Stem Cell Therapy for Liver Disease

Stem Cell Therapy as a Treatment Remedy for Liver Diseases

Liver diseases are a major problem today as they affect many people with many fatal outcomes every year. Many causes may result in permanent damage to the liver. Some are associated with the general lifestyle of a patient such as excessive drinking while others are a result of other liver-related infections.

Some signs of a damaged liver are:

• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Loss of weight
• Itchy skin
• Yellow declaration of the eyes and the skin
• Fluid accumulation in your abdomen.
• For men, loss of sex drive, breast enlargement

Overview

Stem cell therapy has been used for a long time to treat liver-related infections and related diseases. An alternative to liver transplants has been problematic due to the lack of liver donors, however, stem cell therapy has promising outcomes.

Stem cells can be obtained from various sources to create IPSCs. Different cell lines have been used to treat liver disease in the past. Cell-based therapy may include gene therapy, cell transplantation, bioartificial liver transplant and bioengineering of organs. Research is ongoing but it looks promising as the steps made so far towards incorporating stem cell therapy in treating liver diseases are remarkable.

Is Stem Cell Therapy Capable of Treating Cirrhosis and Liver Diseases Permanently?

In the medical field today, stem cell therapy is considered as the safest and most useful method in treating liver cirrhosis and other liver-related diseases. It is a safe method since the chances of rejection of the newly introduced cells as well as other side effects are minimal. Cell therapy is built on the concept of regenerating hepatocytes and other helpful cells that can help in the repair of damaged cells in the liver and regeneration of other cells. The new cells fuse with other cells to try and kick-start the normal function of the liver.

How is Stem Cell Therapy Treating Liver-related Diseases and Cirrhosis?

Many scientists all over the globe have approved stem cell therapy to be a safe method of treating liver cirrhosis and other liver diseases. It is 100% safe and a major stepping stone in the fight against liver diseases. Doctors in India, America and nearly all parts of the world are using this method which has been approved by various health bodies in the world including WHO.

Stem cells are natural parts of a person’s body. Stem cells have the medical ability to repair damaged tissues as well as replace the tissues that are not functioning well. After stem cell therapy, it takes up to 4 months for the changes to be effected in the body. The patient will experience some gradual observable changes and improvements. The good thing is, there is no risk of rejection as the stem cells we are using are from the umbilical cord Wharton Jelly and do not require blood matching. The procedure of inducing stem cells is a quick one. It is painless and only goes for a duration of around 3hrs. It is safe and recommendable.

During the process of cell transfer, a patient receives hundreds of millions of cells. This is a huge quantity and is intended to give an allowance for those cells that will not work properly.

After the transfer, old organs become partially or completely rejuvenated and reborn. This is because the old and damaged cells are replaced by the newly induced healthy cells. An organ can have a problem that dates back 20 years ago, but once stem cell therapy is induced, the organ will sprout back to life and the problems affecting it are likely to reduce significantly.

Typical Impact and Changes After Stem Cell Therapy

• Decreasing levels of fatigue
• Decreased level of bleeding
• A patient develops appetite
• Reduced nausea
• Reduced swelling in legs, feet or ankles (reduced oedema).
• A patient starts gaining weight
• Reduced itching.

Facts About Stem Cell Therapy

In a recent report submitted by doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, over 60% of the patients who have been using stem cell therapy have achieved remarkable health recovery. The doctors have acknowledged the easiness of using this form of treatment saying that it is less risky, less cumbersome and more cost-effective.

In the same paper, the doctors noted that many patients are in dire need of liver transplants but it is not easy for them because it is extremely costly. Another challenge for liver transplant is the unavailability of donors. This calls for other alternatives – one of which is stem cell therapy. When a donor is needed, he/she has to be a family member or a first and second relative. It is not easy to find donors that match. To the contrary, stem cells obtained from umbilical cord Wharton Jelly do not require matching donor and won’t be rejected by the person’s organism.

The report shifted its attention from donating organs (which has always been problematic) to calling for alternative use of stem cell therapy. While many clinics use bone marrow to generate new cells, it is not a physically pleasant procedure and the amount and quality of stem cells are dependent on the patient’s health condition and age. At StemFinityCord our preferred choice are Mesenchymal Stem Cells derived from umbilical cord Wharton Jelly.

There are a few reasons for that. Stem cells from Wharton Jelly are a premium source and we aren’t dependant on a patient. In a government-controlled cGMP laboratory, we can prepare the necessary amount of cells and ensure only the top grade stem cells are chosen. Besides, they have been proven to be the most effective cells from the currently available sources.

This method has been used and proved to be a success.

Most patients will react positively to this treatment method. From 10 patients, 7 were showing quite remarkable changes and improvement when they received the injections. This treatment method may act as a bridge for a liver transplant. In fact, with the efforts being employed in this area and ongoing research, hopefully, this will be the main treatment method shortly.