints within the knee is damaged due to aging or external impact. Treatment typically involved drug injections, arthroscopic surgery, or artificial joint replacement. However, due to the nature of cartilage, which does not regenerate once damaged, treating patients in the early to mid-stages of degenerative arthritis has been challenging. 



However, a treatment method has recently been developed that preserves the joint by regenerating cartilage using stem cells, making it possible to treat osteoarthritis in its early stages. This method involves extracting cells from bone marrow, fat, or umbilical cord blood and injecting them into the cartilage area.




VIP's Stem Cell Regeneration Injection, 'Legal' If Not Cultured



The stem cell regenerative injection gained notoriety after it was reported that former President Park and others had received it. This method involves extracting stem cells from one's own body, centrifuging them, and injecting them into the body intravenously in the form of an IV drip. Although it is regarded as an "illegal, shady procedure" due to corruption allegations, it is considered a "legal treatment" as long as the stem cells are not cultured after extraction. In fact, following rumors that the injection had been administered, the number of medical consumers visiting stem cell anti-aging clinics actually increased.



Dr. Shin Dong-jin, director of SC301 Clinic, who has been researching stem cell therapy since 2007, said, “Stem cells travel through the blood to reach various parts of the body to replenish deficient tissues and help with the creation of blood vessels or protein synthesis, so they can help with fatigue recovery, improvement of skin elasticity, overcoming decreased libido, and boosting immunity.”




Actively applied to 'anti-aging procedures' such as breast augmentation and fat grafting



It is estimated that the field where stem cells are currently most actively utilized is fat grafting, which improves the volume of the breasts or face that is lacking in breast or facial surgeries. While simple fat grafting can satisfactorily fill volume for a short period, its limitation is that the effect is temporary due to a low engraftment rate of 20–30%.



Experts suggest that to complement this, injecting fat-derived stem cells along with fat increases the engraftment rate by two to three times due to neovascularization and regenerative effects. Dr. Shin Dong-jin explained, “Autologous fat grafting is the preferred breast augmentation method for women who avoid artificial implants, but its limitation is that the engraftment rate remains at only 20 to 30 percent.” He added, “Interestingly, if stem cells extracted from fat are mixed with pure fat cells in an optimal ratio and injected into the breasts, the engraftment rate reaches 70 percent, allowing for the maintenance of a full, voluminous appearance for a long period.”



Continuing his research in this area, he published a paper in an academic journal of Shandong University School of Medicine in China between 2012 and 2015 proving a 70% engraftment rate for "stem cell breast augmentation." Director Shin explained, "Patients were highly dissatisfied with the low engraftment rate of conventional simple autologous fat grafting. Re-procedures to address this were burdensome, and excessive fat grafting at once out of greed sometimes led to side effects such as calcification or necrosis." The same principle can be applied to the face as well.



However, he pointed out that no matter how effective stem cells are, they must be backed by equipment capable of harvesting a sufficient number of necessary cells at once without damage, as well as the clinical experience of medical staff who can properly handle them. Director Shin noted, “If the procedure is not performed within two hours of harvesting fat and extracting stem cells from the patient’s body, the stem cells begin to degenerate; therefore, if the procedure is delayed, injecting the stem cells becomes meaningless.”




Stem cells beneficial for anti-aging care are 'fat-derived stem cells'



Depending on the source of stem cells, bone marrow appears to offer the highest activity, but due to the low yield and the painful extraction process, fat and blood are generally used. Director Shin stated, "Blood contains only minute amounts of stem cells, making it difficult to see improvement using them. In contrast, fat offers relatively higher yields and activity, and because it is effective in removing excess body fat, fat-derived adult stem cells are the most widely used in anti-aging treatments."




Used even to improve sexual function… The number of medical consumers 'cell banking' as needed is increasing



Recently, stem cells have been shown to restore confidence even to men with 'lowered heads.' On the 25th, Professor Marta Horr of Odense University Hospital in Denmark announced research results showing that injecting mesenchymal stem cells harvested from the abdominal fat cells of patients with erectile dysfunction into the corpus cavernosum, the erectile tissue of the penis, was able to improve erectile dysfunction.



As a result of stem cell therapy performed on 21 patients (aged 40–70) who developed erectile dysfunction as a side effect of radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer, 8 of them were able to engage in sexual activity through natural erections. Director Shin Dong-jin explained, “After injection, stem cells regenerate blood vessels and strengthen muscles, helping to ensure smooth blood supply to the penis and maintain a rigid erection.”



As stem cells are being utilized in such diverse ways, an increasing number of people are seeking to preserve their own stem cells to stay as young as possible. This is driven by concerns over "contingency plans," such as storing stem and fat cells in advance for fat grafting while dieting, or preparing for diseases like dementia or arthritis. SC301 Clinic offers a cell banking service that separates aspirated fat into stem cells and pure fat, freezes them at an ultra-low temperature of minus 196 degrees Celsius, and allows them to be retrieved for surgery at any time.



Director Shin Dong-jin stated, “In fat cell and stem cell banking, the younger the age, the higher the quality of the stem cells.pho“I recommend storing it in advance because you can obtain a large amount,” he said, adding, “We can perform customized surgery whenever needed, depending on the patient’s condition and wishes.” affectionReporter Hee-won yolo0317@viva100.com