In 2009, the ban on government-funded stem cell research was lifted. And now, current stem cell research has evolved into a truly astounding field of medicine.

Controversy still surrounds stem cells and the methods by which they’re harvested from humans. But stem cell researchers have come a long way from where it began in the US in the 1950s. That’s why we’re celebrating the history of stem cell therapy today with this guide to the current state of the field.

Are you curious about how stem cells are used in modern medicine and the potential uses these regenerative cells may have in the future? Keep reading this guide to everything you need to know about current and future stem cell research in the US.

Current Stem Cell Research

Today, top regenerative specialists use stem cell therapy to treat patients across the country.

One of the most prominent uses of regenerative medicine is in cancer treatment. One procedure takes stem cells from bone marrow and transplants them into a cancer patient’s bloodstream. These stem cells can give rise to red and white blood cells, which many cancer patients lose during radiation or chemotherapy.

Another application of stem cell therapy is for patients with a rare but serious eye disease. Early work has shown that retinal stem cells can help treat symptoms of macular dystrophy and macular degeneration.

While there are a plethora of other trials currently underway, the majority of these have yet to reach clinical trials. Still, these pre-clinical studies have uncovered something surprising.

Scientists used to think humans were born with all the brain cells they’ll ever have. But then neurogenesis (the production of new brain cells) was discovered in adult birds. And this led to the astonishing idea that humans may produce new brain cells throughout life, too.

This fact is opening up some exciting new possibilities for the future of stem cell research and application.

Implications for the Future

Stem cells are being looked at because of their potential for producing new cells. During development, human cells go through a process called differentiation. A cell goes from totipotent (meaning they can become any cell in the human body) to differentiated (meaning they have become a specialized cell in a specific tissue).

This is important because as you age, your cells die off. Worse, fewer new cells replace them, especially in the brain. Stem cells, then, have the potential to prevent some of the negative effects of getting older.

For example, stem cells are a promising therapy for neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s. In Parkinson’s disorder, cells in the region of the brain that controls movement die off at an alarming rate. With stem cell therapy, though, pluripotent neural cells could replace the brain cells lost to the disease.

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